As Per the Quran, Muhammad Never Knew the Future; How Would he Predict the So-Called 'Second Coming' of Christ?!
Published in August 21, 2020
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Firstly: a quotation from our book titled (The Quran: Sufficient as a Source of Islamic Legislation):
More than 20 years ago, we asserted the fact that Muhammad never knew or predicted the future in our book, in English, titled (The Quran: Sufficient as a Source of Islamic Legislation) which is found in English on this link: (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=92).
The following quotation is from Chapter Two of this book:
(Furthermore, there is a confirmed Quranic fact which the Quran repeats, which is that the prophet has no knowledge of the future, and doesn’t know when the Hour will occur, nor does he know what will happen to him or the people. Concerning this, read what God Almighty says: “Say, “I do not say to you that I possess the treasures of God. Nor do I know the future…” (6:50)”, and “Say, “I do not know if what is promised to you will happen soon, or if my Lord will delay it for a while”. He is the Knower of the future; He does not reveal the future to anyone. Only to a messenger that He chooses… (72:25-27)”, and “If they turn away, then say, “I have warned you sufficiently, and I have no idea how soon or late (the retribution) will come to you. (21:109)”. And can there be anything clearer than what God Almighty says “Say, “I am not different from other messengers. I have no idea what will happen to me or to you. I only follow what is revealed to me. I am no more than a profound warner.” (46:9)”? Despite all this, there are many other verses which confirm that knowledge of the Hour lies with God alone “With God is the knowledge regarding the Hour (end of the world). He is the One who sends down the rain, and He knows the contents of the womb. No soul knows what will happen to it tomorrow, and no one knows in which land he or she will die… (31:34)”, and “With Him is the knowledge about the Hour (end of the world)… (41:47)”, and “Most Exalted is the One who possesses all sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and everything between them. With Him is the knowledge about the Hour (end of the world), and to Him you will be returned. (43:85)”. All of these are verses which confirm that the prophet had no knowledge of the future, and that the knowledge of the Hour lies with God alone. Only one verse was enough to make this clear, however, people asked the prophet many times about the Hour, but despite this, he never hastened to give an answer using the verses which had already been revealed. Rather, he waited for the revelation, and the revelation always used to come down with the same answer, which is that the knowledge of the Hour lies with God alone and that the prophet doesn’t know the future. People asked the prophet about the Hour but he never hastened to give an answer even though he knew that the Quran would not give an answer which contradicts previous revelations, and that the answer will be the same as what has already been confirmed and oft-repeated. The prophet waited for the answer, then God Almighty revealed: “They ask you about the end of the world (the Hour), and when it will come to pass. Say, “The knowledge thereof is with my Lord. Only He reveals its time. Heavy it is, in the heavens and the earth. It will not come to you except suddenly.” They ask you as if you are in control thereof. Say, “The knowledge thereof is with God,” but most people do not know. Say, “I have no power to benefit myself, or harm myself. Only what God wills happens to me. If I knew the future, I would have increased my wealth, and no harm would have afflicted me… (7:187-188)”. This is more than enough clarification. However, they questioned him further about the Hour but the prophet still waited for an answer, then God replied and revealed “They ask you about the Hour, and when it will take place! It is not you (Muhammad) who is destined to announce its time. Your Lord decides its fate. Your mission is to warn those who expect it. (79:42-45)”. Note that God says to the prophet “It is not you (Muhammad) who is destined to announce its time.” The knowledge of the Hour was restricted to God “Your Lord decides its fate.” Similarly, the prophet’s role was restricted to giving a warning “Your mission is to warn those who expect it”. All this happened in Mecca, but once in Medina, the people asked the prophet about the Hour, but yet still, the prophet waited for an answer from God: “The people ask you about the Hour (end of the world). Say, “The knowledge thereof is only with God. For all that you know, the Hour may be close.” (33:63)”. The prophet could well have replied, for he had many verses to refer to, but he used to wait for the answer, because the revelation used to come down with the known answer in advance. Then, the people would ask the prophet the same question but the prophet would wait for the answer. Then, the same answer would be revealed, but then, other people would ask him the same question. But he would still wait for the answer – which he already knew – until the revelation came to him, and so it went. And had the prophet the right to figure out the answer for himself, he would have responded to those questions with the first answer that was revealed to him. Even though these Quranic facts haven’t been revealed in futility (God be exalted from futility!), and notwithstanding all the authentications which have been repeated and confirmed that the prophet didn’t know the future, or that he didn’t know anything about the Hour, or its time, or its events; despite all this, people ascribed to the prophet after his death tens of hadith about the signs of the Hour and its events, and about intercession, and about the conditions of the inhabitants of paradise and the inhabitants of hell. These hadith which have filled the ‘Sahih’ books, only serve to strengthen the wonder of the Quran, because we can now understand why the Quran corroborated those facts many times in advance; to establish those facts in advance. These erroneous hadith are a test to us before God Almighty; we can either believe the Quran and reject hadith, or we can believe hadith and reject God and His Quran. There is no middle path, there is no third alternative. We ask God for guidance and security!).
Secondly: we further assert the following Quranic facts about the Holy Quran and Muhammad:
1- This is about deniers and rejecters of the Quranic verses: "But as for those who reject Our Verses, torment will afflict them because of their sinning." (6:49); in the very next Quranic verse, Muhammad has been commanded to announce his having no knowledge of the future; this means that he could not predict anything during his lifetime: "Say, “I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of God, nor do I know the future, nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I only follow what is inspired to me.” Say, “Are the blind and the seeing alike? Do you not think?”" (6:50). Of course, the Muhammadans are among those who reject and deny the Quranic verses of the Lord God; this is why they are being tormented in this world and their sins will make them suffer the Hell torment for eternity in the Hereafter.
2- This is about the disbelief/polytheism of those who believe in other discourses apart from the Quranic Discourse and thus cannot possibly be guided: "Have they not observed the realm of the heavens and the earth, and all the things that God created, and that their time may have drawn near? Which discourse, besides this, will they believe in? Whomever God misguides has no guide. And He leaves them blundering in their transgression." (7:185-186); in the very next Quranic verses, Muhammad has been commanded to announce his having no knowledge of the future and of the Hour: "They ask you about the Hour, “When will it come?” Say, “Knowledge of it rests with my Lord. None can reveal its coming except He. It weighs heavily on the heavens and the earth. It will not come upon you except suddenly.” They ask you as if you are responsible for it. Say, “Knowledge of it rests with God,” but most people do not know. Say, “I have no control over any benefit or harm to myself, except as God wills. Had I known the future, I would have acquired much good, and no harm would have touched me. I am only a warner, and a herald of good news to a people who believe.”" (7:187-188).
3- Within the Quranic story of Muhammad and how he spoke with his contemporaries, we discern clearly the fact that Muhammad never knew or predicted the future at all regarding this world and the next one. Had he known the future, he would have acquired much good, and no harm would have touched him; he would not have been defeated in the battle of Uhud. Using the Quranic text, let us exemplify further how Muhammad never knew the future.
3/1: The Lord God says the following about overt, frank hypocrites of Yathreb whose words, stances, and deeds exposed their hypocrisy.
3/1/1: "And when it is said to them, “Come to what God has revealed, and to the Messenger,” you see the hypocrites shunning you completely. How about when a disaster strikes them because what their hands have put forward, and then they come to you swearing by God: “We only intended goodwill and reconciliation”? They are those whom God knows what is in their hearts. So ignore them, and admonish them, and say to them concerning themselves penetrating words." (4:61-63); the Lord God is the Only One Who knows what is in the hearts/souls of hypocrites; Muhammad never knew this though he lived among them and suffered because of them; he has been commanded to avoid them.
3/1/2: "They profess obedience, but when they leave your presence, some of them conspire something contrary to what you said. But God writes down what they conspire. So avoid them, and put your trust in God. God is Guardian enough." (4:81); some hypocrites pretended to be ready to obey Muhammad but they told lies about him and conspired against him; Muhammad never knew the metaphysical realm of the invisible and the future; hence, the Omniscient Lord God has exposed them, and Muhammad has been commanded to avoid them.
3/1/3: "O you who believe! Do not befriend outsiders who never cease to wish you harm. They love to see you suffer. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their hearts conceal is worse. We have made the messages clear for you, if you understand. There you are, you love them, but they do not love you, and you believe in the entire Book. And when they meet you, they say, “We believe;” but when they are alone, they bite their fingers in rage at you. Say, “Die in your rage; God knows what is within the hearts.” If something good happens to you, it upsets them; but if something bad befalls you, they rejoice at it. But if you persevere and maintain righteousness, their schemes will not harm you at all. God comprehends what they do." (3:118-120); Muhammad and the early believers in Yathreb were deceived by the hypocrites who pretended to be believers; they never knew/felt at the time the hatred and disbelief inside the hearts/souls of these hypocrites.
3/1/4: "O messenger! Do not let those who are quick to disbelief grieve you - from among those who say with their mouths, “We believe,” but their hearts do not believe..." (5:41); Muhammad was deceived by the declaration of faith/belief made by some hypocrites who pretended to be believers; he was saddened since they speedily returned to their disbelief and declared so.
3/1/5: "When they come to you, they say, “We believe,” though they have entered with disbelief, and they have departed with it. But God is well Aware of what they hide." (5:61); some hypocrites pretended, by their words only, to be among the believers; Muhammad never knew that disbelief was still inside their hearts/souls; this is known only to the Omniscient Lord God; hence, in the Holy Quran, Allah has exposed their true stance.
3/2: Muhammad never knew those who were adamant in hypocrisy who drew very close to him; he was not a mind-reader; some of them became the so-called caliphs later on; they concealed their true stance very well; the Lord God mentions their being tormented twice in this world and then for eternity inside Hell in the Hereafter: "Among the Desert-Arabs around you there are some hypocrites, and among the inhabitants of the city too. They have become adamant in hypocrisy. You do not know them, but We know them. We will torment them twice; then they will be returned to a severe torment." (9:101).
4- There are some believers among the companions of Muhammad in Yathreb described in the Holy Quran as traitors who conspired secretly as they feared people and never feared Allah; they framed someone; Muhammad is blamed in the following Quranic context for believing them when they deceived him (as he acted as a judge); he was never an infallible man; he was not a mind-reader; he never knew the metaphysical realm of the invisible; the details of this story focus on the moral lessons and not names of any persons: "We have revealed to you the Book, with the truth, so that you judge between people in accordance with what God has shown you. And do not be an advocate for the traitors. And ask God for forgiveness. God is Forgiver and Merciful. And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves. God does not love the deceitful sinner. They hide from the people, but they cannot hide from God. He is with them, as they plot by night with words He does not approve. God comprehends what they do. There you are, arguing on their behalf in the present life, but who will argue with God on their behalf on the Day of Resurrection? Or who will be their representative? Whoever commits evil, or wrongs his soul, then implores God for forgiveness, will find God Forgiving and Merciful. And Whoever earns a sin, earns it against his soul. God is Aware and Wise. And whoever commits a mistake, or a sin, and then blames it on an innocent person, has taken a slander and a clear sin. Were it not for God’s grace towards you, and His mercy, a faction of them would have managed to mislead you. But they only mislead themselves, and they cannot harm you in any way. God has revealed to you the Book and wisdom, and has taught you what you did not know. God’s goodness towards you is great." (4:105-113).
5- A shared aspect among Muhammad and the early believers in Arabia is that they never knew/predicted the future; Muhammad is not included among the messengers/prophets who were granted by Allah a measure of knowledge of the future: "God will not leave the believers as you are, without distinguishing the wicked from the sincere. Nor will God inform you of the future, but God elects from among His messengers whom He wills. So believe in God and His messengers. If you believe and adhere to piety, you will have a splendid reward." (3:179).
6- After the immigration to Yathreb, some (fe)male believers remained inside Mecca and hid their monotheistic faith; they were not known to the believers and to Muhammad in Yathreb; they were known only to the Lord God: "It is He who withheld their hands from you, and your hands from them, in the valley of Mecca, after giving you advantage over them. God is Observer of what you do. It is they who disbelieved, and barred you from the Sacred Mosque, and prevented the offering from reaching its destination. Were it not for faithful men and faithful women, whom you did not know, you were about to hurt them, and became guilty of an unintentional crime. Thus God admits into His mercy whomever He wills. Had they dispersed, We would have tormented those who disbelieved among them with a painful torment." (48:24-25).
Lastly:
The Muhammadans reject, deny, and disbelieve in all the Quranic verses quoted above because their devilish religions are based on lies/falsehoods (e.g., the so-called 'second coming' of Christ) which violate and contradict the fact that the metaphysical realms of the invisible and of the future belong only to the Omniscient Lord God.