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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Shiism: Imamate and Wilayat Knowledge of the Ahlul Bayt Introduction The universal wilayat is in a way linked to the knowledge that Almighty Allah has bestowed upon the person holding the wilayat . The universal wilayat of Imam 'Ali, for example, is described in the Qur'an by the words "the person who has knowledge of the Book." What is 'ilmu 'l-ghayb? Our means of gaining knowledge are through the senses that Allah has created in us.

"And Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers while you did not know anything; and He made for you the ears, the eyes, and the hearts (i.e., minds) so that haply you may be thankful." (16:78) We see things through our eyes and listen to sounds by our ears, and then we analyze the information in our minds and deduce the conclusion. There is another kind of knowledge that cannot be acquired by human senses; it comes from God.

That knowledge is known as 'ilmu 'l-ghayb, knowledge of the unseen. For example, knowledge about the future events or the inner thoughts and intentions of a person, etc. " Ghayb " is the opposite of " shuhud - the present, the seen". Sometimes the ghayb is absolute (e.g., the inner most intentions of a person) and at other times it is relative (e.g., what a person has hidden inside his house, it is 'unseen' for outsiders).

The term " ghayb -unseen, hidden" is used from the perspective of the created beings only. For Allah there is no difference between ghayb and shuhud . The Qur'an describes Allah as: "...Knower of the unseen and the seen..." ( 39:46 ; 62:8 ) The Qur'an & 'Ilmu 'l-Ghayb According to the Qur'an, the only independent source of 'ilmu 'l-ghayb is Allah.

"And with Him are the keys of the ghayb, no one knows it except Him..." (6:59) "Say, 'Those who are in the heavens and the earth do not know the ghayb except Allah." (27:65) "And to Allah belongs the ghayb of the heavens and the earth." ( 7:49 ; 18:26 ) The import of these verses is that the knowledge of ghayb belongs to Allah, He knows the ghayb by Himself. Can anyone else have access to 'ilmu 'l-ghayb?

Almighty Allah, out of His infinite grace and wisdom, bestows the 'ilmu 'l-ghayb upon whomsoever He chooses.