"The All-Knowing, All-Aware Informed Me"
In the interest of bringing additional sources, attempts have been made to prove that Prophet Muhammad received "revelations" other than the Qur'an, which are said to be scattered in other books. Proving that those 'other books' were revelations too like the Qur'an is important for them in order to convince people to follow those additional books and writings alongside the Qur'an.
A verse used to prove that there were additional revelations to the prophet is the following from Surah At-Tahriem (Chapter Prohibition):
"The Prophet told something in confidence to one of his wives and she disclosed it - Allah made this known to him and he confirmed part of it, keeping the rest to himself - so he confronted her with what she had done. She asked, 'Who told you about this?' and he replied, 'The All-Knowing, the All-Aware told me.' (Qur'an 66:3)
The conclusion they draw from this is the following: The prophet replied by saying "The All-Knowing, the All-Aware informed me", and since no where in the Qur'an is the prophet informed of the fact, then it must mean that the Prophet had other revelations.
A more logical and rational way to look at this verse is this. From the verse we know that the particular wife had disclosed confidential information, which the the prophet had entrusted her with, without the prophet's knowledge. However, the method by which the prophet was informed of what she did can be in any worldly means, since everything is from Allah. A particular companion may have informed the prophet - however, in the good interest of concealing his or her identity, the prophet instead used the expression "The All-Knowing, the All-Aware informed me". This is to not strain the relationship between the companion and the wife in concern.
We must not forget that Prophet Muhammad put complete trust in Allah and adhered to Quranic understanding of faith. Everything happens to us through the will of Allah. Thus, it would be very natural for him to use the expression, "The All-Knowing, the All-Aware informed me" instead of revealing the name of the companion. The following verses of the Qur'an teaches us that whatever happens to us at a worldly level, happens because of Allah:
"It was not you who killed them but Allah. And it was not your throw when you threw, rather Allah threw." (Qur'an 8:17)
"Say, 'nothing can happen to us except for what Allah has written for us. He is our Master: let the believers put their trust in Allah" (Qur'an 9:51)
The ignorant may view verse 66:3 purely as a way to enter into long hearsay stories. However, with the verse alone, we can draw certain lessons such as how we, ourselves may respond to situations around us - how we should consider the well-being of relationships between other people and not just people's relationship with us.
Even if the prophet had received other communications, they are not part of the Quranic guidance - therefore, such communications do not form as part of the Guide for mankind. For example, Maryam received communication from Allah, but those communications were not part of a Scripture of Allah - they were just communications of 'circumstantial' nature such as her being informed of the coming of her baby, the Prophet Isa (Jesus). Likewise, if Prophet Muhammad received communication for some purposes, the fact that it is not part of the Qur'an renders it to be not part of the Guide for mankind. This is because only Books of Allah are to be followed by people as pointed out throughout the Qur'an.
Share this Article:
See also: "Take what the Messenger Gives You and Abstain from what he Forbids you"
Copyright © , QuranicPath. All Rights Reserved.