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Fatwa CenterExplanation of Hadith about questions regarding the future
Question
Please explain the following Hadith:
(1) Ibn Umar (Radiya Allahu Anhu) said, "Do not ask about what has not yet occurred. I heard Umar (Radiya Allahu Anhu) cursing the person who asks about things that have not happened".
(2) Umar (Radiya Allahu Anhu) said, "It is restrained for you to ask about what has not happened. Indeed there is enough occupation for you in that which has already occurred.
(3) Zaid Ibn Thabit (Radiya Allahu Anhu) used to say, when asked about some thing, "has it already happened". If the answer is "No", he used to say, "Leave it until it happens".
Please quote in which book these Hadith are reported. Does this Hadith mean that we should not think about future and make future plans (or) discuss current issues in the light of future?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. 1) Al-Darimy reported from Ibn Umar (Radiya Allahu Anhu) that he said: 'Do not ask about something that has not yet happened. Indeed, I heard Caliph Umar (Radiya Allahu Anhu) cursing the person who asks about something that has not yet happened' [ Al-al-bani considers the chain of this Hadith authentic]. Faqih Hussain Asnad said: 'The chain of this Hadith is good' . 2) Al-Darimy reported from Al-Zuhri that he said: 'It was reported to us that Zaid Ibn Thabet Al-ansari used to say when asked about an issue did this occur?' If they say: 'yes'. 'It actually happened', he says what he knows about it and gives his opinion. But if they say: 'No, it has not happened', he says: 'so leave it until it happens' . Al-albani confirms the relating of this Hadith to Al-Zuhri . 3) Al-Darimy reported from Tawus that he said: ' Umar said: 'I restrain the person, for the Sake of Allah, who asks about something that has not yet happened as Allah has made clear (the rulings of) what will happen' . Al-albani and Sheikh Hussain Assad consider the chain of this narration authentic. Anyway, these Ahadith were reported by Al-Darimy in his Sunan and they do not mean or imply that the person should not ponder over the future or plan for it, nor do they mean that we should discuss the future in terms of what is happening in the present. In fact, what is meant by these Ahadith as Ibn Hajar summarizes it is: 'To exhort people not to ask about ambiguous and problematic matters or captious questions or to make suppositions about things that have not taken place' . Allah knows best.
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