Would you please provide me with information about the Preserved Tablet? Is it true that Allaah The Almighty enables His chosen allies to know what it contains?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The Preserved Tablet is the record in which Allaah The Almighty has recorded the fate of His creatures before He created them. In this regard, He Says (what means): {Do you not know that Allaah knows what is in the heaven and earth? Indeed, that is in a Record.} [Quran 22: 70] In his interpretation of this verse, Ibn ‘Atiyyah said that the record in this verse refers to the Preserved Tablet. Allaah The Almighty also Says (what means): {No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a Record before We bring it into being.} [Quran 57: 22] The Maaliki scholar, Al-Qurtubi mentioned in his interpretation of this verse that the record mentioned here refers to the Preserved Tablet.

It was reported on the authority of ‘Imraan ibn Husayn that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , said that Allaah The Almighty was there when there was nothing else; His Throne was above water; He wrote everything in the Record and He created the heavens and the earth. [Al-Bukhari]

In his explanation of this Hadeeth, the Shaafi‘i scholar, Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar mentioned that the record in this Hadeeth refers to the Preserved Tablet.

Regarding its description, scholars of Tafseer (Quranic exegesis) as well as others mentioned some reported citations on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas :

- It is of red rubies, with its upper end tied to the Throne (of Allaah) and its lower end in the lap of an angel. Its script is light, and its pen is light. Allaah The Almighty glances at it three-hundred and thirty-six times every day. With each glance, He does what He Wills; He exalts a humble person, humiliates an honored one, enriches a poor person, impoverishes a rich person, gives life to someone, causes death to another and does whatever else He Wills. There is nothing worthy of worship except Him.

- Allaah The Almighty created the Preserved Tablet as wide as a hundred year walk. Before He created all creation, He ordered the Pen to record the Knowledge of Allaah The Almighty of His creation in it and it recorded everything that would take place until the Day of Judgment.

Regarding access to its content, it has not been proved by any reliable source that Allaah The Almighty has enabled any human being to know its content. Had it been possible for anyone to know this, Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would have been that person, for he is the one who reached a place in heaven that no one had ever reached during the night of Israa’ (Heavenly Ascension). Not even Jibreel (Gabriel) reached this place.

However, it is possible that Allaah The Almighty enables some of His creatures to know some matters of the Unseen that are included in the Preserved Tablet. In this regard, Allaah The Almighty has enabled His prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, to know some matters of the Unseen through revelation. In the same way, this has occurred and still does to some of His righteous servants by way of revelation and divine inspiration. It was narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, mentioned that in past nations, there lived among them people who received divine inspiration about the Unseen. He added that if there was anyone from his Ummah (Nation) to receive such inspiration, it would be ‘Umar . [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

By the will of Allaah The Almighty, these inspired people talk about some matters of the Unseen as if they are related to them. Likewise, a person may have a truthful vision about future matters and later on these matters occur in reality. Such a matter is known and often happens. In this regard, it was reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that the truthful vision of the believer is one of the forty-six parts of prophethood. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

However, we warn about the following:

1- A Muslim has to differentiate between divine inspiration and Satanic whispers so as to avoid the falsehood of polytheism. Divine inspiration is revealed to those who outwardly and inwardly adhere to the straight path of Allaah The Almighty in belief, word and deed, whereas Satanic whispers are directed to the party of the accursed Satan from among the disbelievers and those who innovate in religion.

2- Insight in some matters of the unseen and divine inspiration that are granted to one of the righteous allies of Allaah The Almighty do not mean that he is better than others. Less eligible people may experience these things.

3- The Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the way they were understood by the righteous predecessors are the sources of Sharee‘ah rulings. Sharee‘ah rulings may never be based upon insight on matters of the unseen or upon inspiration.

Regarding your question, some of these things were reported about Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah For instance, he used to tell about the defeat of the Tatars and swear that it would happen before its occurrence. We believe that he was one of those who outwardly and inwardly followed the straight path of Allaah The Almighty in belief, word and deed. This is our opinion about him but only Allaah The Almighty knows the truth, and we do not confirm anybody's good conduct before Allaah The Almighty.

Allaah Knows best.