to him, in private and in public. None of them held any belief about his reports or commands that contradicted the apparent meaning of what he had explained to them, indicated to them, and guided them towards. Thus, none of the Companions interpreted any of his statements contrary to what they indicated, whether concerning what Allah revealed about His names and attributes or what He revealed about events after death. Such interpretations arose only among those whom the leading scholars regarded as people of hypocrisy and the doctrine of union, such as the Qarmatians, the philosophers, and the Jahmiyyah, who deny the realities of the divine names and attributes.

To complete this discussion, you should know that the Prophet—Allah bless him and grant him peace—never singled out any of his Companions for instruction in religious knowledge that he intended to conceal from others. A man might, however, ask a question that could not be answered, and he would respond with something beneficial to him. For example:

A Bedouin asked him about the Hour, although its timing is unknown. He replied, “What have you prepared for it?” The man said, “I have not prepared many deeds for it, but I love Allah and His Messenger.” He said, “A person will be with those whom he loves.”

He thus answered him by addressing the purpose of knowing about the Hour. He did not address his Companions in words they could not understand; rather, some understood his words more fully than others. Thus, in the two Sahīh collections, Abū Sa‘īd reports:

The Messenger of Allah—Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Allah gave a servant the choice between this world and the Hereafter, and that servant chose what is with Allah.” Abū Bakr wept and said, “Rather, we would ransom you with our lives and our wealth, O Messenger of Allah!” The people began to marvel