As for what lies ahead, the future itself falls into two categories:

1. The first is whatever the sacred law has foretold; such events must unfailingly occur—like the appearance of Gog and Magog, the Antichrist, the descent of Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him), and similar matters that are soundly established in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

2. The second is that concerning which neither the Book nor the Sunnah contains any report. Any pronouncement about such matters is no more than conjecture and speculation, and it is impermissible for anyone to affirm them with regard to the future, for they belong to the realm of the unseen, and none knows the unseen except Allah.

He ﷺ then says: “To proceed: the best discourse is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ, the worst affairs are newly-introduced matters, and every innovation is misguidance.” The explanation of these sentences has already been given.

Next he says: “I am nearer to every believer than he is to himself,” just as his Lord—exalted is He—has said: “The Prophet is closer to the believers than they are to their own selves” (al-Ahzab 33:6). Thus he is nearer to you than you are to yourself, and he is ever-gentle and merciful toward the believers ﷺ. He continues: “Whoever leaves wealth, it belongs to his heirs”—meaning that anyone who dies and leaves property, it passes to his family in accordance with the rulings set down in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ. “And whoever leaves a debt or dependents”—that is, young children who would be left without support—“then it is upon me and I am responsible for them,” meaning their affair is referred to me: I am their guardian, and the debt rests upon me; I will discharge it. Such was his practice ﷺ once Allah had opened the way for him.

Before that time, when a deceased person was brought for the funeral prayer, he would ask, “Does he owe any debt?” If they replied, “Yes, and he has nothing with which to settle it,” he would refrain from leading the prayer over him. On one occasion a man from the Ansar was brought to him; the Prophet stepped forward to lead the funeral prayer, then asked, “Does he owe any debt?” They said, “Yes …”