Tag: Q n A

Praise be to Allah.Al-Bukhaari (8) and Muslim (12) narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Islam is built on five (pillars): the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakaah, Hajj and fasting Ramadan.”
The shahaadatayn (twin testimony of faith) is one of the pillars of Islam, and this first pillar of Islam is a belief that includes affirming the oneness of Allah and testifying to the message of His Prophet. The conjunction wa (“and”) indicates that the two phrases come under the same ruling, which applies equally to both. Just as it is obligatory for an individual to say “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah (ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allah),” and his Islam is not valid, and he has not entered Islam, unless he says that, the same ruling applies equally to the second half of the shahaadah (testimony of faith): “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasool-Allah).” So the individual must also say this, and his Islam is not valid, and he has not entered Islam, unless he says it. So these two phrases are equally subject to the ruling, and they are the two halves of a single pillar of Islam, which is the Shahaadatayn (twin declaration of faith).
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
One may recite only the testimony that there is no god but Allah, whilst intending both parts of the twin declaration of faith, because they are strongly interconnected.
End quote from Fath al-Baari (1/133).
Al-Mullah ‘Ali al-Qaari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Because the two parts of the twin declaration of faith are inseparable according to Islamic teaching, they are regarded as one thing, and one of the two phrases may appear in a report on its own because it is sufficient to indicate both of them.
It was said: it may be understood from their being mentioned together in most reports that in order for a person’s Islam to be valid, it is essential to recite them both together, one after the other, in this order. End quote.
Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh (1/168).
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah is regarded as a single pillar, because in every act of worship it is essential to have true sincerity towards Allah alone and to follow the way of His Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
End quote from Liqaa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh (2/197).
Shaykh Ibn Jibreen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The two phrases of the twin declaration of faith are inseparable; whoever testifies to one of them, that implies that he testifies to the other. In fact, the second one is complementary to the first, because we say: how do you know that there is no god but Allah, and that Allah is the true God, and that no one deserves to be regarded as divine except Him? Is that not through the message of the Messenger? Hence you must believe in the Messenger and testify that he was sent by his Lord.
If you believe that the Messenger (peace be upon him) was indeed a Messenger, and that he was sent by his Lord, then what is the message that he conveyed? Is it not the case that the first thing he began with was to affirm the oneness of Allah by saying, There is no god but Allah? So the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) began by calling people to worship Allah alone and to give up the worship of anyone other than Him. This is the greatest message that he conveyed. Therefore the two halves of the twin declaration of faith are inseparable, and whoever testifies that there is no God but Allah must pronounce the second half of the testimony of faith, which is testifying that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Whoever testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah must accept his message, the most important part of which is the belief that there is no god but Allah. From this we know that the two parts are inseparable.
End quote from Sharh at-Tahhaawiyyah (45/12).
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Astrology is an action of jahiliyyah (ignorance)
Astrology , fortune-telling and predicting the future come under the heading of actions of jahiliiyah (ignorance) which Islam came to put an end to and explain that they come under the heading of shirk (associating others with Allah), because of what they involve of believing the fortune tellers and soothsayers who falsely claim to have knowledge of the unseen.
We have previously discussed the prohibition on watching astrology channels , even if one watches them solely for the purpose of entertainment.
Ruling on reading astrology messages and the like
The scholars differed concerning the ruling on reading these and similar messages , which they divided into different categories according to people’s intentions. If someone reads them believing in them, then he is rightfully subject to the warning which says that he has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad and that no prayer will be accepted from him for forty days.
In the case of the one who reads them solely for the purpose of entertainment, and does not believe that the practitioners of witchcraft, soothsayers and charlatans are speaking the truth, then he is sinning by going to where they are, meeting them there, or watching their programs, because this is a kind of approving of them and helping them, because it is well known that these channels are helped by having a large number of viewers, and that pushes them further into misguidance.
There is the fear that the one who watches these programs may be included in the warning that no prayer will be accepted from him for forty days.
In the case of the one who reads the messages that come to him on his mobile phone, and he does not seek them out or go to a website or channel or place that is known for fortune tellers and astrologers – rather he only reads the [unsolicited] messages that come to him – there is no blame on him.
But he should not keep these messages; rather he should erase them immediately, and he has no need to look at them again.
If he looks at them again, or looks repeatedly at them to make sure of their contents or to determine whether they are true or false, or to be certain whether the message is about fortune-telling or not, then this warning does not apply to him, in sha Allah.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
“If he asks that person questions to find out about his situation and what he really is, and he has the ability to determine whether he is telling the truth or lying, this is permissible, as it is proven in as-Sahihayn that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) asked Ibn Sayyad: “Who comes to you?” He said: A truthful one and a liar come to me. He said: “What do you see?” He said: I see a throne on water. He said: “I am concealing something from you.” He said: Ad-dukh, ad-dukh. He said: “Be off with you! You will never go beyond your rank. You are no more than one of the brothers of the soothsayers.” (Fatawa Ibn Taymiyah, 19/62)
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Seeing Allah , may He be exalted, in this world is not possible for anyone, whether he is a believer or a disbeliever. 
Muslim (169) narrated in his Sahih that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said on the day when he warned the people about the Dajjal: “… You should know that no one among you will ever see his Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, until he dies.”
Musa (peace be upon him) asked to see Allah, may He be exalted, but Allah did not grant him that request.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
{And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, “My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You.” [Allah] said, “You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me.” But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, “Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers.”} [al-A’raf 7:143]
Whoever claims to have seen Allah in this world is claiming that he is better than Musa (peace be upon him).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“It is proven by the text of the Quran that it was said to Musa: {You will not see Me}, and that seeing Allah is greater than the sending down of a Book from heaven, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): {The People of the Scripture ask you to bring down to them a book from the heaven. But they had asked of Moses [even] greater than that and said, “Show us Allah outright.”} [an-Nisa 4:153] So the one who says that any of the people saw Him is claiming that that person is greater than Musa ibn ‘Imran, and his claim is more serious than the claim of one who claims that Allah sent down to him a book from heaven.” (Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 2/336)
He also said:
“Everyone who claims that he has seen his Lord with his own two eyes before death, his claim is false, according to the consensus of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah, because they are all unanimously agreed that no one of the believers can see his Lord with his own two eyes until he dies.” (Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 3/389)
And he explained that the difference of opinion concerning that has to do with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) only.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“The leading scholars of the Muslims are agreed that no one among the believers will see Allah with his own eyes in this world, and they only differed concerning the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), even though the majority of leading scholars are of the view that he did not see Him with his own eyes in this world.
This is indicated by the sahih reports which are proven to be narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the Sahabah and the leading scholars of the Muslims.” (Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 2/335)
For more, please see these answers: 164119 , 14525 , 43176 and 14096 .
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.The belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah is that if a Muslim dies persisting in a major sin – such as zina, slander and stealing – he is subject to the will of Allah, may He be glorified. If Allah wills, He will forgive him, and if Allah wills, He will punish him for the major sin in which he was persisting when he died, but his ultimate destiny will be Paradise, because Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills” [an-Nisa’ 4:48]. And there are saheeh, mutawaatir hadiths which indicate that sinners who affirmed the oneness of Allah will be brought forth from the Fire. And there is the hadith of ‘Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: We were with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he said: “Will you follow me on the basis that you will not associate anything with Allah, and you will not commit zina, and you will not steal… Whoever among you fills that pledge, his reward is incumbent upon Allah, and whoever commits any of those sin and is punished, that will be an expiation for him. Whoever commits any of those sin and Allah conceals him, then it is up to Allah: if He wills He will punish him, and if He wills He will forgive him.”
And Allah is the source of strength. May Allah send blessings and upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. End quote.
Permanent Committee for Academic Research and Ifta’.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abdillah ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Qa‘ood
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (1/728).

Praise be to Allah.If a person repents from one sin whilst persisting in another sin, then the sin from which he has repented will be forgiven for him, according to the correct scholarly view, but the sin from which he has not repented will remain as it is and will not be included in that act of repentance, according to scholarly consensus.
See the answer to the question: Is repentance from one sin valid when one is persisting in another sin?
If a disbeliever or apostate becomes Muslim whilst persisting in some sin from which he has not repented, his becoming Muslim is valid according to scholarly consensus. But will he be forgiven for the sin from which he has not repented, as a result of becoming Muslim? Concerning this there are two scholarly views.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) summed up this difference of opinion when he said:
… The second principle is: whoever has committed some sins and repents from some of them but not others, his repentance will only lead to forgiveness of those from which he has repented. As for that from which he has not repented, it will remain subject to the ruling on one who has not repented, not the ruling on one who has repented.
I do not know of any dispute concerning that, except with regard to a disbeliever if he becomes Muslim. In that case, his becoming Muslim implies that he has repented from disbelief, so by virtue of becoming Muslim he is forgiven for the disbelief from which he has repented. But will he be forgiven for sins that he committed whilst he was a disbeliever and from which he has not repented as a Muslim?
Regarding this matter, there are two known views:
The first view is that he will be forgiven for all his sins, because of the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “Islam erases that which came before it.” Narrated by Muslim. And Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them.” [al-Anfaal 8:38].
The second view is that he does not deserve to be forgiven for sins that he committed after he became Muslim except those from which he has repented. So if he became Muslim but persisted in some major sins that are less grievous than disbelief, then in that regard his ruling is the same as that on others who commit major sins.
This view is what is supported by general Islamic principles and textual evidence. In as-Saheehayn it is narrated that Hakeem ibn Hizaam said to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): O Messenger of Allah, will we be brought to account for what we did during the Jaahiliyyah? He said: “Whoever among you does good in Islam will not be brought to account for what he did during the Jaahiliyyah, but whoever commits evil after becoming Muslim will be brought to account for what he did both before and after [he became Muslim].”
This text indicates that accountability for deeds will only be waived for what was done during the Jaahiliyyah in the case of one who does good, not in the case of one who does not do good. If a person does not do good, he will be brought to account for what he did both before and after [he became Muslim], and the one who does not repent from a particular sin has not done good. End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra (5/278).
These two views are agreed that the person’s becoming Muslim is valid and that it erases disbelief; the difference of opinion has to do with forgiveness of sins, from which he has not repented, by virtue of his becoming Muslim.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a Jew or a Christian who becomes Muslim: does any sin remain on him after he becomes Muslim?
He replied: If he becomes Muslim both inwardly and outwardly, he will be forgiven for the disbelief from which he repented by becoming Muslim, and there is no difference of opinion concerning that. As for sins from which he has not repented, such as if he persisted in a sin, in wrongdoing or in some immoral action, and did not repent for it when he became Muslim, then some of the scholars said that he will be forgiven for [his misdeeds before becoming Muslim] by virtue of his becoming Muslim.
However, the sound view is that he will only be forgiven for what he repents from [after becoming Muslim], as it is proven in as-Saheeh that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was asked: Will we be brought to account for what we did during the Jaahiliyyah? He said: “Whoever does good after he becomes Muslim will not be brought to account for what he did during the Jaahiliyyah [time of ignorance before becoming Muslim], but whoever continues to do bad deeds after becoming Muslim will be brought to account for what he did before and after [becoming Muslim].”
Doing good after becoming Muslim means adhering to doing what Allah enjoins and refraining from what He forbids. This is what is meant by repentance in general. So whoever becomes a Muslim in this sense, all his sins will be forgiven. End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (11/701).
If a disbeliever becomes Muslim, but he loves alcohol and persists in drinking it, his becoming Muslim is valid according to scholarly consensus, but will he be forgiven for drinking alcohol [before becoming Muslim] by virtue of becoming Muslim? This is the matter concerning which there is a difference of scholarly opinion.
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.It must be understood that one of the basic principles of faith is referring to Allaah, may He be exalted, and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) for judgement, submitting to their ruling and being content with it. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“(And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination”
[al-Nisa’ 4:59].
“But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission” [al-Nisa’ 4:65]
“Do they then seek the judgement of (the days of) Ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allaah for a people who have firm Faith” [al-Maa’idah 5:50]
Every ruling that goes against the ruling of Allaah is a ruling of ignorance (Jaahiliyyah). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Is not Allaah the Best of judges?” [al-Teen 95:8]
“The command (or the judgement) is for none but Allaah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him (i.e. His Monotheism); that is the (true) straight religion, but most men know not” [Yoosuf 12:40]
Thus it is clear that refusing to refer for judgement to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him), or rejecting their ruling, or believing that the ruling of someone else is better than their ruling, constitutes kufr (disbelief) and puts one beyond the pale of Islam. 
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the rulings which Allaah has prescribed for His slaves and explained them in His Holy Book or on the lips of His trustworthy Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him), such as the rulings on inheritance, five prayers, zakaah, fasting and other things which Allaah has explained to His slaves and on which the ummah is unanimously agreed, no one has the right to object to them or to change them, because this is clear legislation that was decreed for the ummah at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) and after him until the Hour begins. That includes giving the male more than the female [in inheritance] among children, sons’ children, siblings through both parents and siblings through the father, because Allaah has explained it in His Book and the Muslim scholars are unanimously agreed on that, so it is obligatory to act upon that out of conviction and faith. Anyone who says that what is better is something other than that is a kaafir, and similarly the one who says that it is permissible to go against that is to be regarded as a kaafir because he is objecting to the rulings of Allaah, may He be exalted, and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) and to the consensus of the ummah. The authorities should ask him to repent if he is a Muslim; if he repents, all well and good, otherwise he is to be executed as a kaafir and an apostate from Islam, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever changes his religion, execute him.” We ask Allaah to keep us and all the Muslims safe and sound from misguiding turmoil and going against pure sharee’ah. End quote. 
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (4/415).

Praise be to Allah.1. Comment on the soundness of the statement attributed to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that this statement is falsely attributed to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), as he quoted its isnaad:
It was narrated that Muhammad ibn Ashras as-Sulami said: Muhammad ibn Sa‘eed al-Harawi said: Ismaa‘eel ibn Yahya ibn ‘Ubaydillah at-Taymi and ‘Ali ibn Ibraaheem al-Haashimi informed us, from Yahya ibn ‘Aqeel al-Khuzaa‘i, from his father, from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, that a man asked him: Did you come to know Allah through Muhammad or did you come to know Muhammad through Allah?
He said: If I came to know Allah through Muhammad, Muhammad would be more credible than Allah, and if I came to know Muhammad through Allah, I would have no need of the Messenger of Allah. Rather Allah (may He be exalted) caused me to know him, without describing how, as He willed. He sent Muhammad as a Messenger to convey the Qur’an and faith, and He established proof so that people would adhere to the path of Islam. So I believed what he brought from Allah, because he did not bring anything contrary to the command of his Lord, for none of the messengers before him did anything contrary [to the command of their Lord]. He brought guidance and glad tidings, and taught us to believe in the messengers who came before him. Ibn al-Jawzi said: This is a fabricated hadith that is falsely attributed to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), because he is too good to say such a thing. The one who is accused of fabricating it is Muhammad ibn Sa‘eed, who narrated it from Ismaa‘eel. Ibn ‘Adiyy said: Ismaa‘eel narrates false reports from trustworthy narrators. As for al-Haashimi, he is unknown.
End quote from al-‘Ilal al-Mutanaahiyah fi’l-Ahaadeeth al-Waahiyah (2/942).
Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
May Allah curse the one who fabricated it, namely Muhammad ibn Ashras as-Sulami – a liar – who narrated it from Muhammad ibn Sa‘eed, from Ismaa‘eel ibn Yahya – who is suspicious.
End quote from Talkhees Kitaab al-‘Ilal al-Mutanaahiyah (p. 370).
Ash-Shawkaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, when it was said to him: Did you come to know Allah through Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), or did you come to know Muhammad through Allah (may He be exalted)?
He said: I did not need the Messenger of Allah, but Allah (may He be exalted) caused me to know him, without describing how, as He willed. He sent Muhammad as a Messenger to convey the Qur’an and faith …
Narrated by al-Jawzaqaani in al-Waahiyat (Flimsy Reports).
Ibn al-Jawzi said: This is a fabricated hadith that is falsely attributed to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).
End quote from al-Fawaa’id al-Majmoo‘ah (p. 455).
This statement is mentioned in the books of the Shi‘ah as part of a lengthy story. The evidence that it is a lie is very obvious, because in that story they impugn Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), and cast aspersions on their knowledge. They narrate this report with an isnaad that is not free of narrators who were accused of lying or are unknown, as in the book of the Shi‘i Ibn Baabawayh al-Qummi which is called at-Tawheed (p. 210) and elsewhere.
2. Comment on the meaning of the statement
Similar phrases are also narrated in some of the books of the scholars which are attributed to some of the early generations, without mentioning any names.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
‘Abd al-Wahhaab ibn Abi’l-Faraj al-Maqdisi said: That was narrated from a number of our pious predecessors. One of them was asked: Did you come to know Allah through Muhammad or did you come to know Allah through Him? He said: I came to know Allah through Him and I came to know Muhammad through Allah. If I came to know Allah through Muhammad, the source of that favour would have been Muhammad, not Allah.
End quote from Dar’ Ta‘aarud al-‘Aql wa’n-Naql (9/25).
What they meant by that is that the believer comes to know Allah and His Messenger by the help and guidance of Allah, not by merely thinking and reflecting upon what the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) brought, as Allah (may He be exalted) says:
“And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah . If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty, but Allah has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided
 [It is] as bounty from Allah and favor. And Allah is Knowing and Wise”
[al-Hujuraat 49:7-8]
“And if we had willed, We could have given every soul its guidance, but the word from Me will come into effect [that] “I will surely fill Hell with jinn and people all together”
[as-Sajdah 32:13].
At the same time, they do not deny that there are means and measures for this guidance that have been ordained by Allah (may He be exalted), the greatest of which is the call of the Messengers and their teaching the people.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Those of Ahl as-Sunnah who argue that knowledge and faith could be attained by virtue of Allah’s blessing, mercy and guidance, and by virtue of His enabling a person to know Him, and other such phrases, their words imply that what the Qadaris say is false.
This is true, but that does not necessarily mean that attaining knowledge cannot happen through reflection and thinking, and it does not mean that knowledge cannot be attained through the teaching of the Messenger, the scholars and the believers, and the supplications and explanation of the evidence that they establish.
Rather it is well known that knowledge could be attained sometimes through what a person hears from people of explanation and teaching, either by way of establishing and showing rational evidence, or by way of telling the true facts.
And sometimes it happens by means of what Allah enables him to understand through thinking and contemplation, and evidence that he is inspired to find, and even sometimes by means of his own efforts and his own reasoning.
And sometimes it happens by means of what Allah compels him to know without any effort on his part…
That is because of what Allah has established in the believers’ hearts of faith, whether it came about because of the individual’s efforts, such as thinking and reasoning, or by other means, or without that. All of these means happened by the will and decree of Allah, and they are part of the blessings that Allah bestows upon His slave, for Allah is the source of blessings by making the means and measures available to the individual.
Whoever thinks that knowledge and faith could be attained by mere contemplation and reasoning – as the Qadaris say – is wrong. This is what these people tried to prove was wrong.
End quote from Dar’ Ta‘aarud al-‘Aql wa’n-Naql (9/28-29).
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly: The matter of whether things are made easy or difficult is in the hand of Allah alone
One of the things concerning which there is no doubt is that the matter of whether things are made easy or difficult is in the hand of Allah alone, with no partner or associate, and no one has any power over that except Allah.
Many texts affirm this fact.
Allah (may He be exalted) is the One Who makes it easy for man to emerge from his mother’s womb, and it is He Who has made the Qur’an easy to memorize and understand.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Cursed is man; how disbelieving is he
From what substance did He create him
From a sperm-drop He created him and destined for him
Then He eased the way for him ”
[‘Abasa 80:17-20]
“And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember”
[al-Qamar 54:17].
When Allah commanded Moosaa to go to Pharaoh, he asked his Lord to make it easy for him.
Allah (may He be exalted) said:
“ ‘Go to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed.’
[Moses] said, “My Lord, fill my heart with courage and steadfastness
And ease for me my task”
]Taa-Haa 20:24-26].
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to ask his Lord to make guidance easy for him [to adhere to it].
At-Tirmidhi narrated in his Sunan (3551) that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say in his supplication: “O Lord, help me and do not help others against me; support me and do not support others against me; plan for me and do not help others plan against me; guide me and make guidance easy for me…”
This hadith was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah (3088).
One day, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) bade farewell to one of his companions who wanted to travel, and he prayed for him, asking Allah to make good easy for him wherever he was.
At-Tirmidhi narrated in his Sunan (3444) that Anas said: A man came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, I want to travel, so give me something that will help me on my journey. He said: “May Allah supply you with taqwa (piety).” He said: Give me more. He said: “May he forgive your sin.” He said: Give me more, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you. He said: “May He make good easy for you wherever you are.”
This hadith was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi (2739).
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to teach his companions to seek guidance (istikhaarah) in all affairs, which includes asking one’s Lord to make something easy for him if it is good for him.
Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh (7390) that Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to teach his companions to make istikhaarah in all things, just as he used to teach them soorahs from the Qur’an. He said: “If any one of you is concerned about a decision he has to make, then let him pray two rak‘ahs of non-obligatory prayer, then say: Allaahumma inni astakheeruka bi ‘ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka min fadlika, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa aqdir, wa ta‘lamu wa laa a‘lam, wa anta ‘allaam al-ghuyoob. Allaahumma fa in kunta ta‘lamu haadhal-amra (then the matter should be mentioned by name) khayran li fi aajil amri wa aajilihi (or: fi deeni wa ma‘aashi wa ‘aaqibati amri) faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma baarik li fihi. Allaahumma wa in kunta ta‘lamu annahu sharrun li fi deeni wa ma‘aashi wa ‘aaqibati amri (or: fi ‘aajili amri wa aajilihi) fasrifni ‘anhu [wasrafhu ‘anni] waqdur li al-khayr haythu kaana thumma radini bihi (O Allah, I seek Your guidance [in making a choice] by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me both in this world and in the Hereafter (or: in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs), then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge it is bad for me and for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs (or: for me both in this world and the next), then turn me away from it, [and turn it away from me], and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it).”
Nothing is ever made easy except by the permission of Allah alone.
As the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say: “O Allah, nothing is easy except what You make easy, and if You willed, it You could make rugged land smooth.”
Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Saheeh (2427); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Silsilat as-Saheehah (2886).
Umm al-Mu’mineen ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Ask Allah for everything, even a sandal-strap, for if Allah does not make it easy [for you to obtain it], it will not be easy.
Narrated by Abu Ya‘la in his Musnad (4560); classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in as-Silsilah as-Saheehah (3/540).
Secondly: the phrase “Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is not mentioned at times of hardship but ease will be granted” is an ambiguous phrase that may be interpreted in a sound way or a wrong way
The phrase that the questioner mentions – “Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is not mentioned at times of hardship but ease will be granted” – is an ambiguous phrase that may be interpreted in a sound way or a wrong way, so it is not permissible to say it in this way. That is for the following reasons:
Firstly, it may be understood that what the speaker means is that he believes that mere mention of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) will make difficult things easy. This applies even if we assume that the speaker is not basing it on a false belief – like the extreme Sufis – as there is no evidence to support that.
Secondly: if what he means is that he believes that by virtue of sending blessings upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), Allah will relieve him of distress and remove his hardship, this is sound.
This is seen in the hadith which was narrated by ‘Abd ibn Humayd in his Musnad (170) from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: O Messenger of Allah, I often send blessings upon you; how much of my supplication should I allocate to sending blessings upon you? He said: “Whatever you wish.” He said: One quarter? He said: “Whatever you wish, and if you do more, that will be good.” He said: Half? He said: “Whatever you wish, and if you do more, that will be good.” He said: Two thirds? He said: “Whatever you wish, and if you do more, that will be good.” He said: Should I make all of my supplication sending blessings upon you? He said: “Then your worries would be taken care of and your sin would be forgiven.”
This hadith was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Targheeb wa’t-Tarheeb (1670).
Finally:
We think that you should avoid ambiguous phrases such as these, because protecting the sublime concept of Tawheed is obligatory, and you should use clear phrases that are not ambiguous, such as saying for example: By virtue of sending blessings upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), Allah will grant relief from distress and make difficult things easy. Or you can say: Whenever the teachings of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) are followed, there will be ease and comfort.
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Types of the Unseen in Islam
The unseen (al-ghayb) is of two types:
1- That which is absolutely unseen and unknown. No one knows this type except Allah . For example, this includes knowledge of when the Hour will begin, when rain will fall, and so on.
2- That which is relatively unseen and unknown, knowledge of which is hidden from some people and others know it. This is described as unseen or unknown in relation to the one who does not know it, and it is not unknown or unseen for the one who does know it.
A person may learn of that which is relatively unseen either through revelation, or through life experience, or through empirical science, or other means through which he may come to know of that which is hidden from many people, such as finding out about what is in the depths of the oceans, or in the caves of the earth or in the heavens.
Ibn Taymiyah said: 
“As for that which some people know, it is unseen (ghayb) for those who do not know it, and it is seen for those who do know it.” (An-Nubuwwat, 2/1022)
Commentary on al-Jinn 72:26-27
With regard to the verses (interpretation of the meaning):
{[He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone, except whom He has approved of messengers.} [al-Jinn 72:26-27], Ibn Kathir said: 
“{Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone, except whom He has approved of messengers} – this is like the verse in which He, may He be exalted, says: {and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills.} [al-Baqarah 2:255]
Similarly, He says here that He knows the unseen and the seen, and that none of His creation can learn about anything of His knowledge except what He, may He be exalted, discloses to him. Hence He says: {and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone, except whom He has approved of messengers}.
This includes both angelic and human messengers.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 8/247)
Ibn ‘Ashur said: 
“Allah discloses some things to some of His Messengers because of the message that He wants to send to humankind.
Thus we may know that the unseen matters that Allah discloses to the messengers are of a type that is part of the message; these are: matters of the unseen that Allah wanted to convey to people so that they might believe in them, or act upon them; the unseen matters that have to do with the promise of reward and threat of punishment, which have to do with matters of the Hereafter or matters of this world; and what Allah tells His messengers about of matters of the unseen as proof that they are indeed messengers, such as the verses in which He, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): 
{The Byzantines have been defeated in the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome within three to nine years.} [ar-Rum 30:2-4]
The purpose behind that is so that the messengers will acquire certain, clear and beneficial knowledge, as if they had seen these matters themselves.” (At-Tahrir wa’t-Tanwir, 29/248)
With regard to what is granted to some of the righteous of knowledge of some unseen matters, it is by way of karamah (honouring them) and may be granted by some of them by way of inspiration and the like.
Shaykh al-Islam said: 
“The miracles and signs of the awliya (close friends of Allah) are part of the miracles and signs of the prophets, because they definitely confirm the prophethood of the prophets and confirm that they are indeed true prophets. Were that not the case, these people would not be awliya and they would not have any miracles (karamat ).” (An-Nubuwwat, 2/824)
Some of the scholars stated that letting the awliya find out about some matters of the unseen could happen through the angels, so it is like us learning about the events of the Hereafter, which is a matter of the unseen, through the messengers. Thus when we speak of it, it is not the same as when the messengers speak of it.
Types of revelation (wahy)
With regard to the verses referred to, there is nothing in them about learning about the unseen; rather they refer to inspiration that is granted to some of the awliya. Perhaps this is the source of the questioner’s confusion, because the verses speak of wahy being given to someone other than the prophets.
The response to that is as follows:
Wahy (revelation, inspiration) is of two types:
1. Wahy in a special sense (revelation), which is the sending of an angelic messenger to a prophet or messenger.
2. Wahy in a general sense (inspiration), which is what happens to some of the awliya, and to the angels, and to some created beings; this happens through inspiration, dreams, and so on.
Shaykh al-Islam said: 
“Not everyone who receives wahy in the general sense (inspiration) is a prophet, for wahy (inspiration) may be sent to other people.” (An-Nubuwwat, 2/690)
And he said: 
“Similarly, the word wahy may be used in a general sense (meaning inspiration)…
Wahy in the general sense is what may happen to some individuals.” (Majmu‘at al-Masail, Rashid Rida, 3/96)
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.It is not permissible to ask fortunetellers questions, even if you do not believe them.
It is not permissible to ask fortunetellers questions, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and asks him about anything, no prayer will be accepted from him for forty days.” Narrated by Muslim (2230).
This applies to the one who asked him a question without believing him. However, if he also believes that, then the matter is more serious, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever has intercourse with a menstruating woman, or with a woman in her back passage, or goes to a fortuneteller and believes what he says, has disbelieved in what Allah sent down to Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).” Narrated by Ahmad (9779), Abu Dawood (3904), at-Tirmidhi (135), and Ibn Maajah (936). Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.
Reading the words of fortune tellers and soothsayers is haraam (forbidden).
It says in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa‘ (1/434): It is not permissible to look at the books of the People of the Book – this was stated by Imam Ahmad – because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) got angry when he saw that ‘Umar had a page of the Torah, and he said: “Are you doubting, O son of al-Khattab…?” And it is not permissible to look at the books of the people of innovation, or books that contain [a mixture of] truth and falsehood, or to narrate them, because of the harm that may cause by corrupting people’s beliefs. End quote.
In (3/34) it says, discussing haraam branches of knowledge: … and prohibited branches of knowledge, such as ‘ilm al-kalaam [“Islamic philosophy”], or philosophy, charlatanry. astrology, geomancy, and other kinds of divination. Also prohibited are witchcraft and amulets written in languages other than Arabic for those who do not understand their meanings.
Also prohibited is working out the numerical value of a person’s name and his mother’s name (numerology), or working out his “star sign” (horoscope), and determining on that basis that he will be poor or rich, or other supposed astrological indications of worldly fortunes. End quote.
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (1/203): What is the Islamic ruling on believing in the horoscopes that are found in newspapers and magazines, and on reading them?
Answer: Believing that bad luck and good luck are connected to the stars and constellations comes under the heading of the shirk of the early Magians and the Sabians among the philosophers, and others of that ilk among disbelieving and polytheist groups. Claiming to have knowledge of that is clearly claiming to have knowledge of the unseen, and that is like trying to compete with Allah in His sovereignty; this is a grave form of shirk. Moreover it is in reality charlatanry and lying, toying with people’s minds, consuming their wealth unlawfully, corrupting their beliefs and confusing them.
Based on that, it is haraam to publish horoscopes, to read them and to propagate them among the people, and it is not permissible to believe them; rather this is a branch of disbelief (kufr) that is contrary to Tawheed. What is required is to avoid that, advise people to keep away from it, rely on Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) and put your trust in Him in all your affairs.
Bakr Abu Zayd, ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh, Saalih al-Fawzaan, ‘Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan, ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abdillah ibn Baaz. End quote.
If you deliberately read it, then repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness, and do not do such a thing ever again.
And Allah knows best.