Narratives of the Living - Knowledge of the Unseen

A Century-Old Theological Masterpiece

In 1323 AH, whilst being unwell during his pilgrimage to Makkah Mukarramah, Imãm Ahmad Ridã رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ was presented with five challenging questions about the beloved Prophet’s ﷺ knowledge of the unseen. His response, Al-Dawlat al-Makkiyah Bil Maddah al-Ghaybiyya (The Mekkan Treasure on the Subject of the Unseen), completed in under eight hours, astonished the scholars of the Holy Sanctuary and earned endorsements from eighty-two Islamic intellectuals. When one scholar, Allāma Sayyid Ahmad Barzanjī , declined to endorse the work due to its affirmation that the Holy Prophet ﷺ possessed knowledge of the five unseen matters and the exact timing of the Day of Judgement, this masterwork emerged as Imãm Ahmad Ridã’s رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ scholarly response.

The Narratives of the Living presents this remarkable theological defence in English translation after 100 years. Through intricate reasoning and masterful citation of classical sources, Imãm Ahmad Ridã رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ demonstrates how every form of knowledge—direct and indirect, explicit and implicit—is contained within the Qur’ãnic revelation.

This is not merely a scholarly rebuttal, but a profound celebration of divine omniscience as manifested in the Speech of Allãh ﷻ Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the comprehensive nature of Qur’ãnic knowledge and the theological foundations of Islãmic belief.

Drawing upon the Qur’ãnic Verse: ‘And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things,’ Imãm Ahmad Ridã’s رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ arguments remain as compelling today as they were a century ago. This translation preserves both the scholarly rigour and spiritual reverence of the original, making accessible to English readers a theological masterpiece that earned acclaim.

Hardback - 590 pages