PRESENTER: You have spoken of the Prophets’ ilm al-ladun (secret knowledge) from Allah. Could you give us some examples, from different prophets?

ADNAN OKTAR: The most obvious is what the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) did, and the Prophet Joseph (pbuh). The Prophet Abraham (pbuh) looked at the skies, astrological knowledge is unlawful, and he would never do that. He depicts himself as if drawing a significance from the stars. He did it not because he believed, but to impress them. Then he said, “I am mad. I looked at the stars. I am sick.” And when he said he was sick, they all fled from his surroundings. Probably, because he may have used a contagious illness as an excuse or said something like that in order for them to all run away. But they run away from him, that is the important thing. Having looked at the stars, he said he was ill. This is ilm al-ladun  from Allah, as he was not sick. He was in perfect health. The fact that he did not smash the big idol was also ilm al-ladun from Allah. That he kept the big idol is ilm al-ladun. He kept the big idol and did not disrespect it. He even said it had power, power to smash all the other idols. He said it had an axe hung round its neck and was able to smash the other idols. He did not believe it, though. He did not say it because he believed it. This is a kind of ilm al-ladun insha’Allah. The things that the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) did. May Allah forgive me, I cannot say he specifically referred to this or that illness or that he said he was mentally ill, I do not know of course, but he said he had some illness. But my guess is he said something like that. The way they fled shows it. He could not say he had the plague, as there are symptoms of that, but he probably said he had something like it. They were obviously ignorant, since they ran off. We can see the same practices also in our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had it also. But Allah applies it most. It is Allah Who actually applies it. Allah manifests in His prophets.  A car does not hit and kill anyone. They say that Azrael (pbuh) took his soul. And that is what we believe also. Allah also says that Azrael (pbuh) takes the soul. But Azrael (pbuh) does not. This is ilm al-ladun. It is Allah Who takes the soul. Allah uses the accident as a cause. He uses Azrael (pbuh) as the cause in the second stage. Whereas it is Allah Himself Who takes a person’s soul.

PRESENTER: Could we compare it to the Prophet Joseph’s (pbuh) putting a golden cup among the wheat?

ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, one could.

PRESENTER: I just thought of that.

ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, that is also ilm al-ladun. He applies a technique in law. A legal technique.

PRESENTER: In that case, ilm al-ladun is not a literal miracle, but something in which wisdom can be sought.

ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, one needs to look for the wisdom. It requires intelligence. Of course Allah creates that, too, and one acts through revelation. But it shows how intelligent and sharp Muslims are. There is no naive Muslim model in the Qur’an. The image of a Muslim is that of a very sharp one. We can see this in the Prophet Solomon (pbuh), too, and in the Prophet Joseph (pbuh) and the Prophet Abraham (pbuh). There is no image of a Muslim as wretchedly weak and oppressed, wearing poor clothes and shoved into a corner with a crust of bread. The image of the Muslim is someone exceedingly intelligent, a powerful person who snaps off what he grasps.