The Imams (a.s.) do have the knowledge of what was and will be, and that nothing is unknown to them (a.s.)

كُنَّا مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع جَمَاعَةً مِنَ‌ الشِّيعَةِ فِي الْحِجْرِ فَقَالَ عَلَيْنَا عَيْنٌ فَالْتَفَتْنَا يَمْنَةً وَ يَسْرَةً فَلَمْ نَرَ أَحَداً فَقُلْنَا لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا عَيْنٌ فَقَالَ وَ رَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ وَ رَبِّ الْبَنِيَّةِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ لَوْ كُنْتُ بَيْنَ مُوسَى وَ الْخَضِرِ لَأَخْبَرْتُهُمَا أَنِّي أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُمَا وَ لَأَنْبَأْتُهُمَا بِمَا لَيْسَ فِي أَيْدِيهِمَا لِأَنَّ مُوسَى وَ الْخَضِرَ

“An eye is watching over us.” We then looked right and left and did not see anyone. We said, “No eye is watching over us.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “I swear by the Lord of the Ka‘ba. I swear by the Lord of the House.” He said so three times. “Had I been with Moses and al-Khidr I would have told them that I had more than t

إِنِّي لَأَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَ أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي النَّارِ وَ أَعْلَمُ مَا كَانَ وَ مَا يَكُونُ قَالَ ثُمَّ مَكَثَ هُنَيْئَةً فَرَأَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ كَبُرَ عَلَى مَنْ سَمِعَهُ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ عَلِمْتُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَقُولُ فِيهِ تِبْيَانُ كُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ[1].

“I certainly know what is the heavens and what is in the earth. I know what is in paradise and what is the fire. I know what was there and what will be there.” The narrator has said that the Imam (a.s.) paused for a while and found that what he had just said was much heavy for the audience then he (a.s.) said, “I learn

كَانَ الْمُفَضَّلُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَقَالَ لَهُ الْمُفَضَّلُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ يَفْرِضُ اللَّهُ طَاعَةَ عَبْدٍ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ وَ يَحْجُبُ عَنْهُ خَبَرَ السَّمَاءِ قَالَ لَا اللَّهُ أَكْرَمُ وَ أَرْحَمُ وَ أَرْأَفُ بِعِبَادِهِ مِنْ أَنْ يَفْرِضَ طَاعَةَ عَبْدٍ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ ثُمَّ يَحْجُبَ عَنْهُ خَبَرَ السَّمَاءِ صَبَاحاً وَ مَسَاءً.

Al-Mufaddal asked the Imam (a.s.) the following. “May Allah, take my soul in service for your cause, does Allah command (his) servants to obey a servant and hide the news of the heavens from him?” The Imam (a.s.) said, Allah is by far much honorable, kind and caring towards His servants than to command them to obey a s

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع يَقُولُ‌ وَ عِنْدَهُ أُنَاسٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ عَجِبْتُ مِنْ قَوْمٍ يَتَوَلَّوْنَا[3] وَ يَجْعَلُونَا أَئِمَّةً وَ يَصِفُونَ أَنَّ طَاعَتَنَا مُفْتَرَضَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ كَطَاعَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص ثُمَّ يَكْسِرُونَ حُجَّتَهُمْ وَ يَخْصِمُونَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِضَعْفِ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَيَنْقُصُونَا حَقَّنَا وَ يَعِيبُونَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى مَنْ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ بُرْهَانَ حَقِّ مَعْرِفَتِنَا وَ التَّسْلِيمَ لِ

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from ibn Ri’ab from Durays al-Kunasi who has said that he heard abu Ja‘far (a.s.) the following to an audience of his companions. “What an strange case is the case with a group of followers! They acknowledge us as the Divine authority over thems

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع بِمِنًى- عَنْ خَمْسِمِائَةِ حَرْفٍ مِنَ الْكَلَامِ فَأَقْبَلْتُ أَقُولُ يَقُولُونَ كَذَا وَ كَذَا قَالَ فَيَقُولُ قُلْ كَذَا وَ كَذَا قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ هَذَا الْحَلَالُ وَ هَذَا الْحَرَامُ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ صَاحِبُهُ وَ أَنَّكَ أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ بِهِ وَ هَذَا هُوَ الْكَلَامُ فَقَالَ لِي وَيْكَ‌[5] يَا هِشَامُ لَا يَحْتَجُّ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى عَلَى خَلْقِهِ بِحُجَّةٍ لَا

“They say that he has said so and so.” Then he says, “You say so and so.” I then said to the Imam (a.s.), “May Allah, take my soul in service for your cause, “This is lawful and that is not lawful. I know that you are the authority in this and you are the most knowledgeable person in it and this is al-Kalam.” The Imam

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع يَقُولُ‌ لَا وَ اللَّهِ لَا يَكُونُ عَالِمٌ‌[6] جَاهِلًا أَبَداً عَالِماً بِشَيْ‌ءٍ جَاهِلًا بِشَيْ‌ءٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ اللَّهُ أَجَلُّ وَ أَعَزُّ وَ أَكْرَمُ مِنْ أَنْ يَفْرِضَ طَاعَةَ عَبْدٍ يَحْجُبُ عَنْهُ عِلْمَ سَمَائِهِ وَ أَرْضِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَا يَحْجُبُ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ.

“No, I swear by Allah, the scholar (who possesses Divine authority) is never ignorant or knowledgeable in something and ignorant of other things. The Imam (a.s.) then said, “Allah, the Most Holy, Most High and Most Gracious, is far exalted and above imposing the obedience of a servant (of His) on the others and then hi