Is “I was an unknown treasure” an established divine saying?
2026-10-14
T162 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Original Q&A · Complete individual question and response within a collected question
One complete individual question and response from a collected question about reports circulated by storytellers and others. The quoted report in the question is presented for assessment, not endorsed. The answer gives Ibn Taymiyyah's own assessment.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
ومما يروونه عنه أيضا: "كنت كنزا لا أعرف، فأحببت أن أعرف، فخلقت خلقا فعرفتهم بي فعرفوني".
الجواب
ليس هذا من كلام الله للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، ولا يعرف له إسناد صحيح ولا ضعيف.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
Among the reports they also attribute to him is: “I was a treasure, unknown; I loved to be known, so I created a creation and made Myself known to them, and they knew Me.”
Answer
These are not words spoken by Allah to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. No sound or weak chain of transmission is known for them.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 18/376
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic collated with the cited edition and a second transcription: https://quranislam.github.io/fatwa/ibn-taymiyyah/fatwa291.html. Each individual report and its full reply is preserved within the larger collected question. Diacritics omitted and honorific glyphs expanded. Titles and scope notes are editorial.