There is no secret knowledge in Islam that is only for the awliyaa’ (“saints”)

Question

Praise be to Allah.

Al-Shanqeeti said:

Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Our Shaykh, Abu’l-‘Abbaas, said: some heretics who followed
batiniyyah (esoteric teachings) wanted to follow a path that did not
enjoin these shar’i rulings. They said: these general shar’i rulings
are obligatory upon the Prophets and the masses only. As for the awliyaa’
and the elite, they do not need those texts. Rather what is required
of them is what they receive in their hearts through intuition and the
thoughts that dominate their minds. They said: this is because their
hearts are free of anything that may cause distraction and of thoughts
of anything other than Allaah. In this manner divine knowledge becomes
manifest to them, and they discover the secrets of creation and learn
the rulings concerning minor issues, thus they are no longer subjected
to the holistic shar’i rulings. This is what happened in the case of
al-Khidr who, by means of the knowledge that was made manifest to him
was rendered independent of the knowledge that Moosa had. One of the
things that they narrated was the words: “Consult your heart, no matter
how many people give you fatwas and advice.”

Our shaykh (may Allaah
be pleased with him) said: These are the words of heresy and kufr; the
one who says them should be executed without being asked to repent,
because he has denied that which is known from the sharee’ah. For Allaah
has set up the system by His wisdom in such a way that His rulings can
only be known through His Messengers who are ambassadors between Him
and His creation. They are the only ones who convey His Message and
His words from Him, explaining His laws and rulings, and He has chosen
them for that purpose.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Allaah chooses Messengers from angels and from men.
Verily, Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Seer”

[al-Hajj 22:75]

“Allaah knows best with whom to place His Message”[al-An’aam
6:124]

“Mankind were one community and Allaah sent Prophets
with glad tidings and warnings”[al-Baqarah 2:213]

and there are other similar aayahs.

In conclusion, we know definitely and for certain, and
the consensus of the earlier and later generations states likewise,
that there is no way to learn the rulings of Allaah, which have to do
with His commands and prohibitions, except through His Messengers. Whoever
says that there is another way through which His commands and prohibitions
may be known, independently of the Messengers, is a kaafir who should
be executed without asking him to repent; there is no need to question
him. For this is stating belief in Prophets after our Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), whom Allaah has made the
Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, after whom there is no Prophet
or Messenger.

What that means is that
whoever says that he has taken the ruling of Allaah from his heart or
from what he received in his heart through intuition, and that he acts
upon that and thus has no need of the Qur’aan or Sunnah, has claimed
for himself the unique qualities of Prophethood, because this is like
what the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Holy Spirit [i.e.,
Jibreel] told me in my heart…”

(From Tafseer al-Qurtubi).

What he quoted from his shaykh, that the heretic should
not be asked to repent, is the view of Maalik and those who agreed with
him. We have explained the views of the scholars and their evidence,
and what is most correct according to the evidence, in our book Daf’
Ayhaam al-Idtiraab ‘an Ayaat al-Kitaab, in the chapter on
Soorat Aal ‘Imraan.