بُرَيْدٍ عَنْ اَبِي جَعْفَرٍؑ قَالَ اِنَّ رَسُولَ اللّهِ ﷺ اَفْضَلُ الرَّاسِخِينَ فِي الْعِلْمِ فَقَدْ عَلِمَ جَمِيعَ مَا اَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ التَّنْزِيلِ وَ التَّأْوِيلِ وَ مَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئاً لَمْ يُعَلِّمْهُ التَّأْوِيلَ وَ اَوْصِيَاؤُهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ يَعْلَمُونَهُ كُلَّهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ اِنَّ اَبَا الْخَطَّابِ كَانَ يَقُولُ فِيكُمْ قَوْلًا عَظِيماً قَالَ وَ مَا كَانَ يَقُولُ قُلْتُ قَالَ اِنَّكُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْحَلَالِ وَ الْحَرَامِ وَ الْقُرْآنِ [فَقَالَ عِلْمُ الْحَلَالِ وَ الْحَرَامِ وَ الْقُرْآنِ] يَسِيرٌ فِي جَنْبِ الْعِلْمِ الَّذِي يَحْدُثُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ
Buraid al-Ejli (r.a.) reports from Imam Muhammad al-Baqer (peace be upon him),
“Verily, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) was the most superior of those firmly entrenched in knowledge. Indeed, he (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) knew all what Allah sent down upon him from the descent and the interpretation. It does not behove Allah that He sends down something upon him but does not teach him its interpretation. The successors after him know it in its entirety.”
I asked, “May I be held your ransom! Surely, Aba al-Khattaab used to say about you a great thing!” He (peace be upon him) asked, “What did he say?” I replied, “He said that you have the knowledge of the permissible and the prohibited and the Quran.” He (peace be upon him) retorted,
“The knowledge of the permissible and the prohibited and the Quran is insignificant in front of the knowledge which occurs day and night.”
Note:
“Those firmly entrenched in knowledge” implies those who have the knowledge of the unseen and their knowledge is free of faults and deficiencies.
It is worth paying attention that according to the Holy Quran itself, “There is not a wet thing nor a dry thing but that it is in the Open Book.” It comprises of all the knowledge. Its apparent indicates about some things and its concealed conveys others. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and his successors (peace be upon him) possess this knowledge in its entirety. This is indeed an amazing aspect of the knowledge of the unseen if one reflects over it!
References:
1. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 23, p. 192, H. 15
2. Tafseer Ali Ibn Ibraheem al-Qummi (r.a.) under this verse