Thoughts & intentions: Relative or absolute ghayb?

All these things—inner thoughts, intentions, emotions, and memories—fall under relative unseen (Ghayb al-Nisbi), not the absolute unseen (Ghayb al-Mutlaq).

This is because they are within the realm of creation, and to some extent they can be estimated through means and tools (such as psychology or brain research), even though complete and certain knowledge cannot be attained.

Absolute unseen (Ghayb al-Mutlaq) is exclusive to Allah alone—such as the true state of the heart, the depth of intentions, and the definite knowledge of final outcomes. These can never be fully known by any created being.

Imagining technology that could detect or measure these things is not shirk, as long as one does not believe that any creation can possess complete, certain, and all-encompassing knowledge like Allah.

Rather, this falls under the use of means, which is not against Shariah as long as it does not involve anything unlawful.

However, the true reality of the heart and intentions is best known to Allah—no human or machine can attain complete and definitive knowledge of them.