{He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the hereafter}
Nothing on the earth or in the heavens is hidden from Allah. Knowledge of yesterday, today, and tomorrow is the same for Him. All events, from the beginning of the world until its end, are one open page with everything, past or present, near or far, spread out before Him.
Naturally, the creator knows what he has created. It is unthinkable that a created thing can do something out of sight or without the knowledge of its creator.
Creation from nothing is in the Power of Allah Alone. Changing an already existing matter is the substance of human actions that only happen by the Decree of Allah, and from hence is His Perfect Knowledge of His creatures.
Anything existing is surely known by Allah, which is the meaning of His Words: {They worship besides Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, “These are our intercessors with Allah.” Say, “Do you inform Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or on the earth?” Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him.} (14)
Every thought anyone thinks, every word anyone speaks, and every deed anyone does of all the past, present, and future countless generations… Allah knows them in detail. Thinking this over, one cannot help but humbly say: {Our Lord! You comprehend all things in Your Mercy and Knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your Way, and save them from the torment of Hellfire.} (15)
{And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills}
Springs of knowledge gush forth from the Will of the Creator, even perception of the things happening within sight and hearing could not have been possible without the tool of the mind installed in mankind.
Acquisition of further knowledge depends on the level of human intelligence, whose portions are allotted while humans are still in the wombs of their mothers.
The universe opening little windows for the human mind to peep through and discover new horizons of knowledge is governed by the natural or supernatural means that Allah furnishes.
Yet natural sources of knowledge are scattered everywhere in the wide open book of nature all around us and the life experiences of people. Through awareness, contemplation, and practice we can reach far ends in this arena without restrictions.
Divinely revealed knowledge of the Unseen was unfolded to the Messengers whom Allah chose, ending with the Last Message (Islam). No one will ever receive more of this knowledge, whether through communion with Allah or His Angels, after the end of prophethood. Anyone who claims so is a liar.
Akin to this is the foretelling of future events. This kind of knowledge is not open to humans and has no scope of equal accessibility. Again, divine revelations have ceased. Claims of being given such knowledge within the general meaning of {they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills} are false.
{His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth}
It seems to the mind that the heavens and the earth are the boundaries of Allah’s Kingdom, which is wrong. They are just some of His Sublime Signs. {And of His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and whatever He has dispersed throughout them of creatures.}16
They are both among His Infinite Signs that testify to His Grandeur and Majesty.
The spaciousness of His Throne is so grand that it holds the heavens, the earth, and His other countless signs.
We do not know what His Throne is and have no power to imagine it. All that we can perceive is the Perfect Divine Sovereignty over creatures, visible and invisible to us, that the word inspires in us.
The heavens and earth are just a small part of the vast cosmos floating in the unknowable expanses of that Throne.
{And He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them}
Allah controls and disposes of the affairs of the heavens and the earth and whatever is in between them without a tinge of fatigue, just as He created them without a tinge of fatigue. {With power did We construct the heaven.} (17)
It is Extreme Powerfulness, Ability, and Strength of the Masterful Creator before Whom all meanings of tiredness or fatigue are meaningless.
{And He is the Most High, the Most Great}
The Quranic Verse of Divine Grandeur and Perfection, summarized in the word “Throne”, is brought to conclusion by two of His Majestic Attributes, befitting this aura of magnificence, that only belong to the Possessor of All Glory and Dominion.
_______________________________
1 The Name is indicative and all-inclusive of every Divine Name and Attribute of Absolute Perfection: the One God, the Maker, the Almighty, the All-Merciful, etc.; in Arabic it means: The One exclusively worthy of deification and worship
2 Translated meanings of Al-Baqarah 2: 255 (the Qur’anic Verse of the Throne). Described by the Prophet as the greatest verse in the Qur’an
3 Translated meanings of Al-Furqan 25: 3
4 May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
5 Reported by Al-Thirmidhi
6 Translated meanings of Az-Zumar 39: 30
7 Translated meanings of Fatir 35: 41
8 Translated meanings of Al-An‘am 6: 94
9 Translated meanings of Al-Baqarah 2: 254
10 Translated meanings of Al-Ma’idah 5: 72
11 Translated meanings of Fatir 35: 18
12 Translated meanings of Al-Anbiya’ 21: 27-28
13 Translated meanings of Taha 20: 109
14 Translated meanings of Yunus 10: 18
15 Translated meanings of Ghafir 40: 7
16 Translated meanings of Ash-Shura 42: 29
17 Translated meanings of Az-Zariyat 51: 47
(From Discovering Islam archive)
Pages: 1 2