العليم
Al-Aleem (The All-Knowing)
According to some scholars this beautiful Attribute of Allah has come in the verses of the Holy Quraan at more than 150 places. (See the book “Fiqhul- Asmaa-il-Husna by Abdi-Ar_Razzaaq bin Abdil Husain Al-Badhar).
Allah The All-Knowing said in the following verses:
Al-Room (Ar-Room) 54 (translation only):
(30:54) It is Allah Who created you in a state of weakness; then after weakness He gave you strength, then after strength He made you weak and old. He creates what He pleases.79 He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.
Al-Nisaa 70;
ذٰ لِكَ الۡـفَضۡلُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ ؕ وَكَفٰى بِاللّٰهِ عَلِيۡمًا70
(4:70) That is the bounty from Allah, and sufficient is Allah as Knower.
Surah Yaseen 38:
وَالشَّمۡسُ تَجۡرِىۡ لِمُسۡتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ؕ ذٰلِكَ تَقۡدِيۡرُ الۡعَزِيۡزِ الۡعَلِيۡم38
(36:38) The sun is running its course to its appointed place.*33 That is the ordaining of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.
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Exp. note *33
*33. “Place of rest” may either mean the place where the sun will ultimately come to a halt, or the time when it will come to a halt. The true meaning of this verse can be determined only when man has attained the full and exact knowledge of the realities of the universe. But man’s knowledge is such that it has been changing in every age and what he seems to know today might change tomorrow. The people of the ancient times on the basis of their observations of the sun believed that it was moving round the earth. Then after further research and observation the view became that the sun was stationary and all the planets of the solar system were revolving round it. But this theory also did not last long. The later observations revealed that not only the sun but all the stars are also moving in a particular direction, at speeds of 10 to 100 miles per second. About the sun the modern astronomers hold the view that it is moving at a speed of 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) per second along with its whole family of the planets. (See Star and Sun in Encyclopedia Britannica).
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Surah Al-Baqarah 181:
فَمَنۡۢ بَدَّلَهٗ بَعۡدَمَا سَمِعَهٗ فَاِنَّمَآ اِثۡمُهٗ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ يُبَدِّلُوۡنَهٗؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ سَمِيۡعٌ عَلِيۡمٌؕ 181
(2:181) Then if anyone alters the will after hearing it, this sin shall be upon them who alter. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
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(This is the verse about the Command of Allah All-Mighty regarding the will of a Muslim before his death. To understand it you should read the verse before as well as after the verse 181).
Allah’s knowledge is so vast and encompassing that it covers the interior and exterior of everything as well as the hidden and open facts about all things and beings.
Allah has the knowledge of the past, present and future. Allah knows what happened in the past, and why and how it happened; and that what will happen in future, and how. Allah has full account of everything.
Allah mentioned the vast and limitless nature of HIS knowledge in the verses of the Holy Quraan. Some of them are here in the following:
Surah Al-An’aam 80:
وَحَآجَّهٗ قَوۡمُهٗ ؕ قَالَ اَتُحَآجُّٓونِّىۡ فِى اللّٰهِ وَقَدۡ هَدٰٮنِؕ وَلَاۤ اَخَافُ مَا تُشۡرِكُوۡنَ بِهٖۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ يَّشَآءَ رَبِّىۡ شَيۡـًٔـا ؕ وَسِعَ رَبِّىۡ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ عِلۡمًاؕ اَفَلَا تَتَذَكَّرُوۡنَ
(6:80) His. people remonstrated with him whereupon Abraharn said: ‘Do you remonstrate with me concerning Allah Who has guided me to the right way? I do not fear those whom you associate with Allah in His divinity. Only that which my Lord wills, indeed that alone will come by. My Lord embraces all things within His knowledge. Will you not take heed?*54
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Exp. note *54:
*54. The word used here is tadhakkur which conveys the sense that somebody who had been either heedless or negligent of something suddenly wakes up to its true meaning. The purpose of Abraham’s statement was to recall them to their senses by reminding them that their true Lord was not uninformed about their deeds, for His knowledge encompasses everything.
Surah Ghaafir (surah Al-Mu’min) 7, (translation only):
(40:7) The angels that bear the Throne and those that are around to extol your Lord’s glory with His praise, they believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for the believers,6saying: “Our Lord! You encompass everything with Your Mercy and Knowledge.7 So forgive those that repent and follow Your Path,9 and guard them against the chastisement of Hell.8
Surah Taha 98:
اِنَّمَاۤ اِلٰهُكُمُ اللّٰهُ الَّذِىۡ لَاۤ اِلٰـهَ اِلَّا هُوَؕ وَسِعَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ عِلۡمًا 98
(20:98) Your God is none else than Allah, beside Whom there is no god. His knowledge embraces everything.”
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Also Allah’s knowledge encompasses the actions of all people as well as things, nothing is beyond HIS reach:
Surah Aali-Imraan120 (translation only):
(3:120) If anything good happens to you they are grieved; if any misfortune befalls you they rejoice at it. But if you remain steadfast and mindful of Allah their designs will not cause you harm. Allah surely encompasses all that they do.
Surah Hud 92:
قَالَ يٰقَوۡمِ اَرَهۡطِىۡۤ اَعَزُّ عَلَيۡكُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ ؕ وَ اتَّخَذۡتُمُوۡهُ وَرَآءَكُمۡ ظِهۡرِيًّا ؕ اِنَّ رَبِّىۡ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ مُحِيۡط92
(11:92) Shu’ayb said: ‘My people! Are my kinsmen mightier on you than Allah that you (hold the kinsmen in awe while) you cast Allah behind your back? Surely my Lord encompasses all what you do.
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Allah Also revealed the words of the Prophet Ibraaheem (Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) as he said:
رَبَّنَاۤ اِنَّكَ تَعۡلَمُ مَا نُخۡفِىۡ وَمَا نُعۡلِنُ ؕ وَمَا يَخۡفٰى عَلَى اللّٰهِ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا فِى السَّمَآءِ 38
(14:38) Our Lord! Surely You know all that we conceal and all that we reveal,*51 and nothing in the earth or in the heaven is hidden from Allah.*52
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Exp. note *51:
*51. That is, Lord: You hear what I utter with my tongue and also has full knowledge of my thoughts and feelings.
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Surah Ghaafir (surah Al-Mu’min) 19:
(This surah has two names i.e. Ghaafir and Al-Mu’min.)
يَعۡلَمُ خَآٮِٕنَةَ الۡاَعۡيُنِ وَمَا تُخۡفِى الصُّدُوۡرُ 19
(40:19) He knows even the most stealthy glance of the eyes and all the secrets that hearts conceal.
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Tafseer Ibn Kathir explains this verse as:
﴿يَعْلَمُ خَآئِنَةَ الاٌّعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِى الصُّدُورُ ﴾
(Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal.) Allah tells us about His complete knowledge which encompasses all things, great and small, major and minor, so that people will take note that He knows about them and they will have the proper sense of shyness before Allah. They will pay attention to the fact that He can see them, for He knows the fraud of the eyes, even if the eyes look innocent, and He knows what the hearts conceal. Ad-Dahhak said:
﴿خَآئِنَةَ الاٌّعْيُنِ﴾
(the fraud of the eyes,) “A wink and a man saying that he has seen something when he has not seen it, or saying that he has not seen it when he did see it.’’ Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Allah knows when the eye looks at something, whether it wants to commit an act of betrayal or not.’’ This was also the view of Mujahid and Qatadah. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, commented on the Ayah:
﴿وَمَا تُخْفِى الصُّدُورُ﴾
(and all that the breasts conceal.)”He knows, if you were able to, whether you would commit Zina with a woman or not.’’
As-Suddi said:
﴿وَمَا تُخْفِى الصُّدُورُ﴾
(and all that the breasts conceal.) meaning, of insinuating whispers.
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We must understand that Allah, The All-Mighty Creator knows when a person makes intention to commit a crime and then goes to observe the way and path to reach the place and back from it. Then he plans how and when to go to and commit the crime ( for e.g. theft) and also plans his way back from the place of theft. Although he only observed the place with his eyes and made a plan with his heart / mind and thinks that nobody knows about his will to commit the theft, but Allah knows it. It may be that Allah catches him before, or during, or after the crime. Even if Allah lets him go uncaught in this world, but Allah’s servants, the angels have made the record of all that act of the theft and on the day of Judgement he shall suffer the dreadful punishment for it. So fear o’ mankind and watch your looks, hearing, tongue and heart / mind to protect them all from wrong action because you are watched and you have no way of escape from the Judgement!!!
I think this may be enough to understand the meaning of the Attribute “Aleem.”
