Tafsir of Ibraheem 14:38

(Of needs and other matters). Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ibrahim al-Nakha'i that the intent of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was: "What we conceal of love for Ismail and his mother, and what we proclaim to Sarah of harshness toward them." It is also said: "What we conceal of heartache due to the separation that occurred between us, and what we proclaim of weeping and supplication." Others said: "What we conceal of the grief of separation, and what we proclaim of what transpired between us and Hajar at the time of leave-taking, from her words: 'To whom are you entrusting us?' and my reply to her: 'To Allah the Exalted.'"

The 'ma' (what) in all these views is a relative pronoun (mawṣūlah), with the pronominal object (al-ʿāʾid) omitted. The apparent meaning is generality, which is the chosen view. The intent of "what we conceal," according to some, is that which corresponds to "what we proclaim," whether or not concealment is primarily associated with it—meaning: You know what we manifest and what we do not. For His knowledge, the Exalted, relates to states of hiddenness that do not even cross the mind of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The precedence of "what we conceal" over "what we proclaim" is to establish equality between them in the way knowledge relates to them in the most eloquent manner. Thus, His relationship to what is concealed is prior to His relationship to what is proclaimed, or because the rank of secrecy and concealment precedes the rank of proclamation, as there is nothing proclaimed except that it was previously concealed; therefore, the relationship of His knowledge, the Exalted, to its first state is prior to its relationship to its second state. Some have made 'ma' a verbal particle (maṣdariyyah), and the inversion is likewise to establish equality. Hence, it is said: "You know our secret just as You know our proclamation."

The implication of the Prophet's words—peace be upon him—is that expressing these needs, and what pertains to their foundations and completions, is not because they are unknown to You; rather, it is to demonstrate servitude, humbleness before Your Greatness, submissiveness before Your Might, the presentation of poverty before what You possess, and the seeking of haste in attaining Your favors. It is also said: He meant that You are more knowledgeable of our states and interests, and more merciful to us than we are to ourselves, so there is no need for us to ask, yet we call upon You to demonstrate servitude, and so on. Al-Suhrawardi pointed to the fact that the manifestation of one’s state suffices over asking, in his words: “My complaint to people is prevented by the fact that I am ill, and the one to whom I complain is also ill; And my complaint to Allah is prevented by the fact that He is aware of what I complain of before I speak.”

The repetition of the call (Rabbana) is for emphasis in supplication and pleading. The use of the plural pronoun, as some investigators have said, is because the intent is not merely His knowledge—the Exalted—of what they conceal and proclaim, but of all the hidden things of the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth (al-malakūt). The Prophet (peace be upon him) confirmed this by way of an interpolation (iʿtirāḍ): "And nothing is hidden from Allah in the earth or in the heaven." This is because His knowledge—the Exalted—is essential; therefore, there is no disparity in His view between one known thing and another.

Abu Hayyan said: "There is no apparent disparity between adding 'Rabb' to the first-person singular pronoun and adding it to the first-person plural." From what we have cited, the reason for adding 'Rabb' here to the plural pronoun is known, and I do not know what Abu Hayyan intended by this statement, as the objection to it is too obvious to be hidden. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "And nothing is hidden..." instead of saying: "And He knows what is in the heavens and the earth," to affirm what he meant by his saying: "You know what we conceal," in that His knowledge—the Exalted—of that is not in a manner that entails any shade of hiddenness relative to His knowledge, as it would be relative to the knowledge of created beings.

The word 'fī' (in) is attached to an omitted descriptor for 'shayʾin' (a thing), meaning: "to anything existing within them," which is general, whether that is by way of abiding within them or being a part of them. It has also been permitted that it attaches to 'yakhfā' (hidden), which is as you see. The precedence of the earth over the heaven, with the insertion of 'lā' (no) between them, is in consideration of the proximity and distance for us, who are prone to disparity in our own knowledge. The intent of "the heaven" is that which includes all the heavens. If it were intended by "the earth" to mean the lower direction and by "the heaven" the upper direction, as has been said, that would be permissible.

The transition (iltifāt) from the address to the Majestic Name is to signify the cause of the ruling and to announce its generality, for it is not a matter exclusive to him or to those associated with him, but rather encompasses all things. Thus, it is appropriate to mention Him—the Exalted—by a title that verifies the source-ness of all things. Al-Jubba'i held that this is from the speech of Allah, the Exalted, arriving by way of interpolation to confirm the Prophet (peace be upon him), like His saying—the Exalted: "And thus they do." The majority follow the first view, and the 'min' (from/any) in both interpretations is for total inclusivity.