Tafsir of An-Naml 27:25

“...That they do not prostrate to Allah, (Who brings forth the hidden [al-khab’] in the heavens and the earth)”—meaning, He reveals whatever is concealed within them, whatever it may be. Al-khab’ is an infinitive used to denote the passive participle. Some interpreted it here as rain and vegetation; this has been narrated from Ibn Zayd. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib that he interpreted it as water. The superior approach is to treat it as a generalization, as narrated from a group of scholars via Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both.

“In the heavens” is connected to al-khab’. Al-Farra’ held that “in” carries the meaning of “from,” in which case the prepositional phrase relates to “brings forth.” However, the apparent meaning is what has preceded. The selection of this particular attribute is because it is more appropriate to the narrative, as it contains that which is most similar to the bringing forth of the hidden—namely, the revealing of the affair of Bilqis and what relates to it. Based on this analogy, the selection of the divine attributes mentioned thereafter is also understood. It is said that this specific attribute was chosen because the hoopoe is most firmly grounded in the knowledge of it and the comprehension of its laws through observing its signs, among which is the ability Allah Almighty deposited within its very nature to perceive water beneath the earth. You know, however, that the notion that the hoopoe has been endowed with the ability for what has been mentioned is something for which no reliable report has arrived. Furthermore, the aforementioned justification does not hold under the recitation of Ibn ‘Abbas, the Six, and those with them—(alla tasjudu) with the softening [of the lam]—if the speech is considered a new commencement by Him, the Exalted, or by Sulayman, peace be upon him.

Ubayy and ‘Isa recited “al-khaba” by shifting the vowel of the hamza to the ba and eliding the hamza; Sibawayh reported this from a group of the Banu Tamim and Banu Asad. ‘Ikrimah recited it with an alif instead of the hamza, necessitating that the preceding letter be fatha; this is the recitation of ‘Abdullah [ibn Mas’ud] and Malik ibn Dinar. This has been explained by the dialect of those who say during a pause “hadha al-khabu”, “marartu bil-khaba”, and “ra’aytu al-khaba”, applying the rules of continuation to the rules of pausing. The Kufans permitted saying in the case of mar’ah (woman) and kam’ah (truffle), “marah” and “kamah” by substituting the hamza with an alif and giving the preceding letter a fatha, stating that this substitution is a recognized dialect.

It is possible that “al-khab’” is of this category, though al-Zamakhshari forbade this, claiming that it is a weak and despicable dialect. He argued that when the letter preceding a hamza is quiescent, the method of softening it is through elision, not substitution, as is said for kam’ (truffle), kamuh. This was critiqued in al-Kashf, stating: "Its derivation based on [the rules of] pausing contains two weaknesses, for pausing in that manner is not of the dialect of the eloquent, and applying the rule of continuation to that which is not frequently used is likewise [weak]. As for that dialect, the Kufans hold it to be a linguistic rule." Abu Hatim claimed that “al-khaba” with an alif is not permissible at all, which stems from a deficiency in knowledge. Al-Mubarrad said: "Abu Hatim was below his peers in grammar and did not catch up to them, except that when he left his own town and did not meet anyone more learned than himself, he became a leader."

By conjoining the statement of the Almighty, (“And He knows what you conceal and what you reveal”), to (“He brings forth”), it is signaled that the Almighty brings forth what is in the human realm of hidden things just as He brings forth what is in the macrocosm of hidden things. This is because the intent is that He reveals what you conceal of your circumstances and will recompense you for them. The mention of “what you reveal” is to expand the scope of knowledge or to alert one to the equality of both in relation to Divine Knowledge; thus it is said. The words of some suggest that what preceded points to the perfection of His power, and this points to the perfection of His knowledge, the Exalted, and that the hidden and the manifest are equal to Him. (“What you conceal”) was mentioned first for this reason, as it is appropriate to the preceding context of “the hidden”. His description of bringing forth the hidden from the heavens and the earth was prioritized because it is more in keeping with the situation and the address—whether it be to the people, to the people of Sulayman, or to the people of Bilqis. There is iltifat (shift in person) in the speech. The two Haram scholars [of Makkah and Madinah] and the majority recited (“what they conceal and what they reveal”) using the ya of the third person. In al-Kashshaf, it is reported from Ubayy that he recited: "That you do not prostrate to Allah, who brings forth the hidden from the heaven and the earth, and knows your secrets and what you reveal."