Tafsir of An-Naml 27:75

(And there is no hidden thing in the heaven and the earth), meaning: there is no concealed matter, fixed in its concealment, within them.

Regarding "hidden" (ghā'ibah), it is an adjective that has become dominant in this meaning, such that its usage as a descriptor for a qualified noun has become rare. Its indication of persistence—even if not fully transferred to the status of a noun—is like mu'min (believer) and kāfir (disbeliever). Its tā' is not for feminine designation, as there is no qualified noun observed for it to be attributed to, similar to rāwiyah (a great narrator) when used for a man who narrates much. Thus, it is a tā' of hyperbole. It is also possible that it is an adjective transferred to the status of a noun, by which that which is absent and hidden is named, and the tā' therein is for the purpose of the transfer, as in al-Fātiḥah. The distinction between the "dominant" adjective and the "transferred" noun, according to al-Khafaji, is that the former may be applied to a masculine noun, whereas the latter may not.

The evident meaning is the generality of the "hidden thing," whatever it may be.

(Except in a clear Book), meaning: manifesting or clarified for whoever peruses and looks into it among the angels—peace be upon them—and it is the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ). Its containment of all these things, if they are finite, presents no problem. If they are infinite, there is an apparent problem, necessitated by the established proof regarding the finitude of dimensions and the impossibility of the existence of the infinite. Perhaps the existence of infinite things in the knowledge of Allah Almighty within the Preserved Tablet is similar to the manner in which they claim the existence of occurrences in the al-Jifr al-Jāmi‘ (the Comprehensive Ledger), even if it is not an exact match.

It is said: The "clear Book" refers to His eternal knowledge, which is the origin for manifesting things through will and power. It is also said: It is His eternal decree; the application of the term "Book" to what has been mentioned is by way of metaphor, and the hidden implications of this are not concealed.

It is also said: What is intended is the Quran, and its containment of every hidden thing is in the manner we mentioned regarding the Preserved Tablet. It has been mentioned that some of the gnostics extracted from al-Fātiḥah the names of the Ottoman Sultans and the duration of their sultanate until the last of them, may Allah Almighty perpetuate their rule until the Day of Judgment and grant them success in what is beneficial for the Muslims. Some mentioned regarding this interpretation that it is suitable for what follows it of the description of the Quran, though it has its complexities.

Al-Ḥasan said: The "hidden thing" is the Day of Resurrection and its terrors. The author of al-Ghunyān said: It refers to events and calamities. It is said: The deeds of the servants. It is said: What is hidden of the chastisements of the heaven and the earth.

Generality is more appropriate, and this has been narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās; for Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Abī Ḥātim recorded that he said regarding the verse: The Almighty says: There is nothing in the heaven and the earth, secretly or openly, but that He, the Almighty and Exalted, knows it. From this, some derived the interpretation of the "Book" as eternal knowledge. This is open to critique, as it is possible that the state of being in a "clear Book" is a metonymy for His, the Almighty’s, knowledge of it.

Abū Ḥayyān maintained that he—may Allah be pleased with him—considered in the verse the omission of one of two opposites in favor of the other. His speech—may Allah be pleased with him—is susceptible to that, and it is possible that he mentioned "openly" in clarifying the meaning because he who knows the secret knows the open by way of priority. It is also possible that this is because there is no "open" matter that is not "hidden" relative to some individuals; thus, he—may Allah be pleased with him—indicated, by clarifying the meaning and mentioning the secret and the open therein, that what is intended by "hidden" in the verse is that which encompasses both. It is that which is characterized by being hidden, whether absolute or relative. Thus it has been said; so contemplate it.