Tafsir of Luqman 31:34

Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Ikrimah that a man called al-Warith ibn Amr came to the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) and said: "O Muhammad, when is the Hour? Our lands have suffered drought, so when will there be fertility? My wife is pregnant, so what will she give birth to? I know what I earned today, but what will I earn tomorrow? I know in which land I was born, so in which land will I die?" Thereupon, this verse was revealed. Muhyi al-Sunnah al-Baghawi, al-Wahidi, and al-Tha'labi mentioned a similar account.

In view of the occasion of revelation, it is a response to a specific question; and in view of the preceding verses, it is a response to an implied question, as if someone were to say: "When is this Day whose affairs have been mentioned?" It was then said, "Indeed, Allah..."

He did not say "The knowledge of the Hour is with Allah," even though it is more concise, because the Name of Allah (the Exalted) is more deserving of being placed first, and because placing it at the beginning—with the predicate being predicated upon it—signifies exclusivity, as al-Tayyibi established, along with the merit of repeating the ascription. Placing the adverbial phrase (‘indahu - "with Him") also signifies exclusivity; in fact, the term ‘inda ("with") also denotes its preservation such that it cannot be reached. Thus, the speech conveys the exclusivity of the knowledge of the time of the Resurrection to Allah (the Almighty and Exalted) from several aspects.

His saying, "And He sends down the rain,"—meaning at its proper time, without delay or haste, in a land that He designates for it, and in a quantity necessitated by wisdom—apparently, it is coordinated with the nominal sentence that is predicated upon the Majestic Name, contrary to His saying: "And We give you to drink from what is in their bellies, and for you in them are benefits." Therefore, it is a predicate built upon the Majestic Name, like the one it is coordinated with, and thus the statement also signifies exclusivity. The intent is the restrictions of the "sending down" that pertain to knowledge, not merely the capacity to send it down, for there is no doubt in that. Consequently, the exclusivity refers to the knowledge of its time, its place, and its quantity, as indicated by the words in al-Kashshaf.

Al-Allamah al-Tayyibi said in his commentary on al-Kashshaf: The indication of this sentence regarding knowledge of the unseen is by virtue of how a controlled and perfected outcome indicates comprehensive knowledge.

His saying, "And He knows what is in the wombs,"—meaning whether it is male or female, complete or deficient, and other such states—is also coordinated with the nominal sentence, similar to what preceded it. The structure differs between "With Him is the knowledge of the Hour" and this, to indicate in the first instance a greater degree of exclusivity, out of concern for the matter of the Hour and as an indication of its extreme hiddenness; and in the second instance, to indicate the continuous renewal of connections corresponding to the renewal of the objects of those connections, along with exclusivity.

This style was not observed in what preceded it—such as saying, "And He knows the rain"—in order to indicate, by explicitly ascribing the "sending down" to the Majestic Name, the magnitude of its significance. This is due to the abundance of benefits it holds for the various types of creatures, and the prevalence of using the revival of the earth, which results from it, as an argument for the validity of the Resurrection—which is pointed to by the "Hour" in the Great Book. Allah (the Exalted) says: "And indeed, before it was sent down upon them—before that—they were in despair. So look at the effects of the mercy of Allah: how He gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed, that [same one] will give life to the dead." And He (the Glorified) says: "And gives life to the earth after its death, and thus will you be brought forth."

It is perhaps said that the sending down of rain—even if it is not the customary rain—has a role in the Resurrection, based on what has been narrated in the Hadith regarding the rain of heaven after the first blast of the Trumpet, being like the semen of men. It is also said that the exclusivity pertains to the "sending down" and the restrictions on it necessitated by the context of knowledge. In that, there is a refutation of those who say, "We were given rain by the rising of such-and-such star." Because of the concern to refute this, due to the polytheism in Lordship it contains, the expression shifted from "He knows" to "He sends down."

His saying, "And no soul knows,"—meaning every soul, whether righteous or wicked, as indicated by the indefinite noun appearing in the context of a negation—"what it will earn tomorrow"—meaning in the future time, whether of good or evil.

His saying (the Glorified): "And no soul knows in what land it will die"—is coordinated, according to what the author of al-Kashshaf deemed most likely, with His saying: "Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour." He pointed out that when the speech is directed toward exclusivity, rather than informing about the essence of His knowledge (for that is not denied), it results from the negation—by way of generalization—that the knowledge is exclusive to Him (the Almighty and Exalted), by way of metonymy, in the most eloquent manner.

Regarding the shift from the word ‘ilm (knowledge) to dirayah (awareness/perception): this is because the latter carries a meaning of stealth and stratagem, for the origin of dara is the diriyah—the ring that marksmen aim at, or the training target for thrusts, or the she-camel that a hunter leaves to roam so that he may grow familiar with the game and hide behind it to shoot. It contains the meaning of knowledge through a kind of stealth or trickery, and thus it is not attributed to Him (the Almighty and Exalted) unless it is interpreted as absolute knowledge, as in the Hadith: "Five things no one knows except Allah." It is said that what is forbidden is attributing it to Him alone, whereas if mentioned with others—by way of dominance—it is not [forbidden]. It is understood from the words of some that the attribution to Him (the Glorified and Exalted) is valid by way of mushakalah (correspondence of form), as in the saying:

O my Lord, I do not know, and You are the Knower.

Therefore, there is no need for what was said—that it is the speech of a crude Bedouin who does not know what is permissible to attribute to Allah (the Almighty and Exalted) and what is forbidden. Thus, the meaning is: no soul knows, even if it employs its stratagems, what will cling to it and affect it. And there is nothing more specific to a person than their earnings and their final outcome. If they have no path to knowing these, then they are even further removed from knowing anything else. This style observed the aforementioned integration; this is why it was not said, "And He knows what every soul will earn, and He knows in what land every soul will die."

It is permitted that the origin of "And He sends down the rain" was an yunzila al-ghaytha, so an was omitted and the verb was raised, as in the saying: O you who forbid me, will you attend the battle?

The same applies to His saying (the Glorified), "And He knows what is in the wombs," being coordinated with "the Hour." It is as if it were said: "Indeed, Allah has the knowledge of the Hour, the sending down of rain, and the knowledge of what is in the wombs." The indication of this regarding the exclusivity of the knowledge of sending down rain to Him (the Glorified) is apparent, due to the obviousness that what is meant by "with Him is the sending down of rain" is "with Him is the knowledge of its sending down." When "He sends down" is coordinated with "the Hour," the exclusivity is even more apparent because the knowledge of the genitive construct of "the Hour" extends to the "sending down" at that point; as if it were said: "Indeed, Allah has the knowledge of the Hour and the knowledge of the sending down of rain." This coordination is hardly possible with "And He knows," for the estimation would be "And with Him is the knowledge of the knowledge of what is in the wombs," and that is not intended at all.

Al-Tayyibi made "And no soul knows," etc., coordinated with the predicate of inna in terms of meaning, by rendering the negated as affirmed; by saying: "And He knows what every soul will earn tomorrow, and He knows in what land every soul will die." He said that such is permissible in speech when a subtle point is observed, as in His saying: "Say, 'Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you: [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment.'" For the coordination there is in consideration of the prohibition returning to the opposite of "good treatment," which is "mistreatment." In explaining the point of the shift from the affirmative to the negative, he mentioned something similar to what we mentioned just now. The author of al-Kashshaf countered this by saying that there is an alternative, meaning what was mentioned regarding its coordination with the sentence "Indeed, Allah has the knowledge of the Hour."

The Imam said regarding the structure of the sentences: The most correct is that when He (the Exalted) said: "And fear a Day," etc., and mentioned that it is inevitable by saying: "Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth," it is as if someone were to say: "So when is this Day?" Then he was answered that this knowledge is something that has not been attained by anyone other than Him (the Exalted); that is His saying (the Glorified): "Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour." Then the Glorified and Exalted mentioned the two proofs that were mentioned repeatedly regarding the Resurrection: one is the revival of the earth after its death, pointed to by His saying, "And He sends down the rain," and the second is the initial creation, pointed to by His saying, "And He knows what is in the wombs." It is as if He said: "O asker, you do not know its time, but it is inevitable, and Allah (the Exalted) is capable of it, just as He is capable of reviving the earth and [capable of] the creation in the wombs."

Then, after the Glorified and Exalted, it is for Him to know that, by His saying (the Glorified): "And no soul knows," etc. It is as if He said: "O asker, you ask about the Hour, when will its arrival be? Yet there are things that are more important than it which you do not know. You do not know your livelihood and your return; you do not know what you will earn tomorrow, even though it is your own action and your own time. And you do not know where you will die, even though it is your own occupation and your own place. So how can you know when the Hour of Resurrection will occur?"

Allah (the Exalted) did not teach you your earnings of tomorrow, nor did He teach you where you will die, even though you have various benefits in knowing that. He did not teach you so that you might, at every moment regarding your provision, return to Allah (the Exalted) and rely upon Him (the Glorified), and so that you would not feel secure against death if you were in a land other than the one He (the Exalted) told you that you would die in. If He did not teach you what you need, how could He teach you what you have no need of? And that is the time of the Resurrection. The only need is for the knowledge that it will be, and He (the Glorified and Exalted) has already informed you of that through the tongues of His prophets (peace and blessings be upon them).

It is not hidden that the apparent interpretation, based on what he mentioned, is to say: "And He creates what is in the wombs," as He (the Glorified) said: "And He sends down the rain." The reason for shifting from that to what is in the majestic structure is not apparent, and his speech thereafter is not free of issues.

That the intent is the exclusivity of the knowledge of these five to Him (the Glorified and Exalted) is what the Hadiths and traditions indicate. The two Sheikhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) and others recorded from Abu Hurairah, in a long Hadith, that the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) was asked: "When is the Hour?" He said to the asker: "The one being asked about it is no more knowledgeable than the asker, but I will tell you of its signs: when the slave girl gives birth to her master, and when the naked, barefoot shepherds compete in the construction of tall buildings." [Then he mentioned] the five that no one knows except Allah. Then the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) recited: "Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour, and He sends down the rain..." the verse, meaning until the end of the Surah, as in some narrations. What occurred in al-Bukhari in the chapter of Tafsir—stopping at "wombs"—is a shortcoming from some narrators.

They (the two Sheikhs) and others also recorded from Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) said: "The keys—and in one narration, 'the keys'—of the Unseen are five, which no one knows except Allah: No one knows what will happen tomorrow; no one knows what is in the wombs; no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow; no soul knows in what land it will die; and no one knows when the rain will come."

Ahmad, al-Bazzar, Ibn Marduyah, al-Ruyani, and al-Diya recorded with a sound chain from Buraydah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) say: "Five things no one knows except Allah: 'Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour...' the verse."

The manifest meaning of these reports necessitates that things other than these five of the Unseen might be known by others than Him (the Glorified and Exalted), and this is the view of those who held it. Humayd ibn Zanjawayh recorded from some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that a man mentioned knowledge of the time of a solar eclipse before it appeared, and it was disapproved of. He said: "The Unseen is only five," and recited this verse; "as for other than that, it is 'unseen' that some people know and some are ignorant of." In some reports, there is what indicates that the knowledge of these five was not given to the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings), and it follows necessarily that it was not given to anyone else (peace and blessings be upon him) a fortiori.

Ahmad and al-Tabarani recorded from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) said: "I have been given the keys of everything except the five: 'Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour...' the verse." Ahmad, Abu Ya'la, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Marduyah recorded from Ibn Mas'ud that he said: "Your Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) was given the keys of everything except the five: 'Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour...' the verse."

Ibn Marduyah recorded from Ali (may Allah honor his face) that he said: "Nothing of the secrets of the Unseen was hidden from your Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) except these five [mentioned in] this verse at the end of Luqman: 'Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour,' until the end of the Surah."

Sa'id ibn Mansur, Ahmad, and al-Bukhari in al-Adab recorded from Rab'i ibn Hirash that he said: A man from Banu 'Amir told me that he said: "O Messenger of Allah, is there any knowledge remaining that you do not know?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah (the Exalted) has taught me goodness, and there is knowledge that no one knows except Allah: the five [in] 'Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour...' the verse."

Some explicitly stated that Allah (the Exalted) reserved them for Himself. Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Qatadah that he said regarding the verse: "Five things from the Unseen that Allah (the Exalted) reserved for Himself; He did not reveal them to any close angel or sent prophet: 'Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour,'—no one among the people knows when the Hour will rise, in which year, or in which month, by night or by day. 'And He sends down the rain,'—no one knows when the rain will descend, by night or by day. 'And He knows what is in the wombs,'—no one knows what is in the wombs, male or female, red or black. 'And no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow,'—good or evil. 'And no soul knows in what land it will die,'—no one among the people knows where their resting place on earth will be, in the sea or on land, in a plain or on a mountain."

What should be known is that every Unseen is not known except to Allah (the Almighty and Exalted), and the unseen matters are not limited to these five. They were only singled out for mention because questions were asked about them, or because souls often yearn to know them.

Al-Qastallani said: "He (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned five, even though the Unseen is infinite, because a number does not negate anything in addition to it, and because these five are what they [the people] used to claim to know."

There is a view to consider in the latter reasoning. It is permissible for Allah (the Exalted) to reveal to some of His chosen ones one of these five, and for Him (the Exalted) to grant them knowledge of it in general terms. The knowledge that is specific to Him (the Glorified and Exalted) is that which is by way of encompassing and comprehensive [knowledge] of the states of each one of them, and its details in the most perfect manner. In al-Manawi's Large Commentary on the Jami' al-Saghir, when discussing the previous Hadith of Buraydah, it states: "Five [things] no one knows except Allah in terms of encompassing and comprehensive [knowledge], collectively and individually. Thus, it is not contradicted by Allah (the Exalted) informing some of His close servants of some of the unseen matters, even from these five, because those are limited, individual instances. The Mu'tazilah's denial of that is stubbornness."

From what we have mentioned, one learns how to reconcile between the reports indicating that Allah (the Exalted) reserved the knowledge of that for Himself, and those indicating otherwise, such as some of his (peace and blessings be upon him) foretellings of unseen matters that are of this category. This is known to those who refer to works like al-Shifa and al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyah, which mention his miracles (peace and blessings be upon him) and his foretellings of the Unseen.

Al-Qastallani mentioned that when He (the Exalted) commands the rain and drives it to whatever places He wills, the angels entrusted with it know, as does whom He (the Exalted) wills from His creation. Likewise, when He (the Blessed and Exalted) intends the creation of a person in a womb, He (the Exalted) informs the angel entrusted with the womb of what He (the Glorified and Exalted) intends, as indicated by what al-Bukhari recorded from Anas ibn Malik, from the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) that he said: "Allah (the Exalted) has entrusted an angel with the womb, who says, 'O Lord, a drop; O Lord, a clot; O Lord, a lump.' If Allah (the Exalted) wishes to finalize its creation, he says, 'Male or female? Wretched or happy? What is the provision and the term?' And it is written in its mother's womb." At that moment, the angel and whoever Allah (the Exalted) wills from His creation know of it. This does not contradict the exclusivity and reservation of the knowledge of the aforementioned things, based on what you have heard from us: that what is meant by the "knowledge" that He (the Exalted) reserved for Himself is the complete knowledge of the states of each [of them] in detail. What the angel knows and what some close servants are informed of can be considered less than that knowledge; indeed, it is such in reality, without doubt.

It may be said regarding what the awliya (saints) attain of knowledge of some of these things: it is not "certain" knowledge. Al-Qari said in his commentary on al-Shifa: "Even though some things may be revealed to the awliya, their knowledge is not certain, and their inspiration (ilham) only yields a probabilistic matter." And similar to this in my view—indeed, even lower than it by stages—is the astronomer and his like, through signs he possesses regarding the falling of rain, or the sex of the fetus, or the like. I do not consider it disbelief for someone to claim this kind of knowledge, for it is a conjecture based on customary matters. Al-'Asqalani reported in Fath al-Bari from al-Qurtubi that he said: "Whoever claims knowledge of anything of the five without ascribing it to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) is a liar in his claim. As for the conjecture of the Unseen, it is permissible from an astronomer or others if it is from a customary matter, and that is not [true] knowledge." Based on this, the statement of al-Qastallani—"Whoever claims knowledge of any of them has disbelieved in the Great Quran"—should be understood as referring to the kind of knowledge that Allah (the Exalted) reserved for Himself, rather than absolute knowledge that includes conjecture and its like.

After all this, the affair of the Hour is the most hidden of the matters mentioned, and what Allah (the Exalted) revealed to His Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) regarding the time of its rise is in the utmost summary, even if it is more complete than the knowledge of other humans (may Allah grant him peace and blessings).

His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "I and the Hour were sent like these two," does not indicate more than summary knowledge of its time. I do not think that the elite angels (peace be upon them) are more knowledgeable of it than he (may Allah grant him peace and blessings). My thought is supported by what al-Humaydi narrated in his Nawadir with a chain from al-Sha'bi, saying: "Isa ibn Maryam asked Jibril (peace be upon them) about the Hour, so he fluttered his wings and said, 'The one being asked about it is no more knowledgeable than the asker.'" The intent is equality in knowledge, that Allah (the Exalted) reserved its knowledge to Himself in the most perfect manner. The mention of its signs, as is not hidden, points to summary knowledge of it. It is permissible that Allah (the Exalted) informed His beloved (peace and blessings be upon him) of the time of its rise in a complete way, but not in a way that rivals His (the Exalted) knowledge of it; except that He (the Exalted) obliged him (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) to keep it secret for a wisdom, and that would be among his (peace and blessings be upon him) specific characteristics. I do not have anything that necessitates certainty in that.

Furthermore, He (the Exalted) singled out "place" in His saying (the Exalted): "And no soul knows in what land it will die," so that the [unknown nature of] time would be known a fortiori, for the former is within the reach of the soul in general, unlike the latter. Ahmad and a group recorded from Abu Gharrah al-Hudhali that he said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) said: "When Allah (the Exalted) intends to take the soul of a servant in a land, He assigns for him a need in that land, so he does not cease until he arrives at it." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited: "And no soul knows in what land it will die." Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded in al-Musannaf from Khaythamah that the Angel of Death passed by Sulayman (peace be upon him) and began to stare at a man from his companions, looking at him intently. The man asked, "Who is this?" He said, "The Angel of Death." The man said, "It is as if he wants me. Command the wind to carry me and cast me in India." He did so. The Angel then said, "My constant looking at him was in astonishment, as I was ordered to take his soul in India while he was with you."

"Knows" (tadree) in both places is "suspended" [taking a clause as a direct object], so the sentence from His saying (the Exalted): "what it will earn" is in the place of the object. It is permissible for "what" (ma) entirely to be a relative noun in the place of an accusative for tadree, as if it were said: "And no soul knows the thing it will earn tomorrow." "In what" (bi-ay) is connected to "die," and the ba is adverbial; the sentence is in the place of an accusative for tadree.

A number of the seven reciters read yunzilu (He sends down) as inzal. Musa al-Aswari and Ibn Abi 'Ablah read bi-ayati ardin with a feminine ta, because it is attached to a feminine noun, and this is a rare dialect in it, just as kull (all) when attached to a feminine noun is sometimes feminized, so it is said: kullatuhunna fa'alna dhalik (all of them did that). So let this be known, and Allah (the Almighty and Exalted) is most knowing.

"Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing"—exaggerated in knowledge, so nothing of anything escapes His (the Exalted) knowledge. "All-Acquainted"—He knows their inner parts just as He knows their outer parts. The combination of the two attributes is to signal the equality between the knowledge of the outer and the inner with Him (the Almighty and Exalted). The sentence, according to what has been said, is in the place of a justification for His (the Exalted) knowledge of what was mentioned. It is also said to be the answer to a question arising from the negation of the souls' knowledge of what they will earn tomorrow and in what land they will die; as if it were said, "So who knows that?" It was then said: "Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Acquainted," which is an answer that Allah (the Exalted) knows that and more. It is not hidden that if this sentence is a completion of the two sentences that preceded it, then the indication of the speech that knowledge is restricted to the two matters—about which knowledge was denied for every soul—is very clear. So contemplate that, and Allah (the Almighty and Exalted) will take charge of your guidance.