ﳊ ﳋ ﳌ ﳍ ﳎ ﳏ ﳐ ﳑ ﳒ ﳓ ﳔ ﳕ ﳖ ﳗ ﳘ ﳙ ﳚ ﳛ ﳜ ﳝ ﳞ ﳟ ﳠ ﳡ
Say, "Whether you conceal what is in your breasts or reveal it, Allah knows it. And He knows that which is in the heavens and that which is on the earth. And Allah is over all things competent.
Tafsir
Verse range: 3:29
Know that when the Almighty forbade the believers from taking disbelievers as allies, both outwardly and inwardly, and exempted the dissimulation (Taqiyya) in outward appearance, He followed that with a warning regarding the inner state conforming to the outward appearance during the time of Taqiyya. This is because whoever dares to show allegiance during Taqiyya, their outward action might become a cause for that allegiance to settle in the heart. Therefore, the Almighty clarified that He knows the inner secrets just as He knows the outward manifestations. Thus, the servant knows that he will inevitably be recompensed for everything he resolves in his heart.
In this verse, there are several questions:
The Answer: The attachment of Allah's knowledge to something happening now only occurs when that thing happens now. This change and renewal occur only in the relations, attributions, and connections, not in the essence of knowledge itself. This issue has profound depth and is discussed in the science of Kalam (Theology).
The Answer: Because the heart is located within the breast. Therefore, it is permissible to use the breast as a substitute for the heart, just as He said, {whispering into the breasts of mankind} (An-Nas: 5), and {For indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts} (Al-Hajj: 46).
The Answer: We have detailed this discussion at the end of Surah Al-Baqarah concerning the verse: {To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. And whether you show what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it} (Al-Baqarah: 284).
Then the Almighty said: {And Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on earth.}
Know that the verb {And Allah knows} is in the indicative mood (marfūʿ), indicating a new, independent clause (Istināf). This is like His statement, {Fight them; Allah will punish them} (At-Tawbah: 14), where the first verb is in the jussive mood (majzūm), but then He said, {and Allah will forgive} (wa yatawbu Allāhu), and it is in the indicative mood (marfūʿ). Similarly, {If Allah wills, He will seal your heart, and Allah will blot out falsehood} (Ash-Shura: 24), where the verb is in the indicative mood (marfūʿ).
In the statement {And Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on earth}, there is the utmost warning. If nothing in the heavens or the earth is hidden from Him, how could a hidden intention be hidden from Him?
Then the Almighty said: {And Allah is over all things competent (Qadīr)}. This completes the warning. Since He has established that He knows all knowable things, He knows what is in the heart, and He knows the measure of deservingness for reward and punishment. Then He clarified that He is capable of all things that can be done (al-maqdūrāt). Therefore, He must be capable of delivering everyone's due right to them. In this lies the perfection of the promise and the threat, and the encouragement and the warning.
