Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:58-59

Surah Al-An'am (The Cattle): Verses 58-59

Tafsir: The meaning is: If I possessed, in my power and capability, that which you are impatiently demanding—namely, the punishment—then the matter would have been settled between us immediately. I would have destroyed you swiftly out of anger for my Lord and as retribution for your denial. I would have been quickly relieved.

However, {وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالظَّالِمِينَ} (And Allah is most knowing of the wrongdoers). This means that Allah knows the appropriate time and measure for punishing the wrongdoers according to wisdom. I (the Prophet) do not know the exact time of their punishment; rather, Allah knows it and delays it until its appointed time.

Tafsir: In the previous verse, Allah stated, {وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالظَّالِمِينَ}, indicating that He knows everything, so He hastens what is best to hasten and delays what is best to delay. Regarding this verse, there are several important points:

Issue 1: The Meaning of Mafātīḥ (Keys)

• Mafātīḥ is the plural of miftah (key).
• Miftāḥ (with a kasra on the mīm) means the instrument used for opening (the key).
• Maftaḥ (with a fatḥa on the mīm) means the treasury or repository. Al-Farrā’ interpreted the verse in Surah Al-Qasas (28:76), {إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوءُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ} (Its keys were a burden even for a group of strong men), to mean its treasuries.

Therefore, the word mafātīḥ can mean either:

1. Keys: In this case, it is a metaphor. Just as keys grant access to what is locked away in treasuries, Allah's knowledge of these keys grants access to the unseen matters.
2. Treasuries: The meaning becomes, "And with Him are the treasuries of the unseen."

If interpreted as Keys, the meaning relates to the knowledge of the unseen. If interpreted as Treasuries, it relates to the power over all possibilities (as seen in the verse: "And there is not a thing but that with Us are its treasuries, and We do not send it down except in a known measure" [Al-Hijr: 21]).

The Philosophers' View: The philosophers offer a profound interpretation based on their principles:

1. They establish that knowledge of a cause necessitates knowledge of its effect, but knowledge of an effect does not necessitate knowledge of its cause.
2. Existence is either necessary (Wājib) or contingent (Mumkin). Only Allah is Necessary. Everything else is contingent and exists only through the effect of the Necessary Being.
3. Allah’s knowledge of Himself necessitates His action upon the first effect emanating from Him. His knowledge of that first effect necessitates His action upon the second effect, as the first is the proximate cause of the second.
4. Therefore, the knowledge of the unseen is ultimately the knowledge of Allah of His own Essence. From this essential knowledge, all subsequent effects unfold in their ordained sequence.
5. Since His essential knowledge belongs only to His Essence, it is correct to say: {وَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِيحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ} (And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him).

Issue 2: The Method of Conveying Abstract Truths

Purely intellectual propositions are difficult for the common person to grasp fully, requiring highly developed intellects accustomed to abstract thought. Since the Quran is for all people, when a purely intellectual concept is presented, it is often reinforced with a tangible, sensory example that falls under that general concept, making the abstract understandable.

1. Allah first states the abstract truth: {وَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِيحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ}.
2. He then supports this with a sensory example: {وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ} (And He knows what is on the land and in the sea). The sensory world (land and sea) is a small subset of Allah's total knowledge, and mentioning it reveals the immensity of the unseen knowledge.

Issue 3: The Order of Examples

Allah mentions the land first, as humans have witnessed its cities, deserts, mountains, and the creatures and plants within it. The sea, though known through senses to contain greater wonders and stranger creatures, is less fully encompassed by human experience.

When the imagination pictures the land and sea, and then realizes that this entire visible realm is but a tiny fraction of what falls under {مَفَاتِيحُ الْغَيْبِ}, this sensory example strengthens and completes the understanding of the abstract concept.

Furthermore, just as He revealed the greatness of {مَفَاتِيحُ الْغَيْبِ} by mentioning the land and sea, He reveals the greatness of the land and sea by mentioning: {وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِنْ وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا} (And no leaf falls but that He knows it).

The intellect visualizes all the cities, mountains, trees, and plants, and then realizes that the falling of a single leaf is known to Allah. He then moves to an even more profound example: {وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْأَرْضِ} (and no grain in the darkness of the earth). A grain is tiny, and the darkness of the earth is a place where even the largest objects are hidden. When one hears that this small grain, buried in the vast earth, is completely within Allah's knowledge, these examples serve as powerful reminders of the immense majesty implied by {وَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِيحُ الْغَيْبِ}, leaving minds bewildered.

After reinforcing the abstract concept with these sensory details, Allah returns to the abstract proposition using different wording: {وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ} (and nothing moist or dry but that it is in a clear Record), which is essentially the same meaning as {وَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِيحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ}.

Issue 4: The Kalam Theologians and Philosophers on Knowledge

• The Mutakallimūn (Theologians): They state that Allah is the Creator of the world, its substances, and its accidents, with perfect precision and mastery. Whoever acts with such perfection must necessarily be knowledgeable of what He creates.
• The Philosophers: They state that Allah is the Originator (Mabda') of all contingent beings. Knowledge of the Originator necessitates knowledge of its effects. Therefore, Allah must know all things.

This argument strongly proves Allah’s knowledge of all temporal particulars. Since He is the Originator of everything else, He must be the Originator of these temporal particulars through their effects. Thus, He must know these changes and temporal events precisely because they are changes and temporal events—which is the goal.

Issue 5: The Implication of Monotheism (Tawhid)

{وَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِيحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ} implies restriction (Husr): the keys are only with Him, not with anyone else. If another necessary being existed, the keys would also be with that being, invalidating the restriction.

The rational proof supports this: The primary source for knowing effects and creations is knowledge of the ultimate Cause. The first key to all knowledge is the knowledge of Allah Himself. Since knowledge of Him belongs only to Him (as everything else is an effect, and knowledge of an effect does not yield knowledge of the Cause), it is proven that the keys of the unseen belong only to Allah.

Issue 6: Readings of the Text

The phrase {وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ} (and nothing moist or dry) was read in two ways:

1. In the accusative case (as a continuation of min waraqah): This implies it is coordinated with the preceding phrase.
2. In the nominative case (as a new subject): The structure becomes like saying, "There is no man among them, and no woman, except they are in the house."

Issue 7: The Meaning of Fī Kitābin Mubīn (In a Clear Record)

There are two opinions:

1. The Correct View: That "Clear Record" is none other than the Knowledge of Allah Himself.
2. Al-Zajjaj's View: That Allah recorded the manner of all knowables in a book before creating creation, similar to the verse: {مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَهَا} (No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah—He will guide his heart. And Allah is knowing of all things) [Al-Hadid: 22].

The purpose of this Record includes:

1. For the Angels: So that the angels assigned to the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfūẓ) may know the extent of Allah's knowledge over all information, ensuring nothing in the heavens or earth escapes Him. They compare what happens in the world to this Record and find perfect correspondence, serving as a complete lesson for them.
2. For the Accountable (Mukallafīn): Mentioning the leaf and the grain serves as a warning regarding accountability (Hisab), informing people that nothing they do in this world is overlooked. If Allah does not neglect matters involving no reward or punishment, then He is certainly more likely not to neglect matters involving reward and punishment.
3. Guaranteeing Immutability: Since Allah knows the state of all existing things, it is impossible for those states to change from what His knowledge dictates, lest it imply ignorance on His part. By writing down the details of all existence in that book, change becomes impossible, lest it imply falsehood. Thus, the writing down of all states becomes a complete and sufficient cause preventing anything from preceding what should be later, or vice versa, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: "The pen has dried regarding what is to be until the Day of Resurrection."