Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:59

"And with Him are the keys of the unseen..."

He has assigned "keys" to the unseen by way of metaphor, because keys are the means by which one reaches what is inside storehouses that are secured with locks and bolts. Whoever possesses their keys and knows how to open them reaches what is inside. Thus, He meant that He alone is the one who reaches the unseen; no one else reaches it, just as one who possesses the keys to the storehouse locks and knows how to open them is the one who reaches what is inside the storehouses.

• Mafatih (keys) is the plural of miftah (key).
• It is also recited as mafatih (with a ya).
• It is said that it is the plural of maftah (with a fatha on the mim), which means the storehouse itself.

"...nor a grain, nor anything moist, nor anything dry..."

This is a conjunction linked to "a leaf," falling under the same ruling. It is as if it were said: "And no thing falls from these things except that He knows it."

"...but it is in a clear Book."

This is like a repetition of His saying "except He knows it," because the meaning of "except He knows it" and the meaning of "except it is in a clear Book" is one and the same. The "clear Book" is the knowledge of Allah Almighty, or the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh).

• It is recited as wa-la habbatun, wa-la ratbun, wa-la yabisu (in the nominative case).
• There are two interpretations for this:
  1. That it is a conjunction linked to the position of min waraqatin (which is in the genitive position).
  2. That it is in the nominative case as an ibtida' (subject), with its predicate being illa fi kitabin mubin (except it is in a clear Book), similar to your saying: "No man is among them, nor any woman, except [they are] in the house."

"And it is He who takes your souls by night and knows what you have committed by day. Then He revives you therein so that a specified term may be fulfilled. Then to Him is your return; then He will inform you of what you used to do."