سُوْرَةُ الْجِنِّ
Surah Al-Jinn (72) — Ayah 28
لِّيَعْلَمَ أَن قَدْ أَبْلَغُوا۟ رِسَـٰلَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَحَاطَ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ وَأَحْصَىٰ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عَدَدًۢا ﴿28﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
[He (Allâh) protects them (the Messengers)], till He sees that they (the Messengers) have conveyed the Messages of their Lord (Allâh). And He (Allâh) surrounds all that which is with them, and He (Allâh) keeps count of all things (i.e. He knows the exact number of everything).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
لِّيَعْلَمَ
liyaʿlama
That He may make evident
أَن
an
that
قَدْ
qad
indeed
أَبْلَغُوا۟
ablaghū
they have conveyed
رِسَـٰلَـٰتِ
risālāti
(the) Messages
رَبِّهِمْ
rabbihim
(of) their Lord
وَأَحَاطَ
wa-aḥāṭa
and He has encompassed
بِمَا
bimā
what
لَدَيْهِمْ
ladayhim
(is) with them
وَأَحْصَىٰ
wa-aḥṣā
and He takes account
كُلَّ
kulla
(of) all
شَىْءٍ
shayin
things
عَدَدًۢا
ʿadadan
(in) number
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 28) ➊ {لِيَعْلَمَ اَنْ قَدْ اَبْلَغُوْا …:} The purpose of all this arrangement is so that Allah may know that the messengers have conveyed the messages of their Lord, and Allah has encompassed every small and great thing that is with them, and has counted and enumerated every single thing. The messengers have no authority (whether they are angels like Jibreel عليه السلام or humans like all the messengers عليهم السلام) to make any addition or omission, even of a single word, in the messages of Allah. Here, a question arises that Allah already has knowledge of everything, so what does it mean when He says {’’ لِيَعْلَمَ ‘‘} (so that He may know)? The answer is that indeed He already knows everything that will happen in this way, but Allah has made all these arrangements so that the messengers may convey the messages of their Lord, and Allah may know that they have conveyed the messages of their Lord.
➋ Some people use these verses as evidence that messengers are also Knowers of the Unseen, because Allah informs them of the unseen; the only difference is that Allah’s knowledge of the unseen is intrinsic, while the prophets’ knowledge of the unseen is granted, i.e., given by Allah. However, this is not correct, because Allah has clearly stated: « قُلْ لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ» [ النمل : ۶۵ ] “Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.” That is, only Allah is the Knower of the unseen. If He informs any messenger of something, that does not make him the Knower of the unseen, because firstly, messengers only know as much as they are told, they do not know everything, and it is against the attribute of the Knower of the unseen to know some news and not others. Secondly, when someone comes to know something of the unseen by being told, he does not become the Knower of the unseen; otherwise, we would all be knowers of the unseen, because the matters of the unseen that Allah informed His Messenger ﷺ about were told to be conveyed to the people—such as the Day of Judgment, Paradise, Hell, and the Pond of Kawthar, etc.—all these are matters of the unseen that we know because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us. So, are we also knowers of the unseen? Clearly, this is not the case. Therefore, the truth is that only Allah is the Knower of the unseen; no one else is, neither intrinsically nor by being granted.
➋ Some people use these verses as evidence that messengers are also Knowers of the Unseen, because Allah informs them of the unseen; the only difference is that Allah’s knowledge of the unseen is intrinsic, while the prophets’ knowledge of the unseen is granted, i.e., given by Allah. However, this is not correct, because Allah has clearly stated: « قُلْ لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ» [ النمل : ۶۵ ] “Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.” That is, only Allah is the Knower of the unseen. If He informs any messenger of something, that does not make him the Knower of the unseen, because firstly, messengers only know as much as they are told, they do not know everything, and it is against the attribute of the Knower of the unseen to know some news and not others. Secondly, when someone comes to know something of the unseen by being told, he does not become the Knower of the unseen; otherwise, we would all be knowers of the unseen, because the matters of the unseen that Allah informed His Messenger ﷺ about were told to be conveyed to the people—such as the Day of Judgment, Paradise, Hell, and the Pond of Kawthar, etc.—all these are matters of the unseen that we know because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us. So, are we also knowers of the unseen? Clearly, this is not the case. Therefore, the truth is that only Allah is the Knower of the unseen; no one else is, neither intrinsically nor by being granted.
