سُوْرَةُ لُقْمَانَ
Surah Luqman (31) — Ayah 34
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ عِلْمُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ ٱلْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌۢ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۢ ﴿34﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Verily Allâh, with Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allâh is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
عِندَهُۥ
ʿindahu
with Him
عِلْمُ
ʿil'mu
(is the) knowledge
ٱلسَّاعَةِ
l-sāʿati
(of) the Hour
وَيُنَزِّلُ
wayunazzilu
and He sends down
ٱلْغَيْثَ
l-ghaytha
the rain
وَيَعْلَمُ
wayaʿlamu
and knows
مَا
mā
what
فِى
fī
(is) in
ٱلْأَرْحَامِ ۖ
l-arḥāmi
the wombs
وَمَا
wamā
And not
تَدْرِى
tadrī
knows
نَفْسٌۭ
nafsun
any soul
مَّاذَا
mādhā
what
تَكْسِبُ
taksibu
it will earn
غَدًۭا ۖ
ghadan
tomorrow
وَمَا
wamā
and not
تَدْرِى
tadrī
knows
نَفْسٌۢ
nafsun
any soul
بِأَىِّ
bi-ayyi
in what
أَرْضٍۢ
arḍin
land
تَمُوتُ ۚ
tamūtu
it will die
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
عَلِيمٌ
ʿalīmun
(is) All-Knower
خَبِيرٌۢ
khabīrun
All-Aware
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
34. The knowledge of the Hour is only with Allah [49]. He sends down the rain, and He knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in which land [50] it will die. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.
[49]
The Hadith of Jibreel:
The disbelievers of Makkah would often ask you when the Day of Judgment will come. There are several different answers to this in the Book and Sunnah. For example, one answer is that whenever the Day of Judgment comes, it will come suddenly. Sometimes, the signs of the nearness of the Day of Judgment have been mentioned. When a companion asked this question, you ﷺ asked him: Have you made any preparation for it? To one questioner, you ﷺ replied that whoever dies, his Qiyamah has been established. But the most accurate answer to this question is that the knowledge of the Day of Judgment is only with Allah. Not even any prophet knows it, not even the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. As is clear from the following hadith. Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that one day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting among us when a man came walking (this was Jibreel ؑ) and said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! What is faith? You ﷺ replied: Faith is that you believe in Allah, His angels, and His messengers, and have certainty of meeting Him (on the Day of Judgment), and believe in resurrection after death. Then he said: “What is Islam?” You ﷺ replied: That you worship only Allah and do not associate anyone with Him, establish prayer and give zakat, and fast in Ramadan. Then he asked: “What is Ihsan?” You ﷺ replied: Ihsan is that you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and if you cannot do that, then at least know that He is seeing you. Then he asked: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! When will the Day of Judgment come?” You ﷺ replied: The one being questioned knows no more than the questioner (i.e., both are equally unaware). However, I will tell you its signs: one is that a woman will give birth to her master. Another is that barefoot and naked (bedouin-type people) will become the leaders of the people. Look, among these five things is the Day of Judgment, which no one knows except Allah; He alone knows when the Day of Judgment will come, and when rain will fall, and what is in the wombs. Then that person turned and left. You ﷺ said: Call him back. People went to call him, but found no one there. You ﷺ said: “That was Jibreel, who came to teach you your religion.” [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
This hadith is famous as the Hadith of Jibreel ؑ. And it is clear from this that neither Jibreel ؑ nor the Messenger of Allah ﷺ knew the appointed time of the Day of Judgment. The wisdom in not telling the appointed time is that if the exact time of the Day of Judgment or of someone’s death were to be told, the very purpose of this world being a place of trial would be lost. That is why faith at the time of death is not accepted, nor will it be accepted at the time of the Day of Judgment when its clear signs, such as the sun rising from the west, have appeared; even then, faith will not be accepted.
[50]
The Unseen Matters of Which Man Cannot Have Knowledge:
Besides the Day of Judgment, there are four other things that no one knows except Allah. The first of these four is when beneficial rain will fall. The second is what happens in the mother’s womb. Included in this is that when the soul is breathed into the fetus, an angel also determines its lifespan, its sustenance (i.e., how much provision it will receive), whether it will be prosperous or destitute, and whether it will be fortunate or unfortunate—these matters are also included in the stages of the womb. The third is what he will do tomorrow, i.e., whether he will be granted the ability to repent or not, and even whether he will live until tomorrow or not. And the fourth is when and where he will die. These four matters are such that every person is interested in them. That is why these matters have been mentioned in particular. Otherwise, there are many other matters that are related to the unseen and are beyond human reach.
[49]
The Hadith of Jibreel:
The disbelievers of Makkah would often ask you when the Day of Judgment will come. There are several different answers to this in the Book and Sunnah. For example, one answer is that whenever the Day of Judgment comes, it will come suddenly. Sometimes, the signs of the nearness of the Day of Judgment have been mentioned. When a companion asked this question, you ﷺ asked him: Have you made any preparation for it? To one questioner, you ﷺ replied that whoever dies, his Qiyamah has been established. But the most accurate answer to this question is that the knowledge of the Day of Judgment is only with Allah. Not even any prophet knows it, not even the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. As is clear from the following hadith. Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that one day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting among us when a man came walking (this was Jibreel ؑ) and said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! What is faith? You ﷺ replied: Faith is that you believe in Allah, His angels, and His messengers, and have certainty of meeting Him (on the Day of Judgment), and believe in resurrection after death. Then he said: “What is Islam?” You ﷺ replied: That you worship only Allah and do not associate anyone with Him, establish prayer and give zakat, and fast in Ramadan. Then he asked: “What is Ihsan?” You ﷺ replied: Ihsan is that you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and if you cannot do that, then at least know that He is seeing you. Then he asked: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! When will the Day of Judgment come?” You ﷺ replied: The one being questioned knows no more than the questioner (i.e., both are equally unaware). However, I will tell you its signs: one is that a woman will give birth to her master. Another is that barefoot and naked (bedouin-type people) will become the leaders of the people. Look, among these five things is the Day of Judgment, which no one knows except Allah; He alone knows when the Day of Judgment will come, and when rain will fall, and what is in the wombs. Then that person turned and left. You ﷺ said: Call him back. People went to call him, but found no one there. You ﷺ said: “That was Jibreel, who came to teach you your religion.” [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
This hadith is famous as the Hadith of Jibreel ؑ. And it is clear from this that neither Jibreel ؑ nor the Messenger of Allah ﷺ knew the appointed time of the Day of Judgment. The wisdom in not telling the appointed time is that if the exact time of the Day of Judgment or of someone’s death were to be told, the very purpose of this world being a place of trial would be lost. That is why faith at the time of death is not accepted, nor will it be accepted at the time of the Day of Judgment when its clear signs, such as the sun rising from the west, have appeared; even then, faith will not be accepted.
[50]
The Unseen Matters of Which Man Cannot Have Knowledge:
Besides the Day of Judgment, there are four other things that no one knows except Allah. The first of these four is when beneficial rain will fall. The second is what happens in the mother’s womb. Included in this is that when the soul is breathed into the fetus, an angel also determines its lifespan, its sustenance (i.e., how much provision it will receive), whether it will be prosperous or destitute, and whether it will be fortunate or unfortunate—these matters are also included in the stages of the womb. The third is what he will do tomorrow, i.e., whether he will be granted the ability to repent or not, and even whether he will live until tomorrow or not. And the fourth is when and where he will die. These four matters are such that every person is interested in them. That is why these matters have been mentioned in particular. Otherwise, there are many other matters that are related to the unseen and are beyond human reach.
