| THE CONCEPT
OF UNSEEN IN THE QUR'AN
NO ONE CAN KNOW THE UNSEEN EXCEPT ALLAH
Say: 'No one in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen
except Allah.' They are not aware of when they will be raised. No, their
knowledge respecting the hereafter is slight and hasty. In fact they have
doubts about it. In fact they are blind to it. (Surat an-Naml, 65-66)
They say, 'Why has a Sign not been sent down to him from
his Lord?' Say: 'The Unseen belongs to Allah alone. So wait, I am waiting
with you.' (Surah Yunus, 20)
I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of
Allah; nor do I know the Unseen; nor do I say that I am an angel; nor
do I say to those who are vile in your eyes that Allah will not give them
any good. Allah knows best what is in their hearts. If I did, I would
certainly be one of the wrongdoers.' (Surah Hud, 31)
Those who disbelieve say, 'The Hour will never come.'
Say: 'Yes, by my Lord, it certainly will come!' He is the Knower of the
Unseen, Whom not even the weight of the smallest particle eludes, either
in the heavens or in the earth; nor is there anything smaller or larger
than that which is not in a Clear Book. This is so that He may recompense
those who believe and do right actions. They will have forgiveness and
generous provision. (Surah Saba, 3-4)
Allah knows the Unseen of the heavens and earth. Allah
knows what the heart contains. (Surah Fatir, 38)
Knowledge of the Hour is referred to Him. And no fruit
emerges from its husk, nor does any female get pregnant or give birth,
without His knowledge. On the Day He calls out to them: 'Where are My
associates?' they will say, 'We declare to you that none of us is a witness.'
(Surah Fussilat, 47)
Does he have knowledge of the Unseen, enabling him to
see? (Surat an-Najm, 35)
If you call on them they will not hear your call, and
were they to hear, they would not respond to you. On the Day of Rising
they will reject your making associates of them. No one can inform you
like One Who is All-aware. (Surah Fatir, 14)
THE MOTHER OF THE BOOK (lawh mahfuz): THE CLEAR BOOK
IN WHICH EVERYTHING IS RECORDED
It is indeed a Glorious Qur'an preserved on a Tablet.
(Surat al-Buruj, 21-22)
Allah REVEALS THE NEWS OF THE UNSEEN TO WHOM HE WILLS
That is some of the news of the Unseen which We reveal
to you. Neither you nor your people knew it before this time. So be steadfast.
The best end result is for those who guard against evil. (Surah Hud, 49)
If you call on them they will not hear your call, and
were they to hear, they would not respond to you. On the Day of Rising
they will reject your making associates of them. No one can inform you
like One Who is All-aware. (Surah Fatir, 14)
This is news of the Unseen which We reveal to you. You
were not with them when they decided what to do and devised their scheme.
(Surah Yusuf, 102)
This is news from the Unseen which We reveal to
you. You were not with them when they cast their reeds to see which of
them would be the guardian of Maryam. You were not with them when they
quarrelled. (Surah Al 'Imran, 44)
NEWS THAT ALLAH GIVES IN THE QUR'AN ABOUT THE
COMPANIONS OF THE CAVE
That was the situation when we woke them up so they could
question one another. One of them asked, 'How long have you been here?'
They replied, 'We have been here for a day or part of a day.' They said,
'Your Lord knows best how long you have been here. Send one of your number
into the city with this silver you have, so he can see which food is purest
and bring you some of it to eat. But he should go about with caution so
that no one is aware of you, (Surat al-Kahf, 19)
They will say, 'There were three of them, their dog being
the fourth.' They will say, 'There were five of them, their dog being
the sixth,' guessing at the Unseen. And they will say, 'There were seven
of them, their dog being the eighth.' Say: 'My Lord knows best their number.
Those who know about them are very few.' So do not enter into any argument
concerning them, except in relation to what is clearly known. And do not
seek the opinion of any of them regarding them. (Surat al-Kahf, 22)
Say: 'Allah knows best how long they stayed. The Unseen
of the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. How perfectly He sees, how
well He hears! They have no protector apart from Him. Nor does He share
His rule with anyone.' (Surat al-Kahf, 26)
NEWS THAT Allah GIVES IN THE QUR'AN ABOUT Dhu'l-Qarnayn
We did encompass with Our knowledge all that he had in
mind. (Surat al-Kahf, 91)
ALLAH'S REVELATION OF THE UNSEEN TO A SERVANT OF HIS
WHO WAS A MAN OF KNOWLEDGE
They found a servant of Ours whom We had granted mercy
from Us and whom We had also given knowledge direct from Us. Musa said
to him, 'May I follow you on condition that you teach me some of the right
guidance you have been taught?' He said, 'You will not be able to bear
with me. How indeed could you bear with patience something you have not
encompassed in your knowledge?' Musa said, 'You will find me patient,
if Allah wills, and I will not disobey you in any matter.' He said, 'Then
if you follow me, do not question me about anything until I myself make
mention of it to you.' They continued until they boarded a boat and he
scuppered it. Then Musa said, 'Did you scupper it so that its owners would
be drowned? This is truly a dreadful thing that you have done!' He said,
'Did I not say that you would not be able to bear with me?' Musa said,
'Do not take me to task because I forgot. Do not demand of me something
which is too difficult.' So they went on until they met a youngster whom
he killed. Musa said, 'Have you killed a boy who has done no wrong, without
it being in retaliation for someone else? This is truly an appalling thing
that you have done!' He said, 'Did I not tell you that you would not be
able to bear with me?' Musa said, 'If I ask you about anything after this,
then you should no longer keep me company. I will have given you excuse
enough.' So they went on until they reached the inhabitants of a town.
They asked them for food but they refused them hospitality. They found
there a wall about to fall down and he built it up. Musa said, 'If you
had wanted, you could have taken a wage for doing that.' He said, 'This
is where you and I part company. I will let you know the explanation of
those things about which you were not able to restrain yourself. As for
the boat, it belonged to some poor people who worked on the sea. I wanted
to damage it because a king was coming behind them, commandeering every
boat. As for the boy, his parents were believers and we feared that he
would darken their days with excessive insolence and disbelief. We wanted
their Lord to give them in exchange a purer son than him, one more compassionate.
As for the wall, it belonged to two young orphans in the town and there
was a treasure underneath it, belonging to them. Their father was one
of the righteous and your Lord wanted them to come of age and then to
unearth their treasure as a mercy from Him. I did not do it of my own
volition. That is the explanation of the things about which you were not
able to restrain yourself.' (Surat al-Kahf, 65-82)
THOSE WHO FEAR THEIR LORD IN THE UNSEEN
No burden-bearer can bear another's burden. If someone
weighed down calls for help to bear his load, none of it will be borne
for him, even by his next of kin. You can only warn those who fear their
Lord in the Unseen and perform prayer. Whoever is purified, is purified
for himself alone. Allah is your final destination. (Surah Fatir, 18)
You can only warn those who act on the Reminder and fear
the All-Merciful in the Unseen. Give them the good news of forgiveness
and a generous reward. (Surah Ya Sin, 11)
THE KEYS OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH BELONG TO HIM
The keys of the heavens and earth belong to Him. It is those who reject
Allah's Signs who are the losers. (Surah az-Zumar, 63)
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE SPIRIT
They will ask you about the Spirit. Say: 'The Spirit
is my Lord's concern. You have only been given a little knowledge.' (Surat
al-Isra, 85)
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