Tafsir & Commentary
The Cattle (الأنعام) · Meccan
لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ103
6:103
Translation — Sahih International
Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Aware.
Transliteration
La tudrikuhu al-absāru wa huwa yudrikul-absār; wa huwal-laṭīful-khabīr
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the incomparability of Allah's nature, affirming that human sight cannot perceive Him, yet He perceives all things. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as negating anthropomorphism while affirming Allah's absolute knowledge and perception of creation; Al-Tabari emphasizes that this describes the fundamental difference between the Creator and creation, with 'Al-Latīf' (The Subtle/Gentle) and 'Al-Khabīr' (The All-Aware) being divine attributes that explain how He perceives despite transcending physical perception.
Revelation Context (Asbab al-Nuzul)
This ayah appears in Surah Al-An'am (Meccan period) within a section refuting polytheism and affirming divine oneness. It addresses the Meccan pagans' misconceptions about God's nature and serves as theological correction to those who attempted to imagine or visualize Allah in material terms.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The most excellent supplication is asking for Al-'Aafiyah (well-being)' (Tirmidhi), relating to Allah's subtle knowledge and care. Additionally, 'No vision can grasp Him, but His Grasp is over all vision' (40:7) reinforces this ayah's meaning with direct Quranic correlation.
Themes
Key Lessons
This ayah teaches believers that Allah transcends human limitation and perception while maintaining perfect awareness of all creation—a foundation for sincere devotion free from false imaginations. It invites modern readers to humble their understanding before divine mysteries and to recognize that true knowledge of God comes through revelation and recognition of His attributes rather than human reasoning alone.