وَمَا لَا تُبْصِرُونَ 39
Translations
And what you do not see
Transliteration
Wa mā lā tubṣirūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the unseen realities and divine matters that human eyes cannot perceive in this worldly life. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as referring to the hidden knowledge of Allah, the realm of the unseen (al-ghayb), and spiritual realities beyond human sensory perception. The ayah emphasizes human limitation in understanding divine mysteries without revelation.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Haqqah, which discusses the Day of Judgment and divine certainties. The surah addresses the reality of the afterlife and accountability, themes central to Meccan revelation aimed at establishing belief in Allah's omniscience and the unseen realities of divine judgment.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The excellence of knowledge is that Allah knows whether His servants will be obedient or disobedient' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). This relates to divine knowledge of the unseen that human sight cannot reach. Additionally, Surah Al-An'am 6:103 states 'No vision can grasp Him' which is thematically aligned with human inability to perceive certain divine realities.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers to humbly acknowledge the limits of human understanding and trust in Allah's perfect knowledge of all hidden matters. It encourages reliance on revelation and prophetic guidance rather than limiting one's understanding of reality to only what the eyes can see.