وَمَا مِنْ غَآئِبَةٍ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّا فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ 75
Translations
And there is nothing concealed within the heaven and the earth except that it is in a clear Register.
Transliteration
Wa maa min ghaa'ibatin fee as-samaa'i wa al-ardi illa fee kitaabin mubeen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that nothing hidden in the heavens and earth exists outside of Allah's complete knowledge and divine record (the Preserved Tablet - al-Lawh al-Mahfuz). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as a declaration of Allah's absolute omniscience—all past, present, and future events are recorded and known by Him. The phrase 'kitaab mubeen' (clear/manifest book) emphasizes that this divine knowledge is not merely internal but documented and clear, demonstrating the certainty and immutability of Allah's decree.
Revelation Context
Surah An-Naml is a Meccan surah dealing with divine signs and the certainty of the Hereafter. This ayah appears in the context of affirming Allah's knowledge and power over all creation, particularly in response to disbelievers who deny resurrection and divine justice. It serves to reassure believers of Allah's complete awareness of all deeds and intentions.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Allah wrote the measures of all things fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth' (Sahih Muslim 2653). Additionally, the ayah relates to Quranic teachings on divine knowledge found in Surah Al-Hajj 22:70: 'Do you not know that Allah knows all that is in the heaven and on earth?'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah provides profound spiritual comfort: nothing escapes Allah's knowledge or record, so believers should trust that all injustices will be accounted for and all good deeds recorded. It should motivate ethical consciousness—knowing that our hidden intentions and concealed actions are witnessed by Allah.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَىٰ ظَهْرِهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ بَصِيرًۢا
And if Allāh were to impose blame on the people for what they have earned, He would not leave upon it [i.e., the earth] any creature. But He defers them for a specified term. And when their time comes, then indeed Allāh has ever been, of His servants, Seeing.
يَوْمَئِذٍ يُوَفِّيهِمُ ٱللَّهُ دِينَهُمُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ ٱلْمُبِينُ
That Day, Allāh will pay them in full their true [i.e., deserved] recompense, and they will know that it is Allāh who is the manifest Truth [i.e., perfect in justice].
ٱقْرَأْ كِتَـٰبَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا
[It will be said], "Read your record. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as accountant."
سَوَآءٌ مِّنكُم مَّنْ أَسَرَّ ٱلْقَوْلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِۦ وَمَنْ هُوَ مُسْتَخْفٍۭ بِٱلَّيْلِ وَسَارِبٌۢ بِٱلنَّهَارِ
It is the same [to Him] concerning you whether one conceals [his] speech or publicizes it and whether one is hidden by night or conspicuous [among others] by day.