Allaah Knows what happens to His creatures in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter – Shaykh Uthaymeen

The following is excerpted from the Shaykh Uthaymeen’s explanation of Aayatul-Kursi, Translated by Dr. Saleh as-Saleh rahimahullaah

[Five]: Then Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى ) said in the Fifth Statement:

يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ
And Allaah Knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter.
[Qur’aan, Aayatul-Kursi , Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255]

Knowledge, according to the scholars of usool (the fundamental principles of deen), is the definitive comprehension of a thing in conformity with its true nature.Thus, the lack of comprehension is ignorance, the indecisive comprehension is doubt, and the assertive comprehension that does not concur with reality is compounded ignorance.

For example, if you were asked, “When did the expedition of Badr [59] take place?” And you say, “I do not know,” then this is ignorance. If you were asked the same question and you said, “It happened in the second or the third year of hijrah,” then this is doubt.[60] And if your answer to the same question was, “The fifth year,” then this is compounded ignorance.[61]

Allaah, the Most Mighty and Most Majestic, knows things comprehensively and with perfection, overall and in detail. His knowledge is unlike the knowledge of ‘ibaad. That is why He said:

يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ
And Allaah knows what happens to them [the creatures] in the future and what happened to them in the past.[62]

The conjunctive noun {ما} is a form of generalization (gram.) This comprises everything be it small or great, or whether it is from the actions of Allaah or from the creatures’ deeds.

Knowing what happens to them in the future implies that Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) is not unaware of the future, and that His knowledge of the past necessitates that He does not forget the past. That is why when Fir’awn said to Mûsa (alaihissalam):

قَالَ فَمَا بَالُ الْقُرُونِ الْأُولَىٰ
“What about the generations of the old?” [Qur’aan, Soorat Taha (20:51)].

Mûsa (alaihissalam) replied:

قَالَ عِلْمُهَا عِندَ رَبِّي فِي كِتَابٍ ۖ لَّا يَضِلُّ رَبِّي وَلَا يَنسَى

The knowledge thereof is with my Rabb, in a Record. My Rabb is neither unaware nor He forgets. [Qur’aan, Soorat Taha (20:52)].

This means that Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) is neither unaware of the future nor does He forget the past.

Footnotes:

[59] The Battle of Badr occurred between the army of the believers lead by Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) and the polytheists of Quarysh and it took place on the 17th of Ramadaan of the second year of Hijrah.

[60] Because you give another answer, which you think has the same possibility of being the truth.

[61] This is known as al-jahlul-murakkab, which is to comprehend something in a way contrary to its true reality. [See Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s Sharh Thalaathat Al-Usool (Burmingham, UK: Al-Hidaayah Publication, 1st. ed. 1418/1997)], p. 37.

[62] This is one of the meanings of this great aayah. It signifies that Allaah’s knowledge encompasses everything in the past, present, and the future; nothing escapes Allaah’s knowledge.

Note: One of the Names of Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) is العليم al-‘Aleem:

The One Who knows what has been and what will be; Who ever has known, and ever will know, what has been and what will be; His knowledge comprehends all things, the covert and the overt, the small thereof and the great, the possible and the impossible, the lofty and lower spheres, etc. in the most complete manner. Nothing is concealed from Him in the earth or in the heavens.

[See Shaykh as-Sa’dee’s Tayseer Al-Kareem Ar-Rahmaan fee Tafseeri Kalaamil-Mannaan [‘Unayzah, Saudi Arabia: Saalih bin Saalih Center Publish. 1412/1992)], vol. 5, p. 299.

Source : From the eBook: Tafseer Ayatul-Kursi – By Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih Al-’Uthaymeen (rahimahullah). With Related Points of Benefit From the Shaykh’s Commentary on Imaam ibn Taymeeyah’s Sharhul ’Aqeedatil-Waasitiyyah, Prepared by Dr. Saleh As-Saleh (rahimahullah)

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