# Allah Knows and Is Near — Hoda _Basic · Knowing Allah · Ages 5–99_ Allah knows everything, the seen and the hidden, and is near to everyone without being in any place. This moves us to be honest and gives us comfort. ## What you will learn - Explain that Allah knows everything, the seen and the unseen, even thoughts never spoken, and why this moves a person to be honest even when no one else would know. - Explain that Allah is near to everyone without being in any place, and why this is a comfort: Allah hears and knows each person, wherever they are. ### Who gets Allah's mercy? - Everyone and everything - Only grown-ups - People who never make mistakes --- ### What does it mean that Allah has no place? - Allah is not inside any place or space at all - Allah lives in a place far above the heavens - Allah is in one place at a time, as we are --- Allah knows everything. Allah knows what we say. Allah knows what we only think. Allah knows it all without eyes or ears. ### Suppose you think something but don't say it. Does Allah know? - Yes, Allah knows it - No, only if I say it --- Allah knows everything: what we can see, and what is hidden from us. What is hidden from us is called the unseen. Allah knows every leaf that falls, every seed under the ground and every thought in every mind. Allah never has to look, ask or learn: Allah always knows. ### A leaf falls deep in a forest, with no people around. Does anyone know it fell? - Yes, Allah knows - No, no one could know --- People learn: we notice, ask and remember, and much stays hidden from us. Allah's knowledge is not like that. Allah knows everything, the seen and the unseen, before it happens, while it happens and after it has happened, without senses and without learning. Nothing is hidden from Allah, however small or far from us, not even a thought never spoken. ### Does Allah come to know things as they happen, or know them already? - Already: Allah has always known - As they happen, the way we notice things --- A leaf falls in a quiet forest. No person sees it. Allah knows. A tiny seed lies under the ground. Allah knows that too. Nothing is hidden from Allah. ### A leaf falls, and no person is there. Who knows? - Allah knows - No one knows --- > وَعِندَهُۥ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۚ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِى ظُلُمَٰتِ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِى كِتَٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ > > And with Him are the keys of the unseen treasures-- none knows them but He; and He knows what is in the land and the sea, and there falls not a leaf but He knows it, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything green nor dry but (it is all) in a clear book. > > — Al-An'am · 59 · M. H. Shakir (Tanzil) ### What does this ayah say Allah knows? - Even every falling leaf and every hidden grain - Some things in the dark earth stay hidden from Allah - Big things, but not tiny ones like a leaf --- Allah knows what is in our hearts: our hopes, our worries and the kind thoughts no one hears. Other people know only what we say or show them. Allah knows even what we never say. ### What does Allah know that other people often don't? - The thoughts and feelings we never say - The things we do in front of others - The words we say out loud or write down --- > وَعِندَهُۥ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۚ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِى ظُلُمَٰتِ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِى كِتَٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ > > With Him are the treasures of the Unseen; no one knows them except Him. He knows whatever there is in land and sea. No leaf falls without His knowing it, nor is there a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything fresh or withered but it is in a manifest Book. > > — Al-An'am · 59 · Ali Quli Qara'i (Tanzil) ### What does the ayah teach about the reach of Allah's knowledge? - Nothing, however small or hidden, is outside it - Allah knows the general order of things, but not each single leaf - The unseen is hidden from Allah, as it is from us --- - Allah knows what we think. - Allah needs eyes to see. - Some things are hidden from Allah. - Allah has to learn things, the way we do. - Allah knows a leaf has fallen, even when no one sees it. - Allah knows things without eyes or ears. - Allah knows what is in our hearts. - Allah knows our thoughts before we put them into words. - Allah knows without needing eyes, ears or any organ. - Allah learns about events as they happen. - Some hidden matters lie beyond Allah's knowledge. **al-'Alim** — al-'Alim The All-Knowing, who knows everything One of Allah's names, from the Arabic word 'ilm, knowledge. Allah knows everything, the seen and the hidden, without ever having to learn and without ever forgetting. ### What does this name tell us about Allah? - Allah knows everything - Allah knows only our words --- **al-'Alim** — al-'Alim The All-Knowing, who knows everything One of Allah's names, from the Arabic word 'ilm, knowledge. Allah knows everything, the seen and the hidden, without ever having to learn and without ever forgetting. ### Allah is called al-'Alim. What does that tell us about Allah's knowing? - Nothing is hidden from Allah, big or small - Some small things are hidden from Allah - Allah knows only what people tell Allah --- **al-'Alim** — al-'Alim The All-Knowing, who knows everything One of Allah's names, from the Arabic word 'ilm, knowledge. Allah knows everything, the seen and the hidden, without ever having to learn and without ever forgetting. ### How is Allah's knowing, as al-'Alim, different from that of a very learned person? - It has no beginning, no gaps and no need to learn - It is the same kind of knowing, far greater in amount - It covers the world's general laws, but not every detail --- Allah is not in any place. Allah is near to everyone. When you talk to Allah, even in a whisper, Allah hears you. Allah is always near to you. ### To talk to Allah, where do you need to be? - Right here, wherever I am - Somewhere high, close to the sky --- Allah is near, but not like a person standing next to you. Allah is not in any place, and no place is without Allah's knowledge and power. So Allah is near to everyone, wherever they are, at every moment: Allah hears every quiet word and knows every worry. No one is ever far from Allah. ### Why can no one ever be far from Allah? - Allah's knowledge and power reach every place - Allah moves very fast to wherever people are - Allah is so big that Allah fills the whole sky --- When we say that Allah is near, we do not mean a short distance. Allah is not in any place, and no place is without Allah's knowledge and power. Nearness here means that nothing about a person, wherever they are and whatever they feel, is ever outside Allah's knowledge, hearing and care, not for one moment. ### What does Allah's nearness to a person mean? - Allah knows, hears and cares for them fully, with no distance at all - Allah comes closer to them in space whenever they call - Allah is close in place to good people and distant from others --- Imam Ali, peace be upon him, one of the great teachers of Islam, said of Allah: "With everything, but not by being joined to it; other than everything, but not by being separated from it." _Nahj al-Balagha, sermon 1._ ### In Imam Ali's words, how is Allah with everything? - Near to all things, yet not touching them or side by side with them - Mixed into all things, as a part of each one of them - Next to each thing, the way one body stands beside another --- > وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ > > And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way. > > — Al-Baqarah · 186 · M. H. Shakir (Tanzil) ### What does Allah say in these words? - I am very near - I am far away from people - I hear only some of the people who call --- > وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ > > When My servants ask you about Me, [tell them that] I am indeed nearmost. I answer the supplicant’s call when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me, and let them have faith in Me, so that they may fare rightly. > > — Al-Baqarah · 186 · Ali Quli Qara'i (Tanzil) ### People ask about Allah. What does the verse tell them first? - Allah is near, and answers the one who calls - Allah is far away, at the end of a long road - Allah hears those who call, but from far away --- ### A child feels scared in the dark. Is Allah near to that child? - Yes, Allah is near to everyone - Only when the light is on - No, Allah is far away --- ### Your friend moves to a city far away. Is Allah as near to your friend as to you? - Yes, Allah is near to everyone, wherever they are - No, Allah stays near the place where I am - Only when my friend talks to Allah out loud --- ### Someone says: "If Allah is near, Allah must be somewhere close by." What is wrong with this thought? - Nearness here is not distance: Allah has no place at all - Allah is far away, so Allah cannot be near - Allah is close by only in holy places, not in others --- Allah knows everything we do. Allah knows the truth, even when no one else sees. So we tell the truth. We are honest at school and when we play. ### When do we tell the truth? - Always, even when no one sees - Only when someone is watching --- Allah knows what is true, even when no one else does. So a Muslim tries to be honest even when no one would ever find out: in games, in tests and in what they say. And when someone does something good that no one notices, Allah knows that too. ### Which thought about honesty is right? - Allah knows the truth, even when it stays hidden - A lie that no one ever finds out does no harm - Allah knows big lies, but not small ones --- Because Allah knows the hidden, honesty is not only for when we might be caught: someone who knows Allah tries to be the same in private as in public. And the same knowledge is a comfort: Allah knows the good no one sees, the effort no one credits and the hurt no one notices. ### For someone who knows that Allah knows the hidden, what is honesty about? - Being true before Allah, who knows the seen and the unseen - Taking most care where the risk of being found out is high - Looking right in public, since only public deeds matter to Allah --- ### You find a shiny pencil on the floor at school. It is not yours, and no one saw. Which thought is right? - Allah knows, so I'll hand it in - If no one saw, it doesn't matter - Allah knows only what others see --- ### In a board game with friends, you could move your piece one extra square and no one would notice. Which thought is right? - Allah knows what no one else sees, so I play fair - A small trick in a game is not really dishonest - Allah knows the big things, but not small things in a game --- ### Suppose you are doing a quiz at home for a class or course. Looking up the answers is not allowed, but no one would ever know if you did. Which thought is right? - Allah knows what is hidden, so I'll be honest either way - Rules that no one can check are not really rules - Allah knows it, but such a small thing doesn't matter to Allah --- ### Suppose you are filling in a form for your studies, work or an application, and could write a figure a little higher than it really is, without anyone ever checking. Which thought is right? - Allah knows the real figure, so I'll write it as it is - A small change that harms no one is not really lying - Allah knows, but numbers on forms don't matter to Allah --- ### Suppose you are praised for a piece of work that a colleague did most of, and no one would ever know. Which thought is right? - Allah knows what really happened, so I'll mention their part - If I say nothing, I haven't lied, so there is nothing to put right - Allah knows, but credit at work only counts among people --- ### Over the years, you have surely done good things that no one saw. Which thought is right? - Allah knew each one, and none of them is lost - Good that nobody saw counts for nothing - Allah knows the great deeds, but not small private ones --- ### When would you like to remember that Allah is near? --- - At bedtime - When I feel scared - When I play outside ### Where can you be honest, even when no one would know? --- - In games with my friends - In my schoolwork - When I tell what happened ### When it feels as if no one really understands you, what does it mean to you that Allah knows and is near? --- - I'm not alone with what I feel - I can tell Allah about it - I can be honest with myself ### Where in your study or work could knowing that Allah knows the hidden make you more truthful? --- - In the hours I report - In what I tell other people - In the work I hand in ### Think of a worry you have not told anyone. What changes when you remember that Allah knows it and is near? --- - I feel less alone with it - I can carry it more calmly - I can talk to Allah about it ### What have the years taught you about the good no one sees, that you would like to pass on to the people you love? --- - That it is never wasted - That honesty in small things matters - That Allah knows every kindness https://hoda.buzz/lessons/en/ka-l6 Practise this lesson in Hoda: https://hoda.buzz/learn/ka-l6