The Concept Of Unseen In The Qur'an

NO ONE CAN KNOW THE UNSEEN EXCEPT ALLAH

Say: 'No one in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen except Allah.' They are not aware of when they will be raised. No, their knowledge respecting the hereafter is slight and hasty. In fact they have doubts about it. In fact they are blind to it. (Surat an-Naml, 65-66)

They say, 'Why has a Sign not been sent down to him from his Lord?' Say: 'The Unseen belongs to Allah alone. So wait, I am waiting with you.' (Surah Yunus, 20)

I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of Allah; nor do I know the Unseen; nor do I say that I am an angel; nor do I say to those who are vile in your eyes that Allah will not give them any good. Allah knows best what is in their hearts. If I did, I would certainly be one of the wrongdoers.' (Surah Hud, 31)

Those who disbelieve say, 'The Hour will never come.' Say: 'Yes, by my Lord, it certainly will come!' He is the Knower of the Unseen, Whom not even the weight of the smallest particle eludes, either in the heavens or in the earth; nor is there anything smaller or larger than that which is not in a Clear Book. This is so that He may recompense those who believe and do right actions. They will have forgiveness and generous provision. (Surah Saba, 3-4)

Allah knows the Unseen of the heavens and earth. Allah knows what the heart contains. (Surah Fatir, 38)

Knowledge of the Hour is referred to Him. And no fruit emerges from its husk, nor does any female get pregnant or give birth, without His knowledge. On the Day He calls out to them: 'Where are My associates?' they will say, 'We declare to you that none of us is a witness.' (Surah Fussilat, 47)

Does he have knowledge of the Unseen, enabling him to see? (Surat an-Najm, 35)

If you call on them they will not hear your call, and were they to hear, they would not respond to you. On the Day of Rising they will reject your making associates of them. No one can inform you like One Who is All-aware. (Surah Fatir, 14)

THE MOTHER OF THE BOOK (lawh mahfuz): THE CLEAR BOOK IN WHICH EVERYTHING IS RECORDED

It is indeed a Glorious Qur'an preserved on a Tablet. (Surat al-Buruj, 21-22)

Allah REVEALS THE NEWS OF THE UNSEEN TO WHOM HE WILLS

That is some of the news of the Unseen which We reveal to you. Neither you nor your people knew it before this time. So be steadfast. The best end result is for those who guard against evil. (Surah Hud, 49)

This is news of the Unseen which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they decided what to do and devised their scheme. (Surah Yusuf, 102)

This is news from the Unseen which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their reeds to see which of them would be the guardian of Maryam. You were not with them when they quarrelled. (Surah Al 'Imran, 44)

NEWS THAT ALLAH GIVES IN THE QUR'AN ABOUT THE COMPANIONS OF THE CAVE

That was the situation when we woke them up so they could question one another. One of them asked, 'How long have you been here?' They replied, 'We have been here for a day or part of a day.' They said, 'Your Lord knows best how long you have been here. Send one of your number into the city with this silver you have, so he can see which food is purest and bring you some of it to eat. But he should go about with caution so that no one is aware of you, (Surat al-Kahf, 19)

They will say, 'There were three of them, their dog being the fourth.' They will say, 'There were five of them, their dog being the sixth,' guessing at the Unseen. And they will say, 'There were seven of them, their dog being the eighth.' Say: 'My Lord knows best their number. Those who know about them are very few.' So do not enter into any argument concerning them, except in relation to what is clearly known. And do not seek the opinion of any of them regarding them. (Surat al-Kahf, 22)

Say: 'Allah knows best how long they stayed. The Unseen of the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. How perfectly He sees, how well He hears! They have no protector apart from Him. Nor does He share His rule with anyone.' (Surat al-Kahf, 26)

NEWS THAT Allah GIVES IN THE QUR'AN ABOUT Dhu'l-Qarnayn

We did encompass with Our knowledge all that he had in mind. (Surat al-Kahf, 91)

ALLAH'S REVELATION OF THE UNSEEN TO A SERVANT OF HIS WHO WAS A MAN OF KNOWLEDGE

They found a servant of Ours whom We had granted mercy from Us and whom We had also given knowledge direct from Us. Musa said to him, 'May I follow you on condition that you teach me some of the right guidance you have been taught?' He said, 'You will not be able to bear with me. How indeed could you bear with patience something you have not encompassed in your knowledge?' Musa said, 'You will find me patient, if Allah wills, and I will not disobey you in any matter.' He said, 'Then if you follow me, do not question me about anything until I myself make mention of it to you.' They continued until they boarded a boat and he scuppered it. Then Musa said, 'Did you scupper it so that its owners would be drowned? This is truly a dreadful thing that you have done!' He said, 'Did I not say that you would not be able to bear with me?' Musa said, 'Do not take me to task because I forgot. Do not demand of me something which is too difficult.' So they went on until they met a youngster whom he killed. Musa said, 'Have you killed a boy who has done no wrong, without it being in retaliation for someone else? This is truly an appalling thing that you have done!' He said, 'Did I not tell you that you would not be able to bear with me?' Musa said, 'If I ask you about anything after this, then you should no longer keep me company. I will have given you excuse enough.' So they went on until they reached the inhabitants of a town. They asked them for food but they refused them hospitality. They found there a wall about to fall down and he built it up. Musa said, 'If you had wanted, you could have taken a wage for doing that.' He said, 'This is where you and I part company. I will let you know the explanation of those things about which you were not able to restrain yourself. As for the boat, it belonged to some poor people who worked on the sea. I wanted to damage it because a king was coming behind them, commandeering every boat. As for the boy, his parents were believers and we feared that he would darken their days with excessive insolence and disbelief. We wanted their Lord to give them in exchange a purer son than him, one more compassionate. As for the wall, it belonged to two young orphans in the town and there was a treasure underneath it, belonging to them. Their father was one of the righteous and your Lord wanted them to come of age and then to unearth their treasure as a mercy from Him. I did not do it of my own volition. That is the explanation of the things about which you were not able to restrain yourself.' (Surat al-Kahf, 65-82)

THOSE WHO FEAR THEIR LORD IN THE UNSEEN

No burden-bearer can bear another's burden. If someone weighed down calls for help to bear his load, none of it will be borne for him, even by his next of kin. You can only warn those who fear their Lord in the Unseen and perform prayer. Whoever is purified, is purified for himself alone. Allah is your final destination. (Surah Fatir, 18)

You can only warn those who act on the Reminder and fear the All-Merciful in the Unseen. Give them the good news of forgiveness and a generous reward. (Surah Ya Sin, 11)