الْعَلِيمُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Alim
The All-Knowing
Nothing is absent from the knowledge of Al-Alim, and the Name is mentioned 157 times in the Quran. When the angels were asked what they could not answer, they said: we have no knowledge except what You have taught us; You are truly the All-Knowing, All-Wise (2:32).
Key verse
﴿وَلَهُۥ مَا سَكَنَ فِى ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ﴾To Him belongs whatever exists in the day and night. And He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
The scholar's text
The Knowledgeable; The One nothing is absent from His knowledge
(وَلَهُ مَا سَكَنَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ ۚ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ )- الأنعام 6: 13
(To Him belongs whatever exists in the day and night. And He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.) Al-Ana’am 6:13
It is mentioned 157 times in the Holy Quran
العليم، الذي لا يغيب عن علمه شيء.
(وَلَهُۥ مَا سَكَنَ فِى ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ) الأنعام 6: 13
ورد في القرآن الكريم 157 مرة.
We Have No Knowledge Except What You Taught Us
﴿قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَآ إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ﴾They replied, “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. You are truly the All-Knowing, All-Wise.”
The angels answered with the Name when Allah asked them names they did not know (2:32). In al-Sa'di's reading, the All-Knowing is the One whose knowledge takes in everything: not an atom's weight in the heavens or the earth is hidden from Him, nor anything smaller or larger. The answer itself, he notes, is a confession, of Allah's knowledge and wisdom and of their own inability to know the least thing unless He taught them.
Arabic: لا علم لنا إلا ما علمتنا
أجابت الملائكة بالاسم لما سألها الله عن الأسماء التي لا تعلمها: ﴿إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ﴾، قال السعدي: «العليم الذي أحاط علما بكل شيء، فلا يغيب عنه ولا يعزب مثقال ذرة في السماوات والأرض، ولا أصغر من ذلك ولا أكبر». وقال: «فأقروا، واعترفوا بعلم الله وحكمته، وقصورهم عن معرفة أدنى شيء»، إلا ما علمهم الله.
Not Even a Leaf Falls
﴿وَعِندَهُۥ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۚ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِى ظُلُمَـٰتِ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ﴾With Him are the keys of the unseen: no one knows them except Him. And He knows what is in the land and sea. Not even a leaf falls without His knowledge, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth or anything, green or dry, but is ˹written˺ in a perfect Record.
6:59 opens with the keys of the unseen, which no one knows but Him, and then comes down to the smallest things: a falling leaf, a grain in the darkness of the earth. Al-Sa'di calls it one of the verses that set out His knowledge in most detail. It covers every unseen thing, he says, of which He shows His creatures what He wills, and much of it He has kept even from the nearest angels and the prophets He sent.
Arabic: وما تسقط من ورقة إلا يعلمها
تبدأ آية الأنعام بمفاتح الغيب التي لا يعلمها إلا هو، ثم تنزل إلى أصغر الأشياء: ﴿وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِى ظُلُمَـٰتِ ٱلْأَرْضِ﴾. قال السعدي: «هذه الآية العظيمة، من أعظم الآيات تفصيلا لعلمه المحيط، وأنه شامل للغيوب كلها، التي يطلع منها ما شاء من خلقه»، و«وكثير منها طوى علمه عن الملائكة المقربين، والأنبياء المرسلين، فضلا عن غيرهم من العالمين».
The Five Keys of the Unseen
﴿إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ عِلْمُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ ٱلْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌۢ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۢ﴾Indeed, Allah ˹alone˺ has the knowledge of the Hour. He sends down the rain, and knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn for tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.
The Prophet ﷺ named the keys of the unseen in the words of 31:34: “The keys of the Unseen are five: Verily with Allah (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour He sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4627). Al-Sa'di draws the line between what may be shown and what never is. Allah may let His servants see many unseen things, but these five He has kept from all creation, so that no prophet sent and no angel brought near knows them, let alone anyone else.
Arabic: مفاتح الغيب خمس
سمى النبي ﷺ مفاتح الغيب بألفاظ آية لقمان: «مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ خَمْسٌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ، وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ، وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الأَرْحَامِ، وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا، وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ» (صحيح البخاري 4627). قال السعدي: «وقد يطلع اللّه عباده على كثير من الأمور الغيبية، وهذه [الأمور] الخمسة، من الأمور التي طوى علمها عن جميع المخلوقات، فلا يعلمها نبي مرسل، ولا ملك مقرب، فضلا عن غيرهما».
How Could He Not Know His Own Creation?
﴿أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ﴾How could He not know His Own creation? For He ˹alone˺ is the Most Subtle, All-Aware.
67:14 argues from making to knowing: how could He not know His own creation? Al-Sa'di calls it a rational proof. Whoever created a thing, perfected it and made it well knows it. The verse ends on the Most Subtle, All-Aware, a subtlety of knowledge, he says, that reaches secrets, consciences and what is hidden, and he joins it to 20:7: He knows the secret and what is even more hidden.
Arabic: ألا يعلم من خلق
تستدل آية الملك بالخلق على العلم: ﴿أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ﴾، قال السعدي في هذا الدليل العقلي: «فمن خلق الخلق وأتقنه وأحسنه، كيف لا يعلمه؟!»، وتختم الآية باللطيف الخبير الذي لطف علمه حتى أدرك السرائر والضمائر والخبايا، وهو الذي ﴿يَعْلَمُ ٱلسِّرَّ وَأَخْفَى﴾ (طه 20: 7).
He Knows What Is Hidden in the Heart
﴿إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَـٰلِمُ غَيْبِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ﴾Indeed, Allah is the Knower of the unseen of the heavens and the earth. He surely knows best what is ˹hidden˺ in the heart.
35:38 joins the unseen of the heavens and the earth to the unseen in each person: He surely knows best what is hidden in the heart. Al-Sa'di draws the consequence. He knows the secrets and what breasts hold of good and evil and purity, so He gives each person what they deserve and puts each in their place. Its verse, 6:13, ends on the same Name: He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
Arabic: إنه عليم بذات الصدور
تجمع آية فاطر غيب السماوات والأرض وغيب الصدور: ﴿إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ﴾، قال السعدي: «وأنه عالم بالسرائر، وما تنطوي عليه الصدور من الخير والشر والزكاء وغيره، فيعطي كلا ما يستحقه، وينزل كل أحد منزلته». وتختم آيته بالاسم نفسه: ﴿وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ﴾.
From the Sunnah
The keys of the Unseen are five: Verily with Allah (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour He sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware
مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ خَمْسٌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ، وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ، وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الأَرْحَامِ، وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا، وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا، وَعَمَلاً مُتَقَبَّلاً
O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision and acceptable deeds
Sunan Ibn Majah 925, graded sahih by al-Albani: what the Prophet ﷺ said after the salam of the dawn prayer
Related Names
Questions about Al-Alim
What does Al-Alim mean?
Al-Alim is the Knowledgeable, the One from whose knowledge nothing is absent.
How many times is Al-Alim in the Quran?
Al-Alim is mentioned 157 times in the Quran. Its verse is 6:13.
Does anyone besides Allah know the unseen?
He shows His servants some of it, al-Sa'di says, but five things no prophet or angel knows (31:34; Sahih al-Bukhari 4627).
Which du'a asks for knowledge?
After the dawn prayer the Prophet ﷺ said: “O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision and acceptable deeds” (Sunan Ibn Majah 925, graded sahih by al-Albani).