الْبَصِيرُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Baseer
The All-Seeing
An ant creeping on a rock at night, water rising inside the thinnest branches: nothing seen escapes Al-Baseer, who sees all things that are seen. 42:11 first says there is nothing like Him, then names Him the All-Hearing, All-Seeing; al-Sa'di's two pictures show how far that seeing reaches.
Key verse
﴿فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًا وَمِنَ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ أَزْوَٰجًا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ﴾˹He is˺ the Originator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you spouses from among yourselves, and ˹made˺ mates for cattle ˹as well˺: multiplying you ˹both˺. There is nothing like Him, for He ˹alone˺ is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
The scholar's text
(The All-Noticing, The One who Sees all things that are seen by His Eternal Seeing without a pupil or any other instrument.)
(فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ ) الشورى 42 : 11
(˹He is˺ the Originator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you spouses from among yourselves, and ˹made˺ mates for cattle ˹as well˺: multiplying you ˹both˺. There is nothing like Him, for He ˹alone˺ is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.) Ash-Shura 42:11
It is mentioned 42 times in the Holy Quran
(المطلع، الذي يرى كل ما يُرى برؤيته الأزلية، بلا حدقة ولا أي أداة أخرى.)
(فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًا وَمِنَ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ أَزْوَٰجًا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ) الشورى 42: 11
ورد في القرآن الكريم 42 مرة.
Nothing Like Him, and All-Seeing
42:11 puts two things side by side. Nothing is like Him. And He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing. Read together, His seeing is real and unlike any creature's. For al-Sa'di its reach is best shown small. A black ant creeping on a solid rock, on a dark night. Nourishment moving through the limbs of the tiniest animals, and water flowing inside the thinnest branches. Nothing seen is too small, too dark or too far for Him.
Arabic: ليس كمثله شيء وهو السميع البصير
تجمع آيته بين أمرين: ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌ﴾، ثم ﴿وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ﴾، فبصره سبحانه حق، وليس كبصر خلقه. قال السعدي في سعته: «يرى دبيب النملة السوداء، في الليلة الظلماء، على الصخرة الصماء، ويرى سريان القوت في أعضاء الحيوانات الصغيرة جدا، وسريان الماء في الأغصان الدقيقة». فلا يخفى عليه مرئي، مهما صغر أو أظلم أو بعد.
I Am With You, Hearing and Seeing
﴿قَالَ لَا تَخَافَآ ۖ إِنَّنِى مَعَكُمَآ أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَىٰ﴾Allah reassured ˹them˺, “Have no fear! I am with you, hearing and seeing.
Musa and Harun were afraid to face Pharaoh, and the answer they received was this attribute (20:46). Al-Sa'di puts it in Allah's voice: you are in My protection and care, I hear what you say and see every state you are in, so do not fear him. Their fear left, he says, and their hearts settled on their Lord's promise. The Prophet ﷺ taught the same to companions who were shouting their takbir on a journey: “you are not calling upon a deaf or an absent one, but You are calling an All-Hearer, and an All-Seer” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6384).
Arabic: إنني معكما أسمع وأرى
خاف موسى وهارون من لقاء فرعون، فكان الجواب: ﴿إِنَّنِى مَعَكُمَآ أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَىٰ﴾. قال السعدي: «أي: أنتما بحفظي ورعايتي، أسمع أقوالكما، وأرى جميع أحوالكما، فلا تخافا منه، فزال الخوف عنهما، واطمأنت قلوبهما بوعد ربهما». وكان الصحابة في سفر يرفعون أصواتهم بالتكبير، فقال النبي ﷺ: «فَإِنَّكُمْ لاَ تَدْعُونَ أَصَمَّ وَلاَ غَائِبًا، وَلَكِنْ تَدْعُونَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا» (صحيح البخاري 6384).
Who Sees You When You Stand
﴿ٱلَّذِى يَرَىٰكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ﴾Who sees you when you rise ˹for prayer at night˺,
26:218 and 26:219 speak to the Prophet ﷺ about his night prayer, and al-Sa'di calls them a lesson in ihsan: seek help by keeping in mind that Allah is near. He singles out prayer, standing, bowing and prostrating, because whoever keeps his Lord's nearness in mind there becomes humble and completes it, and through it completes the rest of his work. The Prophet ﷺ defined ihsan in the same terms when Jibril asked him: “That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don't see Him, He, verily, sees you” (Sahih Muslim 8).
Arabic: الذي يراك حين تقوم
الآيتان في قيام النبي ﷺ بالليل، وجعلهما السعدي درسا في الإحسان: ﴿ٱلَّذِى يَرَىٰكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ﴾: «ثم نبهه على الاستعانة باستحضار قرب الله، والنزول في منزل الإحسان». وخص الصلاة، قياما وركوعا وسجودا، فقال: «ولأن من استحضر فيها قرب ربه، خشع وذل، وأكملها، وبتكميلها، يكمل سائر عمله، ويستعين بها على جميع أموره». ولما سأل جبريل النبي ﷺ عن الإحسان قال: «أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ» (صحيح مسلم 8).
All-Seeing of What You Do
﴿هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا ۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ﴾He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then established Himself on the Throne. He knows whatever goes into the earth and whatever comes out of it, and whatever descends from the sky and whatever ascends into it. And He is with you wherever you are. For Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.
57:4 says He is with you wherever you are, and al-Sa'di explains that this is a being with by knowledge and awareness. The verse then closes on the Name, and he reads that close as a promise and a warning together: He sees every deed that comes from you, and what it came from, good or wicked, and He keeps it for you and will repay it. 96:14 asks the man who stopped a servant from praying the same thing: does he not know that Allah sees, in al-Sa'di's gloss, what he does?
Arabic: والله بما تعملون بصير
قال السعدي في ﴿وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ﴾: «وهذه المعية، معية العلم والاطلاع». ثم ختمت الآية بالاسم، فجمع ختامها وعدا ووعيدا: «هو تعالى بصير بما يصدر منكم من الأعمال، وما صدرت عنه تلك الأعمال، من بر وفجور، فمجازيكم عليها، وحافظها عليكم». وفي ﴿أَلَمْ يَعْلَم بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَرَىٰ﴾ خطاب لمن نهى عبدا إذا صلى، قال السعدي: «ما يعمل ويفعل؟».
I Entrust My Affair to Allah
﴿فَسَتَذْكُرُونَ مَآ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَأُفَوِّضُ أَمْرِىٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَصِيرٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ﴾You will remember what I say to you, and I entrust my affairs to Allah. Surely Allah is All-Seeing of all ˹His˺ servants.”
The believing man among Pharaoh's people ended his warning with the Name (40:44). Al-Sa'di gives him the reasoning of someone with nothing else to lean on: He knows my state and my weakness, so He will protect me from you and spare me your harm. Then 67:19: birds spreading and folding their wings, held up by none but the Most Compassionate. Its last words are He is All-Seeing of everything, and al-Sa'di draws one thing from them: He manages His servants as suits them and as His wisdom requires.
Arabic: وأفوض أمري إلى الله
ختم مؤمن آل فرعون نصيحته بتفويض أمره إلى الله: ﴿وَأُفَوِّضُ أَمْرِىٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَصِيرٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ﴾، قال السعدي: «يعلم أحوالهم وما يستحقون، يعلم حالي وضعفي فيمنعني منكم ويكفيني شركم». وفي الطير ﴿صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ ۚ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ﴾ ختمت الآية بقوله: ﴿إِنَّهُۥ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍۭ بَصِيرٌ﴾، قال السعدي: «فهو المدبر لعباده بما يليق بهم، وتقتضيه حكمته».
From the Sunnah
We were in the company of the Prophet (ﷺ) on a journey, and whenever we ascended a high place, we used to say Takbir (in a loud voice). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O people! Be kind to yourselves, for you are not calling upon a deaf or an absent one, but You are calling an All-Hearer, and an All-Seer
كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي سَفَرٍ فَكُنَّا إِذَا عَلَوْنَا كَبَّرْنَا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ارْبَعُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ، فَإِنَّكُمْ لاَ تَدْعُونَ أَصَمَّ وَلاَ غَائِبًا، وَلَكِنْ تَدْعُونَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا
Inform me about al-Ihsan (performance of good deeds). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don't see Him, He, verily, sees you
فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِحْسَانِ . قَالَ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ مَا يَحُولُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ مَعَاصِيكَ
O Allah, apportion for us, fear of You, that shall come between us and disobedience of You
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3502, graded hasan by al-Albani: the opening of a du'a the Prophet ﷺ rarely left a gathering without
Related Names
Questions about Al-Baseer
What does Al-Baseer mean?
Al-Baseer is the All-Seeing, as The Clear Quran has it, and the All-Noticing who sees everything that can be seen, in the definition above. In 42:11 it comes after There is nothing like Him.
How many times is Al-Baseer in the Quran?
Forty-two times. Al-Baseer's verse is 42:11, which closes: He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
What is ihsan?
Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him; though you do not see Him, He sees you. That was the Prophet's ﷺ answer to Jibril (Sahih Muslim 8), and al-Sa'di finds it in 26:218: Who sees you when you rise.
Does believing that Allah sees me help with fear?
It did for Musa and Harun. Told I am with you, hearing and seeing (20:46), their fear left them, al-Sa'di says, and their hearts settled on the promise.