Mysteries of the Qur’an

Q: It is said that five things that only God can know are mentioned in the Qur’an. What are they? 

The following verse explains the five things of which God alone has exact knowledge:

With God alone rests the knowledge of the Last Hour (when it will come). He sends down rain (just at the time and place He alone knows), and He alone knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will reap tomorrow, and no soul knows in what place it will die. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Luqman 31:34)

The first thing is the date and time of the Last Hour; this is known only by God. Nobody can know the time of the end of the world as God has kept knowledge of when certain things will occur to Himself. The time of the Last Hour is just one of these. The second thing here is the rain sent down by God. The weather forecasts that we have today, achieved by means of modern technology are not actually concerned with this unknowable aspect of rain.

Such forecasts are nothing more than predictions and are not certain in any way. This is because those things that are now recognized by means of technology today are indications of only those elements that have become evident to us. They do not describe the unknown, for they can only predict rain after the

obvious signs have appeared, much like an advanced form of an elderly person’s “feeling it in their bones.”

So, being able to know that it will rain within this context and in this form is not knowing the unknown. Giving a forecast of rain is based on certain calculations and is done by taking into consideration such factors as the condition of the clouds, air pressure and certain other atmospheric conditions. Only God has full knowledge of when, where, how much and in what way He will make it rain.

The third thing explained in the verse is the fact that only God knows what is in a woman’s womb. Today, we can examine the fetus in the mother’s womb and determine the sex with ultrasound technology; we can even determine which sperm will form a male fetus and which will form a female fetus. The same principle outlined above applies here as well; being able to make an identity or determination due to some visible causes is not the same as knowing the unknown. If a sperm is recognized as masculine, this is not foreknowledge. The statement referring to what is in the wombs does not merely relate to the sex of the embryo in the womb, as the word ma, or “thing,” relates to all the details of that which is in the womb, such as its future physical traits, character, and   inborn capacities; these known by God alone. The fourth thing mentioned in the verse is that one cannot know what they will achieve tomorrow. This achievement should not be understood as only material, but rather as all sorts of good or evil things that can be gained either materially or spiritually. The work of a scientist, for instance, is their achievement and only God knows the scope of such gains. No one can predict their own achievements, that is, what will happen to them in future and whether it will be good or evil. The fifth unknowable thing is how and where one will die. This is another thing known only by God. The place, date and time at which the Angel of Death will come to us and say “Your time is up!” is unknown to all of us and none of us can object to such a destiny.

By mentioning five things from the Unseen in this verse, the Qur’an proclaims, “O human being! How can you know the time at which the whole universe will come to an end when you do not even know anything about the things you are so familiar with in this life? You enjoy bounties or suffer from famine, totally dependent on rain; the control and order of the rain is totally at God’s supreme disposal. He allocates and gives the rain when He so desires. You cannot know how much rain will fall in a certain place at a certain time, which country will be deprived of it or which country will suffer damage from too much. You do not know whether the thing being formed in the womb is good or evil. You do not even know what will happen to you tomorrow. A sudden accident might change your destiny, but you are not able to foresee it, even a minute before it happens. You do not know when and where your present life will end. With these five unknowable things, the Qur’an draws our attention to God’s absolute, all-encompassing Knowledge. It is only God Who has full knowledge of everything and has absolute command and possession over all things. Similarly, there is no option but to await God’s command and decision concerning the end of the world, as no one has even the least bit of information about this.

This verse indicates some aspects of unknown and secret matters in order to stimulate God-consciousness in human beings, but does not provide a full list of God’s absolute knowledge over them.

The realm of the Unseen contains everything that is secret and unknowable to the creatures but which is absolutely and plainly knowable by God; such things are innumerable and infinite.

 

 

Akgul, Muhittin (2009). The Quran in 99 Questions (Abdullah Erdemli Trans.). New Jersey: Tughra Books. (Originally published in Turkish as Kur’an İklimine Seyahat)