Allah Is Al-Aleem, the All-Knowing     

Probably what makes pain and sorrow bearable is the fact that Allah is Al-Aleem on both a personal and universal level. What makes you fear Allah more is that He is Al-Aleem. When you intend to commit a sin, understanding the manifestations of Allah’s Name, Al-Aleem, can prevent you from committing this sin. When your heart contemplates all the meanings behind this Name, it feels immense care from Allah for all His creatures. Allah is watching you; He is Al-Aleem, the All-Knowing. So, what does the Name of Allah, Al-Aleem, mean?

Al-Aleem is the Knowledgeable, the Omniscient One, and the Knower. He is the One for Whom nothing is hidden from His Knowledge. Allah said in Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayah 4: “My Lord knows whatever is said throughout the heaven and earth, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing” (قَالَ رَبِّي يَعْلَمُ الْقَوْلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ).

The Knowledge of Allah is endless and everlasting. It was never preceded by ignorance and will never be followed by forgetfulness. Allah’s Knowledge is comprehensive and extends to all that is seen and unseen, apparent and hidden, present and future, and near or far. All Glory be to Allah; He has Perfect Knowledge. He knows what is in front of His creatures and behind them: ”And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.” Surah Al-An’am, Ayah 59.

The Name Al-Aleem is mentioned 157 times in the Qur’an, and its variations are mentioned 17 times. The word Aleem means knower and is derived from the Arabic ‘ilm, meaning knowledge. Al-Aleem takes on the form of being the Knower, the All-Knowing, and the Omniscient. His Knowledge encompasses everything in existence, even before anything begins to exist. Nothing at all can escape His Knowledge. He is the One Whose Knowledge is inclusive, be it apparent or hidden, minute or grand. He knows its beginning and its end, what is above or underneath it, and what results from it.

The Name of Allah, Al-Aleem, Includes:

1- His Knowledge of the thing before it exists, which is Allah’s secret concerning His creation that no one knows, not even His close angels. Allah said in Surah Luqman, Ayah 34: ”Indeed, Allah has knowledge of the Hour, 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. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ).

2- His Knowledge of the thing in the Preserved Tablet after it is written and before it is executed according to His Will. Allah Almighty has written all the destinies of His creatures before they were created. Allah said in Surah Al-Hajj, Ayah 70: ”Do you not know that Allah knows what is in the heaven and earth? Indeed, that is in a Record. Indeed, that, for Allah, is easy. (أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۗ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ فِي كِتَابٍ ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ).

3- His Knowledge of the thing once it exists, is executed, created, and made.

4- His Knowledge of the thing after it has existed and of everything that is relevant to it.

What Are the Reflections of Allah’s Name, Al-Aleem, Upon Us?

When we supplicate to Allah, we supplicate using the Name of Allah, Al-Aleem, as the Prophet Muhammad did, for example: ”O Allah, by Your Knowledge of the unseen and by Your Power over creation, let me live if You know that life is good for me, and let me die if You know that death is good for me. O Allah, I ask You to grant me fear of You in private and in public.”

When we enlighten our minds and hearts with an understanding of the Name of Allah, Al-Aleem, we strengthen our faith in fate and destiny. We understand that everything was written and determined before we were created. We strongly believe that the fate ordained by Allah always brings goodness, even if it seems painful and difficult because Allah is the Knowledgeable, the Omniscient One, and the Knower.

Also, when you know that Allah encompasses everything, you fear Allah more and refrain from doing or saying what displeases Him. It is mentioned in the Holy Quran: ”Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record]. (مَّا يَلْفِظُ مِن قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ).

This will urge you to purify your heart and your intentions. We understand that no matter how much knowledge we gain, we can never reach the Knowledge of Allah, nor can we know all the secrets of this universe: ”And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little”.