2.5. The True Meaning of al-Ghayb (the Unseen) in Sūrat al-Baqarah
Read in Arabic: https://salamchinese.blogspot.com/2025/06/5.html
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you all. We praise Allah—the Most High, the Most Great—and send countless blessings upon our Seal of the Prophets, Muḥammad ﷺ. May Allah be pleased with all the Companions.
Today, we share the topic of the true meaning of الغيب (al-ghayb). It may be rendered as that which is hidden, unseen, or imperceptible to the human eye—all of which are appropriate translations.
In Sūrat al-Baqarah, the term al-ghayb is first mentioned in the third verse, describing those who believe in the unseen:
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُون [البقرة:3]
3.who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and donate from what We have provided for them,
Exegetes explain its true meaning as “what the eye cannot see.” Other scholars explain it as: they believe in Allah, the angels, the Scriptures, the messengers, the Hereafter, Paradise, Hellfire; they also believe they will see Allah in the Hereafter; and they believe in resurrection after death and eternal life—because all of these are not visible in this worldly life.
The Qur’an Mentions This Word 60 Times
In the Qur’an, this word is mentioned 60 times. Depending on the context, we list some of them briefly so that we can understand its true meaning. First, we learn that the Lord of all worlds is the Knower of the unseen and the seen:
عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ
(ʿĀlim al-ghaybi wa ash-shahādah — Knower of the unseen and the seen)
In this thematic context, the Qur’an presents al-ghayb (الغيب) across nine key passages, including two occurrences in Sūrat al-Tawbah, expressed through different formulations that affirm Allah’s perfect knowledge of the unseen and the seen.
Key Qur’anic Passages Relating to al-Ghayb (الغيب) and Divine Knowledge
1) Sūrat al-Tawbah (at-Tawbah) — twice
{يَعْتَذِرُونَ إِلَيْكُمْ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ قُل لاَّ تَعْتَذِرُواْ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكُمْ قَدْ نَبَّأَنَا اللّهُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِكُمْ وَسَيَرَى اللّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُون}[التوبة:94]
94.They will make excuses to you ˹believers˺ when you return to them. Say, “Make no excuses, ˹for˺ we will not believe you. Allah has already informed us about your ˹true˺ state ˹of faith˺. Your ˹future˺ deeds will be observed by Allah and His Messenger as well. And you will be returned to the Knower of the seen and unseen, then He will inform you of what you used to do.”
{وَقُلِ اعْمَلُواْ فَسَيَرَى اللّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُون}[التوبة:105]
105. Tell ˹them, O Prophet˺, “Do as you will. Your deeds will be observed by Allah, His Messenger, and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the seen and unseen, then He will inform you of what you used to do.”
2) Sūrat ar-Raʿd (The Thunder)
{عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَال}[الرعد:9]
9. ˹He is the˺ Knower of the seen and the unseen—the All-Great, Most Exalted.
3) Sūrat al-Mu’minūn (The Believers)
{عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُون}[المؤمنون:92]
92. ˹He is the˺ Knower of the seen and unseen. Exalted is He above what they associate ˹with Him˺.
4) Sūrat as-Sajdah (The Prostration)
{ذَلِكَ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيم}[السجدة:6]
6. That is the Knower of the seen and unseen—the Almighty, Most Merciful,
5) Sūrat az-Zumar (The Groups)
{قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِي مَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُون}[الزمر:46]
46. Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O Allah—Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the seen and unseen! You will judge between Your servants regarding their differences.”
6) Sūrat al-Ḥashr (The Exile)
{هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيم}[الحشر:22]
22. He is Allah—there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him: Knower of the seen and unseen. He is the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
7) Sūrat al-Jumuʿah (Friday)
{قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلاَقِيكُمْ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُون}[الجمعة:8]
8. Say, “The death you are running away from will inevitably come to you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the seen and unseen, and He will inform you of what you used to do.”
These passages clearly mention that He knows the unseen. Exegetes explain that He knows every created thing; meaning our Lord is all-knowing of what is seen and what is unseen. Since these verses mention it together, it is not accidental. Therefore, we must understand the true meaning of الغيب (al-ghayb) through these nine aspects.
First Aspect: Allah’s Knowledge of the Unseen and Revelation to His Messengers
Our Lord created all things as His signs. Everything within these signs is created, while what belongs to Him is not created. We recognize, through created things, what belongs to Allah—Most High, Most Great. First, we know that Allah’s speech is not created; for example, the Qur’an is not created.
Human beings were created to receive revelation. Thus, we can read in the verses: He revealed to His prophets, giving them revelations that cannot be seen. He even revealed unseen phenomena that will only be seen in the Hereafter to prophets and messengers, so they could convey them. These prophets have a sacred rank and bring news that ordinary people can never know, because ordinary people cannot receive revelation and cannot experience this blessing of Allah and His speech. From this we know that prophets and messengers know some unseen matters because the Lord revealed them.
Second Aspect: The Spirit and What the Eye Cannot See
Second, we recognize that our Lord possesses His pure, Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting spirit. When He created the first human, He breathed the spirit into him. He also called the angel Jibrīl the Holy Spirit, and in the Qur’an He said: “On that night, the spirit and the angels descend.” Thus we know our Lord possesses His perfect, pure spirit.
For humans, this also illuminated Ādam (peace be upon him). Humans have bodies, and the body veils the spirit; therefore we cannot see it. This becomes part of the unseen. How many people can see angels? Most people see angels when returning to the truth—at death.
Third Aspect: Divine Will, Destiny, and the Unseen Future
Third, our Lord possesses His free will and perfect will. In the verses He says: obeying His will brings reward and blessings in both worlds. For example, He created prosperity and hardship. Human nature only likes to pursue prosperity; because hardship is also distributed in destiny, people may become dissatisfied, displeased, and even complain. Some people do not complain, yet they still cannot obtain a “prosperity” from hardship; these are manifestations of not submitting to the Lord’s will.
Our Lord’s free will is perfect. Within the decreed content of prosperity and hardship, whoever submits to His will—He sent prophets and messengers to teach us how to become patient and reliant, so that we can perfectly seek the reward of goodness in both worlds from any prosperity or hardship; in this way we obtain His pleasure: we are pleased with Him, and He is pleased with us.
But people only see what is immediately visible. For example, a person is decreed to be disabled, or is given little provision—this is visible to the eye. Yet he cannot see that after he is patient, he may attain a good end in both worlds; what is destined to happen in the future; future events of this worldly life such as the end times; and the future abode that can only be witnessed after resurrection in the Hereafter—these are unseen and hidden.
Fourth Aspect: Allah’s Command, Sharīʿah, and Believing Without Seeing
Fourth, our Lord possesses His command. For example, He gave humanity the religion—Islam—and sent messengers to convey the specific commands: the Sharīʿah, the divine law and path—whether social conduct, devotion, or personal norms—how to live and how to bear witness; to testify that He has no partner; and to reach the three major unities: oneness in knowing the Lord, oneness in belief, and oneness in worship—the life-characteristics of التوحيد (at-tawḥīd / tawḥīd). One must believe the message brought by the messenger and follow the messenger.
But not everyone can live in the era of the messenger. After that generation has passed, should later people still follow? Therefore, belief in the messenger also contains an element of the unseen.
For example, in Musnad Aḥmad it is learned: Abū ʿUbaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “O Messenger of Allah, is there anyone more noble than us? We believed with you and fought alongside you.” The Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ said, “Yes—those are people of later generations: they did not see me, yet they believe in me.” From this ḥadīth we know that faith contains belief in the unseen. Allah—Most High, Most Great—possesses His command; through these messengers and prophets He completed His mission; we have not met the messenger, yet we must follow him—this also contains believing in the unseen.
Fifth Aspect: Allah’s Infinite Knowledge — The Example of Sūrat al-Kahf
Fifth, we must know our Lord possesses all-knowing, all-wise knowledge, as described in Sūrat al-Kahf:
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا [الكهف:109]
109. Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If the ocean were ink for ˹writing˺ the Words of my Lord, it would certainly run out before the Words of my Lord were finished, even if We refilled it with its equal.”
This shows how limitless the knowledge our Lord possesses is. Using Sūrat al-Kahf as an example to understand the unseen, Allah says:
فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا [الكهف:65]
65. There they found a servant of Ours, to whom We had granted mercy from Us and enlightened with knowledge of Our Own.
Allah says He taught knowledge belonging to Him to that noble servant who waited for Mūsā (peace be upon him) between the two seas. We analyze, from the three matters he taught Mūsā: he knew a king would come to seize ships; he knew that child, if he grew up, would be one who disobeys his parents; and he knew that beneath that wall was property and treasure left by the parents of two orphans. He knew these, so for him these were not unseen—they became manifest. But for Mūsā (peace be upon him), this was something he could not patiently watch without intervening, because he could not see. Therefore, when those three events happened, he could not hold back; he continued asking, and then he could hear no more.
So there are many mysteries that humans cannot uncover due to knowledge. Simply put, no matter how much scientific knowledge there is, humans are step by step uncovering its mysteries.
Sixth Aspect: Power, Angelic Roles, and Unseen Actions
Sixth, our Lord alone is the One of absolute power and might. All creation can display certain abilities and actions as signs, so we know what ability is and what power is. Even if the great angels have phenomena of greater power than humans, they are still creations of Allah—Most High, Most Great—and these great angels have different divisions of roles.
Jibrīl can deliver revelation, but he cannot blow the Trumpet; that part of ability is الغيب (al-ghayb) to him—he cannot imagine it; and if he cannot imagine it, how can he do it? The Angel of Death takes souls; this is not within Jibrīl’s scope of action, so he cannot imagine what it would be like to do that. Because within actions there are also unseen matters. For example, humans cannot know the actions of jinn—this is unseen. A jinn moved the Queen of Sabaʾ’s throne to Sulaymān (peace be upon him). Even though Sulaymān (peace be upon him) possessed kingship and could command, he still could not see the jinn moving the Queen of Sabaʾ’s throne to him in an instant; for him this was an unseen phenomenon.
Seventh Aspect: Mercy, Accountability, the Scale, the Bridge, and the Throne
Seventh, our Lord is the only One who is universally merciful and specifically merciful, perfectly good and wholly good. Thus, the creation of all worlds was created to do good, and to bear witness that He alone is the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. Whoever cannot give that testimony will face consequences.
For example, between creation there are consequences; the simplest: between people there are consequences in this worldly life, which may be visible. But when people are resurrected and arrive at the place of reckoning for judgment, people will take deeds and burdens from one another—this is unseen.
There is also the reckoning tied to crossing the Bridge. For example, we must do good; our worship is doing good. If we do not do these good deeds, we will find we cannot cross the Bridge. So we should know that the hidden world will only be seen after resurrection. For example, the weighing of deeds on the Scale and crossing the Bridge are real.
Allah—Most High, Most Great—has written destiny for all things; the Pen and the Tablet are real. He has not wronged us. Some matters cannot be changed—have we found goodness or not? Some matters allow choice—did we choose a good end? He also created His Throne and His Footstool:
العرش (al-ʿarsh / al-ʿarsh) and الكرسي (al-kursī / al-kursī).
So have we sought the shade of العرش (al-ʿarsh)? Have we become one of the seven categories shaded by the Throne?
Specifically, we must firmly believe in the contents of reckoning: the questioning in the grave, the reckoning after resurrection, and all such matters. These are unseen, yet real, and we must believe them. We must believe that in the Hereafter we will receive our records of deeds. We must be certain that two angels record our words and actions at every moment, and that every good and evil will be recorded. These also belong to the unseen: we cannot see them, but they are real.
Two Absolute Matters of al-Ghayb (الغيب)
Finally, we read two matters that are absolute unseen.
1) All creation will perish and only Allah will remain
Our Lord tells us in Sūrat ar-Raḥmān that all worlds will vanish and only His Face will remain:
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَان [الرحمن:26]
26.Every being on earth is bound to perish.
وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَام [الرحمن:27]
27. Only your Lord Himself,1 full of Majesty and Honour, will remain ˹forever˺.
In Sūrat Ghāfir, verse 16, our Lord also says:
يَوْمَ هُم بَارِزُونَ لاَ يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَيْءٌ لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّار [غافر:16]
16. the Day all will appear ˹before Allah˺. Nothing about them will be hidden from Him. ˹He will ask,˺ “Who does all authority belong to this Day? To Allah—the One, the Supreme!
On that Day all worlds will have perished and been destroyed, and only then will our Lord ask: “To whom belongs authority today?” Because all creation has perished, our Lord manifests His Oneness: only He; and He says: “It belongs to Allah, the One, the Supreme.” Although we cannot witness that scene, we must be certain it is real; thus it is also unseen and must be understood as such.
2) The people of Paradise will see their Lord
Our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ told us another unseen matter: those who do good in this world, and enter Paradise after resurrection, can see their Lord and attain pleasure—this is absolute unseen. This reward—our Lord allowing us to see Him—is absolute unseen. In this world we must not have any speculation about it; we must believe it. As for what our Lord is like, we must not pursue speculation. Although we cannot see Him in this world, we firmly believe: by doing good, we may seek His reward and see Him.
Even in the Hereafter, our Lord will grant what no heart has imagined, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen. Since Paradise’s reward is what hearts have not imagined, ears have not heard, and eyes have not seen, then in this world we should not try to imagine it; because it is what hearts have not imagined—if we imagine it, it will certainly be incorrect, and it may lead to distorted thoughts. But we must firmly believe in this unseen matter.
Summary: Understanding al-Ghayb Through These Nine Aspects (الغيب / al-ghayb)
Now we summarize these nine aspects: our Lord possesses what belongs to Him and is not created—His realities and inner meanings. Only He knows perfectly who He is. All creation can only recognize what He possesses through the signs of what He created. Since creation exists within categories, space, time, and states that are limited and constrained, it will naturally include signs that cannot be seen; thus it is called hidden.
What belongs to Allah, we cannot imagine: how great He is, how transcendent. We recognize through His signs, because that is absolute unseen; only He knows His absolute uniqueness, how much knowledge He has, how much power, how many perfect attributes belong to Him, how much decreed mercy is within His speech, how pure His spirit is, and what the beauty of seeing Him will be like. We should not overthink these matters, because only He knows them. If a person insists on pursuing imagining and speculation, that person will certainly deviate; Satan will incite him to fantasize and wander in false thoughts.
Precisely because only our Lord is Knower of the unseen, He created us and granted us blessings, giving us the ability to face the world we can see, recognize it, uncover its mysteries, and attain decreed mercy. As for the world of the soul, we can recognize it through His Book. The unseen world can also be recognized; we believe it is real. When we worship Him, we must have awe and fear, because He knows everything; nothing in creation is unknown to Him. Humans have hearts, and the contents within human hearts and spirits are also fully known to our Lord.
Therefore, in the Qur’an there are five verses that mention a kind of people who secretly fear their Lord—secretly fearing the Most Compassionate—found in Sūrat al-Mulk, Sūrat Qāf, Sūrat al-Khalq (Creation), and Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ (The Prophets). Our Lord knows what is deep within our hearts and what we are thinking; for Him there is no veil—He knows all things. Therefore, regarding the good deeds we do, we must secretly carry fear of Allah, because many voluntary deeds are secret worship; if displayed, they may become contaminated by ostentation and love of reputation—meaning hypocrisy in faith and deeds. Our Lord knows it and will not accept it.
Thus, we seek to reach a state of excellence in worship—worshipping the Lord as if you see Him; even if you do not see Him, He sees you. Such people are those who secretly fear their Lord. Our Lord says in Sūrat al-Mulk, verse 12:
{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَيْبِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِير}[الملك:12]
12.Indeed, those in awe of their Lord without seeing Him1 will have forgiveness and a mighty reward.
In Sūrat Qāf, verses 33 and 35:
{مَنْ خَشِيَ الرَّحْمَن بِالْغَيْبِ وَجَاء بِقَلْبٍ مُّنِيب}[ق:33]
33.who were in awe of the Most Compassionate without seeing ˹Him˺, and have come with a heart turning ˹only to Him˺.
{ادْخُلُوهَا بِسَلاَمٍ ذَلِكَ يَوْمُ الْخُلُود}[ق:34]
34.Enter it in peace. This is the Day of eternal life!”
{لَهُم مَّا يَشَاؤُونَ فِيهَا وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيد}[ق:35]
35. There they will have whatever they desire, and with Us is ˹even˺ more.
Closing
Finally, we ask our Lord to guide us to firmly believe in the unseen, and during worship and good deeds, not to associate partners with Him, seeking only His reward, and reaching a state of excellence.
That is all for today’s sharing. If anything was unclear, or if there were any slips of the tongue, I ask our Lord to forgive, and I ask the readers to excuse me. Thank you all for your sharing.
Note: Qur’an translations in this article are taken from The Clear Quran by Dr. Mustafa Khattab, unless otherwise stated.
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته !
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