Discourse on the knowledge of Ilam-e-Ghaib in Tafsir Khazain al-Irfan and Tafsir-eUthmani: A comparative study

Abstract

"Knowledge of the unseen" is a combination of two words, "knowledge" and "unseen." "Knowledge" refers to understanding, whereas "unseen" means hidden or concealed, i.e., something beyond the perception of outward and inward senses. It is as if the knowledge of hidden things or matters is termed as the knowledge of the unseen. The term "unseen" refers to something that is absent from sensory perception and hidden from human knowledge. It is described as unseen from the perspective of people, not from the perspective of Allah, because nothing is hidden from Him. When Allah is described as the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, it means that He knows not only what is hidden from you but also what you witness. "Belief in the unseen" refers to things that are not known by the senses and are not immediately evident to the intellect, which can only be known through the guidance of the prophets. Those who deny it are called disbelievers.