Al-An'am · Makki · ayah 3 of 165

Al-An'am 6:3

وَهُوَ ٱللَّهُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَفِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يَعْلَمُ سِرَّكُمْ وَجَهْرَكُمْ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْسِبُونَ

“And He is Allāh, [the only deity] in the heavens and the earth. He knows your secret and what you make public, and He knows that which you earn.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The One worshipped in the heavens and on the earth knows what you hide, what you show, and everything you gather to yourself.

A reflection

The voice that was counting

A speaker finishes a talk on humility to a packed hall. People queue to thank her. She smiles, lowers her eyes, says it was nothing. Inside, a quiet voice is counting: how many stood, who filmed it, whether the organiser noticed.

No one in the room hears that voice. The ayah says One does. 'He knows your secret and your open.' The secret is named first. One classical commentator explains why. What sits in the heart, its motives and its pulls, comes before the deed and causes it. So knowledge of the secret is knowledge of the root. It comes first in the sentence because it comes first in us.

This is where the ego is cut to size. We build our reputation out of what we show. We build our self-image out of what we hide from others and half-hide from ourselves. Both lie fully open before Him. There is no back room in you that He has not already entered.

Is it arrogant of God to announce that He knows everything? Think of an air traffic controller telling a pilot in thick cloud, 'I have you on radar.' That is not boasting. It is what makes the landing safe. He tells us He knows the secret so that we can stop performing. There is nobody to impress who does not already know the truth.

The speaker could take that home with her. Not as shame, but as relief. The One whose opinion matters most already heard the voice that was counting. And the door to Him is still open.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.