19. Al-`Alîm: The Knower
"...and of all things He is the Knower (Al-`Alîm)" (2:29).
The meaning of the Knower is obvious. It is Allah who knows: the hidden and the manifest, the small and the great, first and last, inception and outcome, in the most complete manner possible. The perfection of this quality is to fully comprehend the knowledge of everything, including both the manifest and the hidden, that of little and that of great importance, the first and the last, the end and the beginning. All being is present at all times in the knowledge of the Knower. The comprehensive knowledge in terms of clarity and disclosure is the most perfect knowledge. It is possible in view of the fact that it is inconceivable to find one more observing and disclosing than the Knower. Furthermore, the Knower's knowledge, which is to know everything that is knowable in a perfect manner, cannot be derived from objects of knowledge. Rather, objects of knowledge are derived from it. A common Arabic expression is Allâh Al-`Alîm, 'Allah knows best'.