Allah sait mieux: Difference between revisions

Allah sait mieux, en arabe الله أعلم (Allahu 'alam, littéralement "Allah savait"), est une expression islamique qui trouve un usage fréquent dans la littérature islamique telle que le tafsir. En arabe dans son ensemble, il est utilisé dans les cas où le locuteur ne connaît pas la réponse à une question particulière. Dans l'écriture historique et théologique islamique, il est souvent utilisé comme réponse aux questions sur l'histoire du récit islamique auxquelles il est difficile de répondre et aux questions qui jettent un doute sur la véracité ou l'authenticité de l'islam.

La phrase en Arabe

L'expression, bien que originaire du discours islamique, est devenue très courante dans tous les registres de l'arabe. Il est utilisé par des personnes de toutes confessions religieuses pour indiquer qu'une question particulière n'a pas de réponse connue de l'orateur. Un exemple en dehors d'un contexte religieux: un scientifique parlant de ce qui s'est passé avant le big bang dans la cosmologie moderne - les modèles mathématiques modernes nous amènent aux toutes premières microsecondes avant l'explosion de la singularité, mais ils ne peuvent rien nous dire d'où est venue la singularité, ou ce qu'elle faisait, le cas échéant, avant l'explosion ; comme la plupart des modèles cosmologiques modernes expliquent également que le temps lui-même a commencé avec le big bang, la question de "ce qui était avant le big bang" manque de sens telle qu'elle serait normalement comprise. En tant que tel, lorsqu'on l'interroge sur une telle chose qui est fondamentalement inconnue de la science moderne, un cosmologiste arabophone pourrait répondre "allahu 'alam" "Dieu (seul) sait" C'est à dire je ne sais pas, un aveu de manque de connaissances.

Uses In the Qur'an

The Qur'an uses Allahu A'alam frequently. It is often used as "wa-Allahu A'alam" meaning "and Allah knows best." "wa" literally means "and" in Arabic but its use is considerably wider and carries more shades of meaning than in English.

Allah knows about people

He knows difference the genders of babies better than their own mothers:

He knows of the hypocrites who refuse to engage in jihad:

He knows that some Muslims secretly disbelieve and commit sins ^[1]:

He knows who are the bad people:

Interestingly, this phrase does not find use when it comes to scientific realities that would have been unknown to 7th century Arabs, a domain in which one would think God could have provided insight.

Allah knows better than people

He knows that Abraham, Ishmael and Jacob were neither Jews nor Christians (secular scholars tend to see them as totally mythological):

You might think that some people (Jews and Christians, in this case) are your friends, but they are your enemies:

Allah knows what is good for humans better than they can themselves know what is good for themselves:

People say "Allah knows best"

Jesus says he doesn't know what Allah knows:

Joseph believes that Allah knows that what some people said is false:

"Allah knows best" in response to critics

In some verses, "Allah knows best" seems to be an excuse used by the Qur'an against its critics.

In this example, the unnamed critics wanted to get some message directly from Allah, not via the messengers. But the Qur'an "reveals" that "Allah knows best" and then threatens the people with punishment.

People wondered why the message seems full of contradictions and why it needs an abrogation principle. The Qur'an responds by revealing that "Allah knows best and you don't".

In this example, the Jews knew some religious stories. They asked for Allah to reveal to them those stories, so that they can compare them and if his stories are the same as theirs, and ascertain if Muhammad is the messenger of god. One part of those stories was information about how long did the companions of the cave dwell in their cave. Muhammad revealed 309, which was incorrect. So in response came the verse "Allah knows best":

The Qur'an gives a command for Muslims to use the phrase to respond to critics of Islam:

However that verse was abrogated, according to the scholars, as stated in Tafsir al-Jalalayn. Now Muslims shouldn't respond with "Allah knows best", rather they should respond by engaging in war:

In the hadith

Polytheists' dead children may go to hell:

Muslims should say "Allah knows best" whenever they don't know something:

In the tafsir

In the early tafsirs on the verse 68:1, we can read about the whale, called ن (Nun), which carries the Earth on its back ^[2]. However in the tafsir Al-Jalalayn, from the 15th century, apparently uncomfortable with this explanation, simply says of it "Allah knows best":

Comfort in Ignorance

On of the reasons Intelligent Design is not accepted by the community of scientific biologists is because it stifles further inquiry, according to evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins ^[3]. The idea that "god did it" and "god knows the answer" smothers inquiry by taking away the impetus for further investigation. Saying "Allah knows best" instead of "I don't know" or "I am not sure" effectively makes people more comfortable in their ignorance, and is thus inimical to the scientific method which always seeks to ask questions where mysteries remain.

Dawkins sums up the scientific opposition to the "allahu 'alam" culture of Islam saying:

"Allah knows best" is sometimes used as a response to questions from the critics of Islam.

The phrase is also used as an "explanation" of some things in Islam which don't make sense or if they are in conflict with science. One example was already discussed, regarding the tafsir Al-Jalalayn on the verse 68:1.

See also

• Inshallah (If Allah Wills)
• Allahu Akbar (God is Greater)

References