Allahu a'alam (God Knows Best): Difference between revisions

In the early tafsirs on the verse 68:1, we can read about [[The Islamic Whale|the whale]], called ن (Nun), which carries the Earth on its back <ref>Tanwir Al-Miqbas: "And from his narration on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he said regarding the interpretation of Allah's saying (Nun): '(Nun) He says: Allah swears by the Nun, which is the whale that carries the earths on its back while in Water, and beneath which is the Bull and under the Bull is the Rock and..."</ref>. However in the tafsir Al-Jalalayn, from the 15th century, apparently uncomfortable with this explanation, simply says of it "Allah knows best":

{{quote|Al-Jalalayn on 68:1|﴿ن﴾ أحَد حُرُوف الهِجاء اللَّه أعْلَم بِمُرادِهِ بِهِ ﴿والقَلَم﴾ الَّذِي كَتَبَ بِهِ الكائِنات فِي اللَّوْح المَحْفُوظ ﴿وما يَسْطُرُونَ﴾ أيْ المَلائِكَة مِن الخَيْر والصَّلاح

Nūn is one of the letters of the alphabet. '''God knows best''' what He means by it. "And the pen" which writes the (fate) of all beings on the preserved board. "and what it writes" id est the angels from goodness and soundness."}}