Meaning & Explanation
Al-'Alim is the One whose knowledge encompasses everything - past, present, and future; seen and unseen; apparent and hidden. Nothing escapes His knowledge, not even the weight of an atom in the heavens or earth.
Quran References
3 versesContext: Repeated frequently throughout the Quran
وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
“And He is Knowing of all things”
Context: Five things only Allah knows
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ
“Indeed, Allah alone has knowledge of the Hour”
Context: Allah's exclusive knowledge of the unseen
وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ
“And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him”
Exemplifying Story
quranKhidr's Knowledge
Reference: Surah Al-Kahf 18:65-82
When Musa thought he was the most knowledgeable person, Allah directed him to Khidr, who had been given special knowledge. Khidr damaged a boat, killed a boy, and fixed a wall without payment - actions that seemed wrong to Musa. But Al-'Alim had informed Khidr of hidden realities: the boat would have been seized by a tyrant, the boy would have led his parents to disbelief, and the wall concealed treasure for orphans. What seemed harmful was actually beneficial.
Al-'Alim's knowledge encompasses what we cannot see. When events seem wrong, trust that He knows what we do not.