The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 431
PT. 7 AL-AN'ĀM CH. 6 وَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا And with Him are the keys. 60 of the unseen; none knows them but He. And He whatsoever is in the land and in the sea. And there falls not a هُوَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَا knows تَسْقُطُ مِنْ وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ there a grain in the darkness of فِي ظُلمتِ الْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا leaf but He knows its nor is يابس إلا في كتب مبين the earth, nor anything green or dry, but is recorded in a clear Book. 805 beginning bitterly opposed to the Holy Prophet. But God knew that he would one day become a zealous champion of Islam, so much so that he would finally become the Second Successor of the Holy Prophet. Now, if the work of punishment had been entrusted to the Holy Prophet, he might have selected 'Umar for punishment during the period of his bitter opposition to the new Faith, to the great loss to Islam. So only a Being Who knows the hidden secrets of man's heart can award punishment, for He alone knows who is really deserving of punishment and who not. There are many men who are outwardly very meek, but in their hearts they are not better than ravenous wolves. Similarly, there are many who are outwardly very harsh and stubborn, but they are good at heart. If it had been left to the Prophets to punish their enemies, they might have punished them much sooner than God punishes them. 805. Commentary: This verse gives a further reason why the work of punishment must 871 remain in the hands of God; it is God alone with Whom are the keys of the unseen, i. e. it is He alone Who knows the unseen. None but He knows the secrets of men's hearts and, therefore, He alone is in a position to punish. The expressions "land", "sea", "falling of a leaf", "grain in the darkness of the earth," and "green or dry" are all descriptive of the various conditions of man. The "sea", according to the Arab conception, is typical of hardships, whereas "land" symbolizes ease and comfort. Similarly, "the falling of a leaf" represents the actions of man that are rendered vain and fruitless; whereas the "grain in the darkness of the earth," if left unprotected, may become lost just as virtue, if left uncared for, may become lost. Again "the green or the dry" is also known to God. A tree appears to us to be dry, but when it is watered by rain, it becomes green. Similarly, a man sometimes appears to us to be devoid of all spirituality, but when he is watered with the water of Divine mercy, he becomes full of spiritual life.