Al-'Alim — The All-Knowing
Al-'Alim is the One whose knowledge is complete, eternal, and never acquired — He does not learn, and nothing is hidden from Him. His knowledge covers the past, the present, the future, and what would have been; the outward act and the intention behind it equally. The Quran presses the point in 6:59: not a leaf falls but He knows it. Classical scholars stress that this knowledge is not a conclusion He reaches but an attribute He has always had.
Updated July 16, 2026
Name 19 of 99
الْعَلِيمُ
Al-'Alim
The All-Knowing
Where Al-'Alim appears in the Quran
قَالُواْ سُبۡحَٰنَكَ لَا عِلۡمَ لَنَآ إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمۡتَنَآۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ
They said: Be glorified! We have no knowledge saving that which Thou hast taught us. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Knower, the Wise
Arabic text: Tanzil Uthmani (public domain). English translation: Marmaduke Pickthall, “The Meaning of the Glorious Koran” (1930) — public domain.
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