لِّيَعْلَمَ أَن قَدْ أَبْلَغُوا۟ رِسَـٰلَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَحَاطَ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ وَأَحْصَىٰ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عَدَدًۢا 28
Translations
That he [i.e., Muḥammad (ﷺ)] may know that they have conveyed the messages of their Lord; and He has encompassed whatever is with them and has enumerated all things in number.
Transliteration
Liyaʿlama an qad ablaghū risālāti rabbihim wa-aḥāṭa bimā ladayhim wa-aḥṣā kulla shayʾin ʿadadā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah emphasizes that Allah commands His angels to accompany the messengers so that He may know they have truly conveyed His message to their people, and that Allah encompasses all that the messengers possess and has counted everything in precise number. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir interpret this as affirming Allah's perfect knowledge and oversight—though the phrase 'so that He may know' is understood to mean manifestation of knowledge rather than acquisition of new knowledge, since Allah is All-Knowing. The ayah underscores both the accountability of messengers and the divine completeness of Allah's attributes.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears near the conclusion of Surah Al-Jinn, which was revealed in Mecca. The surah discusses the jinn who believed in the Quran and the consequences for messengers and believers. This particular ayah is part of the broader context addressing the nature of prophethood and divine supervision over the message's transmission, connecting to the surah's theme of the unseen realm witnessing to divine truth.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim records that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself,' which relates thematically to the accountability and responsibility embedded in this ayah. Additionally, hadiths about the recording angels in Sahih Bukhari reflect the theme of divine oversight mentioned here.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reassures believers that Allah perfectly oversees the conveyance of His message and holds all creation in precise account, encouraging trust in divine justice and awareness that nothing escapes Allah's knowledge. For messengers and believers alike, it emphasizes that sincere effort in conveying truth and righteousness is never wasted, as Allah witnesses and records all actions with absolute precision.