Not Judging What You Cannot See

الْعَلِيمُ

Al-‘Alīm — The All-Knowing

وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا

(O man), follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge. Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart - of each of these it will be asked

Surah Al-Isrāʾ (17:36)

Intention

Today, I will catch myself before judging someone and remind myself: I do not know their full story.

Reflection

Al-ʿAlīm knows everything — every intention behind every action, every wound behind every behaviour, every context behind every choice. You do not. In relationships, this Name is a humbling reminder that you are always working with incomplete information. The person who snapped at you may be carrying a grief you know nothing about. The colleague who seems lazy may be fighting a battle you cannot see. Only Al-ʿAlīm sees the full picture. Your job is mercy in the presence of ignorance.

On this verse

You will be questioned about your assumptions. Every judgement you made without knowledge, every conclusion you jumped to, every story you told yourself about someone's intention — all of it will be audited.

Du'a

A du'a of utter transparency before the All-Knowing — because He already knows everything, there is no need to pretend.

Hadith

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most false of speech.'

— Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6064, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2563