Explanation of the author's statement: "For He is more knowledgeable about Himself and about others, and truer in speech and better in narration than His creation."

The Shaykh : The author said, "Pay attention: 'For He is more knowledgeable about Himself and about others, and truer in speech and better in narration than His creation'." This is with regard to His speech, (Glorified and Exalted is He). He says: "He is more knowledgeable about Himself." We have previously mentioned that knowledge is one of the attributes by which the report matches the one reported about. "Truer in speech" is the second description. "Better in narration" is the third description. How many are these? We mentioned previously that speech is described with four attributes: knowledge, truth, eloquence, and purpose. We will complete this, if Allah wills, after the adhan. The word "Subhan" (Glory be to Him) is missing in my copy. Okay. Pay attention, perhaps we will explain it word by word and then summarize it. He said: "For He, (Glorified and Exalted is He), is more knowledgeable about Himself and about others". Allah the Exalted said: . And He is more knowledgeable about Himself, as in His saying: . And He has encompassed Himself with knowledge. So He is more knowledgeable about Himself and about others than others are. He is more knowledgeable about you than you are about yourself, correct? Because He knows what will happen to you in the future, and you do not know what you will earn tomorrow. So He is also more knowledgeable about you than you are about yourself. Okay. The word "A'lam" (more knowledgeable) here is a superlative noun. Some scholars avoided it and interpreted "A'lam" as "Alim" (knowing), saying: , meaning He is knowing of those who have strayed from His path. Why, everyone? He said because "A'lam" is a superlative noun, and a superlative noun implies that the one preferred and the one compared to share in the quality, correct or not?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Okay, and this is not permissible with regard to Allah. But "Alim" is an active participle; it involves no comparison and no preference. So they interpreted "A'lam" with what? With "Alim." We say to them: Glory be to Allah, how ignorant you are of your language and how ignorant you are of the Qur'an. Allah expresses Himself by saying: , and you say, "No, it is not 'A'lam' (more knowledgeable), but 'Alim' (knowing)." Yes, this is strange. If we interpret "A'lam" as "Alim," have we diminished the status of Allah's knowledge, or not? Think, everyone. If we interpret "A'lam" as "Alim," have we diminished the status of Allah's knowledge, or not? Yes, because "Alim" means I am knowing, you are knowing, and the other is knowing; we are all knowing, or not? But "A'lam" means that no one equals Him in this knowledge. So if we interpret "A'lam" as "Alim,"
we have diminished the status of Allah's knowledge, correct or not? Okay.
And the word "A'lam" implies that no one shares with Him in the rank of knowledge. He is more knowledgeable than everything, more knowledgeable than every knower. This is more perfect in the attribute, without a doubt. And we say to him that the Arabic language, with regard to the active participle, does not prevent sharing in the description. But with regard to the superlative noun, it prevents sharing. I don't know, by Allah, it is clear. The Arabic language does not prevent sharing in the active participle; one can say, "This one is standing and this one is standing," or "This one is knowing and this one is knowing," and they are all equal, or not? Okay. But the superlative noun prevents sharing in what it indicates. It prevents sharing in what it indicates, because if you say, "So-and-so is more knowledgeable than so-and-so," it means that the second one, the one compared to, is lower in degree. And if that were not the case, it would not be correct to say, "He is more knowledgeable," because he would say, "He is not more knowledgeable." Look, the second one shares with him. And on this basis, we say: Even you do not understand the Arabic language. And we also say: In the chapter of comparison, there is no harm in saying "A'lam." That is, there is no harm in using the superlative noun, even if the one compared to is devoid of that quality, as Allah the Exalted said: . The people of the Fire have a good place of residence, "Be patient, my brother," and a good place of rest. But the people of Paradise are better. The people of Paradise have a better place of residence. Those over there have a pleasant nap, but it is not the best. And those over there, the people of the Fire, have a good [place], but those over there are the best, correct or not? Ha, that is wrong. Look, now the superlative noun has come, even though the one compared to has nothing of it at all, or not? So in comparison, there is no harm in saying, "So-and-so is more knowledgeable than so-and-so," even if the second one is more ignorant than a donkey; there is no obstacle. Okay. In the chapter of concession to the opponent and debating him, it is permissible to use the superlative noun, even if the one compared to has nothing of it. Allah the Exalted said: . And it is known that what they associate [with Allah] has no good in it.
And Yusuf said: . What is the answer? Of course, Allah and the lords have good in them, or do they not have good? They do not have good.
So the conclusion, everyone, is that we say: "A'lam" as it appears in the Book of Allah is in its true meaning. And whoever interpreted it as "Alim" (knowing) has erred in terms of meaning and in terms of the Arabic language.
So "A'lam" means that no one equals Him, (Glorified and Exalted is He), in His knowledge.
The statement of the author, (may Allah have mercy on him): "So He is more knowledgeable about Himself: this is interpreted, according to the correct opinion, as 'more knowledgeable about Himself,' correct, in its apparent sense. Interpreting it as 'knowing about Himself and about others' according to the weaker opinion is an error. Okay, he says: ' and truer in speech ' Yes, by Allah, truer in speech than everyone, than everyone. Truer in speech than every speaker. And truth is the correspondence of speech to reality. And nothing of speech corresponds to reality as the speech of Allah, (Glorified and Exalted is He), corresponds to it. So everything that Allah has informed about is truth, indeed truer than every statement. Allah the Exalted said:

And who is more truthful than Allah in statement.

وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حديثا

[An-Nisa 4:87]

. No one is truer than Him. Do you see? I don't know who is truer or who is better.

and who is more truthful than Allah in statement.

ومن أصدق من الله قيلا

[An-Nisa 4:122]

. As for the excellence, he said:

But who is better than Allah in judgement

ومن أحسن من الله حديثا

[Al-Ma'idah 5:50]

. Yes, okay. He says: ' and better in narration than His creation.' Better in narration. Look, the word "Ahsan" (better). We said previously "Afasih" (more eloquent) or "Ablagh" (more expressive), but "Ahsan" is better than what we said, because its excellence includes both verbal and semantic excellence. Unlike eloquence, which may only imply verbal excellence, even though it includes semantic excellence, which is the correspondence of speech to the requirements of the situation. But if we say "Ahsan," it is better. Do you understand? Change our first statement. We say: "Ahsan" instead of "Afasih" because it encompasses eloquence, semantic excellence, and other things. So He, (Glorified and Exalted is He), is better in narration than others. Okay. Three descriptions have gathered in His speech, (Mighty and Majestic): knowledge, here, and truth, and the excellence of speech in its eloquence, clarity, meaning, and implication. And everything remains with us. Is there a fourth? The excellence of purpose. Is this present in the speech of Allah? Yes. . So did Allah, (Mighty and Majestic), intend by His speech to make clear to His creation, or not? To make clear. So types have gathered in the speech of Allah.