The 365 · Verses · Day 82 · Knowledge
Allah taught the Prophet ﷺ what he did not know. The verse names knowledge itself as a great bounty.
Qur'an Q 4:113
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ لَهَمَّت طَّآئِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُضِلُّوكَ وَمَا يُضِلُّونَ إِلَّآ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۖ وَمَا يَضُرُّونَكَ مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ وَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُن تَعْلَمُ ۚ وَكَانَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيمًا
“...God has sent down the Scripture and Wisdom to you, and taught you what you did not know. God's bounty to you is great indeed. (Abdel Haleem, closing of 4:113)”
Svenska: ...Gud har nu uppenbarat Skriften för dig, skänkt dig visdom och lärt dig vad du inte visste. Gud har visat dig stor nåd. (Knut Bernström)
The story
The verse comes in the passage on the Bani 'Ubayriq incident (Q 4:105-113), the same passage that contained Day 43 (Q 4:106). After Allah cleared the Prophet ﷺ of the manipulation attempt by the thief's family, He named the bounty He had given the Prophet ﷺ: the Book, the Wisdom (al-Hikmah, which the classical scholars read as the Sunnah), and 'allamaka ma lam takun ta'lam (taught you what you did not know). Even the Prophet ﷺ, the most knowledgeable human in history, is named as having been taught by Allah what he previously did not know. The principle is universal: all knowledge is from Allah; the human, even the Prophet ﷺ, is the receiver.
In the language
عَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُن تَعْلَمُ ('allamaka ma lam takun ta'lam, 'He taught you what you did not know') is grammatically open: it includes both what the Prophet ﷺ did not know before revelation and what he continued to receive throughout his prophethood. The verb in the past tense ('allamaka) does not foreclose ongoing teaching; rather, it names the continuous gift. The closing فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيمًا (Allah's bounty upon you is great) is the seal: the gift of knowledge is named as a great bounty, even when received by a Prophet.
Why this verse
Even the Prophet ﷺ, the most knowledgeable human in history, is named as having been taught by Allah what he previously did not know. The principle is universal: all knowledge is from Allah; the human, even the Prophet ﷺ, is the receiver.
Bring it into today
After every learning session, end with two du'a's: 'Rabbi zidni 'ilma' (asking for more) and 'alhamdulillah 'ala ma 'allamtani' (thanking for what He has already taught). The pair is the Prophetic posture: ask and thank, both, daily.
A reflection to carry
There is a humbling theology in this verse. The Prophet ﷺ is not described as having known by his own intellect; he is described as having been taught by Allah. The wisdom (Hikmah) is not his own production; it is Allah's gift. The implication for any seeker of knowledge is structural: the knowledge you acquire is not by your own intellect alone; it is by Allah's enabling. Ask Him to enable; thank Him when He does.
Read the longer reflection
The verse pairs three gifts: the Book (Quran), the Hikmah (Sunnah, per the classical reading), and 'allamaka ma lam takun ta'lam. The third is broader: it includes the unseen knowledge the Prophet ﷺ received about specific situations, about human hearts, about the future, about the deceptions of the hypocrites. The verse 4:113 itself was the Prophet ﷺ being told by Allah what he could not have known: that the Bani 'Ubayriq family was attempting to deceive him about who had stolen the armor. The Quran named the structural reality: Allah teaches the Prophet ﷺ continuously. The same Allah teaches the believer who sincerely seeks. Build the habit of asking, learning, and thanking.
Sources: Ibn Kathir. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
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