Surah An-Naml — Verse 74

Word Meanings:

• تُكِنُّ (tukinnu): to conceal, hide, or keep secret within.
• صُدُورُهُمْ (sudūruhum): their chests or hearts, the seat of inner thoughts and intentions.
• يُعْلِنُونَ (yuʿlinūn): to make public, reveal, or openly declare.

Tafsir (Explanation):

Your Lord, O Prophet, certainly knows with perfect and complete knowledge everything that their hearts conceal—every hidden thought, every secret intention, every buried feeling—and equally knows everything they openly declare and reveal in words and deeds. Nothing whatsoever escapes His knowledge, whether it is whispered silently within the soul or proclaimed loudly before the world. This verse serves as a profound reassurance to the believer and a stern warning to the disbeliever: Allah’s knowledge encompasses all things, and nothing is hidden from Him, whether in the depths of the chest or in the open light of day. He who knows all secrets will certainly bring every soul to account for what it has harbored and what it has expressed, rewarding the righteous for their hidden sincerity and punishing the wicked for their concealed disbelief and open hostility.

This is a call to purify your inner self, for Allah sees beyond your outward actions into the very core of your being. When you know that your Lord is fully aware of every thought that crosses your mind, you become mindful of Him in private as well as in public, and your faith deepens into a state of constant awareness (taqwā). Let this knowledge fill your heart with hope, for Allah sees your silent struggles and hidden good deeds, and He will never let them go to waste. And let it also be a warning: do not think that any secret scheme against the truth will remain unknown, for the One who knows all secrets is fully aware, and His justice is absolute. So turn to Him with a sincere heart, for He who knows what is within you also knows your longing for guidance, and He responds to those who seek Him with truthfulness and devotion.