Transliteration:( Qul laaa amliku linafsee naf'anw wa laa darran illaa maa shaaa'al laah; wa law kuntu a'lamul ghaiba lastaksartu minal khairi wa maa massaniyas soo'; in ana illaa nazeerunw wa basheerul liqawminy yu'minoon )
Say: "I do not possess any power to benefit or harm myself, except as Allah wills [433]. And if I had known the Unseen [435], I would have amassed abundant good [436], and no evil would have touched me [437]. I am only a warner and a giver of glad tidings to a people who believe [438].
While returning from the Battle of Bani Mustaliq, a strong wind caused horses and camels to scatter. The Prophet ﷺ had earlier informed the companions of the death of Rafa'ah in Madinah. When someone asked about the whereabouts of the Prophet’s she-camel, Abdullah ibn Ubay, chief of the hypocrites, mocked: “He claims to know events in Madinah but cannot find his own camel.” The Prophet ﷺ then declared that some hypocrites mock our knowledge, and revealed the exact location of the camel—its halter entangled near a riverside tree—which proved true upon investigation. This verse was revealed to affirm that any benefit or knowledge possessed by the Prophet ﷺ is by Divine will.
This statement does not negate the Prophet’s status as a source of benefit or harm; rather, it affirms that whatever power he holds is through Allah’s grant. Allah has indeed bestowed great authority and goodness upon him. He ﷺ said, “If I so desired, mountains of gold would walk with me,” indicating the abundance of divine favor. Yet all of this is through Allah’s will, not independent power.
This part clarifies that if the Prophet ﷺ possessed unseen knowledge independently, he would have used it to secure continuous worldly gain. The verse thus establishes that while he has been granted unseen knowledge, it is bestowed by Allah, not self-acquired.
“Abundant good” refers to worldly comforts, victories, and protection from harm. While the Prophet ﷺ has already been granted abundance in wisdom and goodness, the statement signifies that he does not possess knowledge of worldly trials on his own. Hence, calamities still occur, by Allah’s will. To use this verse to negate all unseen knowledge would contradict other categorical Qur’anic verses affirming his gifted awareness.
The verse concludes by stating that the Prophet ﷺ is a warner and bearer of glad tidings, but only those with faith will truly benefit from his warnings and promises. This highlights that the guidance he brings is effective only for those who believe and are receptive.
188. Say : “I possess no power over benefit or harm to myself except as Allah wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghayb (Unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil should have touched me. I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings unto people who believe.”
Allah commanded His Prophet to entrust all matters to Him and to inform, about himself, that he does not know the unseen future, but he knows of it only what Allah informs him. Allah said in another Ayah,
((He Alone is) the All-Knower of the Ghayb (Unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghayb.) ﴿72:26﴾ Ad-Dahhak reported that Ibn `Abbas said that,
(If I had the knowledge of the Ghayb (Unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth.) refers to money. In another narration, Ibn `Abbas commented, “I would have knowledge of how much profit I would make with what I buy, and I would always sell what I would make profit from,
(“and no evil should have touched me.”) and poverty would never touch me.” Ibn Jarir said, “And others said, `This means that if I know the Unseen then I would prepare for the years of famine during the prosperous years, and in the time of high cost, I would have prepared for it.”’ `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam also commented on this Ayah;
(“and no evil should have touched me. ”), “I would have avoided and saved myself from any type of harm before it comes.” Allah then stated that the Prophet is a warner and bearer of good news. He warns against the torment and brings good news of Paradise for the believers,
(So We have made this (the Qur’an) easy on your tongue, only that you may give glad tidings to the pious, and warn with it the most quarrelsome of people.) ﴿19:97﴾
(7:188) Tell them [O Muhammad]: ‘I have no power to benefit or harm myself except as Allah may please. And had I knowledge of the unseen, I should have amassed all kinds of good, and no evil would have ever touched me.[145] I am merely a warner and the herald of glad tidings to those who have faith.’
145. The time of the advent of the Last Day is known to God alone Who knows the Unseen which, in fact, is not known even to the Prophet (peace be on him). Being human, he is not aware what the morrow has in store for him and his family. Had his knowledge encompassed everything – even things that lie beyond the ken of sense-perception and events that lie hidden in the future – he would have accumulated immense benefit and would have been able to avoid a great deal of loss owing to such foreknowledge. That being the case, it is sheer naivety to ask the Prophet about the actual time for the advent of the Last Day.
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