Al-ʿAlīm
The All-Knowing
Root ع ل م (ʿ-l-m). Lane gives ʿalimahu as ‘he knew it’. The word ʿilm means knowledge, while ʿālim refers to a knower, as seen in Qur'an 59:22 as ʿālim al-ghayb. The term ʿallām, meaning All-Knower, appears in Qur'an 5:109 as ʿallām al-ghuyūb. The verb ʿallama means ‘He taught’, used in Qur'an 55:2. ‘Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.’ (2:32)
The root
ع ل مʿ-l-m
Knowing. Lane gives ʿalimahu as 'he knew it'.
- عِلْمʿilmknowledge
- عَالِمʿālimknower (59:22, ʿālim al-ghayb)
- عَلَّامʿallāmAll-Knower (5:109, ʿallām al-ghuyūb)
- عَلَّمَʿallamaHe taught (55:2)
Pronunciation
الْعَلِيمُ
al-'a-LEEM
In the Qur'an
قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ
They said, "Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise."
2:32 · Sahih International