"I was hiding beneath the covering of the Ka'bah, and three men came along - a man from the Quraish, and two of his brothers-in-law from Thaqif, or a man from Thaqif and two of his brothers-in-law from Quraish. Their bellies were fat, and they did not have much understanding. They said something that I could not understand, then one of them said: 'Do you think that Allah can hear what we are talking about?' Another said: 'If we raise our voices, He will hear it, but if we do not raise our voices, He will not hear it.' The other one said: 'If He can hear something from us, then He can hear all of it.'" 'Abdullah said: "I mentioned that to the Prophet (ﷺ), so Allah revealed: 'And you have not been hiding yourselves, lest your ears and your eyes and your skin should testify against you...' up to His saying: '...and you have become of those utterly lost! (42:22 & 23)"
Narrated by Narrated 'Abdullah:
Context
In this hadith, 'Abdullah recounts an incident where he overheard three men discussing whether Allah could hear their conversation. Their lack of understanding and the absurdity of their claims prompted a revelation from Allah, emphasizing that nothing can be hidden from Him. The takeaway is a reminder of Allah's omniscience and the futility of thinking one can conceal their actions or words from Him.
Modern Application
This hadith serves as a reminder that our thoughts and actions are always known to Allah. In our daily lives, we should strive to be mindful of our words and deeds, recognizing that honesty and integrity are paramount, as nothing is hidden from divine awareness.
Topics
This hadith is tagged with Warning and Divine Warning because it highlights the consequences of underestimating Allah's knowledge and the importance of being truthful in our speech.
And you were not covering yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, but you assumed that Allah does not know much of what you do.
Unquestionably, they the disbelievers turn away their breasts to hide themselves from Him. Unquestionably, [even] when they cover themselves in their clothing, Allah knows what they conceal and what they declare. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
[Remember] when you [fled and] climbed [the mountain] without looking aside at anyone while the Messenger was calling you from behind. So Allah repaid you with distress upon distress so you would not grieve for that which had escaped you [of victory and spoils of war] or [for] that which had befallen you [of injury and death]. And Allah is [fully] Acquainted with what you do.