What is the interpretation of the phrase "Then I knew what was in the heavens and what was in the earth," mentioned in the noble Hadith?

This hadith (definition) is narrated by a group of Companions, but scholars have differed regarding its authenticity due to the inconsistency and weakness of its chains of narration. Some, like Imam Ahmad, Al-Daraqutni, and Ibn Khuzaymah, judged it to be weak and inconsistent, while others, like Imam Al-Bukhari and Al-Albani, authenticated some of its chains.

Assuming the hadith is authentic, the phrase "everything became clear to me, and I knew" does not mean that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, knows everything absolutely. This contradicts the fundamentals of religion, for the Prophet does not know the unseen except what Allah has informed him of, and many texts have indicated that the Prophet's knowledge, peace and blessings be upon him, is limited.

The interpretation of the phrase allows for two possibilities: either Allah informed him of what existed and was present in the heavens and the earth at that time, or only of the answer to what he asked about (what the Exalted Assembly disputing about). The hadith cannot be used to argue that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, knows everything. It is a temporary knowledge limited to what existed and was present, not an absolute knowledge that encompasses the past, present, and future. For Allah alone is the All-Knower of everything.