What is the interpretation of the word "علم" (knew/was aware) in the two noble verses: (فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ) (He became aware of what was in their hearts) Al-Fath/48, and (وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا) (And He became aware that there was weakness in you) Al-Anfal/66, taking into consideration that Allah is All-Knowing of everything eternally?
Allah Almighty's knowledge encompasses everything; it is eternal. He, glory be to Him, knows what was, what will be, and what would have been if it were to be, how it would have been. His knowledge was recorded in the Preserved Tablet before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Despite His prior knowledge, Allah knows things a second time after their occurrence and existence in the universe. This knowledge is what determines reward and punishment, as indicated by verses from the Holy Quran, such as: ﴿And We did not make the qiblah which you used to face except that We might make evident who would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels.﴾ This second knowledge does not negate the first knowledge, nor does it add anything to Allah's knowledge that He did not already know. Rather, it affirms the perfection of His knowledge, which encompasses knowledge of a thing before its existence and after its existence.
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