Negation of the Unseen in Relation to God

The phrase “You are witness to all things” (anta ʿalā kulli shayʾin shahīd) is a subtle explanation for the exegesis (tafsīr) of “You are the Knower of all unseen things” (innaka anta ʿallām al-ghuyūb) in the previous verse; meaning that what is unseen (ghayb) to others is not unseen to God; not that what is unseen to others is also unseen to God; but while preserving the title of unseen (ghayb), God has knowledge of it, because the unseen “insofar as it is unseen” (bimā annahu ghayb) will not be known, just as knowledge “insofar as it is knowledge” (bimā annahu ʿilm) does not relate to the unseen, because knowledge is witnessing (shuhūd) and presence (ḥuḍūr) and unveiling (kashf) and representation (ḥikāya). On this basis, it is not reasonable for something to be unseen to an individual and for that same unseen thing to be known to him, because knowledge is manifestation (ẓuhūr) and the unseen is not manifest (ẓāhir).

Note: The statement “If the veil were lifted, I would not increase in certainty” (law kushif al-ghiṭāʾ mā izdadtu yaqīnan) (335) from the Commander of the Faithful is guidance toward negating the subject (nafy al-mawḍūʿ); meaning that what is veiled to others is unveiled to me; not that there is now a veil (sitr) between me and the secrets of resurrection of the Resurrection and if this veil were removed, nothing would be added to my certainty, because if there were a veil between that personage and the secrets of resurrection of the Resurrection, when the unveiling of the veil (kashf ghiṭāʾ) occurs, something must certainly be added to his certainty, whereas this is not the intention of that personage, so his statement is an indication of the absence of a veil at present and the negation of the subject, therefore the secrets of resurrection of the Resurrection which are unseen to others are not unseen to that personage.