53:30

ذَٰلِكَ مَبۡلَغُهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡعِلۡمِۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَنِ ٱهۡتَدَىٰ

Thalika mablaghuhum mina alAAilmi inna rabbaka huwa aAAlamu biman dalla AAan sabeelihi wahuwa aAAlamu bimani ihtada

That is their sum of knowledge. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who strays from His way, and He is most knowing of who is guided.

Word by word
  1. ذَٰلِكَThat
  2. مَبۡلَغُهُم(is) their sum
  3. مِّنَof
  4. ٱلۡعِلۡمِۚknowledge
  5. إِنَّIndeed
  6. رَبَّكَyour Lord
  7. هُوَ(is) He (Who)
  8. أَعۡلَمُknows best
  9. بِمَن(he) who
  10. ضَلَّstrays
  11. عَنfrom
  12. سَبِيلِهِۦHis Path
  13. وَهُوَand He
  14. أَعۡلَمُknows best
  15. بِمَنِ(he) who
  16. ٱهۡتَدَىٰis guided
An-Najm · 53:30Makkah

That is as far as their knowledge reaches.

When this world is the whole syllabus


Their ceiling
this worldits affairs, its gains
is
the sum of their knowledgenothing beyond it
Who knows who is guided
I can tellby looking
your Lord knows bestwho strays, who is guided

Ibn Kathir says seeking this life was the best knowledge they had acquired. He mentions the supplication: O Allah, do not make this world our greatest concern, nor the limit of our knowledge.

You know your phone plan, the best exchange rate, the price of every car you might buy. Can you say as much about what comes after? The verse names a ceiling many of us live under.

Being well informed about this world is enough.

If this world is all I know, my knowledge has stopped too early.

Try this

Say the dua today: O Allah, do not make this world my greatest concern.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 53:27)

Verily, those who believe not in the Hereafter, name the angels with female names (27)But they have no knowledge thereof. They follow but conjecture, and verily, conjecture is no substitute for the truth (28)Therefore withdraw from him who turns away from Our Reminder and desires nothing but the life of this world (29)That is what they could reach of knowledge. Verily, your Lord is He, Who knows best him who goes astray from His path, and He knows best him who receives guidance (30)

Refuting the Claim of the Idolators that the Angels are Allah's Daughters

Allah the Exalted admonishes the idolators for calling the angels female names and claiming that they are Allah's daughters. Allah is far removed from what they ascribe to Him. Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

وَجَعَلُوا الْمَلَائِكَةَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عِبَادُ الرَّحْمَٰنِ إِنَاثًا ۚ أَشَهِدُوا خَلْقَهُمْ ۚ سَتُكْتَبُ شَهَادَتُهُمْ وَيُسْأَلُونَ

(And they make females the angels, who themselves are servants of the Most Gracious. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned!)(43:19) Allah's statement here,

وَمَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ ۖ 

(But they have no knowledge thereof.) meaning, they have no correct knowledge testifying to their statements. What they say is all lies, falsehood, fake and utter atheism,

إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ ۖ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا

(They follow but conjecture, and verily, conjecture is no substitute for the truth.) meaning, conjecture is of no benefit and never takes the place of truth. In a Hadith recorded in the Sahih, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّ، فَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ أَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيثِ

(Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most lying speech.)

The Necessity of turning away from the People of Misguidance

Allah's statement,

فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْ مَنْ تَوَلَّىٰ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا

(Therefore withdraw from him who turns away from Our Reminder), means, stay away from those who turn away from the Truth and shun them,

وَلَمْ يُرِدْ إِلَّا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا

(and desires nothing but the life of this world.) meaning, whose aim and knowledge are concentrated on this life; this is the goal of those who have no goodness in them,

ذَٰلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ ۚ 

(That is what they could reach of knowledge.) meaning, seeking this life and striving hard in its affairs is the best knowledge they have acquired.

There is also the reported supplication:

اللّٰهُمَّ لَا تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيَا أَكْبَرَ هَمِّنَا، وَلَا مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنَا

(O Allah! Make not this life the greatest of our concerns nor the best knowledge that we can attain.) Allah's statement,

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ

(Verily, your Lord is He, Who knows best him who goes astray from His path, and He knows best him who receives guidance.) meaning, He is the Creator of all creatures and He knows whatever benefits His servants. Allah is the One Who guides whom He wills and misguides whom He wills, and all of this indicates His power, knowledge and wisdom. Certainly, He is Just and never legislates or decrees unjustly.