Quran Universe
35:38

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَٰلِمُ غَيۡبِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

Inna Allaha AAalimu ghaybi alssamawati waalardi innahu AAaleemun bithati alssudoori

Indeed, Allah is Knower of the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and earth. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.

Word by word
  1. إِنَّIndeed
  2. ٱللَّهَAllah
  3. عَٰلِمُ(is the) Knower
  4. غَيۡبِ(of the) unseen
  5. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ(of) the heavens
  6. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚand the earth
  7. إِنَّهُۥIndeed,He
  8. عَلِيمُۢ(is the) All-Knower
  9. بِذَاتِof what (is) in the breasts
  10. ٱلصُّدُورِof what (is) in the breasts
Fatir · 35:38Makkah

He knows what is hidden in the sky and in your chest.

Nothing unseen is hidden from Allah

What He knows
unseen of the heavens
unseen of the earth
what is in breastssecret intentions
What He judges by
what people seemy public image
what is in my heartfully known

Right after the plea of those who said they would do good if sent back, Allah says He knows all that is hidden and the secrets of hearts. He knows whether a promise is sincere, and rewards or punishes each by his deeds.

Nobody at work knows why you really volunteered for the project. Nobody at the mosque knows what you were thinking during the sermon. Allah does. That is also comfort: He knows the good you could not show.

As long as I look fine on the outside, it is fine.

Allah sees my intentions as clearly as my actions, the good and the hidden.

Try this

Before one task today, pause and fix your intention for Allah alone.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. Verily, He is the All-Knower of that is in the breasts (38)He it is Who has made you successors generations after generations in the earth, so whosoever disbelieves, on him will be his disbelief. And the disbelief of the disbelievers adds nothing but hatred of their Lord. And the disbelief of the disbelievers adds nothing but loss (39)

Here Allah tells us that He knows the unseen in the heavens and earth, and that He knows all that is hidden and the secrets of the hearts. And He tells us that He will reward or punish everyone according to his deeds. Then Allah says:

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَائِفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ

(He it is Who has made you successors generations after generations in the earth,) meaning, all people succeed one another, generation after generation. This is like the Ayah:

وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الْأَرْضِ

(and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations)(27:62).

فَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ ۖ 

(so whosoever disbelieves, on him will be his disbelief.) means, he and no one else will have to bear the consequences of that.

وَلَا يَزِيدُ الْكَافِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا مَقْتًا ۖ 

(And the disbelief of the disbelievers adds nothing but hatred of their Lord.) means, the longer they persist in their disbelief, the more Allah hates them, and the longer they persist in it, the more they and their families will lose on the Day of Resurrection. This is in contrast to the believers, for the longer they live and do good deeds, the higher their status in Paradise will be, the greater their reward, and the more beloved they will be to their Creator.