Thus we know the fulfilment of Allah’s announcement: it is the reality of which Allah has informed us. We do not know when it will occur, and we may not know its nature or extent. This applies equally to the fulfilment of the clear and the less clear passages. As Allah, Most High, says:

“Say, ‘He has the power to send punishment upon you from above you or from beneath your feet, or to divide you into factions and make you taste one another’s violence.’”

The Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—said, “It will certainly happen, but its fulfilment has not yet come.” Its fulfilment was therefore known—namely, the occurrence of discord and strife—even though it was not known when it would occur. A person may not know its nature or reality, but when it occurs, someone with knowledge recognizes that this is the fulfilment indicated by the verse. Someone else may not recognize this, or may forget it after having once known it, and thus fail to recognize that this is the fulfilment of the Quran. For when His words, Most High, were revealed:

“Beware of a trial that will not afflict only the wrongdoers among you,”

al-Zubayr said: “For a long time we recited this verse, and I did not think we were among those it concerned. Yet we turned out to be the very people it meant: ‘Beware of a trial that will not afflict only the wrongdoers among you.’”

Furthermore, in His Book Allah has censured those who hear the Quran without understanding its meaning, and those who do not reflect upon it. He has praised those who hear and understand it. He, Most High, says:

“Among them are those who listen to you, until, when they leave your presence…”

—and the rest of the verse. He tells us that they would ask the people of knowledge, “What did the Messenger say just now?” This indicates that the knowledgeable Companions understood meanings in the words of Allah’s Messenger—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—that others did not understand. These are those firmly grounded in knowledge