(5) His phrase “and that is to know Allah”: How does a servant come to know his Lord? By reflecting on His signs and His creatures: among His signs are the alternation of night and day; among His creatures are the sun and the moon, as will be clarified later, God willing. One comes to know Allah through His cosmic signs as well as through the Quranic signs. When you read the Quran you learn that He is the One who created the heavens and the earth, who has subjected whatever is in them, who gives life and causes death, who is capable of all things and is the All-Merciful, the Compassionate. The Quran acquaints you with Allah: He is the One who has bestowed every blessing upon us, who created us and provides for us. Thus, by reciting the Quran you recognize your Lord—exalted is He—through His names, attributes, and actions. And when you contemplate the universe you likewise recognize your Lord—exalted is He—as the One who originated this creation, subjected the cosmos, and set it in motion by His wisdom and knowledge. Such is the knowledge of Allah. His phrase “and to know His Prophet” refers to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, the one who conveyed the message from Allah and is the intermediary between us and Allah in its transmission. You must therefore know him—who he is and his lineage.