I say now: whatever lies beyond this moment is future, and this very moment is present. Allah knows everything that is before us—our present and our future—and everything that is behind us. This proves the perfection of His knowledge, whereas the knowledge of others is incomplete.

First, we are ignorant of many things, and only later does knowledge reach us.

Second, even when we do learn something, our knowledge is plagued by the flaw of forgetfulness. Allah’s knowledge, by contrast, is untouched by forgetfulness and is never preceded by ignorance. When Pharaoh said to Moses (peace be upon him), “So what of earlier generations?” he replied, “Their knowledge is with my Lord, in a Book; my Lord neither errs nor forgets.”

“Neither errs” means He is never ignorant, and “nor forgets” refers to everything that has passed. Thus our knowledge is hemmed in by two afflictions: a prior one—ignorance—and a subsequent one—for­getfulness. Allah’s knowledge is free of them both.