Verse 34 of Surah Luqman refers to five matters, three of which are traditionally regarded as belonging to the realm of the unseen and beyond human knowledge. Drawing on a number of narrations, many exegetes have interpreted “the sending down of rain” and “knowledge of what is in the wombs” as forms of exclusive divine knowledge. However, this interpretation has encountered challenges with the development of empirical sciences, particularly the human ability to predict rainfall and determine fetal sex. This study examines the narrations underlying this interpretation in three categories: (1) narrations denying the possibility of human knowledge of these matters; (2) narrations affirming God’s exclusive knowledge of the five matters mentioned in the verse; and (3) narrations denying the possibility of knowing them through astrology.
The findings indicate that these narrations are predominantly transmitted in Sunni sources and that the historical development and dissemination of this interpretation were closely associated with debates over astrology and attempts to refute ʿilm al-aḥkām al-nujūm (astrological prognostication), particularly claims concerning rainfall and fetal sex. In contrast, most prominent Shiite scholars did not rely on this verse in their critiques of astrology. Furthermore, several of the relevant narrations suffer from weaknesses in their chains of transmission, while their application to the general semantic scope of the verse remains problematic. The study concludes that the prevalent interpretation is substantially influenced by its historical context and an uncritical reliance on narrations, thereby warranting reconsideration in light of the apparent meaning of the verse.