Khabīr Baṣīr as a verse closing
خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًا
khabīran baṣīran — fully aware, seeing
In the four verses given, the pair khabīr baṣīr closes a statement about God's dealings with His servants, and in each case the preceding words name what God is aware of and sees: the trailing consequences of His servants' conduct, or the servants themselves.
In all four verses the pair khabīr baṣīr stands at the end of the verse and is anchored by the preposition phrase bi-ʿibādihi, 'regarding His servants' (17:30, 17:96, 42:27), or by the parallel construction in 17:17, bi-dhunūbi ʿibādihi, 'regarding the trailing consequences of His servants'. The pair thus closes each verse by grounding what precedes it in God's knowledge and sight of His servants. In 17:17 the statement is that the Lord suffices as one fully aware and seeing regarding the consequences of His servants' conduct, after generations have been caused to perish. In 17:30 the pair follows the statement that the Lord spreads out provision for whom He wills and measures it down; the closing pair presents His awareness and sight of His servants as the standing state (kāna) behind that allotting. In 17:96 the pair follows the claim that Allah suffices as a witness between the speaker and the addressees; the awareness and sight of His servants is given as what qualifies Him as that witness. In 42:27 the pair follows the statement that if Allah spread out the provision for His servants they would act unjustly on the earth, but He sends it down in a measured way as He wills; the closing pair again presents His awareness and sight of His servants as the basis for that measured sending down. In three of the four verses the pair is accusative (17:17, 17:30, 17:96); in 42:27 it is nominative, following a nominal clause introduced by inna whose predicate is the preposition phrase bi-ʿibādihi.
Where it occurs
- 17:17 Closes the verse by stating that the Lord suffices, regarding the trailing consequences of His servants, as fully aware and seeing, after generations were caused to perish.
- 17:30 Closes the verse by presenting God's standing awareness and sight of His servants as what accompanies His spreading out and measuring down of provision.
- 17:96 Closes the verse by grounding the claim that Allah suffices as a witness in His being fully aware of and seeing His servants.
- 42:27 Closes the verse by presenting God's awareness and sight of His servants as what stands behind His sending provision down in a measured way.
All Qur'anic expressions