What are the Keys of the Unseen?

Question

Allah says about Himself in Surah Al-An'aam:

وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ

And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him

Al-An'aam:59

What is meant by the "Keys of the Unseen"?

Answer 1

The Keys of the Unseen are five matters...

... that are related to the knowledge of the unseen, which only Allah possesses

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As mentioned in verse 34 of Surah Luqmaan:

1. When the Hour (Day of Judgment) will be
2. When (and where) it will rain
3. What is in the mother's womb, i.e. the child's gender
4. What will happen tomorrow
5. Where a person will die

The verse reads:

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ  وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا  وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ  إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

Verily, Allah! With Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things).

Luqmaan:34

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This is also reinforced in several Ahaadeeth recorded by Bukhari in his Saheeh

Narrated by 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, that the Prophet ﷺ said:

مَفَاتِيحُ الْغَيْبِ خَمْسٌ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا إِلاَّ اللَّهُ،
لاَ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَغِيضُ الأَرْحَامُ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ،
وَلاَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي غَدٍ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ،
وَلاَ يَعْلَمُ مَتَى يَأْتِي الْمَطَرُ أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ،
وَلاَ تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ،
وَلاَ يَعْلَمُ مَتَى تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ

The keys of the unseen are five and none knows them but Allah:
(1) None knows (the sex of) what is in the womb, except Allah:
(2) None knows what will happen tomorrow, except Allah;
(3) None knows when it will rain, except Allah;
(4) None knows where he will die, except Allah (knows that);
(5) and none knows when the Hour will be established, except Allah.

Bukhari, Book 97, Hadeeth 9