How to Say "Only Allah Knows" in Arabic

الله أعلم

Allahu a'lam

The English phrase "only allah knows" is translated into Arabic as الله أعلم (Allahu a'lam).

الله أعلم is commonly used as a humble way to end a statement when one is expressing an opinion or a piece of information that might not be certain.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the noun 'Allah' (God) and the comparative form of the verb 'to know', literally meaning 'Allah knows [more/better]'.

Allahu a'lam

The word الله is a linguistic relative of the Hebrew word 'Eloah' and the Aramaic 'allāhā', both descending from the Proto-Semitic root *ʔil-.
In a conversation, saying الله أعلم acts as a linguistic 'safety valve' to prevent the speaker from being held responsible for an error in judgment.
In Arabic, the word أعلم is an 'elative', a special grammatical form that functions as both a comparative and a superlative.

إن الله وحده يعلم، قد يمطر
Only Allah knows, it might rain
لا يعلم إلا الله، أعلم بأنني درست بجدية
Only Allah knows, I believe I studied hard
ما حدا بعرف غير الله، توكل على الله
No one knows except Allah, put your trust in Allah
متى سيعود المسافر؟ الله أعلم.
Matā sayu‘idu al-musāfir? Allāhu a‘lam.
When will the traveler return? Only Allah knows.
هل سينجح المشروع؟ الله أعلم.
Hal sayanjaḥu al-mashrū‘? Allāhu a‘lam.
Will the project succeed? Only Allah knows.
الله أعلم بما في القلوب.
Allāhu a‘lamu bimā fī al-qulūb.
Only Allah knows what is in the hearts.

Yousef and Maryam are discussing the weather forecast.

مريم Maryam

هل ستُمطر غداً يا يوسف؟
Hal satumṭiru ghadan yā Yūsuf?
Will it rain tomorrow, Yousef?
يوسف Youssef

الله أعلم، الجو متقلب جداً.
Allāhu a‘lam, al-jawwu mutaqallib jiddan.
Only Allah knows, the weather is very unstable.
مريم Maryam

أتمنى أن يكون الجو مشمساً.
Atamannā an yakūna al-jawwu mushmisan.
I hope the weather will be sunny.
يوسف Youssef

إن شاء الله.
In shā’ Allāh.
God willing.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏