Allah says in Surah al-An’am verse 97,
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلنُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُوا۟ بِهَا فِى ظُلُمَـٰتِ ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ
And it is He who placed for you the stars that you may be guided by them through the darknesses of the land and sea. We have detailed the signs for a people who know.
He then goes on to say in the very next verse, verse 98,
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ فَمُسْتَقَرٌّۭ وَمُسْتَوْدَعٌۭ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَفْقَهُونَ
And it is He who produced you from one soul and [gave you] a place of dwelling and of storage. We have detailed the signs for a people who understand.
What is the wisdom behind His describing the people in the first verse as those ‘who know’ يَعْلَمُونَ and in the second verse those ‘who understand’ يَفْقَهُونَ?
To grasp this, it is helpful to examine the original root meanings of each word.
يَعْلَمُونَ comes from the root ع ل م and linguistically refers to grasping a matter in its true form, with surface-level meanings. يَفْقَهُونَ comes from the root ف ق ه – as does the word Fiqh.
This term linguistically refers to delving deeply into a matter to comprehend its subtleties and profound meanings.
With this in mind, we can appreciate the precision and perfection of the words used in these verses, based on their context. The first verse refers to astronavigation, a field of knowledge that can be applied if one is familiar with constellations, latitudinal and longitudinal lines, and other related concepts. It is knowledge-based, and therefore Allah used the word يَعْلَمُونَ.
The second verse, however, alludes to the creation of the first soul—Adam—and how all other souls originated from him. This is a profoundly intricate concept that requires deep comprehension, and thus the word يَفْقَهُونَ is ideally suited.
Once again, we see the intricate precision of words at play, and we are humbled in awe of the perfection of His Words.