Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden)
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Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden)]
Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Hadid: 3] These are four attributes. (The First) means: there is nothing before Him, because if there were something before Him, Allah would be a created being, whereas He, Mighty and Majestic, is the Creator. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained "The First" as the One before whom there is nothing. All existing things are after Allah, Mighty and Majestic; no one is with Allah, and no one is before Allah.
(The Last): the One after whom there is nothing, because if there were something after Him, what comes after Him would not be created by Allah, whereas it is known that all created things are created by Allah, Mighty and Majestic. So He is the One after whom there is nothing.Therefore: He is the First with no beginning, and the Last with no end; there is nothing after Him.
(The Manifest): The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in explaining it: (the One above whom there is nothing) All created things are beneath Him, (Exalted and Majestic is He), so there is nothing above Him.
(The Hidden): The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (the One beneath whom there is nothing) He is the All-Aware, All-Knowing of every thing. No mountains, trees, walls, or anything else stand between Him and anything. There is nothing beneath Him; nothing is hidden from His sight, for He sees everything, Mighty and Majestic; nothing is hidden from His hearing, for He hears everything; and nothing is hidden from His knowledge, for He knows everything.
The First and the Last encompass the entirety of time, and the Manifest and the Hidden encompass the entirety of place.
Allah the Exalted said:
He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate
هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ(The Last): the One after whom there is nothing, because if there were something after Him, what comes after Him would not be created by Allah, whereas it is known that all created things are created by Allah, Mighty and Majestic. So He is the One after whom there is nothing.Therefore: He is the First with no beginning, and the Last with no end; there is nothing after Him.
the Manifest and the Hidden
وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ(The Hidden): The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (the One beneath whom there is nothing) He is the All-Aware, All-Knowing of every thing. No mountains, trees, walls, or anything else stand between Him and anything. There is nothing beneath Him; nothing is hidden from His sight, for He sees everything, Mighty and Majestic; nothing is hidden from His hearing, for He hears everything; and nothing is hidden from His knowledge, for He knows everything.
The First and the Last encompass the entirety of time, and the Manifest and the Hidden encompass the entirety of place.