Benefits: Concerning the Names of Allah, "The Manifest and the Hidden"

The Shaykh : And Yahya said, "In my opinion, Yahya is al-Farra": "The Manifest over all things, the Hidden over all things" This refers to the saying of Allah the Exalted in Surat al-Hadid: These are four names that encompass times and places. "The First and the Last" is with regard to time: "The First" is that before which there is nothing, and "The Last" is that after which there is nothing. "The Manifest and the Hidden": "The Manifest" is the One who is above all things, for "manifestness" here means elevation. This is indicated by His saying, the Exalted: meaning, to elevate Him. And al-Farra's statement: "The intended meaning is knowledge" We say, yes, Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, is Manifest, meaning He is All-Knowing; and in addition to that, He is High and All-Knowing of all things. "The Hidden" is the One who encompasses all things and knows the inner realities of matters; so in addition to His being High, He encompasses all things. The meaning is not that He is in all things, for that is the doctrine of the Jahmiyyah and others who hold to the doctrine of union. Rather, the meaning is: the One to whom nothing is hidden, whether it is inner or concealed. As you see, these verses affirm the knowledge of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.