Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden”
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Question:
What is your opinion, Your Eminence, regarding one who interprets the meaning of the name of Allah (al-Zahir) as “the Manifest in every thing”? Does this fall under the doctrine of indwelling (hulul) or not?
Answer:
This is invalid; because it contradicts how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) interpreted the noble verse. It is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih Muslim 2713a Imam Muslim narrated it in his Sahih. So the meaning of al-Zahir is: the High above all creation, but His signs and the proofs of His existence, His dominion, and His knowledge are present in every thing, and that He is the Lord of the worlds, their Creator and their Provider.
So you, O human being, to whom Allah has given hearing, sight, and intellect, and to whom He has given this body and the limbs with which you grasp and walk, are among the signs indicating that He is the Lord of the worlds. Likewise, the heavens and the earth, the night and the day, the minerals and the animals, and every thing, are all His signs indicating His existence, His power, His knowledge, and His wisdom, and that He is the One worthy of worship, as the poet said:
How astonishing; how is the Divine disobeyed?
Or how does the denier deny Him?
When in every thing there is a sign of His
Indicating that He is One!
And Allah says, (Exalted and Majestic is He): [al-Baqarah: 163], then He said after that: [al-Baqarah: 164]. So He, Glorified is He, clarified in this verse types of His creations that indicate that He, Glorified is He, is the true God, for whom worship is not permissible for anyone other than Him . So in every thing there is a sign and proof that He is the Lord of the worlds, that He exists, that He is the Creator, that He is the Provider, and that He is the One worthy of being worshipped .
As for the meaning of al-Zahir, it is: the High above all creation, as mentioned earlier in the authentic hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
What is your opinion, Your Eminence, regarding one who interprets the meaning of the name of Allah (al-Zahir) as “the Manifest in every thing”? Does this fall under the doctrine of indwelling (hulul) or not?
Answer:
This is invalid; because it contradicts how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) interpreted the noble verse. It is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
O Allah, Thou art the First, there is naught before Thee, and Thou art the Last and there is naught after Thee, and Thou art Evident and there is nothing above Thee, and Thou art Innermost and there is nothing beyond Thee. Remove the burden of debt from us and relieve us from want.
اللهم أنت الأول فليس قبلك شيء، وأنت الآخر فليس بعدك شيء، وأنت الظاهر فليس فوقك شيء، وأنت الباطن فليس دونك شيء؛ فاقض عني الدين وأغنني من الفقرSo you, O human being, to whom Allah has given hearing, sight, and intellect, and to whom He has given this body and the limbs with which you grasp and walk, are among the signs indicating that He is the Lord of the worlds. Likewise, the heavens and the earth, the night and the day, the minerals and the animals, and every thing, are all His signs indicating His existence, His power, His knowledge, and His wisdom, and that He is the One worthy of worship, as the poet said:
How astonishing; how is the Divine disobeyed?
Or how does the denier deny Him?
When in every thing there is a sign of His
Indicating that He is One!
And Allah says, (Exalted and Majestic is He):
And your God is one God; there is no god except He, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ لاَّ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُIndeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason.
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاء مِن مَّاء فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الأرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخِّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاء وَالأَرْضِ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَAs for the meaning of al-Zahir, it is: the High above all creation, as mentioned earlier in the authentic hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.