knows all hidden th<strong>in</strong>gs, and He is Cognizant <strong>of</strong> all th<strong>in</strong>gs" (Qura'n, 57:3).Al-Akhir is the Last without hav<strong>in</strong>g to have a first, the Last <strong>in</strong> His Attribute <strong>of</strong> eternity andperpetuity; He postpones anyth<strong>in</strong>g that is to come later. He is the Last by virtue <strong>of</strong> be<strong>in</strong>gabove any adjectives whereby He may be described, the Last above ext<strong>in</strong>ction. He is the Lastwithout anyone hav<strong>in</strong>g delayed Him and made Him so, and He is the Last due to Hissusta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g us. He is the Last accord<strong>in</strong>g to the rule <strong>of</strong> necessity: He is the First to grantguidance; He is the Last to look after those whom He guides.<strong>Allah</strong> permits the rewards to reach those who earn them and the penalty to afflict those whodeserve it; so, just as He was the first s<strong>in</strong>ce time immemorial, when there was noth<strong>in</strong>g withHim at all, so will He rema<strong>in</strong> the Last One and noth<strong>in</strong>g will be with Him at all.Among the good manners <strong>of</strong> a believer with respect to this Attribute is that he keepsremember<strong>in</strong>g it quite <strong>of</strong>ten so that its light may manifest itself unto his heart, and so that heshould escape this vanish<strong>in</strong>g abode and look forward for the last<strong>in</strong>g one; he flees from hisown self seek<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Allah</strong>, the Lord <strong>of</strong> the heavens and the earth.75. "Al-Zahir"<strong>Allah</strong> has said, "... the One Who knows the unseen! So He does not reveal His secrets toany..." (Qura'n, 72:26).L<strong>in</strong>guistically speak<strong>in</strong>g, "al-Zahir" is derived from "zuhoor," manifestation, appearance,sight<strong>in</strong>g, etc. It means someth<strong>in</strong>g hidden com<strong>in</strong>g to appearance. It also conveys the mean<strong>in</strong>g<strong>of</strong> "victor." This mean<strong>in</strong>g occurs <strong>in</strong> this verse: "... and they became the uppermost" (Qura'n,61:14), that is, <strong>in</strong> a higher status and rank. "zahr" also means back, the opposite <strong>of</strong> "ban,"stomach or belly; so, what is zahir is the opposite <strong>of</strong> what is bat<strong>in</strong>. It also means: animalsused to transport people and luggage on their backs, their hrs, that is, beasts <strong>of</strong> burden,whether it is used as a figure <strong>of</strong> speech or literally. Someth<strong>in</strong>g zaheer is very strong.Accord<strong>in</strong>g to hadith, "<strong>The</strong>re is no verse <strong>in</strong> the Holy Qura'n except that it has an apparentmean<strong>in</strong>g and a hidden one." What is apparent may be the word<strong>in</strong>g, and what is hidden may isthe mean<strong>in</strong>g, or it may mean recitation or read<strong>in</strong>g versus comprehension and learn<strong>in</strong>g.<strong>The</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the Attribute <strong>of</strong> the Almighty "al-Zahir" permits more than one<strong>in</strong>terpretation:1) He subdues His creation. 2) He knows everyth<strong>in</strong>g apparent, just as the Attribute "al-Bat<strong>in</strong>"means He knows everyth<strong>in</strong>g hidden. 3) He is al-Zahir due to the abundance <strong>of</strong> dazzl<strong>in</strong>gpro<strong>of</strong>s and the enlighten<strong>in</strong>g evidence testify<strong>in</strong>g to His Glory.Suppose someone says that if He is al-Zahir, the Apparent or the Evident One, the One about
Whom there can be no doubt enterta<strong>in</strong>ed, well, most people seem to doubt His existencenevertheless; so, how can He still be Apparent or Evident?<strong>Allah</strong> is al-Bat<strong>in</strong>, the Obscure, if sought through the senses and the imag<strong>in</strong>ation. He is al-Zahir, the Apparent One, if sought by the treasure <strong>of</strong> reason by way <strong>of</strong> deduction. His be<strong>in</strong>gobscure to many m<strong>in</strong>ds, despite His be<strong>in</strong>g so Apparent, is due to the <strong>in</strong>tensity <strong>of</strong> suchevidence. His be<strong>in</strong>g Evident is the reason why He is Obscure, and His light is the same thatobscures His glow: whatever exceeds its limit turns <strong>in</strong>to its own antithesis. He is Obscure ifone seeks to know Him by apply<strong>in</strong>g his own physical senses. <strong>The</strong> senses are related to what isapparent, such as one's complexion, physique, etc.. In fact, a person is a human be<strong>in</strong>g not onlyon account <strong>of</strong> his complexion, for even if such complexion or the rest <strong>of</strong> his parts are altered,he still rema<strong>in</strong>s one and the same. Actually, a person's parts at the time when he ages are notthe same when he was young. <strong>The</strong>y would have suffered a great deal <strong>of</strong> change due to thepassage <strong>of</strong> time and were replaced by ones similar to them through food <strong>in</strong>take. His identity,nevertheless, has not changed. Such an identity is obscure from the senses, quite clear to them<strong>in</strong>d by way <strong>of</strong> deduction.76. "Al-Bat<strong>in</strong>"<strong>Allah</strong> has said, "He is the First and the Last and the Ascendant (over all) and the One Whoknows all hidden th<strong>in</strong>gs, and He is Cognizant <strong>of</strong> all th<strong>in</strong>gs" (Qura'n, 57:3)."Al-Bat<strong>in</strong>" means: the One Who is obscured from the eyes <strong>of</strong> His creatures due to the<strong>in</strong>tensity <strong>of</strong> His appearance, the Hidden One due to His Essence that defies the m<strong>in</strong>ds and<strong>in</strong>tellects.<strong>The</strong> Messenger <strong>of</strong> <strong>Allah</strong> has supplicated thus:Lord! O God <strong>of</strong> the heavens and <strong>of</strong> the great Throne! Our Lord and the Lord <strong>of</strong> everyth<strong>in</strong>g!<strong>The</strong> One Who splits the seed and the date-stone! <strong>The</strong> one Who has revealed the Torah, theGospel, and the Holy Qura'n! I seek refuge with You aga<strong>in</strong>st the evil <strong>of</strong> every be<strong>in</strong>g whoseforelock is <strong>in</strong> Your Hands! Lord! You are the First; there is noth<strong>in</strong>g before You! And You arethe Last; there is noth<strong>in</strong>g after You. You are the Apparent; there is noth<strong>in</strong>g beyond You, andYou are the Hidden One; there is noth<strong>in</strong>g that can reach You! I plead to You to pay our debtson our behalf, and to save us from [the humiliation <strong>of</strong>] want.He is al-Zahir through sufficiency, al-Bat<strong>in</strong> by objectivity, al-Zahir due to His bounties, al-Bat<strong>in</strong> through His mercy. He is the Apparent One Who subdues everyth<strong>in</strong>g, the Hidden OneWho knows the truth about everyth<strong>in</strong>g, the One Who is Apparent for everyth<strong>in</strong>g by way <strong>of</strong>conv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>g pro<strong>of</strong>s, the One Who is Hidden from any physical appearance. Glory, then, to theOne Who has obscured Himself from all creation by His light, Who is Hidden from thembecause <strong>of</strong> the <strong>in</strong>tensity <strong>of</strong> His appearance.
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AllahThe Concept of God in Islam (a
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IntroductionIn any theistic religio
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eminded him of the bloody and shame
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Knowing AllahMuhammed, the Messenge
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All Praise is due to Allah, the One
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The Praised One has said, He is the
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you then made you complete, then He
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The Ninety Nine Attributesof AllahI
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The Almighty is Endless regarding H
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produce it. They will also realize
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Who grants mercy beyond which there
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Unity of Allah (Tawhid)Islam falls
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is Allah, your Lord; so, worship Hi
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keep closing their eyes to the fact
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Abu Abdullah Imam Ja`fer al-Sadiq h
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descends during the night of the mi
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and the Exalted One, whereby He des
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perfected their design and computed
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[14] Ibid., p. 59.[15] al-Tusi, Al-
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How to Supplicate to AllahBefore ad
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me, and if I try to amend my steps,
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Al-Qudds is the One Who is above ne
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finished his prayers, he would seek
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e overcome or in any way harmed, th
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Holy Qura'n bestows the Attribute o
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stage of life without needing you o
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They desire to put out the light of
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e called badee' at all; so, this At
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said, "And most surely We bring to
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Al-Saboor, Glory to Him, is the Cle
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Whenever the Messenger of Allah pro
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Linguistically, "al-Qahhar" is deri
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descends from the heavens, the sky
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- Page 80 and 81: The Messenger of Allah used to say
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- Page 93 and 94: A servant of Allah should never tir
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- Page 97 and 98: In the Holy Qura'n, we read: "Whoev
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- Page 121: something else has been dealt with
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- Page 150 and 151: "Wait, therefore; surely they (too)
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