Al-Awwal, Al-Ākhir, Az-Zāhir and Al-Bātin: Everything Comes from Him and Returns to Him

“He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. And He has perfect knowledge of all things.”
Surah Al-Hadīd, 57:3

Human life is lived between beginnings and endings.

A person is born.
They grow.
They love.
They work.
They gain.
They lose.
They part.
They begin again.

Some doors open and others close. People come and go. Possessions change hands. Things that appear immensely important today are forgotten over time.

Yet within all this change, there is one unchanging truth:

Allah is present before every beginning.
Beyond every ending, Allah remains.
Everything we see displays His Names.
Every depth we cannot see is encompassed by His knowledge.

He is Al-Awwal.
He is Al-Ākhir.
He is Az-Zāhir.
He is Al-Bātin.

Al-Awwal: The One who exists before every beginning

A person does not remember the beginning of their own life.

Before they entered the world, an order had already been prepared for them.

The sun was rising.
Rain was falling.
The earth was producing food.
The air was ready to be breathed.
A mother’s heart was being prepared to carry love.

The person established none of these things.

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves within a world already prepared.

This is the first lesson the Name Al-Awwal gives to humanity:

Allah existed before you began.
Before you knew your need, there was One who had prepared for it.

At certain times in life, a person may imagine that they themselves created every beginning.

They establish a business and say:

“I did this.”

They achieve success and say:

“I accomplished this.”

Yet the intellect, health, time and ability given to them, together with the opportunities placed in their path, had already been prepared.

A person works, but they do not create the possibility of being able to work.

Before every cause stands Al-Awwal.

The true Owner of our beginnings

When beginning something new, a person thinks about the outcome.

Will I succeed?
Will people approve?
Will I reach the place I desire?

The Name Al-Awwal changes the question asked at the beginning:

“In whose Name am I beginning this?”

One undertaking may begin solely for gain.

Another may begin:

to seek Allah’s pleasure,

to benefit people,

to protect a trust,

or to leave behind a beautiful trace.

Two beginnings that appear identical from the outside may move in different directions because of their intentions.

Intention is the unseen first step of a deed.

Beginning something in Allah’s Name does not merely mean saying “Bismillah”. It means intending to carry it forward according to the measure with which Allah is pleased.

Saying “Bismillah” over an undertaking that will continue through injustice does not transform it into goodness.

An undertaking that begins in Allah’s Name
must continue according to Allah’s measure.

A person who knows Al-Awwal purifies not only the desired outcome, but also the intention at the beginning.

“My story did not begin with me”

A person may imagine that they are solely the product of their own decisions.

Yet many things in their life came before them.

The prayers of their mother and father,
the values learned from their family,
the sacrifices made by people they never knew,
the opportunities prepared for them,
the knowledge and experience passed down from earlier generations…

A person is not the first author of their own story.

Sometimes the goodness someone possesses today is the result of a beautiful deed performed years ago by a person they never knew.

As with the treasure belonging to the two orphans that was protected beneath the wall, some blessings may have been prepared before a person was even born.

This thought does not diminish a person.

It reduces their arrogance and increases their gratitude.

My life did not begin with me.
A mercy was at work before I arrived.

Al-Awwal prevents a person from imagining that they are the beginning of everything.

Beginning again

Al-Awwal does not refer only to the first creation.

It also reminds us of the new beginnings opened within a person’s life.

Repentance is a new beginning.
Admitting a mistake is a new beginning.
Standing again after a loss is a new beginning.
Repairing a broken relationship beautifully is a new beginning.
Turning away from a mistaken belief is a new beginning.

A person may have made many mistakes in the past.

But the past is not the sole ruler of the future.

Allah may open new doors within a person’s lifetime. He may create renewed intention, renewed faith and renewed effort within the heart.

For this reason, the believer does not surrender to the statement:

“It is too late now.”

As long as breath continues, return remains possible.

Every morning is a new beginning opened to the human being by Al-Awwal.

Beginning again, however, does not mean disregarding the past.

It means moving forward after learning its lesson, repairing as far as possible the rights we have harmed and intending not to return to the same wrong.

Al-Ākhir: The One who remains when everything ends

Everything in this world has an end.

Youth ends.
Duties are completed.
Positions change hands.
Wealth is left to someone else.
People’s attention changes.
Life ends.

A person may imagine that certain things will never come to an end.

While good days continue, they do not think about loss. While difficult days continue, they imagine that the hardship will never end.

Yet both joy and sorrow are temporary within this world.

Al-Ākhir is the One whose existence continues beyond every temporary ending.

When everything ends, He remains.

For this reason, the strongest bond a person can form is the bond established with the One who has no end.

If you rely upon what is temporary, you will be shaken with it.
If you rely upon Al-Ākhir, you will preserve your direction amid all that changes.

Thinking about the end does not diminish life

Thinking about death is sometimes regarded as pessimism.

Yet awareness of death does not make life meaningless; it separates what matters from what does not.

When a person remembers the end, they see more clearly:

the hearts that are not worth breaking,

the interests for which truthfulness should not be abandoned,

the displays performed for temporary praise,

the resentments that need not be carried,

and the good deeds that should not be postponed.

Death is not the opposite of life.

It is the measure of life.

A person who knows that life will one day end can live each day more consciously.

Think not only about how you live, but also about how your life will end.

A beautiful ending is not merely a statement to be uttered in the final moment.

It is the direction formed by the choices made throughout a lifetime.

A person walks towards the direction in which they live.

People’s judgement is not the final judgement

In this world, people tell stories about one another.

They praise one person.
They accuse another.
They give someone grand titles.
They try to make someone else appear worthless.

These judgements may change over time.

The person applauded today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Someone not understood today may be understood years later.
A truth concealed today may later emerge.

But the Name Al-Ākhir teaches a person:

The final word does not belong to people.

The title people give you may not be your true description before Allah.

Appearing to have won in this world does not mean that one has succeeded before Allah. Appearing to have lost in this world does not remove a person’s true worth.

At the end of life, what matters is:

not so much how the world knew you,
but the intention and character with which Allah knew you.

True reputation is revealed in the judgement of Al-Ākhir.

Consider the final destination, not merely the immediate result

A person usually looks at today’s result.

Did I win?
Did I lose?
Did I get what I wanted?
Did people believe that I was right?

Yet today’s result and a beautiful final outcome are not the same.

A benefit gained in the short term may corrupt the heart in the long term.

A choice that appears to be a loss today may preserve a person’s faith and dignity.

For Prophet Joseph, the well appeared to be an ending, but it was the beginning of the road. Prison appeared to be an ending, but it was preparation for a greater duty.

A person who knows Al-Ākhir does not look only at the present appearance of an event.

They ask:

“Where will this road ultimately take me?”

Doing what is right does not always bring an immediate gain.

But a beautiful final outcome belongs to those who remain upon the right course.

Az-Zāhir: The One whose signs are manifest in everything

Allah is not a being seen by the eyes.

Yet the manifestations of His Names are visible throughout the universe.

In the form of a flower, we recognise Al-Musawwir;
in a mother’s compassion, Ar-Rahīm;
in the ordered operation of the universe, Al-Hakīm;
in the order of provision, Ar-Razzāq;
in purification and return, At-Tawwāb;
and in life itself, Al-Hayy.

The sun does not rise by itself.
The earth does not prepare its produce through its own will.
Water does not know how much life to give to each cell.
A tree does not design the form of its fruit through its own intellect.

All of these are works of power, knowledge, wisdom and mercy.

The Name Az-Zāhir teaches the heart:

Allah cannot be seen with the eyes;
but to fail to see His works, the eye must be closed to the truth.

The universe is a great book in which Allah’s Names are read.

Reading things in Allah’s Name

When a person looks at things solely for themselves, they evaluate them according to benefit and harm.

“What will this give me?”
“How can I use this?”
“How can I benefit from this?”

Reading things in Allah’s Name opens different questions:

To which Name does this beauty point?
What knowledge does this order reveal?
What gratitude does this blessing require of me?
What responsibility does this power place upon me?
What does this event teach me about myself?

The teaching of the names of things to Prophet Adam means that humanity was given not merely information, but the ability to perceive meaning.

Among created beings, the human being is able to read the meaning of existence.

They see beauty and remember Al-Jamīl.
They see mercy and turn towards Ar-Rahmān.
They see death and contemplate Al-Ākhir.
They see a beginning and know Al-Awwal.

Things may be either a veil or a sign.
How we look determines what we see.

Everything points to Him, but nothing is Him

Every being in the universe points towards Allah’s Names.

But no created being is Allah.

The sun points to His light through its radiance, but Allah is not the sun.

The mercy shown by a human being reminds us of the Name Ar-Rahīm, but that person is not the true owner of mercy.

The beauty of a flower displays divine artistry, but the flower did not create itself.

The subtle measure of tawhīd is this:

Everything points towards His existence and His Names;
but nothing is Him.

This measure protects a person from two errors.

The first is separating things from Allah and imagining that they possess power independently.

The second is abolishing the distinction between the created and the Creator.

The servant moves from the work to its Maker, from the blessing to its Bestower and from the art to its Artist.

They do not remain with the thing itself; they read the truth to which it points.

Al-Bātin: The One whom no sight can encompass

Allah’s works are visible, but the Essence of Allah cannot be contained within the understanding of any created being.

The human intellect is limited.

A limited intellect cannot fully encompass the Infinite.

This does not mean that reason has no value. It means that reason must know its limits.

A person can recognise Allah’s existence, His Names and His works.

But they cannot say:

“I have understood Allah completely.”

As knowledge increases, wonder should also increase.

For with every answer, a person encounters a still greater depth.

The Name Al-Bātin teaches this humility:

I strive to know Allah;
but I do not confine Him within the limits of my own thought.

Faith does not mean silencing the intellect.

It means that the intellect understands what it can see and recognises its limits where it cannot encompass.

What is unseen is not unreal

A person may be inclined to deny what they cannot see.

Yet many of the most important things in our lives are invisible to the eye.

Love cannot be seen, but its actions can.
The intellect cannot be seen, but its thoughts can.
The conscience cannot be seen, but its choices can.
The soul cannot be seen, but its life can.
Gravity cannot be seen, but its effect can.

To be unseen does not mean not to exist.

Al-Bātin declares that Allah cannot be encompassed by the senses, yet nothing lies beyond His knowledge and power.

When a person regards only what is visible as real, they lose the depth of life.

They abandon meaning for form,
intention for appearance,
and spirit for matter.

The eye sees the outer surface;
faith reads the meaning within existence.

Outward appearance and inner truth

The human being also has a visible and an invisible side.

There are actions that people can see.

There are also things known only to Allah:

intentions,

fears,

hidden calculations,

sincere prayers,

and struggles against the self.

A deed that appears beautiful from the outside may contain a desire for display within.

A good deed that appears small may have been performed with great sincerity.

For this reason, the believer tries to purify not only their outward appearance, but also the interior of the heart.

When religion is reduced solely to outward appearance, it becomes empty within.

If there is worship but no mercy,
speech but no truthfulness,
appearance but no justice,
the form remains, but the meaning has been lost.

A person who knows Al-Bātin understands:

Allah looks not only at how I appear,
but also at what I carry within myself.

The greatest darkness: Hiding from oneself

A person may conceal certain things from others.

But in time, they may also begin to conceal their own intention from themselves.

They may call self-interest service,
fear prudence,
arrogance dignity,
anger justice,
and possessiveness love.

In this way, a person begins to believe the story they have constructed within their own inner world.

The Name Al-Bātin teaches us to look into the deepest place of the heart.

A person should ask themselves honestly:

Am I truly doing this for Allah’s pleasure?

Am I defending the truth, or myself?

Do I want justice, or revenge?

Do I love, or do I want to possess?

Am I placing my trust in Allah, or avoiding responsibility?

Am I being patient, or remaining silent because I am afraid?

These questions are not intended to diminish a person’s worth.

They are intended to unite the inside of the heart with its outward expression.

The fruit of tawhīd within the human being
is that the inner and outer self turn towards the same direction.

Closeness to Allah

A person sometimes searches for Allah in very distant places.

Yet Allah’s knowledge, power and mercy encompass the servant’s entire life.

“We are closer to them than their jugular vein.”
Surah Qāf, 50:16

This is not closeness in terms of physical place.

It means that Allah:

knows His servant better than they know themselves,

encompasses what passes through their heart,

hears their prayer,

and forgets none of their states.

A person may feel abandoned.

But a feeling and the truth are not the same.

Prophet Joseph appeared to be alone in the well, yet he was close to divine address. Prophet Moses appeared helpless before the sea, yet his Lord was with him.

The closeness of Al-Bātin is not always visible in outward circumstances.

Sometimes it is felt in the depth of the heart as the awareness:

“I am not walking alone.”

Life between the beginning and the end

Al-Awwal and Al-Ākhir show a person the boundaries of their life.

Az-Zāhir and Al-Bātin teach the depth contained within those boundaries.

The beginning is through Allah’s creation.
Life is lived within Allah’s dominion.
The universe displays Allah’s Names.
Allah knows what lies within the heart.
And the final return is to Allah.

Within this framework, a person’s duty is not:

to control everything,

to solve every mystery,

or to establish a permanent kingdom in this world.

Their duty is:

to believe,

to strive to understand,

to protect what has been entrusted,

to live with beautiful character,

to benefit people,

and ultimately to return to their Lord with a pure heart.

The peace of life lies not in finding the answer to every question,
but in knowing in whose hands our beginning, our path and our return rest.

Why is knowing Allah’s Names important?

Learning Allah’s Names is not merely the collection of information.

The Names change the way a person looks at life.

One who knows the Lord does not see what they experience as purposeless.
One who knows Ar-Rahmān does not lose hope in mercy.
One who knows Al-Mu’min does not feel entirely without security.
One who knows Al-Muhaymin does not imagine that protection means only the ending of hardship.
One who knows Al-Hakīm does not make present comfort the sole measure of what is good.
One who knows At-Tawwāb understands that they are not condemned by their past.
One who knows Ar-Razzāq does not imagine that provision means money alone.
One who knows As-Samad carries their need to the right door.
One who knows Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyūm understands, when weary, that their life has not been left without an Owner.
One who knows Al-‘Alīm, Al-Khabīr and Al-Basīr understands that Allah knows their true story.
One who knows As-Samī‘ and Al-Mujīb believes that their silent prayer is not lost.
One who knows Al-Latīf understands that grace can be at work even where it cannot be seen.
One who knows Al-Hādī and An-Nūr preserves their direction in darkness.
One who knows Al-Hakam and Al-‘Adl does not exceed the proper measure even when they are right.
One who knows Al-Qahhār understands that foam is temporary.
One who knows Al-Wadūd loves without possessing.
One who knows Ash-Shakūr and Al-Hamīd sees the blessing and knows that goodness is never lost.
One who knows Al-Malik and Mālik al-Mulk does not allow what they possess to take possession of them.

Yet all this knowledge must bear a fruit:

Character.

If the Names do not become character

If a person says that Allah is Al-‘Alīm yet engages in backbiting, the knowledge has not descended into their heart.

If they say that Allah is Ar-Rahīm yet behave without mercy, the Name has remained only upon their tongue.

If they know that Allah is Al-‘Adl yet apply one measure to those close to them and another to everyone else, the truth they have learned has not become conduct.

If they speak of Allah as Al-Wadūd yet turn their love into pressure, they have not recognised the source of love.

The true fruit of knowing the Most Beautiful Names is to become:

more truthful,

more just,

more merciful,

more humble,

more trustworthy,

more patient,

and more beneficial to others.

When a Name remains upon the tongue, it becomes information.

When it descends into the heart, it becomes awareness.

When it passes into conduct, it becomes character.

Knowing Allah
should reduce the harm a person causes in the world and increase the good.

Every person can become a mirror

Human beings have been given abilities that may remind others of Allah’s Names.

Through knowledge, they may remind others of Al-‘Alīm;
through mercy, Ar-Rahīm;
through justice, Al-‘Adl;
through forgiveness, Al-Ghafūr;
through beautiful work, Al-Musawwir;
and through faithfulness to a trust, Al-Mu’min.

But human beings are not the owners of these abilities.

When they attribute them entirely to themselves, arrogance is born.

When they use them for Allah, servanthood is born.

A person may be merciful, but their mercy is limited.
They may know, but their knowledge is incomplete.
They may forgive, but their heart may struggle.
They may produce something beautiful, but they cannot create from nothing.

These limitations teach the human being their proper measure.

A mirror is not the source of light.
It merely reflects the light that reaches it.

A person’s worth lies not in being the source, but in reflecting cleanly the beauty that has been given to them.

What remains at the end of the journey?

When a person leaves this world, they cannot take their possessions with them.

But the choices they made through those possessions accompany them.

Wealth remains; generosity or miserliness goes with them.
Position remains; justice or oppression goes with them.
The body remains; the good deeds performed through it go with them.
Words may be forgotten; the consequence of the hearts they broke or mended remains.
The stories people tell may change; the true story known by Allah remains.

For this reason, the fundamental question of life is not:

“How much did I accumulate?”

It is:

“What kind of servant did I become through what was given to me?”

When a person arrives in the presence of Al-Ākhir, appearances fall away, titles end and the truth emerges.

They arrive with only their deeds, their intentions and their need for Allah’s mercy.

The return

The Qur’an repeatedly reminds the human being of the return.

“Surely we belong to Allah, and to Him we will return.”
Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:156

This statement is not merely a consolation to be spoken upon hearing of a death.

It is a measure that explains the whole of life.

We belong to Allah.

Our bodies, lives, abilities and possessions are trusts from Him.

We will return to Allah.

We will stand before Him with the account of the life we lived, the blessings we used and the way we treated people.

This return carries hope as well as fear.

For the Lord to whom we return is:

Ar-Rahmān,

Ar-Rahīm,

At-Tawwāb,

Al-Ghaffār,

Al-Karīm,

and Al-‘Adl.

The servant knows their faults but does not despair of Allah’s mercy.

Fear calls them to responsibility; hope calls them to return.

The peace given by these four Names together

Al-Awwal says:

“I was here before you began.”

Al-Ākhir says:

“When everything ends, I remain.”

Az-Zāhir says:

“Wherever you look, you can see the manifestations of My Names.”

Al-Bātin says:

“No state you cannot see, no prayer and no depth lie beyond My knowledge.”

These four Names encompass a person’s time, surroundings and inner world.

The past is within Allah’s knowledge.
The future is within Allah’s command.
The world around us is filled with Allah’s works.
Our inner world is encompassed by Allah’s knowledge.

A person thus understands that they are not suspended in emptiness.

They know where they came from.
They know where they are.
They know where they will return.

The heart’s peace comes not from knowing every detail of the road, but from knowing the Owner of the road.

The Heart Key of This Lesson

Al-Awwal was present before my beginning.
When every temporary thing ends, Al-Ākhir will remain.
Every beauty in the universe points towards the Names of Az-Zāhir.
No depth of my heart is hidden from the knowledge of Al-Bātin.
I am living a life created by Allah, within Allah’s dominion and in Allah’s presence.
Everything comes from Him and returns to Him.

Final Word

Trying to know Allah does not mean immediately solving the mystery of every event we experience. Yet as we know Allah through His Names, we understand more clearly that life is not without purpose and that everything occurs within a measure and wisdom.

We may not immediately understand the reason for every hardship. We may not see the answer to every prayer in this world. We may not know why some doors were closed or why some periods of waiting were prolonged.

But we can know in whose hands our life rests.

He is the One who created us.
He is the One who nurtures us.
He is the One who provides for us.
He is the One who raises us when we fall.
He is the One who opens His door when we wish to return.
He is the One who hears our silence.
He is the One who knows our true story.
And He is the One to whom we will ultimately return.

A person cannot encompass all of Allah’s Names.

But they can recognise the ocean in a drop, art in a flower, mercy in a mother’s compassion and the Lord’s nurturing throughout a lifetime.

When one Name touches the heart, one part of life becomes illuminated.

As the Names increase, a person does not merely learn more about Allah.

They also come to know themselves more accurately.

They see their weakness.
They acknowledge their need.
They diminish their arrogance.
They become more merciful towards people.
They recognise what they possess as a trust.
They do not fall apart completely when they suffer loss.
When they experience injustice, they try not to depart from justice.
They love without possessing.
While waiting, they do not break away from Allah.

For they know:

The peace they seek is not hidden in controlling everything;
it lies in being able to entrust themselves and their life to Allah.

Our beginning is from Him.
Our path lies within His dominion.
Our return is to Him.

We cannot describe Allah as He truly deserves.

But as we come to know Him, we begin to understand ourselves, life and our path more accurately.

The Qur’an shows us not only what is right and wrong, but also the destinations of the paths we choose. Faith, justice, mercy and beautiful character lead to one road; arrogance, oppression and betrayal lead to another. A person may turn back from a wrong road or leave a road upon which they began rightly. For this reason, we do not give a final judgement about individuals; we evaluate only the direction of the road upon which they walk. The final judgement belongs to Allah.

We cannot know how any person’s life will end; but we know where the roads lead and the destination of each path. Which road a person chooses to follow is their own decision.

Everything passes. Allah remains.
The heart’s true peace lies in being bound to the One who remains.

Closing Prayer

O Allah,

Enable us to know You through Your Names not only with our minds, but also with our hearts and through our character.

Make us among those who know You as Lord and do not resist Your nurturing, and who know You as Ar-Rahmān and Ar-Rahīm and never despair of Your mercy.

Through Your Name Al-Mu’min, grant our hearts security; through Your Name Al-Muhaymin, grant protection to our direction; and through Your Name Al-Hakīm, grant us surrender before the events we cannot understand.

Through Your Name Al-Quddūs, purify our intentions; through Your Name As-Salām, grant peace to our hearts.

Through Your Name At-Tawwāb, accept our return; through Your Names Al-Ghaffār and Al-‘Afuww, do not leave us within the darkness of our past.

Through Your Name Ar-Razzāq, teach us the true Owner of provision; through Your Name As-Samad, teach us the right door for all our needs.

Through Your Names Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyūm, keep our hearts alive and our direction upright.

Through Your Names Al-‘Alīm, Al-Khabīr and Al-Basīr, make us among those who live rightly even in secret.

Through Your Name As-Samī‘, hear our silence; through Your Name Al-Mujīb, answer our prayers according to Your wisdom.

Through Your Name Al-Latīf, enable us to recognise Your unseen graces.

Through Your Name Al-Hādī, show us the right path; through Your Name An-Nūr, do not allow us to lose our direction in darkness.

Through Your Names Al-Hakam and Al-‘Adl, enable us to recognise what is right and never to depart from justice, even when we ourselves are right.

Through Your Name Al-Qahhār, break the arrogance, display and false supports within us.

Through Your Name Al-Wadūd, purify our love; protect us from possessing those we love and from placing any love before You.

Through Your Name Ash-Shakūr, accept our small acts of goodness; through Your Name Al-Hamīd, teach us to praise You in every state.

Through Your Names Al-Malik and Mālik al-Mulk, enable us to recognise what is in our hands as a trust, to turn power towards what is right and blessings towards goodness.

O Awwal,

Bind every beginning of ours to You with a pure intention.

O Ākhir,

Make the end of our lives beautiful and our return a reunion opening into Your mercy.

O Zāhir,

Grant us eyes and hearts capable of seeing Your signs throughout the universe.

O Bātin,

Make our inner selves more beautiful than our outer appearance and our hidden state purer than the state people can see.

Grant us humility in knowledge, patience in trials, gratitude amid blessings, justice when we possess power and sincerity in every state.

Enable us to seek our rights without departing from justice, to struggle without poisoning our hearts with hatred and to wait without losing hope.

Make us not among those who grow through people’s praise and collapse under their criticism, but among those who seek Your pleasure alone.

Allow our lives to pass like water that benefits people. Make us not like foam that appears and disappears, but among those who leave behind goodness and beautiful character.

Make us among Your servants who live without forgetting that we belong to You and return to Your presence with a pure heart.

You are our Beginning.
You are the One upon whom we rely.
The judgement belongs to You.
Our return is to You.

Āmīn.