Transliteration:( Huwal Awwalu wal'Aakhiru waz Zaahiru wal Baatinu wa huwa bikulli shai'in Aleem )
4. This means Allah Almighty is before every-one and everything. When there was nothing. He was in existence. He is everlasting ie. when there would be nothing. He will be in existence. He is eternal. It should be remembered that being first and everlasting is not for the purpose of time because Allah Almighty is pure from time. Or, that the beginning of matter is from Allah Almighty and it's end too is dependant on Him. Or, that Allah Almighty marks the beginning of the spiritual journey of the mystics Their limits of achievement, too are , dependent on Him. The excellence of end should be the achievement of the beginning i.e. the end and the beginning should be Allah Almighty, like the compass is the beginning and the end of the circle. There are many other interpretations of it.
5. This means Allah Almighty is evident from all proofs so clearly that every child and every minute particle accepts and believes in Him. Yet, His personality is hidden; that He is beyond our imagination. It should be remembered that only in Paradise would His Beauteous Vision be seen, but without truly perceiving Who He is, because He is hidden. In short, His Refulgence is visible, but His Personality is hidden.
6. From eternity to eternity He is fully aware of everything. Hazrat Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi (May Allah be pleased with him) states in his "Madarijun Nabuwah" that even the Holy Prophet ? possesses those fierce attributes because the Holy Prophet is the first creation and appeared as the Final Prophet ? ; the light of the Holy Prophet (Noor e Muhammadi) is reflected in all creation; no one has ever understood the dimension of the Holy Prophet's personality; the Holy Prophet ? is fully aware of any infidel and believer. For further explanation of this refer to the book "Shaane Habibur Rahman",
The tafsir of Surah Hadid verse 3 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Hadid ayat 1 which provides the complete commentary from verse 1 through 3.
(57:3) He is the First and the Last, and the Manifest and the Hidden,[3] and He has knowledge of everything.
3. That is, when there was nothing, He was, and when there will be nothing, He will be. He is the most Manifest of all the manifests, for whatever manifests itself in the world, does so only by His attributes and His works and His light. And He is the Most Hidden of all the hidden, for not only do the senses fail to perceive Him but the intellect and thought and imagination also cannot attain to His essence and reality. The best commentary in this regard is a supplication of the Prophet (peace be upon him) which Imam Ahmad, Muslim, Tirmidhi, and Baihaqi have related on the authority of Abu Hurairah, and Hafiz Abu Yala Mosuli in his Musnad on the authority of Aishah:
Antal Awwal, fa-laisa qablaka shaiin; wa Antal Akhir falaisa ba daka shaiin; wa Antal Zahir, fa-laisa fauqaka shai in; wa Anfal Batin, fa laisa dunaka shaiin. You alone are the First; none is before You; You alone are the Last: none is after You; You alone are the Exalted none is above You; You alone are the Hidden: none is more hidden than You.
Here, the question arises: How does this accord with the immortality and eternal life of the dwellers of Paradise and Hell mentioned in the Quran when Allah alone is the Last and Eternal? Its answer has been provided by the Quran itself: Everything is perishable except Allah Himself. (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayat 88). In other words no creature is immortal in its personal capacity; if a thing exists or continuous to exist, it does so because Allah keeps it so, and can exist only by His letting it exist; otherwise in its own capacity everything is perishable except Allah. Immortality in Heaven and Hell will not be bestowed upon somebody because he is immortal by himself, but because Allah will grant him eternal life. The same is true of the angels, they are not immortal by themselves. When Allah willed they came into existence, and will continue to exist only as long as He wills.
[1623]- Before whom nothing existed. Also, He who is supreme, foremost or uppermost. [1624]- Enduring eternally when nothing else remains. [1625]- Nothing being above Him. Another meaning is "the Apparent," i.e., evident through His creation and revelation. [1626]- Nothing being nearer than Him by way of His knowledge. Another meaning is "the Unapparent," i.e., concealed from man's physical senses.
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