Translating the Names of Allāh – He is The First, The Last, The Highest and Nearest

[Abdulilah.Lahmami]

Translating the Names of Allāh – He is The First, The Last, The Highest and Nearest

Regarding the exact meaning of the attributes mentioned in the verse below:
هُوَ الأوَّلُ وَالأخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

The Prophet (pbuh) explained their meaning when he said:
أَنْتَ الْأَوَّلُ لَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَيْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الْآخِرُ لَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَيْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ لَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَيْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ لَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَيْءٌ اقْضِ عَنَّا الدَّيْنَ وَأَغْنِنَا مِنْ الْفَقْرِ

“…You are the First and no one before you and your are the Last no one after you and you are the ‘Dhahir’ – the Highest no one above you and you are the ‘Bātin’ the Nearest and no one nearer than you…” (Musnad Imam Ahmed 8960, 9247).

Therefore, what is meant by ‘Dhahir’ is that Allāh is the Highest and the meaning of ‘Bātin’ is that Allāh is the Nearest not as some literal translations of the opening verses of Sūrah Al-Hadīd, which suggest that Dhahir’ means Allāh is ‘the apparent’ and Bātin’ the ‘secret’, ‘hidden’ or ‘inner’. The latter literal translations fail to benefit from the Tafsīr provided by the Prophetic tradition. Ma Shaa Allaah Sheikh Taquiudin al-Hlali and Muhsin Khan translated it correctly:

Khan and Hilāli: He is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last (nothing is after Him), the Most High (nothing is above Him) and the Most Near (nothing is nearer than Him). And He is the All-Knower of everything.


As for some of the incorrect translations:
Asad: He is the First and the Last, and the Outward as well as the Inward: and He has full knowledge of everything.

Pickthal: He is the First and the Last, and the Outward and the Inward; and He is Knower of all things.

Rashad He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Outermost and the Innermost. He is fully aware of all things.