Quran Universe
57:3

هُوَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُ وَٱلۡأٓخِرُ وَٱلظَّـٰهِرُ وَٱلۡبَاطِنُۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ

Huwa alawwalu waalakhiru waalththahiru waalbatinu wahuwa bikulli shayin AAaleemun

He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.

Word by word
  1. هُوَHe
  2. ٱلۡأَوَّلُ(is) the First
  3. وَٱلۡأٓخِرُand the Last
  4. وَٱلظَّـٰهِرُand the Apparent
  5. وَٱلۡبَاطِنُۖand the Unapparent
  6. وَهُوَand He
  7. بِكُلِّ(is) of every
  8. شَيۡءٍthing
  9. عَلِيمٌAll-Knower
Al-Hadid · 57:3Madinah

Nothing before Him, nothing after Him.

The verse the Prophet ﷺ prayed with at bedtime

Four names
the Firstnothing before Him
the Lastnothing after Him
the Ascendantnothing above Him
the Intimatenothing below Him
What to do with doubt
panic and hide itdoubt means I am lost
recite this verseIbn Abbas's advice

Ibn Kathir reports that the Prophet ﷺ used these four names in his prayer before sleep: You are the First, nothing is before You; the Last, nothing is after You. A man once told Ibn Abbas he felt doubt in his heart. Ibn Abbas said no one escapes this, and told him to recite this verse when it comes.

It is 1 a.m. The ceiling is very close and the questions are very loud. Is any of this real? Ibn Abbas did not shame that man. He handed him a sentence to hold.

Having doubts means my faith is broken.

Doubts come to everyone. I answer them by turning to Who He is.

Try this

Tonight before sleep, say the four names once: the First, the Last, the Ascendant, the Intimate.

Related10:94
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 57:1)

The Virtues of Surat Al-Hadid

Imam Ahmad recorded that 'Irbad bin Sariyah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite Al-Musabbihat before he went to sleep, saying,

إِنَّ فِيهِنَّ آيَةً أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ آيَةٍ

(In them there is an Ayah that is better than a thousand Ayat.) Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i collected this Hadith; At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Gharib." The Ayah referred to in this Hadith is – and Allah knows best –

هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ 

(He is Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir, Az-Zahir and Al-Batin. And He is the All-Knower of everything.)(57:3)

Allah willing, we will again mention this subject. Upon Allah we trust and our total reliance and dependence are on Him, and sufficient He is to us as Supporter and Helper.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ - لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ - هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

(1. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah – and He is the Almighty, All-Wise.)(2. His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. It is He Who gives life and causes death; and He is Able to do all things.)(3. He is Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir, Az-Zahir and Al-Batin. And He is the All-Knower of everything.)

Everything that exists glorifies Allah and mentioning some of His Attributes

In this Ayah, Allah states that everything that exists in the heavens and earth praises and glorifies Him, including creatures and plants. Allah said in another Ayah,

تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ ۚ وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَٰكِنْ لَا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا 

(The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is not a thing but glorifies His praise. But you understand not their glorification. Truly, He is Ever Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.)(17:44) And His saying:

وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ

(and He is the Almighty,) meaning the One to Whom all things submit humility,

الْحَكِيمُ

(All-Wise.) in His creating, commanding and legislating,

لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ ۖ 

(His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. It is He Who gives life and causes death;) He is the absolute Owner of His creation, bringing life and death and granting what He wills to whom He wills,

وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(and He is Able to do all things.) whatever He wills, is, and whatever He does not will, will never be. He said,

هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ 

(He is Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir, Az-Zahir and Al-Batin.) This is the Ayah indicated in the Hadith of 'Irbad bin Sariyah that is better than a thousand Ayat. Abu Dawud recorded that Abu Zamil said, "I mentioned to Ibn 'Abbas that I felt something in my heart. He said, 'Doubts?' and then laughed. Next, he said, 'No one can escape this. Allah the Exalted stated,

فَإِنْ كُنْتَ فِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ فَاسْأَلِ الَّذِينَ يَقْرَءُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ ۚ لَقَدْ جَاءَكَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ 

(So if you are in doubt concerning that which We have revealed to you, then ask those who are reading the Book before you. Verily, the truth has come to you from your Lord.)(10:94)'

He then said to me, 'When you feel any of this in your heart, recite,

هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

(He is Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir, Az-Zahir and Al-Batin. And He is the All-Knower of everything.)'"

There are about ten and some odd number of different sayings collected from the scholars of Tafsir regarding the explanation of this Ayah. Al-Bukhari said, "Yahya said, 'Az-Zahir: knowing all things, Al-Batin: knowing all things.'"

Our Shaykh Al-Hafiz Al-Mizzi said, "Yahya is Ibn Ziyad Al-Farra', who authored a book entitled Ma'ani Al-Qur'an."

There are Hadiths mentioned about this. Among them, Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would recite this supplication while going to bed,

اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّ السَّمٰوَاتِ السَّبْعِ، وَرَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، رَبَّنَا وَرَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، مُنْزِلَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ وَالْفُرْقَانِ، فَالِقَ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ أَنْتَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهِ، أَنْتَ الْأَوَّلُ لَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الْآخِرُ لَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ لَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ لَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَيْءٌ. اقْضِ عَنَّا الدَّيْنَ، وَأَغْنِنَا مِنَ الْفَقْرِ

(O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Magnificent Throne! Our Lord, and the Lord of everything, Revealer of the Tawrah, the Injil and the Furqan, the Splitter of the grain of corn and the date stone! I seek refuge with You from the evil of everything whose forhead You have control over. O Allah! You are Al-Awwal, nothing is before You; Al-Akhir, nothing is after You; Az-Zahir, nothing is above You; and Al-Batin, nothing is below You. Remove the burden of debt from us and free us from poverty.)

Muslim recorded this Hadith via Sahl, who said, "Abu Salih used to order us to lay on our right side when we were about to sleep, and then say,

اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَرَبَّ الْأَرْضِ وَرَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، رَبَّنَا وَرَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَالِقَ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ، وَمُنْزِلَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ وَالْفُرْقَانِ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ ذِي شَرٍّ أَنْتَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهِ، اللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ الْأَوَّلُ فَلَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الْآخِرُ فَلَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ فَلَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَيْءٌ، اقْضِ عَنَّا الدَّيْنَ، وَأَغْنِنَا مِنَ الْفَقْرِ

(O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Magnificent Throne! Our Lord, and the Lord of everything, Revealer of the Tawrah, the Injil and the Furqan, the Splitter of the grain of corn and the date stone! I seek refuge with You from the evil of everything whose forhead You have control over. O Allah! You are Al-Awwal, nothing is before You; Al-Akhir, nothing is after You; Az-Zahir, nothing is above You; and Al-Batin, nothing is below You. Remove the burden of debt from us and free us from poverty.)

And he used to narrate that from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet ﷺ."