be called badee' at all; so, this Attribute does not fit anyone besides Allah. None was ever like
Him nor ever will; therefore, His example never existed at all and never will, and whatever
exists besides Him exists because of Him; He, and He alone, is the Originator since time
immemorial and forever.
Anas ibn Malik is quoted saying that the Messenger of Allah once heard a man supplicating
thus, "Lord! I plead to You by the fact that to You is all Praise due; there is no god but You;
You are the One Who never stops giving, Who originated the heavens and the earth, the One
to Whom all Glory and Honour belong! I plead to You to grant me a place in Your Paradise,
and I seek refuge with You against the fire," whereupon the Prophet said, "He surely has
pleaded to Allah by His Attribute which, if one pleads to Him by it, He grants the plea and
gives what He is asked."
A believer's share of this Glorious Attribute is that if he repeats it quite often, Allah will cause
the springs of wisdom to flow from his tongue; he will be wise in his intentions, for intention
is the bedrock of action. A servant of Allah who remembers and repeats this Attribute quite
often, being fully aware of its meanings, will be exposed to the beauty of its light. Allah, the
Truth, Exalted and Blessed is He, will permit him to enter into the circle of invention; He will
make him a master obeyed by others. One of the norms of conduct of whoever mentions this
Attribute quite often is the avoiding of innovations in the creed and full adherence to the
Sunnah.
- "Al-Baqi"
Allah, Glory and Exaltation are His, has said, "... and Allah is better and more
abiding" (Qura'n, 20:73).
"Al-Baqi" is one of Allah's Attributes the root word of which is baqa': the opposite of
extinction. It also means: obedience to Allah and awaiting His rewards, or the lingering status
of goodness.
The reality of al-Baqi, Glory to Him, is in His ever-enduring existence; endurance is one of
His characteristics. Al-Baqi, Glory to Him, always exists and Whose existence is necessitated
by virtue of His own merits. He is ever-Present, Who remains existing forever, from the
beginning of any beginning and for eternity. The Absolute al-Baqi is the One the duration of
Whom never ends, and such a duration is described as abadi, perpetual, eternal, endless. The
Absolute al-Qadeem is the One the time of Whose beginning, if there is such a thing, goes
back to the very beginning of time, and such a duration is called azali, eternal. When you say
that His existence depends on His own merits, this Attribute will then include both meanings.
What affects the determining of the "past" and the "present" are certain variables; both words
describe time, and nothing measures time other than change. One Who is above change by