something else has been dealt with in the Holy Qura'n with reference to mankind in verses
such as these:
Man shall on that Day be informed of what he sent forth before and what he put off. (75:13)
Surely We know those of you who have gone before and We certainly know those who shall
come later. (15:24) And We do not delay it except till an appointed term (11:104).
One of the signs of a believer's good conduct with regard to both of these Attributes is that he
should take a middle course between fear and excessive hope, and to always be on his alert.
- "Al-Awwal"
Allah has said, "He is the First (al-Awwal) and the Last (al-Akhir) and the Ascendant (over
all) and the One Who knows hidden things, and He is Cognizant of all things" (Qura'n, 57:3).
The Attribute "al-Awwal" means: the One upon Whom all others rely, the One Who advances
all others. Applied to the Almighty, it means: He was never preceded in existence by anyone
at all; He does not need anyone else at all; He is Independent of everything and everyone.
A bedouin once asked the Messenger of Allah, "Where was Allah before creation?" He
answered him by saying, "Allah was and there was nothing with Him." The bedouin asked
him again, "How about now?" He answered him by saying, "He is now just as He has always
been." The Attribute "al-Awwal" exists in Surat al-adeed: "He is the First and the Last, the
Ascendant (over all), the One Who knows hidden things, and He is Cognizant of all
things" (Qura'n, 57:3). And He is referred to by implication in this verse: "We have ordained
death among you and We are not preceded in doing so by anyone else" (Qura'n, 56:60).
"Al-Awwal" is the first of anything different from Him. He has the upper hand over His foes,
an advancement due neither to time nor to place nor to anything else that can be conceived by
mind nor acquired by knowledge. "Al-Awwal" means the timeless, the perpetual, the One
Who has neither a beginning nor an end. He is the First without a beginning; He exists on His
own even before His creatures were ever there.
He is the Eternal One Who has always been and Who is never preceded by anyone at all.
Allah has said, "We have ordained death among you, and We are not preceded in doing so by
anyone else" (Qura'n, 56:60). This verse indicates that He, and Only He, has such power to
effect death upon His servants, and He is the First to do so without anyone preceding Him.
- "Al-Akhir"
Allah Almighty has said, "He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant (over all), the One Who