Al-Awwal

The First

He is the One before Whom there was nothing. All creatures came into existence by His creation. As for Him, there is no beginning for His existence.

The names ‘the First’ and ‘the Last’ occur in the verse that says, {He is the First and the Last, and the Manifest and the Hidden and He is All-Knowing of everything.} [Sūrat Al-Hadīd: 3]

It also occurs in the Prophet’s Sunnah in a Hadīth reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) involving a supplication to be said before sleep, “O Allah, You are the First and there is nothing before You. You are the Last and there is nothing after You.”[1] In light of this great name, I would say:

1. Your glorification and love for Allah Almighty will grow so much when you know that He had always been and nothing existed before or along with Him, and there is no beginning for His existence. That is the attribute of the True God.
2. Know that all things apart from Allah Almighty were non-existent and He bestowed upon them the favor of bringing them into existence in addition to preparing them and providing them with sustenance. All praise is due to Him in this Life and in the Hereafter.
3. Your servitude to Allah, the First, means that you should worship the Almighty Initiator.

This gives you a sense of tranquility and trust in His promise.

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[1] Narrated by Muslim