Allah Almighty is The Manifest
Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (15)
Allah Almighty is manifestly evident in the understanding of the believers. He, exalted be He, is more manifest than anything else. The effect is less apparent than the cause in the perception of the believers; the Creator is clearer than the creation, and the Maker is more evident than the creation itself. Indeed, one of the names of Allah is "The Manifest".
Taj al-Din Ibn Ata' Allah al-Sakandari expresses this concept—diversifying in both expression and meaning—with a series of phrases that are similar in wording except for one or two words. This subtle change in wording results in a nuanced meaning for the phrases as a whole. He says:
How can it be imagined that anything could conceal Him, while He is the One who manifested everything? How can it be imagined that anything could conceal Him, while He is the Manifest before the existence of anything? How can it be imagined that anything could conceal Him, while He is more manifest than everything? How can it be imagined that anything could conceal Him, while He is closer to you than everything? How can it be imagined that anything could conceal Him, while without Him, nothing would exist?
One of the beautiful names of Allah is "The Manifest". One of the meanings of the word "Manifest" is that Allah is evident due to the multitude of proofs and signs pointing to Him. When asked, "O Imam, when was Allah?" Imam Ali replied: "When was He not"?
The scholars have said: Allah Almighty created all beings to manifest the effects of His power within them. He, the Most High, is manifest over all things from every direction.
One of the most precise and clear statements is that the entire universe, including everything within it, manifests the names and attributes of Allah and serves as His signs. The whole universe continually points to Allah. Everything in the universe—its galaxies, the heavens, the earth, plants, animals, birds, fish, humans, food, and drink—serves the greatest purpose of helping us recognize Allah through it. If one benefits from the universe but does not come to know Allah Almighty through it, they have not fulfilled the purpose of their existence.
It is said that the name "The Manifest" refers to the One who reveals Himself through the lights of His guidance and signs, and who is exalted in the meanings of His names and attributes. His guidance is clear, and His signs are evident.
The scholars have said: "You will not find an atom in existence that does not testify to the oneness of the deity. Nor will you find any noble being adorned with the attributes of men who does not bear witness to the radiance of the attributes of the Most High. All goodness comes from Allah, all perfection comes from Allah, and all righteous actions are by Allah's grace and inspiration. The source of perfection in the universe is The Manifest. They said: 'The Manifest is not hidden from any contemplative person; anyone who seeks the truth will find Allah manifesting to them. He is The Manifest and thus is not hidden from any observer; He is Manifest to the eyes of souls and the universe, adorned with perfection. Everything within it declares: I bear witness that my Creator, The Eternal Possessor of Sovereignty, is The Manifest.
Sheikh Saadi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “‘The Manifest’ indicates the greatness of His attributes, the diminishing of everything in the face of His majesty, both in essence and attributes, and it signifies His exaltedness.”
The name of Allah; "The Manifest" is associated with the name of Allah; "The Hidden". One of the secrets behind the pairing of Allah's beautiful names; "The First" "The Last", "the Manifest," and "the Hidden", is that knowledge of these four names represents the pillars of knowledge and understanding. It is fitting for a servant to reach the extent of their capacity and comprehension in understanding these names.
The essence of these four names—"the First," "the Last," "the Manifest," and "the Hidden"—revolves around comprehensiveness, which includes both temporal and spatial dimensions. The comprehensiveness of His Firstness and Lastness spans the past and the future. Everything that is prior ends in His Firstness, and everything that is subsequent ends in His Lastness. Thus, His Firstness and Lastness encompass all that is prior and all that is subsequent. His Manifestness and Hiddenness encompass every manifest and hidden thing. There is nothing manifest except that Allah is above it, and there is nothing hidden except that Allah is beyond it. There is nothing first except that Allah precedes it, and there is nothing last except that Allah follows it. The First is His eternity, the Last is His perpetuity and continuity, the Manifest is His exaltedness and greatness, and the Hidden is His closeness and nearness. He precedes everything with His Firstness, remains after everything with His Lastness, is exalted above everything with His Manifestness, and is close to everything with His Hiddenness. No sky conceals another sky from Him, nor does any earth conceal another earth. No manifest thing conceals the hidden from Him; rather, the hidden is manifest to Him. The unseen is as if it were witnessed by Him, the distant is as if it were near to Him, and the secret is as if it were public. These four names encompass the pillars of monotheism: He is the "First" in His Lastness, the "Last" in His Firstness, the "Manifest" in His Hiddenness, and the "Hidden" in His Manifestness. He has always been First, Last, Manifest, and Hidden.
Since Allah, the Most High, is The First who created the beings and The Last to whom all things return, He is the ultimate source and unifier. Knowledge of Him is the foundation and summation of all knowledge, mentioning Him is the foundation and summation of all speech, and working for Him is the foundation and summation of all actions. The creation’s well-being lies only in knowing their Lord and worshiping Him.
Episode references:
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 116-121.
- Encyclopedia of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah, Muhammad Rateb al-Nabulsi, Dar al-Maktabi, Damascus, Syria, 3rd ed., 1425 AH-2004 AD, 2/1004.
- Ibn Taymiyyah’s words, quoted from: The Story of Creation, Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Khar’an, Dar Kunuz Ishbilia for Publishing and Distribution, Riyadh, 1st ed., 2008, p. 13.
- The Path of the Two Migrations and the Gate of the Two Felicities, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr Ibn al-Qayyim, Dar al-Salafiyah, Cairo, 2nd ed., 1394, p. 25.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi
