الآخِرُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Akhir
The Last
Al-Akhir is the Last, the One whose existence never ends. Its verse is 57:3, the same verse as Al-Awwal's, where the Last comes right after the First, and it is mentioned once in the Quran. Everything else ends: every soul will taste death (3:185), and everything perishes except Him (28:88).
Key verse
﴿هُوَ ٱلْأَوَّلُ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرُ وَٱلظَّـٰهِرُ وَٱلْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ﴾He is the First and the Last, the Most High and Most Near, and He has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.
The scholar's text
The Last, The One whose Existence is without an end.
(هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ) الحديد 57: 3
(He is the First and the Last, the Most High and Most Near, and He has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.) Al-Hadid 57:3
It is mentioned 1 time in the Holy Quran
الآخر، الذي لا انتهاء لوجوده.
(هُوَ ٱلْأَوَّلُ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرُ وَٱلظَّـٰهِرُ وَٱلْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ) الحديد 57: 3
ورد في القرآن الكريم مرة واحدة.
Nothing After Him
In 57:3 the Last comes straight after the First. Al-Sa'di: the One after whom there is nothing. Al-Tabari adds that He is after everything, without an end, because He remains after all things have perished, and he quotes 28:88 for it. The Prophet ﷺ said it in his du'a before sleep: “Thou art the Last and there is nothing after Thee” (Sunan Abi Dawud 5051, graded sahih by al-Albani).
Arabic: هو الأول والآخر
تأتي في آية الحديد ﴿وَٱلْـَٔاخِرُ﴾ بعد الأول. قال السعدي: «الذي ليس بعده شيء»، وقال الطبري: «والآخر بعد كل شيء بغير نهاية»، «وهو كائن بعد فناء الأشياء كلها»، واستشهد بآية القصص. وقال النبي ﷺ في دعاء النوم: «وَأَنْتَ الآخِرُ فَلَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَىْءٌ» (سنن أبي داود 5051، صححه الألباني).
Everything Perishes but Him
﴿وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ ۘ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُۥ ۚ لَهُ ٱلْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ﴾And do not invoke any other god with Allah. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. Everything is bound to perish except He Himself. All authority belongs to Him. And to Him you will ˹all˺ be returned.
28:88 ends Surah al-Qasas with the Last in action: everything is bound to perish except He Himself. Al-Sa'di draws the conclusion for worship. Only Allah, the Perfect who remains, deserves to be loved and worshipped. If everything besides Him perishes and fades, then worshipping what perishes is empty, he says, because its aim is empty and its end is ruin. The verse itself ends on what follows from it: all authority belongs to Him, and to Him all return.
Arabic: كل شيء هالك إلا وجهه
تختم سورة القصص بقوله: ﴿وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ ۘ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُۥ ۚ لَهُ ٱلْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ﴾، قال السعدي: «فلا أحد يستحق أن يؤله ويحب ويعبد، إلا اللّه الكامل الباقي الذي كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ»، و«وإذا كان كل شيء هالكا مضمحلا، سواه فعبادة الهالك الباطل باطلة ببطلان غايتها، وفساد نهايتها».
Every Soul Will Taste Death
﴿كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ﴾Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise will ˹indeed˺ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment.
3:185 turns the same fact toward the reader: every soul will taste death, and the full reward comes on the Day of Judgment. The verse makes this world small, al-Sa'di says, by its passing and its not lasting. It is the delusion of enjoyment, and people move on from it to the lasting home where every soul is paid for what it did. On 21:35 he puts it as a cup every soul must drink, however long the servant lives.
Arabic: كل نفس ذائقة الموت
تقول آية آل عمران: ﴿كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ﴾، قال السعدي: «هذه الآية الكريمة فيها التزهيد في الدنيا بفنائها وعدم بقائها، وأنها متاع الغرور، تفتن بزخرفها، وتخدع بغرورها، وتغر بمحاسنها، ثم هي منتقلة، ومنتقل عنها إلى دار القرار، التي توفى فيها النفوس ما عملت في هذه الدار، من خير وشر». وقال في آية الأنبياء: «وهذا يشمل سائر نفوس الخلائق، وإن هذا كأس لا بد من شربه وإن طال بالعبد المدى، وعمّر سنين».
Last in His Generosity
Al-Baghawi brings together the early explanations. Ibn Abbas: the Last after everything has perished, without an end; things pass away and He remains. Al-Suddi turned it toward the reader: He is Last by His generosity, since He taught you to repent for what you did. And al-Junayd: Last by forgiving sins. Yaman, in the same list, took the Last to be the Merciful.
Arabic: والآخر بجوده
جمع البغوي أقوال السلف: «الآخر بعد فناء كل شيء، بلا انتهاء تفنى الأشياء ويبقى هو»، وهذا معنى قول ابن عباس. وقال السدي: «والآخر بجوده إذ عرفك التوبة على ما جنيت». وقال الجنيد: «والآخر بغفران الذنوب». ونقل: «وقال يمان: هو الأول القديم و الآخر الرحيم».
From the Sunnah
Thou art the first and there is nothing before thee; Thou art the Last and there is nothing after Thee; Thou art the Outward and there is nothing above Thee; Thou art the Inward and there is nothing below Thee
أَنْتَ الأَوَّلُ فَلَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَىْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الآخِرُ فَلَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَىْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَىْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ فَلَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَىْءٌ
A du'a with this Name
أَنْتَ الأَوَّلُ فَلَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَىْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الآخِرُ فَلَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَىْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَىْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ فَلَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَىْءٌ
Thou art the first and there is nothing before thee; Thou art the Last and there is nothing after Thee; Thou art the Outward and there is nothing above Thee; Thou art the Inward and there is nothing below Thee
Sunan Abi Dawud 5051, graded sahih by al-Albani: from what the Prophet ﷺ said when he went to bed, as Abu Hurayrah reported
Related Names
Questions about Al-Akhir
What does Al-Akhir mean?
Al-Akhir is the Last, the One whose existence never ends.
Where is Al-Akhir in the Quran?
Al-Akhir comes in 57:3, immediately after Al-Awwal, and it is mentioned once in the Quran.
If everything perishes, what should a person worship?
Only the One who remains, al-Sa'di says on 28:88; worshipping what perishes is empty.
Did the Prophet ﷺ explain Al-Akhir?
Yes. Going to bed, he would say: You are the Last, and there is nothing after You (Sunan Abi Dawud 5051, graded sahih by al-Albani).