الْبَاقِي
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Baqi
The Everlasting
Al-Baqi is the Everlasting: no beginning to His existence and no end to it. Set beside Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir, which can sound tied to time, Al-Baqi says that Allah is above time. Its verse is 16:96, on what runs out and what remains.
Key verse
﴿مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ ۖ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ بَاقٍ ۗ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوٓا۟ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ﴾Whatever you have will end, but whatever Allah has is everlasting. And We will certainly reward the steadfast according to the best of their deeds.
The scholar's text
Allah SWT is Al-Baqi (in Arabic: ٱلْبَاقِي), The Everlasting. The one who has always existed and who will never cease to be. He is the one whose existence doesn’t have a beginning nor an end. The virtue of this name signifies Allah as being perpetual, endless, and everlasting. He will remain forever and unaffected by time.
Forever and Ever:
There is a difference in the interpreted meaning of the names Al-Awwal (The First) and Al-Akhir (The Last), and Al-Baqi in the sense of what each name conveys. Al-Awwal teaches us about Allah SWT as being the beginning of all creation, Al-Akhir describes Him as being the last. However, with Al-Baqi, it describes Allah's nature to be everlasting or eternal. Being called the first and the last can seem bounded or constrained by time. Al-Baqi affirms to us that Allah SWT transcends time. There is no before or after with respect to Allah SWT and always will be.
Note: Al-Awwal, the First, means that nothing is before Allah, as the Prophet ﷺ explained it (Sahih Muslim 2713): He is before all creation, not its beginning or a part of it.
Time is a creation of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ, and His perception of it is unchanging. As Imam Ghazali mentions, "only changeable things participate in past or future because past or future are temporal expressions."
Imam Ghazali explains, "He is the existent whose existence is necessary in itself." It is inconceivable to imagine how something could exist in and of itself. But His existence is, and it's everlasting. For this reason, we are all here today. He's allowed for us to be and gives us our continued sustenance and purpose for existing.
مَا عِندَكُمۡ يَنفَدُ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ بَاقٖۗ وَلَنَجۡزِيَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوٓاْ أَجۡرَهُم بِأَحۡسَنِ مَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ
("Whatever you have will end, but what Allah has is lasting. And We will surely give those who were patient their reward according to the best of what they used to do.") An-Nahl 16:96
الله سبحانه وتعالى هو الباقي (بالعربية: ٱلْبَاقِي)، الدائم، الذي لم يزل موجودا ولن يزول. هو الذي ليس لوجوده بداية ولا نهاية. ومعنى هذا الاسم أن الله دائم لا ينقطع، باق أبدا، يبقى إلى الأبد ولا يؤثر فيه الزمان.
أبد الآبدين:
وبين معنى الاسمين الأول والآخر ومعنى الباقي فرق فيما يدل عليه كل اسم. فالأول يعرفنا بالله سبحانه وتعالى بأنه بداية الخلق كله، والآخر يصفه بأنه الآخر. أما الباقي فيصف دوام الله وأبديته. وقد يبدو الوصف بالأول والآخر محدودا أو مقيدا بالزمان، والباقي يؤكد لنا أن الله سبحانه وتعالى فوق الزمان، فلا قبل ولا بعد بالنسبة إليه سبحانه، وهكذا يبقى.
ملاحظة: معنى الأول أنه ليس قبل الله شيء، كما شرحه النبي ﷺ (صحيح مسلم 2713)، فهو قبل الخلق كله، لا بدايته ولا جزء منه.
والزمان من خلق الله سبحانه وتعالى، وإدراكه له لا يتغير. وكما ذكر الإمام الغزالي، فإن الماضي والمستقبل لا يدخل فيهما إلا ما يتغير، لأنهما عبارتان زمانيتان.
ويشرح الإمام الغزالي أنه الموجود الذي وجوده واجب بذاته. ويصعب تصور كيف يوجد شيء بذاته، لكن وجوده سبحانه كذلك، وهو دائم. ولهذا نحن جميعا هنا اليوم: أذن لنا أن نكون، ويمدنا برزقنا وبالغاية من وجودنا.
(مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ ۖ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ بَاقٍ ۗ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوٓا۟ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ) النحل 16: 96
What Allah Has Remains
16:96 sets two things side by side: whatever you have will end, but whatever Allah has is everlasting. Al-Sa'di turns it into a choice. Prefer what remains over what perishes, he says, for what you have will run out however much it is, while what is with Allah remains by His remaining, and no one with sense picks the worthless thing that passes over the precious thing that lasts. He adds a caution. Renunciation, in his sense, means dropping what helps neither religion nor this world, and working hard at everything that does help.
Arabic: ما عندكم ينفد وما عند الله باق
تقابل آية النحل بين أمرين: ﴿مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ ۖ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ بَاقٍ﴾، قال السعدي: «فآثروا ما يبقى على ما يفنى فإن الذي عندكم ولو كثر جدا لا بد أن يَنْفَدُ ويفنى، وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ بَاقٍ ببقائه لا يفنى ولا يزول، فليس بعاقل من آثر الفاني الخسيس على الباقي النفيس». وقال في حقيقة الزهد: «فالزهد الحقيقي هو الزهد فيما لا ينفع في الدين والدنيا، والرغبة والسعي في كل ما ينفع]».
Only Your Lord Remains
﴿وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ﴾Only your Lord Himself, full of Majesty and Honour, will remain ˹forever˺.
55:26 and 55:27 set what perishes against the One who remains: every being on earth is bound to perish, and only your Lord, full of Majesty and Honour, will remain. Ibn Kathir passes on al-Sha'bi's advice for reciting it: when you read every being on earth is bound to perish, do not stop until you have read the next verse. And he links it to 28:88: everything is bound to perish except He Himself.
Arabic: ويبقى وجه ربك ذو الجلال والإكرام
تقابل آيتا الرحمن بين ما يفنى ومن يبقى: ﴿كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ﴾ ﴿وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ﴾. قال ابن كثير: «وقال الشعبي: إذا قرأت (كل من عليها فان)، فلا تسكت حتى تقرأ: (ويبقى وجه ربك ذو الجلال والإكرام»، «وهذه الآية كقوله تعالى: (كل شيء هالك إلا وجهه».
Better, and More Lasting
﴿إِنَّآ ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَـٰيَـٰنَا وَمَآ أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلسِّحْرِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ﴾Indeed, we have believed in our Lord so He may forgive our sins and that magic you have forced us to practice. And Allah is far superior ˹in reward˺ and more lasting ˹in punishment˺.”
Pharaoh's magicians, once they believed, answered his threats with the word: Allah is far superior and more lasting (20:73). Better, al-Sa'di explains, than the reward, rank and standing you promised us, and more lasting in His reward and kindness, not what Pharaoh claimed when he boasted of a punishment more severe and more lasting. The Hereafter, 87:17 says, is far better and more lasting. Al-Sa'di gives the reason: it is a home that lasts, and this world passes. A believer with sense, he adds, does not buy an hour of pleasure at the price of grief that never ends.
Arabic: والله خير وأبقى
رد سحرة فرعون على تهديده بعد أن آمنوا: ﴿وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ﴾، قال السعدي: «والله خير مما وعدتنا من الأجر والمنزلة والجاه، وأبقى ثوابا وإحسانا»، لا ما يقول فرعون حين ادعى أنه أشد عذابا وأبقى. وفي الأعلى: ﴿وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ﴾، قال السعدي: «وأبقى لكونها دار خلد وبقاء وصفاء، والدنيا دار فناء، فالمؤمن العاقل لا يختار الأردأ على الأجود، ولا يبيع لذة ساعة، بترحة الأبد».
The Good Deeds That Last
﴿ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا﴾Wealth and children are the adornment of this worldly life, but the everlasting good deeds are far better with your Lord in reward and in hope.
18:46 weighs two things a person can own. Wealth and children adorn this life. The everlasting good deeds are far better with your Lord. Al-Sa'di's list of them is long: any act of obedience, obligatory or extra, toward Allah or toward people, whose reward stays and grows without end. Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab kept it short: “a slave's saying 'Allah is greater' (Allahu akbar) and 'Glory be to Allah' (Subahana'llah) and 'Praise be to Allah' (al-hamdu lillah) and 'There is no god but Allah and there is no power and no strength except by Allah.'” (Muwatta Malik 492, his own words; graded maqtu' sahih by Salim al-Hilali).
Arabic: والباقيات الصالحات خير عند ربك
تذكر آية الكهف ما يبقى للإنسان: ﴿ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ﴾، قال السعدي: «وأن الذي يبقى للإنسان وينفعه ويسره، الباقيات الصالحات، وهذا يشمل جميع الطاعات الواجبة والمستحبة من حقوق الله، وحقوق عباده»، «فثوابها يبقى، ويتضاعف على الآباد». وقال سعيد بن المسيب في الباقيات الصالحات: «إِنَّهَا قَوْلُ الْعَبْدِ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ» (موطأ مالك 492، من قوله، مقطوع صحيح كما قال سليم الهلالي).
From the Sunnah
Yahya related to me from Malik that Umara ibn Sayyad had heard Said ibn al Musayyab say about abiding good deeds that they were a slave's saying 'Allah is greater' (Allahu akbar) and 'Glory be to Allah' (Subahana'llah) and 'Praise be to Allah' (al-hamdu lillah) and 'There is no god but Allah and there is no power and no strength except by Allah.'
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ صَيَّادٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهُ يَقُولُ فِي الْبَاقِيَاتِ الصَّالِحَاتِ إِنَّهَا قَوْلُ الْعَبْدِ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
A du'a with this Name
وَأَسْأَلُكَ نَعِيمًا لاَ يَنْفَدُ وَأَسْأَلُكَ قُرَّةَ عَيْنٍ لاَ تَنْقَطِعُ
And I ask You for everlasting delight and joy that will never cease
Sunan an-Nasa'i 1305, graded sahih by al-Albani: from a du'a of the Prophet ﷺ that Ammar ibn Yasir said in his prayer
Related Names
Questions about Al-Baqi
What does Al-Baqi mean?
Al-Baqi means the Everlasting, always existing and never ceasing.
Where does the Name Al-Baqi come from?
The Name Al-Baqi comes in the list of Names in at-Tirmidhi 3507, graded weak by al-Albani. And 16:96 says that what is with Allah is everlasting.
How is Al-Baqi different from Al-Akhir?
Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir may seem tied to time; Al-Baqi affirms that Allah is above it.
What are the everlasting good deeds?
The everlasting good deeds are every act of obedience, in the rights of Allah and of people, al-Sa'di says on 18:46; Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab named the words of dhikr (Muwatta Malik 492, graded maqtu' sahih by Salim al-Hilali).