Delineating the Meaning of God's Four Divine Attributes, the First, the Last, the Apparent, the Hidden in the Rational Approach

In Islam, the principle of monotheism (Tawhid) has been introduced as the most fundamental principles of religion and its understanding as the most exalted form of knowledge. Although, in Islamic theology, knowing the divine essence is considered impossible for human beings, the window to knowing God in theology is not completely shut and attaining some levels of understanding of monotheism through the study of divine attributes is possible and recommended. Therefore, addressing God through these attributes and the explanation of their true meaning is abundant both in the verses of the Holy Quran and in the Sunnah (traditions and prayers). God has described Himself with four attributes; "the first (alaval), the last (alakhar) the apparent (alzaher) and the hidden (albaten)" at the beginning of Hadid Surah. The understanding of these attributes as a way to contemplate on the Day of Judgement is recommended in Islamic traditions. Considering the different narratives, intellectual and intuitive approaches in explaining the meaning of divine attributes, this article seeks to explain the meaning of these four attributes, considering the significant heritage of the intellectual and philosophical approaches in this respect. In this paper, ‘the first’ and ‘the last’ are not considered as temporal concepts rather they are considered essential characteristics and the philosophical framework that has been considered as the ultimate cause. In Mulla Sadra’s philosophy, these attributes signify absolute unity and include all divine attributes. ‘The apparent’ and ‘the hidden’ are interpreted through references to other divine attributes such as divine knowledge. ‘The apparent’ refers to the manifestation of divine attributes in worldly signs. In Mulla Sadra’s philosophy, these two attributes are compared with light which is apparent in nature and is a sign of something else which remains hidden because of its exalted status.