Az-Zaahir – The Manifest One

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Allah has ninety-nine names (each describing an attribute), one hundred less one. Whoever ‘ahsaaha’ (enumerates them, believes in them, ponders their meanings, supplicates with them, and acts according to belief in them) will enter Paradise.” [Saheeh Muslim]

One of Allah’s names is Az-Zaahir. Zaahir means “manifest” and is the opposite of Baatin (hidden), while Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) is both manifest and hidden. Allah’s own self is hidden from us but His existence is manifest by the clear signs that point to Him and none but Him, and through them some of His attributes become evident. He is known to us through His deeds and creation that we see around us. All of His creation is actually pointing to Him.

Once, a Bedouin was asked what made an unsophisticated man like him believe in Allah.
Bedouin: "Do you see these marks in the sand?"
Man: "Yes."
Bedouin: "What do they tell you?"
Man: "A camel went by."
Bedouin: "Did you see the camel?"
Man: "No, but these footprints in the sand suggest that a camel made them."
Bedouin: "Do you see these mountains?"
Man: "Yes."
Bedouin: "They are indicative to me that Allah made them." [Tafseer Ibn Katheer]

Nothing is as manifest in the universe as Allah, Az-Zahir, is. This is because there is no entity that has trillions of things (in fact, everything!) pointing to and reminding one of them. Indeed, whoever ponders over the things that exist, the higher and lower creatures, their various shapes, colors, behavior, benefits and ecological roles, will realize the ability, wisdom, knowledge, perfection and majesty of the Creator.

A Bedouin who was asked about the evidence of Allah’s existence, responded: “All praise is due to Allah! The camel’s dung testifies to the existence of the camel, and the footsteps testify to the fact that someone was walking. A sky that holds the giant stars, a land that has fairways and a sea that has waves, does not all of this testify that the Most Kind, Most Knowledgeable exists?” [Ar-Razi 2:91]