الْبَاطِنُ
Al-Batin
The Hidden
What Al-Batin Means
Al-Batin, the Hidden, completes the verse: ‘He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden’ (57:3). The Prophet (saw) explained it in his supplication: ‘You are the Hidden, and there is nothing beyond You’ — nothing is nearer or more inward than He (Muslim 2713). Scholars explain the pairing with Az-Zahir: Allah is hidden from the eyes of creation — no gaze encompasses Him in this world — yet He is hidden not by distance or absence, but veiled by the intensity of His nearness and light, while He knows every secret, every whisper and every hidden intention. For the believer, Al-Batin carries a double lesson: humility, because Allah cannot be reduced to an image the mind can hold; and comfort, because the One hidden from your eyes is never hidden from your heart’s cry.
Al-Batin in the Quran
هُوَ ٱلْأَوَّلُ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرُ وَٱلظَّـٰهِرُ وَٱلْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
“He is the First and the Last, and the Manifest and the Hidden, and He is All-Knowing about every thing.”
What the Prophet ﷺ Taught Us
THE FOUNDATION OF THE 99 NAMES
“Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.”
“Suhail reported that Abu Salih used to command us (in these words): When any one of you intends to go to sleep, he should lie on the bed on his right side and then say:” O Allah.”
Calling Upon Allah by This Name
Allah Himself commands us to call upon Him by His beautiful names:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
“For Allah there are the most beautiful names. So, call Him by them, and leave those who deviate in (the matter of) His names. They shall be recompensed for what they have been doing.”
Because Al-Batin knows what is inside you before you speak, bring Him your hidden burdens — the sins no one saw and the grief no one knows. In your own words: ‘Ya Batin — O Hidden One, from whom nothing is hidden — You know what is in my chest; heal what I cannot even name.’ The Prophet (saw) joined this name to the plea for relief from debt and want (Muslim 2713): hidden needs belong with Him.
Quran translations: Mufti Taqi Usmani. Hadith texts and gradings: the DeenHub hadith library. Every reference on this page is from the Quran or from hadith graded Sahih or Hasan.