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Al-Batin — The Hidden

Al-Batin is the Hidden — nearer than anything yet beyond the reach of sight and imagination. The name denies that Allah can be grasped by the senses or comprehended by the mind, while affirming that His nearness is closer than the jugular vein (50:16). Classical scholars hold it together with Az-Zahir in 57:3: He is manifest in His signs and hidden in His essence, and neither cancels the other. The one who looks for Him with the eye will not find Him; the one who looks with reflection will not miss Him.

Updated July 16, 2026

Name 76 of 99

الْبَاطِنُ

Al-Batin

The Hidden

Where Al-Batin appears in the Quran

Surah Al-Hadid 57:3

هُوَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُ وَٱلۡأٓخِرُ وَٱلظَّـٰهِرُ وَٱلۡبَاطِنُۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ

He is the First and the Last, and the Outward and the Inward; and He is Knower of all things

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Arabic text: Tanzil Uthmani (public domain). English translation: Marmaduke Pickthall, “The Meaning of the Glorious Koran” (1930) — public domain.

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