His words, “whose forelock You hold,” indicate that all creatures are subject to His irresistible might and dominion. Glorified is He: He holds their forelocks, has full power over them, disposes of them however He wills, and decrees concerning them whatever He desires.

Allah Most High says, relating the words of Hūd—peace be upon him:

“I have placed my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature except that He holds it by its forelock. Indeed, my Lord is upon a straight path.” 1.

The forelock is the front of the head.

He then appealed to Allah—Glorified is He—by some of His Most Beautiful Names and magnificent attributes: “O Allah, You are the First, and there is nothing before You; You are the Last, and there is nothing after You; You are the Most High, and there is nothing above You; and You are the Most Near, and there is nothing nearer than You.” This affirms that Allah—Glorified is He—is the First and existed before all things; that He is everlasting and remains after all things; that He is exalted above His creation, established above His Throne, and above all things—the Most High, with nothing above Him; and that He—Glorified is He—is near to His creation and encompasses them—the Most Near, with nothing nearer than Him. These four Names all serve to explain the Lord’s encompassing of all things, which is of two kinds: temporal and spatial. His Names the First and the Last indicate temporal encompassment, while His Names the Most High and the Most Near indicate spatial encompassment. This is what the Prophet’s explanation—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—necessarily entails, and no explanation is more perfect than his.

His words, “Settle our debts and free us from poverty,” are a request and plea addressed to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, after those appeals.

His words, “Settle our debts,” mean: discharge on our behalf the rights owed to Allah and the rights owed to His servants, of