He said, “And His words: wa-kāna Allāhu ghafūran raḥīman—‘and Allah has ever been Forgiving, Merciful’ (1); wa-kāna Allāhu ʿazīzan ḥakīman—‘and Allah has ever been Mighty, Wise’ (2); and wa-kāna Allāhu samīʿan baṣīran—‘and Allah has ever been Hearing, Seeing’ (3). It is as though He were so, and then it passed away.”

Ibn ʿAbbās replied, “As for His words: wa-kāna Allāhu ghafūran raḥīman—‘and Allah has ever been Forgiving, Merciful’ (4), He named Himself with that; that is His own statement, meaning: ‘I have never ceased to be so’ (5)….” This is al-Bukhārī’s wording, and he abbreviated (6) the ḥadith.

Al-Barqānī also transmitted it (7) through the route of al-Bukhārī’s teacher in its complete form, where Ibn ʿAbbās said: “As for His words: wa-kāna Allāhu ghafūran raḥīman—‘and Allah has ever been Forgiving, Merciful’ (8); wa-kāna Allāhu ʿazīzan ḥakīman—‘and Allah has ever been Mighty, Wise’ (9); and wa-kāna Allāhu samīʿan baṣīran—‘and Allah has ever been Hearing, Seeing’ (10), Allah has attributed these qualities to Himself, named Himself with them, and has not assigned them to anyone besides Him. His saying wa-kāna Allāhu—‘and Allah has ever been’—means that He has never ceased to be thus.” This is the wording preserved by al-Humaydī, the compiler (11).