And Ibn ʿAbbas (1) said: “The very first thing Allah created was the Pen. He took it with His right hand—and both of His hands are right—then He wrote (2) the whole world and everything that will occur in it: every deed performed on land or at sea, whether fresh or dry, and He kept a precise account of it with Him.”

Ibn ʿAbbas also said, with reference to the Almighty’s words, “and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand” (Az-Zumar 39:64): “Allah will clasp them so tightly that neither of their extremities will be visible in His hand.” (3)

Ibn ʿUmar related: “I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ standing on the pulpit. He said, ‘When the Day of Resurrection comes, Allah, Exalted be He, will gather the heavens and the earth in His grasp. Then—stretching out and spreading His hand—He will say: I am Allah, I am the Most Merciful…’ ” (4) and he went on to narrate the remainder of the ḥadith.