about the beginning of this observable world.

The third point: He said:

“Allah existed, and nothing existed before Him.”

The wording “with Him” has also been transmitted, as has “other than Him.” All three wordings occur in al-Bukhārī. Yet there was only one gathering, and their question and his answer took place at that gathering. Moreover, ʿImrān, who narrated the hadith, did not leave when the gathering ended; rather, he left before it ended, upon being told that his riding animal had wandered off. He is the one who reported the Messenger’s words. This indicates that the Messenger uttered only one of these wordings, while the other two were transmitted in paraphrase.

Accordingly, the wording established from him is “before.” For it is established in Sahīh Muslim, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say in his supplication:

“You are the First, and nothing is before You; You are the Last, and nothing is after You; You are the Manifest, and nothing is above You; You are the Hidden, and nothing is nearer than You.”

This accords with, and explains, His saying, Most High:

“He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden.”

Since the wording “before” is established in this hadith, it is established that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said it. Neither of the other two wordings, however, has ever been established. Most hadith scholars—including al-Humaydī, al-Baghawī, Ibn al-Athīr, and others—transmitted it only with the wording “before”:

“Allah existed, and nothing was before Him.”

If, then, he said only, “Allah existed, and nothing existed before Him,” this wording addresses neither the beginning of things that come into existence nor the first thing created.