Al-Batin

The Hidden. Allah Almighty says: "He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate." (Al-Hadid, 3) The existence of Allah Most High is both manifest and hidden. Allah Almighty's being Hidden is relative to us, for we know and recognise Him only through His attributes; there is no way for us to know His essence. Only He knows His own existence. He is the essence of essences; His existence is hidden within His existence. Although He is manifest, He is also hidden. Just as He cannot be perceived by the senses or grasped by imagination, so too the reality of His existence is far above being contained in the comprehension and grasp of minds. Therefore one should not judge Him to be only Manifest or only Hidden, but should defer the judgement and say "the Manifest and the Hidden." Looking at the name Al-Batin, one should not suppose that Allah is hidden even from Himself. He is the unseen Manifest and the unconcealed Hidden. Allah is present in all hidden things. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is within and near to all things. By being Al-Batin He is nearer to everything than its own essence. For Him the unseen is the seen. Secrecy and concealment do not apply to Him.

The noble name Al-Batin is recited 62 times as "Ya Batin, jalla jalaluhu" for the opening of spiritual unveiling, for supplications to be answered, and to be delivered from every kind of fear. For requests to be realized, the noble verse "Huwa'l-Awwalu wa'l-Akhiru wa'z-Zahiru wa'l-Batin, wa huwa bi kulli shay'in Alim" is recited 145 times after a prayer of two units.