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What is the meaning of Allah's name "The Last" in conjunction with the eternal abode of the people of Paradise?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Qur'an, Sunnah, and the consensus of the early Muslim generations (Salaf of the Ummah) have affirmed that Paradise and its inhabitants will not perish. Belief in this is part of belief in the Last Day. The Salaf of the Ummah and its imams have agreed that some creations, such as Paradise, Hell, and the Throne, will not perish. Jahm bin Safwan and the Mu'tazilah differed on this matter.

As for the meaning of Allah's name (Al-Akhir - The Last) in His saying, "He is the First and the Last," it does not contradict the eternal existence of Paradise and its inhabitants. Its interpretations include that He (Glorified be He) combines attributes that are contradictory for others, that He has no beginning and no end, that He is the One who remains with His attributes after the perishing of creation, and that He is the First by eternality and the Last by everlastingness, and to Him is the ultimate return.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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