What is your guidance regarding the use of the word "كان" (kana - was) in the Quran when speaking of God's attributes, such as "إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا" (Indeed, Allah has been, and ever remains, Observer over you), knowing that it indicates the past, but is translated into the present tense in English?

The word "was" (كان) does not always indicate a past, severed event. Rather, it may denote continuity, as in the Almighty's saying: (And indeed man was ever hasty) [Qur'an 17:11] because it does not mean that hastiness has ceased from man. This meaning becomes clearer when it appears in the context of Allah's Names and Attributes. So, the meaning of: (And Allah was Forgiving and Merciful) [Qur'an 4:96] is that He has always been so. This has been mentioned by Ibn Abbas, Al-Suyuti, and others. Some scholars hold that "was" (كان) in these contexts is devoid of temporal indication, meaning it denotes the realization of the attribute. Thus, what is intended is that Allah is eternally characterized by these attributes, not that they existed then ceased. Therefore, translating the verb "was" (كان) into the present tense is correct and not objectionable.