the first and the last
ٱلْأُولَىٰ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ
al-ūlā wa-l-ākhirah — the first and the later
In the verses given, the roots ا و ل and ا خ ر are repeatedly paired within a single verse as two poles of a sequence – first and last, former and later – whether naming Allah Himself, communities in the Fire, or realms of existence.
In the verses given, the two roots function as a matched pair, and the pairing itself carries the meaning: together the two words cover a whole sequence from its beginning to its end. In (57:3) the pair names Allah directly: 'He is the First and the Last', set beside a second pair, 'the Manifest and the Hidden'. In (28:70) the pair is framed as the domain of praise: 'To Him belongs the praise in the first and the later'. The same pairing appears with the order reversed in (53:25) ('the later one and the former'), (79:25) ('a deterrent for the later and the earlier') and (92:13) ('to Us belong the later [realm] and the earlier [one]'); only there is the reversed order underlined by the accusative and emphatic lām. In (56:49) the pair is plural: 'the first ones and the last ones'. In (7:38) and (7:39) the pair is pronominal and communal: 'the last of them will say to the first of them' (7:38), then 'the foremost of them will say to the last of them' (7:39), the two verses mirroring each other with the roles swapped. In (17:7) the pair marks two points in time: 'the promise of the latter' against entering 'the first time'. Not every verse in the sample sets the roots against each other: in (3:7), (3:13), (4:59), (12:36) and (12:101) the two roots occur in one verse but in separate constructions (e.g. أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ beside وَأُخَرُ in 3:7), so the contrast belongs only to the paired occurrences counted above.
Where it occurs
- 3:7 Both roots occur but not as a pair: وَأُخَرُ 'others' of the signs stands apart from أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ 'possessors of inner core'.
- 3:13 Both roots occur but not as a pair: وَأُخْرَىٰ 'another group' is separate from لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَبْصَٰرِ 'possessors of insight'.
- 4:59 Both roots occur but not as a pair: وَأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَمْرِ 'those entrusted with the command' and ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ 'the Last Day' sit in different clauses, with تَأْوِيلًا 'outcome' also present.
- 7:38 The pair appears pronominally: أُخْرَىٰهُمْ لِأُولَىٰهُمْ 'the last of them to the first of them', ordering the communities in the Fire.
- 7:39 The pair is reversed from 7:38: أُولَىٰهُمْ لِأُخْرَىٰهُمْ 'the foremost of them to the last of them', answering the accusation.
- 12:36 Both roots occur but not as a pair: ٱلْـَٔاخَرُ 'the other' youth is separate from بِتَأْوِيلِهِۦٓ 'its outcome'.
- 12:101 Both roots occur but not as a pair: تَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحَادِيثِ 'outcome of the events' is separate from وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ 'the Hereafter'.
- 17:7 The pair marks two moments: ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ 'the latter' promise against أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ 'the first time'.
- 28:70 The pair sets the domain of praise: ٱلْأُولَىٰ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ 'the first and the later'.
- 53:25 The pair, with آخر first, is assigned wholly to Allah: 'the later one and the former'.
- 56:49 The pair is plural: ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ 'the first ones and the last ones'.
- 57:3 The pair names Allah: ٱلْأَوَّلُ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرُ 'the First and the Last', set beside 'the Manifest and the Hidden'.
- 79:25 The pair, with آخر first, measures the reach of a punishment: 'a deterrent for the later and the earlier'.
- 92:13 The pair, with آخر first and accusative under emphatic lām, assigns both realms to 'Us': 'the later [realm] and the earlier [one]'.
All Qur'anic expressions