According to the Qur’anHadith and Sufi Understanding, What Did Allah First Manifest and Develop?

 

The question of what Allah first created or manifested is a profound one in Islamic thought. According to Islamic theology and the mysticism of Sufism (Tasawwuf)—which emphasizes spiritual purification and intimate connection with Allah—the answer centers on the Light of Muhammad (Nāẓhar al-Muḥammadī), also known as the Light of Muhammad.

1. Qur’anic Perspective

The Qur’an states: “And We made from water every living thing.” (Surah Al-Anbiyya 21:30)

Narrated by Ibn ʿAbbās (RA), some scholars interpret this to mean that Allah first created water, then the Throne (ʿArsh).

2. Hadith on the First Manifestation

The Noble Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah the Exalted said: ‘From the Light of my beloved Habīb Muḥammad ﷺ I created the entire universe.’” (Reported in qudsī traditions, al-Dālamī, Bayhaqī, Majmaʿu’l-Zawāyid)

In another hadith, Prophet ﷺ states: “Anā’l-Awwal – I am the First Created.” (Bayhaqī, Dala’il al-Nubuwwah)

This indicates that at the beginning of creation, Allah revealed the first and dearest of His creations—the Light of Muḥammad ﷺ.

3. The Pen as the First Physical Creation

Another reported ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ says: “Allah first created the Qalam (Pen), and then commanded it: ‘Write!’ The Pen asked, ‘What shall I write?’ Allah replied, ‘All that has happened and will happen until the Day of Judgment.’” (Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwūd)

This suggests that the Pen is the first visible or tangible creation through which divine decree and destiny begin.

Sufi Viewpoint: The Primacy of the Light of Muḥammad ﷺ

Sufis believe that the first manifestation of divine will was the Nāẓhar al-Muḥammadī—the primordial Light of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. This Light is not a corporeal form but a divine radiance from which all creation emanates.

In mystical traditions, quoting the ḥadīth qudsī or Sufi scripture:“I was a hidden treasure (كنزاً مخفياً), and I desired to be known. Thus, I created creation.” (Mishkāt al-Anwār, Imam Ghazālī)

This teaching holds that Allah initiated creation to know Himself, first by manifesting the Light of Muḥammad ﷺ.

The Seven Divine Declarations

According to certain Sufi teachings, Allah expressed His will through seven declarations at the inception of creation:

Kumbh Kanzān Makhfiyān (“I am the Hidden Treasure”)

Lā ilāha illā Allāh (“There is no deity but Allah”)

Anā min Nūrillāh (“I am from the Light of Allah”)

Nūr min Nūrillāh (“Light from the Light of Allah”)

Nūr min Nūrī (“Light from My Light”)

Khalaqa min Nūrī (“Created from My Light”)

Yā Amīr – Allāhu Akbar (“O Commander – Allah is Great”)

These seven phrases represent the intentional procession of divine Light manifesting in creation.

The Four Stages of Light’s Manifestation

This Light unfolds in four progressive levels, referred to coronations of divine reality:

“Awālu mā khalaqa’Llāhu rūḥī” – The first manifestation of the Spirit (Rūḥ), a metaphysical reality present at the heart of Muhammadi haqīqah.

“Awālu mā khalaqa’Llāhu nūrī” – The Light of Muḥammad appears in the subtle dimension (māḥiyyat), the initial subtle form of Light.

“Awālu mā khalaqa’Llāhu ʿaqlī” – The first intellectual manifestation in the realm of Barāwāt (higher spiritual understanding), associated with the affirmation “Alastu birabbikum?” (“Am I not your Lord?”).

“Awālu mā khalaqa’Llāhu qalam” – The first creation of the Pen, related to the Sublime Preserved Tablet (Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ) where all divine decree is written—untouched by the impure.

Succession of Creation (Sufi Cosmogony)

Divine Will (Irāda) – “I wished to be known.”

Light of Muhammad – The first mystical manifestation of divine self-knowing.

Maqāmāt and Ahwāl – Spiritual states and stations through which the spiritual cosmos unfolds.

Realms of Liwḥ (Preserved Tablet), Jabarūt, Malakūt, Naṣūt – Subsequent planes of existence created based on that primordial Light.

Views of Prominent Sufi Thinkers

Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī said:“Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ is the first-spoken Spirit—through whose Light the heavens, earth, moon, and sun were created.”

Ibn ʿArabī, in Futūḥāt al-Makkīyah, wrote:“The first manifestation of Allah is the Hakīqat al-Muḥammadīyah (The Reality of Muhammad).”

Conclusion

According to Qur’ān, Ḥadīth, and Sufi thought, the first reality Allah manifested and developed was the Light of Muḥammad ﷺ (Nāẓhar al-Muḥammadī). This divine Light, emanating from Allah’s Will, is the spiritual origin from which all creation, time, and reality spread forth as reflections or expressions.