Al-Awwal
The First
Root أ و ل (ʾ-w-l). Awwal is ‘first’, the opposite of ākhir. Lisān al-ʿArab files it under ʾ-w-l, where the base verb āla means ‘to return’. The derivation is disputed among the classical grammarians; some derive awwal from w-ʾ-l, others from ʾ-w-l. The related words here follow that filing. Taʾwīl refers to ‘interpretation’ or ‘final outcome’, as seen in Qur'an 3:7. Ūlā is the feminine form of ‘first’. ‘He is the First and the Last’ (57:3).
The root
أ و لʾ-w-l
Firstness. Awwal is 'first', the opposite of ākhir. Lisān al-ʿArab files it under أول, where the base verb āla means 'to return'.
- تَأْوِيلtaʾwīlinterpretation; final outcome (3:7)
- أُولَىūlāfirst (fem.)
Pronunciation
الْأَوَّلُ
al-AW-wal
In the Qur'an
هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.
57:3 · Sahih International