Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Yes. The Noble Qur’an clearly indicates that Allah تعالى has no beginning to His existence, even though the word “eternal” (al-Azalī) itself does not occur in it. One of the strongest indications is His saying: ﴿He is the First and the Last﴾ [al-Ḥadīd: 3]. The Prophet ﷺ explained “the First” as the One before whom there is nothing. Thus, the meaning is established by the Qur’an and Sunnah, even though the technical term “al-Azalī” does not occur explicitly in the texts.
Al-Azalī refers to that whose existence has no beginning and which was not preceded by non-existence.
This meaning is established for Allah تعالى. He is the Creator, not created, and He سبحانه is the First before whom there is nothing.
For this reason, the Qur’anic expression “the First” is more precise and complete than simply saying “eternal,” because the word “eternal” may be used to describe something that has no beginning, but it does not convey with the same strength that there is nothing before it or alongside it.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and He has knowledge of all things﴾ [al-Ḥadīd: 3].
This verse is among the clearest evidences that Allah تعالى has no beginning to His existence.
The Prophet ﷺ gave a clear explanation of “the First,” saying in the authentic hadith:
“O Allah, You are the First, and there is nothing before You; and You are the Last, and there is nothing after You...”
Narrated by Muslim (2713).
Since Allah تعالى is the One before whom there is nothing, it is established that He was not preceded by non-existence, nor by any existing being that brought Him into existence. He سبحانه is the First without a beginning.
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn رحمه الله explained the meaning of “the First” as the One before whom there is nothing, and that all created beings came into existence after Allah تعالى.
Another Qur’anic evidence is that Allah تعالى described Himself as the Creator, and that He is the Creator of everything. He سبحانه says:
﴿Allah is the Creator of all things﴾ [al-Zumar: 62].
And He says:
﴿Is there any creator other than Allah?﴾ [Fāṭir: 3].
And He says:
﴿And He is the Supreme Creator, the All-Knowing﴾ [al-Ḥijr: 86].
If Allah سبحانه is the Creator of everything, then He Himself cannot be created, because a created being needs a creator to bring it into existence.
Therefore, saying that Allah has a beginning would imply that someone else brought Him into existence, which contradicts the fact that He سبحانه is the Creator of everything.
The Qur’an contains abundant evidence that Allah تعالى is the Lord and the true Deity, and that He created the heavens and the earth and manages the affairs of creation.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds﴾ [al-Fātiḥah: 2].
And He سبحانه says:
﴿That is Allah, your Lord, so worship Him﴾ [Yūnus: 3].
The Lord is the Creator, Owner, and Controller; He is not a created being who needs someone else to create Him.
Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said, when explaining some verses in which Allah described Himself with attributes such as the Forgiving and the Merciful:
“He has always been so.”
Allah تعالى was not at some point without His attributes of perfection and then acquired them afterward. Rather, He سبحانه has always been and will always be described by perfection.
This demonstrates that the eternity of Allah تعالى is not merely a philosophical concept; it is a meaning indicated by revelation.
A distinction should be made between the correctness of a meaning and establishing a formal Name.
The meaning of “al-Azalī” is correct with respect to Allah تعالى, meaning: the One whose existence has no beginning.
However, one should not say that “al-Azalī” is one of the Beautiful Names of Allah, because the Names of Allah تعالى are established by revelation, and this name has not been established in the Qur’an or Sunnah.
Likewise, the term “al-Qadīm” is not established as a Name of Allah تعالى according to the stronger view, even though the meaning of being without prior non-existence is correct regarding Him سبحانه.
The established Qur’anic Name is:
﴿the First﴾,
and it is more comprehensive and clearer, because the Prophet ﷺ explained it by saying:
“There is nothing before You.”
This issue may open a door to obsessive whispers from Satan, and the Prophet ﷺ therefore instructed Muslims not to continue pursuing such thoughts.
He ﷺ said:
“Satan comes to one of you and says: Who created this? Who created that? until he says: Who created your Lord? When he reaches that point, let him seek refuge in Allah and stop.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī (3276) and Muslim (134).
In another narration from Muslim:
“Whoever finds something of this, let him say: I believe in Allah.”
When such whispers arise, the Muslim should seek refuge in Allah, stop pursuing them, and remember that Allah تعالى is the First before whom there is nothing. The question “Who created Allah?” is based on a false premise, because Allah is the Creator and is not created.
The Qur’an and Sunnah establish that Allah تعالى is eternal and that His existence has no beginning, even though the word “al-Azalī” itself does not occur in the Qur’an. The clearest Qur’anic evidence is His saying:
﴿He is the First and the Last﴾ [al-Ḥadīd: 3].
The Prophet ﷺ explained “the First” by saying: “There is nothing before You.”
Likewise, the fact that He سبحانه is the Creator of everything and the Lord of the worlds demonstrates that He is not created and was not preceded by another being who brought Him into existence.
As for “al-Azalī,” it is not an established Name of Allah تعالى; rather, it is a correct description in terms of meaning. It is preferable to use the expressions established in revelation, foremost among them “the First.”
And Allah knows best.