Surah AL-IKHLAS / الإخلاص in Arabic | Surah 112

Context of revelation of Surah Al-Ikhlas

This surah was revealed in the Meccan period (before the Hijra). A bedouin among the idolaters had come to see the Prophet Muhammad (may the Peace and the Blessing of Allah be upon him), questioning him about this God whose existence he advocated and whose exclusive worship he ordered. After answering him « Allah », the bedouin asked him to describe Him to him. The idolaters of that time also used the word « Allah » to designate God, but the attributes they associated with Him were completely different from those Allah has attributed to Himself. The idolaters were therefore confused by the name « Allah » that the Prophet employed when he called them to Islam.

Moreover, the bedouins fashioned their « deities » from all kinds of precious materials such as gold, or silver, and just like the Roman peoples, those of ancient Greece, the Hindus, or other idolatrous peoples, they granted lineages to their deities (Glory and purity to Allah) who, according to them, descended from other gods.

They therefore expected the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to describe to them a particular material, in addition to stating for them the ancestors of this famous deity (nassab). Allah Himself then revealed to His Prophet a surah with the aim of describing Himself, in response to their questions.

Merits of Surah Al-Ikhlas, or benefits of which the Prophet speaks

It is reported in a hadith that the Prophet swore to his companions that this surah was equivalent to a third of the Quran. Indeed, according to the scholars of Islam, the content of the Quran can be divided into 3 parts. The first being reserved for

• the description of Allah, of His names and of His attributes,
• the second part stating the laws and principles to apply as a Muslim (halal, haram, obligations, etc),
• and the last part being the description of Hell and of Paradise as well as the stories of the prophets and of the ancient peoples.

Thus, the reading of this surah 3 times does not substitute for the totality of the Quran, but this surah alone sums up the treasure of the knowledge of Allah and of His oneness, which represents a third of the Quran. To learn this surah is therefore equivalent to learning to know Allah, knowing that Allah has devoted a third of His Word to describing Himself.

The Prophet also had the habit of reciting Surah Al-Kafirun and then Al-Ikhlas for the first 2 units of prayer before the dawn prayer (fajr). He also recited it before sleeping, for the last unit of prayer of the day (the witr prayer). It was a wisdom on the part of the Prophet, who taught us by this sunnah that sincerity (al-ikhlas) and the oneness of Allah began and ended our day.

These surahs (al-kafirun and al-ikhlas) were also recited by the Prophet during the ritual of Tawaf, during the pilgrimage to Mecca, as well as in the two units of prayer following the Tawaf.

We will see in more detail below the reason why the Prophet frequently linked this surah to Surah Al-Kafirun (the disbelievers) in his prayers (and in particular during the first and the last supererogatory prayer of the day) and what was the wisdom behind it.

It is also reported to us that some companions loved this surah so much that they recited it at each unit of prayer before reciting any other surah, as was the case of a companion among the inhabitants of Medina (Al-Ansar). Each time he led the prayer in the mosque of Quba, he always began by reciting Surah Al-Ikhlas after the Fatiha, before reciting any other surah, and this, at each unit of prayer. The companions whom he led in prayer were irritated by this practice and had gone to complain to the Prophet about this behaviour, seeing that the companion refused to abandon this habit despite their requests. And when the Prophet asked him the reason, the companion answered him that he sincerely loved this surah. The Prophet then answered him that his love for this surah had made him enter Paradise. Every Muslim should therefore hold a particular love for this surah.

Detailed translation and explanation

Here is the list of the key words of this surah, which we will analyse in detail in sha Allah:

Qul = say

Huwa = He is

Allah = God

Ahad = unique

as samad = the one to whom one turns in time of need

lam = followed by a verb, this preposition expresses the negation of the past

yalid = to beget

yulad = to be begotten

kufuwan = equal

It is interesting to study the grammar of this surah, not only because it is astounding, but above all because it helps us to truly understand the manner in which Allah wished to describe Himself to His creatures, and which cannot be deeply felt through a simple literal translation.

To begin, it is important to understand the principle of « ichtiqaq » (or derivation) in Arabic, which is the key to understanding the Arabic language. This means that each Arabic word stems from an original word, of 3 letters, in principle. This original word, which is part of the category of roots or bases (asmaa jaamida), is not derived from another word, but can be derived (mushtaq) into dozens of words, all of different meaning but which nonetheless all have something to do with the original word.

The word « qul » (say)

Each time the word « qul » is mentioned in the Quran, it means that what follows is the content of what the Prophet must teach to the Muslims. It is a lesson for all of us, from Allah, who places Himself in the position of Teacher for humanity. If Allah had said « i3lam » (know), then we would have understood that He is addressing the Prophet personally, and what would have followed would therefore have been a knowledge that the Prophet must have for himself. Whereas here, it is a teaching that the Prophet cannot keep for himself but which he must imperatively spread around him.

The word « huwa »

It is the masculine singular pronoun of the Arabic language, « he ». In Arabic, the auxiliary « to be » in the present does not exist. It is therefore entirely correct to employ an adjective immediately after a pronoun; and this is the manner in which it is employed here.

This word is an answer to the question of the idolaters who asked concerning Allah « man huwa? Maa huwa » (Who is He? What is He then?), but the use of this word in the first verse also implies that Allah is the most well-known reference of the universe, so there is no need to define Him beforehand before employing this pronoun.

The name of « Allah »

The great scholars of « sarf » and of « nahw » (grammar) diverged on the subject of the origin of the word « Allah » and we are not qualified to decide which of the opinions is the most legitimate. Allah is more Knowing. That said, the two hypotheses of the origin of the name of Allah remain enriching from the point of view of the understanding of this name.

A first group of scholars affirmed that the word « Allah » is « mushtaq » (derived) from the word « ilaah » (deity). Thus, by adding to it « al » (which is the mark of the definite article in Arabic), « ilaah » becomes « al ilaah ». With time, the « alif » (which gives the first letter of the word and which here carries the sound « i ») at the beginning of the word is said to have disappeared to give way to the name « Al laah ».

The other group thinks that the name Allah was revealed as such for all the prophets and for all languages by Allah when Allah refers to Himself

« Al ahad » (al + ahad)

The word ahad is derived from the word « wahd » or « wahad » which signifies a unique person, of whom one knows neither lineage, nor genealogy, nor origin. The word « wahd » being able to be used for any person, and Allah being able to be compared to no one, it is therefore not chosen by Allah to describe His oneness. He therefore uses the word « ahad » which is not used for anyone apart from Him in the history of the Arabic language, knowing that the word « ahad » is a word even stronger than « wahd ».

Indeed, it places an emphasis on the fact that no one can compare to, or oppose, or affiliate himself with Allah in any manner whatsoever. Allah is Unique, in every sense that this term can imply.

To understand the word « ahad » it is also important to understand what differentiates it from the word « wahiid » which would have been more naturally employed by the Arabs to describe something unique. Now, Allah shows great Wisdom and subtlety in choosing to employ the word « ahad » rather than « wahiid ». Indeed, the word « wahiid » means that a thing is unique, at the moment one speaks, but it implies that this might perhaps not have been the case in another situation. For example, « She is the only person in the room » leads us to think that there could have been several, but that this is not the case. Whereas if one employs the word « ahad », it means that there is no one other than Him and that there can be no one else.

Moreover, the word « ahad » in Arabic can in principle only be used in absolute negation, to say « that there is no one other than... » or else in the affirmative if it is a matter of an annexation, as in « one of you » or « one of them ». Whereas « wahiid » can be employed in the affirmative, as in « he is the only one to... ».

So, despite the fact that the word « ahad » can only be used in its negative form unless it is annexed to something, Allah employs it in its affirmative form to describe His oneness. In other words, the only place in all of Arabic literature where the word « ahad » is used in the affirmative and without annexation is in Surah Al-Ikhlas. Which shows that Allah does not only express His Oneness through the meaning of the word employed, but above all through the manner in which He chose to employ it.

The use of this word is therefore a shock for the Arabs, by itself alone. In a society where hundreds of deities are admitted and where everyone respects the deity of the other, to affirm that our God is the One and Only God in all His attributes and that He has no equal upends the customs.

And it is with this principle of total oneness, « ahad », that the Jews and Christians do not agree. They can agree with « waahid » but not « ahad ».

And it is this principle of oneness that the word « ahad » expresses, which does not signify only unique in number (Allah is but one) as one often understands it, but that Allah is Unique in all His attributes. No one can equal Him.

Allah created man with the need to worship something in his « fitra » (nature) with the aim of seeking Him. The human being is therefore predisposed, by his nature, to seek a master, to submit to him, and to do all that is in his power to satisfy him. And if it is not Allah, it will be something else. Before it was the idols, today it has become money, status, self-image, friends, children, spouses, the need to entertain oneself constantly. And the human being cannot find rest, appeasement and contentment unless the central place of his heart is inhabited by Allah. For when one attributes this place of « ilaah » (deity) to other than Allah, the moment one loses this thing, or that one does not manage to satisfy it, our world collapses.

These are all the implications of the word « ahad », and in truth, all the rest of the surah is but a tafsir that Allah gives us of His attribute of Oneness, « ahad ».

« as samad »

The principal meaning of the word « samad » from which all the others stem is the fact that He is the Only One whom everyone needs and who needs no one.

Meaning n°1: « As samad » of the meaning « al kaafi ». The One who is Sufficient and to whom one turns in time of need. The One who suffices, who fulfils our needs, with whom is found the answer to our questions.

Meaning n°2: When one makes of a person our goal by aspiring to satisfy or reach him. When one makes of a person our goal, this one becomes « as samad ».

Lam yalid wa lam yulad

The exegetes have asked themselves the question of understanding why Allah uses « Lam » and not « Laa ». Why the past and not the present? This is normal because birth is in the past, so Allah informs us that He was not born of anyone. The use of the past is logical.

Why does Allah have no child? Because Allah says that He has no equal. He is Ahad. No one is comparable to Him. So the miracle of Allah here is that He refuted the ancient religions, whether they stem from the idolatrous beliefs that attribute a genealogy to their deities or from the false Christian beliefs that associate a son with God.

Wa lam yakun lahu Kufuwan ahad

Equal. No one can equal Allah in His names and attributes, in His knowledge, His rahma, His wisdom, His clemency, His forgiveness, so why ask of someone else.

Different nicknames of the surah

• Al muqashqisha (heals our heart of shirk)
• At tawhid (in number, attribute, focus of interest)
• Al ma3rifa (one cannot know Allah without knowing this surah)
• Al assaas (the base)
• At tafriid (oneness, singular)
• Al nur (reported in certain hadith because it illuminates the heart, and it is the light of the Quran)
• At tajriid (removes all bad information about Allah)
• Al samad (this word is used in the Quran only once, for Allah, and none of its derivatives in verb, adjective or active or passive participle is used elsewhere in the Quran)

Link between al-Masad and al-Ikhlas

• rhymes between the last verse and the first of the following one (whether by rhymes, words, subjects, the last verse of a surah and the first of the surah that follows are often linked. There is a continuity in the style)
• explanation of the word samad to contradict Abu Lahab who thought he needed no one and who wanted to have no equal

Link between al-Ikhlas and al-Kafirun

al-Ikhlas answers the question that the idolaters asked themselves and that one may ask oneself (but then what is it that you worship?) when one reads surah Al-Kafirun

Teachings to draw from Surah Al-Ikhlas

This surah does not contain the word ikhlas (sincerity), yet this name is given to it because the more one remembers who Allah truly is, His attributes, His importance, the more sincere one will be in our life.

- Tawhid in love, trust, fear, worship, hope, focus of interest and goal (samad), and sincerity is only gained when one has truly understood the tawhid of Allah - This surah explains who Allah is and it sums up our relationship with Him (thanks to the word samad: goal, and all our needs are found with Him) - It is a gift from Allah: He wished ease for us so He made it the shortest, and the most learned and the most recited, whereas it sums up Allah and how we must lead our life.

Conclusion of the surah: As a Muslim, one must therefore understand that Allah is ahad in number, in attribute, and in our lives as a goal. The oneness of Allah applies not only in our belief but also in terms of love, of fear, of hope, of obedience and of worship, of trust. And sincerity in our lives is only gained when one has understood the real Oneness of Allah (tawhid).

Allah, in His wisdom, made it so that one of the surahs that the Muslims were going to recite the most and even teach to their children first, after Al-Fatiha, is Al-Ikhlas: the surah that defends the honour of Allah, and gives us the real goal of our life.

Finally, this surah protects from shirk and anchors tawhid in our hearts. Which means that in truth Allah has made the religion easy for us and that one does not obligatorily need to have a doctorate in 3aqeeda in order not to fall into shirk; one must just have a deep and sincere understanding of surah al-ikhlaas. This surah alone is a gift from Allah.

Source Nouman Ali Khan