Al-Ikhlas الإخلاص

Say, ‘He is Allah, the aḥad.’

or Say, ‘ Huwa, Allah is aḥad.’

Firstly, why is the verse structured as “Say - Allah is aḥad?” Why not simply say “Allah is aḥad?”

This is for two reasons. Firstly to show the importance of this statement. The Prophet ﷺ is being told to announce this, to say it publicly and make effort so this may reach people. “Say’ means ‘announce.’

‘ Announce and proclaim publicly that Allah is aḥad.

Secondly, it is to demonstrate the Qurʾān is from Allah and not from the Prophet ﷺ . When revelation came down to the Prophet ﷺ , it would have been said to him ‘Say Allah is aḥad.’ He is being commanded to announce it. The announcement is ‘Allah is Ahad’ not ‘Say - Allah is aḥad.’ It is a demonstration that the Prophet ﷺ preaches the Qurʾān exactly as he receives it, neither taking anything from it nor adding to it and that these are not his words but rather of Allah Himself who sends it down to him and he proclaims it to people in exactly the same manner he receives them. Next is the pronoun ( هو Huwa). It is the masculine singular pronoun for the third

person in Arabic. Above, I gave two translations of the verse. In the first version, I translated this pronoun as He but left it untranslated in the second translation. This is because there are two possible meanings of this pronoun in this verse.

1. It is as if a question is being asked to the Prophet ﷺ which is not mentioned in the surah. Namely - Muhammad !ﷺ Who is your God? The Prophet ﷺ is being told to answer them with “He is Allah, the aḥad.”

2. This can be an anticipatory pronoun of rhetorical magnification ( )ضمير الشأن This is used for the purpose of magnifying the importance of the statement about to be made. When something extremely important is about to be said, this pronoun is used before it to convey that what is about to be said is extremely important, so pay attention. By using this pronoun, the verse is basically saying that the most important thing of note and importance is that Allah is aḥad.

Now the word aḥad. The word aḥad is either only used in contexts of negation, prohibition or in contexts of conditions by itself. Examples below: Negative Context

فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَ حَدٍ عَنْهُ حَاجِزِينَ

There is not any one of you who can shield from Him [Al-Ḥāqqah 69:47] لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ

You are not like any one of the women.

Condition

[Al-Aḥzāb 33:32]

وَإِنْ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ٱسْتَجَارَكَ

If any one of the polytheists seeks your protection… [At-Tawbah 9:6] The word aḥad may appear in affirmative clauses but only when it occurs in a genitive construction; in such cases, it retains an indefinite, non-specific sense (“any one of”) as can be seen in the last example. It denotes belonging to a certain group of people. So the only way we use the word aḥad in positive contexts is in a genitive construction like the above two examples. but we do not use the word aḥad by itself in affirmative contexts.

But this verse of the Qurʾān does exactly that. It uses the word aḥad by itself, without any genitive construction, in an affirmative context.

It says in Muʿjam al Ishtiqaqi:

والشيوع يتحقق . لكن من أفراد المضاف إليه ،) وإذا وقع في سياق إيجاب وكان مضافًا ظل معناه (أيّ واحد

وإن وقع في سياق إيجاب وهو غير مضاف تحول . بعدم قصد التعيين وهو بذلك المعنى في القرآن كله في الحالتين كما في قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ، وعبّر لفظ (أحد) عن الانفراد المطلق ، معنى الشيوع إلى إطلاق

When it occurs in an affirmative context while being in an iḍāfah (genitive construction), it retains the meaning of “any one”... If, however, it occurs in an affirmative context without being in iḍāfah, the meaning of generality shifts into absolute singularity, and the word Aḥad then expresses absolute oneness and singularity, as in: قل هو الله أحد

Say, “Huwa, Allah is Ahad”

So aḥad has been uniquely used in a way the Arabs did not usually use it. It denotes absolute singularity. A good translation of aḥad in my view is one and only. Therefore, “Allah is aḥad” can be translated as “Allah is the one and only.”

This verse of surah al- Ikhlās is enough by itself to understand what tawḥīd is and who Allah is. Allah is the one and only in everything. He is the one and only in all His attributes. The 99 names of Allah that we well know, they represent attributes of Allah. All of those names and attributes, in their perfect form and state, belong to Allah alone and no one else. Allah is the one and only in that He alone created everything, He alone is all hearing, all seeing, all wise, all powerful, the absolute sovereign, the ultimate king and ruler. The list goes on. The attributes and qualities that He describes Himself with and all the attributes and qualities that He possesses, He alone and nobody else, possess them in the manner He does.

If there is a person who is known for his kindness, it does not mean there are not others who are kind too. A king may have power, but it could be that there are other kings who possess similar power. But when it comes to Allah, there is nobody with the same attributes. Nobody is as kind as Him. Nobody possesses the power that He does. Nobody can see the way He sees. Nobody can hear the way He hears. Nobody can do anything the way He does them. Nobody possesses any attribute the way He does.

This one verse is enough to understand Tawḥīd. When you hear any name of Allah, know that Allah is the one and only in that name. When you hear any attribute of Allah, know that no one possesses that attribute the way He does. Once a person realizes this, he will not bother relying on anyone other than Allah. Complete understanding of this one single verse will prevent people from the false practices that are now so common among them such as grave worship, making prayers to

dead people, visiting shrines and other such false practices. Allah alone can relieve a person from his troubles and He alone and no one else, is worthy that prayers and supplications be directed to Him. He alone can help you and relieve you of your troubles. He is the one and only.

The pronoun Huwa, which was used to magnify the importance of the statement that Allah is aḥad is profound. The most important thing a human being needs to realize in his life is that Allah is aḥad. That Allah is the one and only. There is no success without Tawḥīd; and this verse of al-Ikhlās is the very core of tawḥīd. It is tawḥīd summarized in three words. Allah is aḥad. The fact that Allah is aḥad, is the most important thing a human being needs to understand.

Lastly, aḥad is the same word as echad used to describe God in Deuteronomy 6:4, the Shema. We believe in the God who is perfect and indivisible unlike the Christians who use the same word to imply a complex unity. The Qurʾān is clear. God is indivisible, unique and only one.

If you want to know the Islamic creed regarding God, this surah suffices you.

Allah is al- Samad

The letters ‘al’ in ‘al-Samad’ is the definite article in Arabic. I left it untranslated rather than rendering ‘Allah is al-Samad’ as ‘Allah is the Samad’ because the definite article is not as simple in classical Arabic as it is in English. In this verse, the definite article creates a very important meaning that will be explained at the end. For now, we will focus on the word samad.

It comes from the root ṣād mīm dāl which was used for: ● A high and thick place of land that does not quite reach the level of a mountain and on which trees grow. This implies a piece of land which is elevated but not so high that it cannot be climbed like most mountains. It is a piece of land which is high and elevated but accessible and within reach.

● A vertical rock ● Something elevated ● A solid object with no hollowness inside it ● A man who does not get thirsty or hungry even inside a battle ● A sealed object with no cavity in it The central meaning is for something firm and solid to be elevated.¹⁰⁸ Samad is one of the trickier words of the Qurʾān and much has been said regarding what it means. Razi alone quotes 25 opinions of what scholars said regarding its meaning. Below are a few examples of what has been said regarding its meaning based on its root meaning: 1. Allah is samad means that Allah is utterly perfect. This is taken from the root meaning of a solid object that has no hollowness inside it. Hollowness implies a defect or flaw. Hence, samad means that Allah is utterly perfect in all shapes and forms, free of any and all flaws.

2. One who is independent of everyone. When an entity has no defect, flaw or any shortcoming, it is independent and in no need of others. So Allah is the entity who has no need of anyone.

3. The master whose authority, power and honor have reached their highest possible level. Derived from the root meaning of elevation.

4. The everlasting entity who has no beginning or end. This meaning comes from the idea of firmness and stability: from land that rises solidly like a mountain, from rock that is firmly fixed in place. It is also reflected in images such as a sealed bottle, and anything that is hard, dense, and without hollowness.¹⁰⁹ Arabic roots normally have two distinct meanings which blend together to give the complete meaning of the root. Same is the case here. When we look at the ways the root ṣād mīm dāl was used, two meanings stand out; firmness and elevation. Firmness of the kind that has no defect or flaw (derived from the lack of hollowness inside the object) but elevation of the sort that it is not out of reach because the height of the piece of the land mentioned above does not reach the level of a mountain implying that it is accessible and can be climbed.

But the height of the piece of land mentioned above did not reach the level of a mountain. Is this not a defect? This seems like a flaw that this piece of land is lacking in height and elevation; but the root meaning implies that there is no defect in it. How can both be the case at the same time?

The answer becomes clear when we reflect a little and take the text in its intended context. Allah is samad. Which means that Allah, firstly, is utterly perfect with no flaws or defects; and secondly, Allah is elevated, high and lofty but within reach not because of a flaw or defect, but because of His kindness and love towards us. Allah is not out of our reach that our prayers do not reach Him or that He cannot hear us. Unlike the mountain whose summit cannot be reached, Allah is accessible to us. We can reach Him with our words, direct our prayers to Him to which He listens and answers. Our words and prayers reach Him, and He hears and responds to them. Hence, Allah is the entity who is perfect, with no flaws or defects, who is independent and free of everyone; yet who can be reached, communicated with and talked to. This perfection covers all aspects and all attributes of Allah. In times of need and difficulty, we only seek help from those whose help amounts to something and who are actually capable of helping us. Allah is perfect in all His attributes, His power, reach, hearing, listening, authority, capabilities etc, are all perfect. And so, it is Him whose help we need and He is accessible to us as well. We do not need an intermediary or an attorney to talk on our behalf to Him. We can reach Him directly by ourselves.

This is why many scholars of language have defined al-samad as the entity towards whom people turn to fulfill their needs.

لا خِلافَ بَيْنِ أهْلِ اللُّ غَةِ أنَّ هُ السَّ يِّدُ الَّذِي لَيْسَ فَوْقَهُ أحَدٌ الَّذِي يَصْ مُدُ إلَيْهِ النّاسُ في حَوائِ جِهِمْ وأُ مُورِهِمْ

There is no difference of opinion among the scholars of language that Samad means the Master above whom there is no one. The one to whom people turn to concerning their needs and all other matters. (Ibn al Anbāri) يَقْصِ دُهُ كُلُّ شَيْ ءٍ : هو الَّذِي يَنْتَهِ ي إلَيْهِ السُّ ؤْدُدُ ويَصْ مُدُ إلَيْهِ؛ أيْ

He is the one in whom all sovereignty culminates, and towards whom all things are directed. All things direct themselves to Him. (al Zujāj)¹¹⁰ This meaning is derived from the root and is correct. The primary meaning of Samad, however, as explained above, is the perfect entity, free of any flaw or defect, that can be reached and communicated to.

The pattern of the word samad is in the form of a صفة مشبهة - an adjective of permanent

quality. This pattern is used to imply a permanent, constant and stable quality or state. Allah is al- samad; always. Forever and ever. This quality of His does not change, fluctuate or go up and down. Suppose a person is in trouble and needs help. He knows of a person who is capable and has the power to free him of his trouble. The question that then naturally comes to the mind is if that person is available right now or not. Is he ready and available for me to reach out to him and seek his help? Also, he was capable before when I met him and had the power at that time to help me, but does he still possess that same power right now or has he lost it? With Allah, this question never arises. He is always present, always accessible, always there with absolute power and capability. This is the profound meaning contained in the structure of the word samad being a ( صفة مشبهة adjective of permanent quality)

Zamakhsharī and others have said that the word samad, even though it follows the

pattern of a ( صفة مشبهة adjective that implies a permanent and constant quality), actually carries a passive meaning i.e samad means the one who is intended and to whom everything is directed. This is partially correct. Samad does indeed mean the entity who is intended and to whom things are directed, but this is not the entire meaning of the word as we saw earlier. Once the complete root meaning is taken into account, the opinion that the word samad here is used to mean only its passive meaning (maṣmūd) does not remain legitimate.

Next we come to the definite article that I mentioned at the very beginning. What meaning does the definite article create here?

1. Exclusivity and singularity. Allah alone and no one else, is samad. The first verse lacked the definite article because there was no need for it. Ahad means One and only and you do not need the definite article or any other device to create meanings of exclusivity with aḥad. Aḥad by itself implies exclusivity. 2. As explained in the first verse, the word aḥad was not generally used in an affirmative context by itself. This by itself implies uniqueness and singularity because no Arab used the word aḥad to refer to their gods - ever. So there was no need to emphasize that Allah alone is aḥad and that your supposed gods are not. But they did use the word samad for their false gods. Therefore, Allah uses the definite article here to convey to them that Allah alone is samad and no one else, including your supposed gods.

Next, the normal flow of speech from the first verse should have been like this:

قل هو الله أحد والصمد

Allah is aḥad and al samad.

or

قل هو الله أحد وهو الصمد

Allah is aḥad and He is al samad.

Just as we normally say:

Ahmed is hardworking and intelligent or Ahmed is hardworking and he is intelligent. We do not say

Ahmed is hardworking. Ahmed is intelligent.

But this is exactly how the surah is;

Why the repetition?

Allah is aḥad. Allah is al samad.

Tafsir al kabīr states that it is simply because the word al-samad has the definite article inside it while the word aḥad does not. Grammatically, it might indeed not be correct to pair them together with nothing between the two words; but this is not a problem here. The problem is that the normal usage was to use a pronoun or a conjunction rather than name of God again.

In Arabic, when we use the definite article with an adjective that is describing a

definite noun, it implies necessity. For example, if we say السلطان العادل , (the ruler is the

just one) what this means is that a ruler can only be a ruler if he is just. No ruler who is unjust, is fit to be called a ruler. Similarly in this verse of al- Ikhlās, it implies that no entity can claim to be divine unless it is al- samad. If Allah was not al samad, He would not fit to be called God. He would lose His divine essence. Hence, for an entity to be considered divine, it has to be al-samad.

Samad primarily implies perfection, elevation and being ever present and accessible. Perfection is one of the primary qualities that sets Allah apart. Nothing we see or know of is perfect except Allah. There is a defect and flaw in everything. Being born is a defect which implies you were dependent on others to come into existence, that you had a beginning, that you are bound by time - an outside entity and hence, there was a time you were not present. Death is an imperfection because it implies an end and the fact that you are powerless and helpless against other factors. We hear and see but our hearing and seeing have limits. We cannot hear or see every single thing; but not with Allah. When it comes to Allah, everything is perfect. Perfection solely belongs to Allah. This is what is being emphasized here. Since perfection only belongs to Allah, Allah is al- samad. This is why Allah is Ahad - the one and only because perfection belongs only and only to Him and no one else. The pattern of the word samad implies constant, unchanging and constant state. Everlasting, constant perfection. Perfection that never fluctuates. Another root meaning of samad was being accessible and within reach. Not being available or being inaccessible is a form of imperfection too. It implies being barred from the one who wants to reach out. It is one thing to reject the one who reaches out to you, it is another when you are inaccessible. Allah is always present, always there, always listening, you can stand up in prayer and reach out to Him anytime you want. Constant, unchanging and permanent presence which is not subject to anything other than Him. Unless an entity is al samad - the only one who is perfect, invincible, with no flaws or defects, and is ever present and available - it cannot be divine.

There is only one entity who is al samad - Allah; and this is why Allah is Ahad - the one and only. Perfection is what sets Allah apart and He is the one and only - Ahad - in that regards.

This meaning would be lost had the name of God - Allah - been replaced by a pronoun or a conjunction. It is to convey this point that the name of God appears

again rather than being replaced by a conjunction or a pronoun. Alusi summarizes this beautifully:

وتَكْرارُ الِاسْمِ الجَلِيلِ دُونَ الإتْيانِ بِالضَّ مِيرِ قِيلَ لِلْإشْ عارِ بِأنَّ مَن لَمْ يَتَّ صِ فْ بِالصَّ مَدِيَّ ةِ لَمْ يَسْ تَحِ قَّ الأُلُوهِيَّ ةَ The repetition of the Divine Name—rather than using a pronoun—has been explained as a way of indicating that whoever does not possess samadiyah (the attributes of being al Samad) does not deserve divinity.

He goes on to say:

وقِيلَ ذَلِكَ لِأنَّ تَعْلِيقَ الصَّمَدِ بِاللَّهِ يُشْعِرُ بِعِلِّيَّ ةِ الأُلُوهِيَّ ةِ بِناءً عَلى أنَّهُ في الأصْ لِصِفَةٌ وإذا كانَتِ الصَّمَدِيَّ ةُ نَتِيجَةً لِلْأُ لُوهِيَّ ةِ لَمْ يَسْ تَحِ قَّ الأُلُوهِيَّ ةَ مَن لَمْ يَتَّ صِ فْ بِها

It has also been said that linking al Samad directly to the name of Allah suggests al Samad is causally linked to divinity because the term (Samad) is originally an attribute. If being al Samad is a necessary consequence of divinity, then whoever lacks it, cannot be divine.¹¹¹ When an idol worshipper in Makkah realizes this, will he not see the blatant flaws in the statues he worshipped? The idol which he made with his own hands with dirt, which is bound and subject to him taking care of it; which can be broken if one throws it to the ground; which is physically bound, which can neither hear, nor see or speak. Flaw after flaw. When the concept of perfection is realized, all false notions of God collapse. From idol worship, to the Christian and Jewish Bible as well as the Kabbalistic and Talmudic Jewish forgeries; the statement Allah is al-samad collapses all false notions of God. The Qurʾān restores, after centuries of innovations and forgeries, monotheism back to its purest form as originally revealed by God. Lastly, the Qurʾān normally uses conjunctions between verses but that is not the case here. There is no conjunction at the start of this verse. This is because the second sentence ‘Allah is al Samad’ is proof that the first sentence is true, part of which we have already covered above.

Allah is Ahad. The proof that Allah is Ahad is that He is al samad. Alusi says:

وتُرِكَ العاطِفُ في الجُمْلَةِ المَذْكُورَةِ لِأنَّ ها كالدَّ لِيلِ عَلَيْهِ؛ فَإنَّ مَن كانَ غَنِيًّا لِذاتِهِ مُحْتاجًا إلَيْهِ جَمِيعُ ما سِواهُ لا أوْ لِأنَّ ها كالنَّ تِيجَةِ لِذَلِكَ بِناءً عَلى أنَّ الأحَدِيَّ ةَ ، يَكُونُ إلّا واحِدًا أوْ ما سِواهُ لا يَكُونُ إلّا مُمْكِنًا مُحْتاجًا إلَيْهِ تَسْ تَلْزِمُ الصَّمَدِيَّ ةَ والغِنى المُطْ لَقَ .

The conjunction was omitted because it functions as a proof of what came before, because an entity who is self sufficient and perfect in His very essence, upon whom everything else besides Him depends and upon whom their existence is contingent and dependent, can only be one. (Ahad) It can also be a necessary consequence of the previous statement (Allah is Ahad) because being ahad necessitates being al samad and being absolutely and completely self sufficient.¹¹² Allah is ahad - one and only - because He is the only entity who is al samad. Samadiyah sets Allah apart. He is the one and only - ahad - when it comes to it. This perfect and completely self sufficient entity is not out of your reach. You can talk to him, pray to Him and He will listen to you. This is why the next two Surahs of the Qurʾān - al Falaq and al Nās - are prayers directed to Allah.

¹⁰⁸ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 3, p. 1256
¹⁰⁹ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 3, p. 1257
¹¹⁰ al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, vol. 29, p. 443
¹¹¹ al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, vol. 29, p. 446
¹¹² al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, vol. 29, p. 447

He did not beget nor is He born

There are two possibilities.

1. The sentence (He did not beget) is a second predicate and the sentence (nor is He born) is the third predicate of the subject “Allah” from the previous verse where the first predicate was “al-samad.” So the sentence reads - Allah is al samad and He did not beget and neither is He born. This presents three attributes of Allah because “al samad”, “He did not beget” and “nor is He born” are on the same grammatical level. This structure is declarative and categorical and presents a list of divine attributes.

2. The sentence (He did not beget nor is He born) is a badal Ishtimāl which means that the second statement does not restate the first statement, but rather mentions something that is inherently contained in its meaning. The resulting meaning is that one of the intrinsic implications of Allah being al samad is that He did not beget nor is He born. Being al samad necessarily implies that Allah did not beget nor was He born. It clarifies what truly being al samad implies. Al- samad means the perfect, flawless entity. Being born is a flaw because it entails non existence before being born. Another condition of being al- samad is being eternal. A being that is not eternal, which had a beginning in time and which will have an end; which is brought into existence - which also means that it was dependent on others to bring Him into existence - cannot be al samad. Just as one cannot be ahad if he is not al samad, one cannot be al Samad if he begets or was born.

This is summarized by al- Razi

فالأحَدِيَّ ةُ والصَّ مَدِيَّ ةُ يُوجِبانِ نَفْيَ الوَلَدِيَّ ةِ والمَوْلُودِيَّ ةِ

Being Ahad and al Samad necessarily imply that begetting and being born is impossible.¹¹³ There are a number of questions that come up regarding the structure of this verse and its wording pointed out by al Razi 1. Why does “He did not beget” come before “He is not born” when the natural order is to say “He was not born nor did He beget?” The answer is that the major false creeds regarding God stem from attributing sons or daughters to Allah. The Jews and Christians attributed a son to Allah while the polytheists of Arabia attributed daughters to Him but they did not attribute a father to Allah. So he followed the sentence ‘He did not beget’ with ‘nor is He born’ as evidence for it to say that the proof that Allah did not beget is that He is not born from anyone. To beget a child, one must be in a parent child relationship. The fact that Allah was never born shows that this parent child relationship does not exist with Allah. This also refutes the Christian belief of eternal generation of the persons inside the trinity.

2. Why does it say ‘He did not beget’ in the past tense rather than saying it as ‘He does not beget? This is to show the falsehood of their creeds which had them believe that certain individuals such as Jesus and angels were sons and daughters of Allah. The past tense is to refute them to say that such a thing never happened.

3. Why does He say ‘He did not beget’ while in other places of the Qurʾān such as 17:111 He says ‘He did not take a son.” ‘He did not beget’ means nothing is born from Him. “He did not take a son” is in the meaning of adoption. It is to negate the claim that He called a person His son. A human being can either have his own son or he could adopt a son because of certain benefits that come from it. Both of these things are rejected for Allah.¹¹⁴ We can see that one attribute necessarily leads to another. Being ahad necessarily implies being al- samad; which necessarily implies the impossibility of begetting and being born.

The core point of the surah remains that Allah is ahad. Every other quality naturally follows the quality of being ahad. Everything we know has a beginning and an end. Allah being ahad - the one and only - implies that Allah is the exception. So Allah not begetting nor being born is already contained inside the word ahad.

¹¹³ al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb, vol. 32, p. 184
¹¹⁴ al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb, vol. 32, p. 183

To Him, no equal is there!

The word kufuw is translated as equal. It comes from the root kāf fāʾ wāw/hamza which was used for ● A screen covering the rear of the house from the top to bottom ● Inverting or turning something over The central meaning is to overlap or fit something precisely to its measure like the screen covering the rear of the house from the top to bottom. When you cover something top to bottom, you basically invert or change its appearance because from the outside, it’s appearance is the same as of the cover that covers it. In doing so, you changed or inverted the way it looked.¹¹⁵ The word kufuw has been universally understood to mean an equal because the screen was perfectly equal in length to the rear of the house i.e, like for like; but this is not its whole meaning. Covering something top to bottom implies overshadowing it as well. It implies the ability to overpower and overshadow something. Therefore, kufuw does mean an equal, but its primary meaning also includes overshadowing and overpowering something.

But firstly, we need to look at the way this verse is structured which is quite complex. I will transcribe it below to show the structure in play. The standard way this sentence is to be said is: ولم يكن أحد كفوا له Wa lum yakun ahad kufuwan lahu But the ayah is structured as

ولم يكن له كفوا أحد

Wa lum yakun lahu kufuwan ahad Before anything else, ahad in this verse, is used in a negative context. We covered at the beginning that this is quite normal.

Now, you can see that the words lahu (to Him) and ahad are not in their standard places. Lahu is advanced while ahad is delayed to the end. This is because the central point of the surah is the oneness and singularity of Allah in all aspects. Lahu (to Him) is advanced as it is the most important and central point. Allah has no equal. Lahu emphasizes that. Therefore, it is brought first because most important things are given precedence. Al- Razi says:

سِيبَوَيْهِ

وقَدْ نَصَّ ، الكَلامُ العَرَبِيُّ الفَصِ يحُ أنْ يُؤَخَّ رَ الظَّرْفُ الَّذِي هو لَغْوٌ غَيْرُ مُسْ تَقِرٍّ ولا يُقَدَّ مَ : السُّ ؤالُ الأوَّ لُ

هَذا الكَلامُ إنَّ ما سِيقَ لِنَفْ يِ المُكافَأةِ عَنْ : فَما بالُهُ ورَدَ مُقَدَّ مًا في أفْصَ حِ الكَلامِ ؟ والجَوابُ ، عَلى ذَلِكَ في كِتابِهِ فَلِهَذا السَّبَبِ كانَ هَذا ، وتَقْدِيمُ الأهَمِّ أوْلى ، واللَّ فْظُ الدّالُّ عَلى هَذا المَعْنى هو هَذا الظَّرْفُ ، ذاتِ اللَّهِ الظَّرْفُ مُسْ تَحِ قًّا لِتَّ قْدِيمِ .

The first question is: in eloquent Arabic, a non essential adverbial phrase is delayed, not placed first as Sibawayh writes in his book, then how come it is placed first in the most eloquent of all speeches? (the Qurʾān) The answer: it was structured specifically to negate any equal to Allah and the word that carries this essential meaning is the adverbial phrase (lahu) itself. The correct thing to do is to place the most important part of the speech first. For this reason, the adverbial phrase deserved to be placed first.¹¹⁶ What Sibawayh said only holds true for non essential adverbial phrases, not for those that are an essential part of the sentence or speech. Lahu (to Him) in this verse, is an essential part of speech as al- Alusi points out: لَمْ يَكُنْ . لَمْ يَكُنْ كُفُوًا أحَدٌ : إنَّ الظَّ رْفَ هُنا وإنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ خَيِّرًا مُبْطِلٌ سُقُوطُهُ مَعْنى الكَلامِ ؛ لِأنَّ كَ لَوْ قُلْتَ فَلَمّا احْ تِيجَ إلَيْهِ صارَ بِمَنزِلَةِ الخَبَرِ فَحَسُنَ ذَلِكَ ، لَهُ مَعْنًى

Had the adverbial phrase (lahu) in this verse not been there, the text would have no meaning because if you said “There is no equal - anyone”, it would be meaningless. Since it is an integral part of the sentence, it takes the role of a khabar (predicate) and thus, it is permissible to advance it.¹¹⁷ Hence, by advancing the adverbial phrase, Allah is emphasizing His oneness and singularity. A simple way to understand this emphasis is by means of these two sentences:

There is no equal to Him.

TO HIM, there is no equal The first sentence is just a normal statement of fact. The second sentence is emphatic. TO ALLAH, there is no equal. A better way to read this sentence is to raise your voice when you read “TO HIM” but say the rest of the sentence “there is no equal” in a normal tone. This captures the emphasis being placed.

Now, if you go back up, you will see that I translated this last verse as:

To Him, no equal is there.

Not as:

To Him, there is no equal Only a slight difference but I wanted to capture another aspect and meaning present inside the verse. The sentence “to Him, there is no equal” only covers one aspect. The word ahad is delayed beyond its standard place which creates another layer of emphasis. I tried to reflect this in English without having to resort to explaining complex Arabic structures.

If you want to emphasize the sentence ‘There is no equal to Allah’ onefold, you’d say

To Allah, there is no equal.

If you want to emphasize it twofold, you’d say

To Him, no equal is there!

With this explained, we will come back to the word kufuw which means an equal and an entity that can overshadow or overpower. The first verse describes Allah as ahad - the one and only. Then it describes Allah as al samad and states that being ahad necessarily entails that Allah is al samad by repeating the name of God instead of a conjunction or a pronoun. Then it stated that Allah does not beget, negating the existence of a parent child relationship for Allah which entails that Allah is not born either. These qualities are not found in anyone except Allah. Everything we know of, is not perfect, has a beginning in time, and an end. Since this is not the case with Allah, there is no equal to Allah. Everything besides Him lacks these attributes. Since Allah alone possesses these qualities, there is no one like Him; which takes us back full circle to the first verse - Allah is ahad. The first and the last verse of this Surah mean exactly the same thing. The fact that Allah is ahad means that there is no equal to Him. If there is an equal or an entity like Allah, Allah cannot be the one and only. This last verse of this surah, is just another way of stating that Allah is ahad. The two verses between the first and the last verse, prove that this is the case. It is as if the surah is saying

Allah is ahad because Allah is al- samad. Allah is al- samad because He did not beget nor is He born; and this all proves the first point that Allah is Ahad.

Now the question is if the intention was to say the same thing as the first verse, why not repeat it with the same wording? Why not simply repeat “Allah is ahad” rather than saying “To Him, no equal is there!”

This is because rephrasing it this way refutes any likeness to Allah in the attributes mentioned inside the Surah as well as with regards to attributes that are not mentioned inside it because the wording is more generic as Ibn Ashur points out:

في مَعْنى التَّ ذْ لِيلِ لِلْ جُمَلِ الَّ تِي قَبْلَها لِأنَّ ها أعَمُّ مِن مَضْ مُونِها؛ لِأنَّ تِلْكَ الصِّ فاتِ المُتَقَدِّمَةَ صَرِيحَها وكِنايَتَها وضِ مْنِيَّ ها مَعَ إفادَةِ هَذِهِ انْتِفاءَ شَبِيهٍ لَهُ فِيما عَداها مِثْلَ صِفاتِ الأفْعالِ ، لا يُشْ بِهُهُ فِيها غَيْرُهُ

This verse is a concluding statement to what came before in this surah because it is more generic and vast than them in its meaning. This is because the attributes mentioned previously, whether expressed explicitly, allusively or implicitly belong to no one other than Allah;

whereas this sentence conveys additionally the negation of any likeness to Him in matters beyond those attributes such as the attributes of action (creating, providing etc)¹¹⁸ Kufuw can also be in the meaning of overshadowing and overpowering. The first verse has already stated that Allah is one and only; which necessarily implies that He has no equal. After stating that Allah does not have any equal in His essence, attributes, and qualities; the only question that remains is if there is an entity that can strip Allah of some or all of His capabilities, powers or attributes. This verse negates the existence of any such entity. Allah is perfect, His attributes, qualities and powers reach the ultimate degree of perfection, and there is no one that can overshadow or overpower Him or any of His powers, capabilities or attributes. If Allah has decreed a matter, no power can overshadow or override His decree. If Allah has decided to do something, nothing can stop Him. Allah is all hearing, all seeing, all powerful, all loving, all just etc... and there is no power that can affect Him or any of His attributes in any way. It is perfect and constant perfection that cannot be affected in any shape or form, small or big, by anyone or anything. His will alone rules. Next, the sentences ‘He did not beget’, ‘Nor is He born’, and ‘To Him, No equal is there!’ are connected with each other with the conjunction waw. This is because that which is similar to Allah can only be a child or a parent, or a counterpart other than these two. Since these categories are distinct from each other yet fall under the same general heading, it became necessary to join them with the conjunction waw. The Surah started by calling Allah ahad. It now ends with the same word ahad, but now, ahad is used in a negative context and means anyone other than Allah. In the first verse, it used ahad in an affirmative context because of which it meant one and only. So first it uses Ahad in an affirmative context to describe the absolute singularity of Allah; then it uses it in a negative context to negate the existence of any equal to Allah.

The central point of this surah revolves around the word ahad. I explained above that this verse means the same thing as the first verse, but since its wording is more generic, it negates any likeness to Allah in attributes not mentioned inside this surah.

This also means that special emphasis has been placed on Allah being al- samad, not begetting and not being born. Why? Why are these attributes mentioned and highlighted specifically and not other attributes? Because these attributes form the bedrock of the correct creed regarding Allah. Once you understand these attributes of Allah, correct understanding of other attributes of Allah naturally follows. When you hear or read any attribute of Allah, you will now know that Allah is firstly ahad the one and only in that attribute. Secondly, because Allah is al- samad, He is perfect and flawless in that attribute. Then because Allah is neither born nor gives birth, Allah has always had and will always have that attribute, with no beginning or end. Then there is no one who can subjugate or overpower Allah or take away this attribute from Him.

Hence, you now have a complete understanding of the God of the Qurʾān and His attributes. The one and only in all His attributes, perfect in every way, with no beginning nor end; and no one who can equal or overpower Him. I ask you, is this better, or the trinity, paganism, or the Hebrew Bible with constant anthropomorphic descriptions of God? This is monotheism in its purest, unadulterated form that is recognized by sound human nature too. The innate human knowledge of good and bad, refuses to accept any notion of God, but the one presented in this surah.

Connection to the Surahs Before and After it We need to start from surah al- Kāfirūn which was a declaration of separation from all religions and supposed gods other than Allah. Once one does this, accepts Islam and rejects other religions, victory and help from Allah will come to him. Hence, the next surah is al- naṣr which describes the help and victory of Allah with the words “When God’s help and victory comes”

When this victory comes, what happens to the disbelievers? That is shown in the next surah - al-Masad - which presents Abu Lahab as a case study. Abu Lahab embodies enmity to Allah and His messenger ﷺ . Anyone who opposes Allah, His Messenger ﷺ and His religion, will suffer defeat and Abu Lahab is presented as an example of it. Then comes this surah - al- Ikhlās Victory has come and disbelievers have been defeated. What was the defining cause of victory? Why did the Muslims win and the disbelievers lose? Because they accepted Islam and rejected other religions in surah al- kāfirūn. Now this religion of the Muslims, that they accepted in surah al Kāfirūn, and which led to their victory in surah al-Naṣr, and to the defeat of the disbelievers in surah al-Masad, is defined in surah al-Ikhlās. Their religion is believing in the only true God, who is the one and only in all His attributes. Hence, al-Ikhlās represents the very core and essence of the Qurʾān.

The next two surahs, surah al-Falaq and surah al-Nās, are both prayers directed to Allah, seeking His protection from various forms of evil and harm. Their placement after Surah al-Ikhlās is deeply meaningful.

The name al-Samad in surah al-Ikhlās conveys that Allah is the One to whom all creation turns in need. He is accessible to His servants; we call upon Him, and He hears and responds to our prayers. It is therefore fitting that the Qurʾān concludes with two supplications directed to Him.

Surah al-Falaq begins by seeking Allah’s protection from the evil of all that He has created. It then highlights specific forms of evil that stand among the most dangerous and destructive dangers a person may face. Thus, its meaning is broad and comprehensive, while also drawing attention to certain especially harmful dangers.

Surah al-Nās focuses on an even greater threat: the devils who seek to distance people from the truth contained in surah al-Ikhlās. Through whispers, doubts, temptations, and false ideas, they try to turn people away from pure monotheism and sincere devotion to Allah mentioned in al-Ikhlās. Since the message of surah alIkhlās is the foundation of salvation, the devils strive to corrupt it. They wish to lead people astray so that they perish, just like Abu Lahab. Therefore, we seek Allah’s protection from their whispers and deception.

The Qurʾān began with a prayer in surah al-Fātihah: “Guide us the straight path.” Everything that follows in the Qurʾān is an answer to that prayer, culminating in the profound declaration of Allah’s oneness in surah al-Ikhlās. Once the truth has been made clear and guidance has been shown, the final step is to ask Allah to preserve us upon it.

Thus, after learning the essence of guidance in surah al-Ikhlās, we conclude by asking Allah to protect us from every force that seeks to pull us away from that guidance. We ask Him to guard us from external evils in surah al-Falaq and from the internal and spiritual danger of satanic whispers in Surah al-Nās

¹¹⁵ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 1, p. 1905
¹¹⁶ al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb, vol. 32, p. 184
¹¹⁷ al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, vol. 29, p. 452
¹¹⁸ Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, vol. 30, p. 619