Al-Ikhlas Explained

Number:	112
Number-3:	112
Name-Ar:	ٱلإخْلَاص
Name-En:	Sincerity
Prev Sura:	Quran 111
Next Sura:	Quran 113
Classification:	Muslim
Othernames:	Absoluteness, The Unity, Oneness of God, Sincere Religion, The Declaration of [God's] Perfection
Juz:	30
Verses:	4
Words:	15
Letters:	47
Audio:	112.AlIkhlas-MisharyRashedAlafasy.ogg

Al-Ikhlāṣ (Arabic: الْإِخْلَاص, "Sincerity"), also known as the Declaration of God's Unity^[1] and al-Tawhid (Arabic: التوحيد, "Monotheism"),^[2] is the 112th chapter (sūrah) of the Quran.

According to George Sale, this chapter is held in particular veneration by Muslims, and declared, by Islamic tradition, to be equal in value to a third part of the whole Quran.^{[3] [4] [5]} It is said to have been revealed during the Quraysh Conflict with Muhammad in answer to a challenge over the distinguishing attributes of God, Muhammad invited them to worship.^[6]

Al-Ikhlas is not merely the name of this surah but also the title of its contents, for it deals exclusively with Tawhid. The other surahs of the Quran generally have been designated after a word occurring in them, but in this surah the word Ikhlas has occurred nowhere. It has been given this name in view of its meaning and subject matter.

Text and meaning

Text and transliteration

• Hafs from Aasim ibn Abi al-Najud

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• Warsh from Nafi‘ al-Madani

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Translations

Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
Allah, the Eternal Refuge.
He neither begets nor is born,
Nor is there to Him any equivalent."

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Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
And there is none like unto Him.^[7]

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Say: He is Allah, the One!
Allah, the eternally Besought of all!
He begetteth not nor was begotten.
And there is none comparable unto Him.

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Meaning

Material evidence

The first three verses of Al-Ikhlas are known from a coin issued by Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in 697 AD. It is also at the beginning of the major inscription on the Dome of the Rock, which dates to 691. Some of the early inscriptions of the surah contain a variant of the first verse, where the qul huwa of the first verse is missing (a variant also documented in the Islamic tradition). It is typically not found in early manuscripts because it is located towards the end of the Quran, and therefore, is in a location of a manuscript sensitive to damage, although it is present in the manuscript Sarayı Medina 1a.^[8]

Historical context

In Islamic tradition, the audience of Al-Ikhlas has been variously reported to be Jewish, Christian, or pagan. Various potential contextualization's have been suggested in Quranic studies. One suggestion relates the first verse to the Shema of the Book of Deuteronomy: "Hear, O Israel: YHVH is our God, YHVH is one" (Deut 6:4). Another suggestion, especially as advocated by Angelika Neuwirth, relates this verse as representing an antithesis or a counter to the Nicene Creed based on structural corresponds between the two. A recent proposal has compared this surah to Jacob's commentary of the Christological beliefs of the Christians of Najran in his 6th-century Letter to the Himyarites.^[9] This, in particular, resembles a Muslim tradition whereby the surah was revealed in the context of an arrival of a delegation of Christians from Najran into Muhammad's audience.^[10]

Exegesis

See main article: Shirk (Islam) and Islamic view of the Trinity. In the early years of Islam, some surahs of the Quran came to be known by several different names, sometimes varying by region.^[11] This surah was among those to receive many different titles. It is a short declaration of tawhid, God's absolute oneness, consisting of four ayat. Al-Ikhlas means "the purity" or "the refining".

It is disputed whether this is a Meccan or Medinan surah. The former seems more probable, particularly since it seems to have been alluded to by Bilal ibn al-Harith, who, when he was being tortured by his cruel master, is said to have repeated "Ahad, Ahad!" (unique, referring as here to God). It is reported from Ubayy ibn Ka'b that it was revealed after the polytheists asked "O Muhammad! Tell us the lineage of your Lord."

Q112:1-2 None comparable to God

Surah Al-Ikhlas contains four verses: 112:1. Say: He is Allah, One. 112:2. Allah As-Samad. 112:3. He begets not, nor was He begotten. 112:4. And there is none comparable to Him.^[12]

About this, Tafsir Ibn Kathir says:

The word (Al-Ahad) cannot be used for anyone in affirmation except for Allah within the Islamic tradition.

Hadith

According to hadiths, this surah is an especially important and honored part of the Quran:

• Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: A man heard another man reciting (in the prayers): 'Say (O Muhammad): "He is Allah, the One." (112.1) And he recited it repeatedly. When it was morning, he went to the Prophet and informed him about that as if he considered that the recitation of that Sura by itself was not enough. Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hand my life is, it is equal to one-third of the Quran."^{[13] [14]}
• Narrated Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Humayd ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf had told him that Surat al-Ikhlas (Surah 112) was equal to a third of the Qur'an, and that Surat al-Mulk (Surah 67) pleaded for its owner.^[15]
• Narrated 'Aisha: The Prophet sent (an army unit) under the command of a man who used to lead his companions in the prayers and would finish his recitation with (the Sura 112): 'Say (O Muhammad): "He is Allah, the One." ' (112.1) When they returned (from the battle), they mentioned that to the Prophet. He said (to them), "Ask him why he does so." They asked him and he said, "I do so because it mentions the qualities of the Beneficent and I love to recite it (in my prayer)." The Prophet; said (to them), "Tell him that Allah loves him"^[16]
• Imam Malik ibn Anas recorded from Ubayd bin Hunayn that he heard Abu Hurayrah saying, "I went out with the Prophet and he heard a man reciting `Say: He is Allah, the One.' So the Messenger of Allah said, (It is obligatory). I asked, `What is obligatory' He replied, "Paradise."^[12]
• Narrated by Abu Said, the Prophet said to his companions, "Is it difficult for any of you to recite one third of the Qur'an in one night?" This suggestion was difficult for them so they said, "Who among us has the power to do so, O Allah's Apostle?" Allah Apostle replied: " Allah (the) One, the Self-Sufficient Master Whom all creatures need.' (Surat Al-Ikhlas 112.1 ..to the End) is equal to one third of the Qur'an."^{[17] [18]}
• Al-Bukhari reported from Amrah bint Abdur-Rahman, who used to stay in the apartment of Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, that Aisha said, "The Prophet sent a man as the commander of a war expedition and he used to lead his companions in prayer with recitation (of the Quran). And he would complete his recitation with the recitation of `Say: He is Allah, One.' So when they returned they mentioned that to the Prophet and he said, Ask him why does he do that? So they asked him and he said, "Because it is the description of Ar-Rahman and I love to recite it. So the Prophet said, "Inform him that Allah the Most High loves him."^[12] This is how Al-Bukhari recorded this hadith in his book of tawhid. Muslim and an-Nisai also recorded it.
• An authentic Hadith says 'Say [recite] Surat al-Ikhlās and al-Muawwidhatayn (Surat al-Falaq and Surat an-Nās) three times in the morning and the evening; they will suffice you from everything.' [Narrated by [[At-Tirmidhi]]. And Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani authenticated it: 2829^[19]
• Narrated Aisha: "Whenever the Prophet went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting Surah al-Ikhlas, Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face and front of his body. He used to do that three times.^{[20] [21]}
• Imam Ahmad also recorded that Ibn 'Umar said, "I watched the Prophet twenty-four or twenty-five times reciting in the two Rak'ahs before the Morning prayer and the two Rak'ahs after the Sunset prayer, 'Say: "O ye infidels!"' (Surah Al-Kafirun) and "Say: "He is Allah, One."^[12]

See also

• Al-Falaq
• Al-Nas
• Al-Mu'awwidhatayn

External links

• Quran 112 Clear Quran translation
  • The Holy Qur'an, translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali
• Three translations at Project Gutenberg

Notes and References

1. In George Sale's translation
2. The 1698 Maracci Quran notes some chapters have two or more titles, occasioned by the existence of different copies in the Arabic.(George Sale Preliminary discourse 3)
3. Web site: Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2900 - Chapters on The Virtues of the Qur'an - كتاب ثواب القرآن عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) . 2023-08-25 . sunnah.com.
4. Web site: Jami at Tirmidhi 2900 - English & Urdu, Virtues Of Quran Hadith . 2023-08-25 . Hamariweb.com Islam . en-US.
5. Web site: IslamicFinder . Hadith 2900 of chapters on the virtues of the qur'an by jami al tirmizi . 2023-08-25 . IslamicFinder . en.
6. [George Sale]
7. Web site: 2015-07-26 . Surah Al-Ikhlas . 2022-08-19 . Ulkaa Islam . en.
8. Ghaffar . Zishan . 2024-07-01 . The Many Faces of Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ . Journal of the International Qur'anic Studies Association . en . 6–7 . 10.1515/jiqsa-2023-0012 . 2474-8420.
9. Ghaffar . Zishan . 2024-07-01 . The Many Faces of Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ . Journal of the International Qur'anic Studies Association . en . 10.1515/jiqsa-2023-0012 . 2474-8420.
10. Ghaffar . Zishan . 2024-07-01 . The Many Faces of Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ . Journal of the International Qur'anic Studies Association . en . 15 . 10.1515/jiqsa-2023-0012 . 2474-8420.
11. A.T. Welch, art. ‘al-Ḳur’ān’ in Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edn. On early development of sura headings see Adam Gacek, Arabic Manuscripts: A Vademecum For Readers, Handbook of Oriental Studies (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2009), pp. 219–20.
12. Web site: Ibn Kathir. Ibn Kathir. Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): Surah Al Akhlas. 26 December 2019. Quran 4 U. Tafsir.
13. Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 93: Oneness, Uniqueness of Allah (Tawheed) Volume 9, Number 471
14. Web site: SAHIH BUKHARI, BOOK 93: ONENESS, UNIQUENESS OF ALLAH (TAWHEED).
15. Imam Malik's Muwatta Chapter No: 15, The Quran Hadith no: 19
16. Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 93: Oneness, Uniqueness of Allah (Tawheed) Volume 9, Number 472
17. Web site: Sahih Bukhari : Book of "Virues of Al-Quran".
18. Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 61: Virtues of the Qur'an Book 61, Number 534
19. Web site: Archived copy . 2011-08-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111013063038/http://abdurrahman.org/qurantafseer/TheVirtuesOfSomeSurahs_ShaikAlbanee.pdf . 2011-10-13 . dead .
20. (Sahih al-Bukhari Vol.6 Bk.6 No.536)
21. Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 71: Medicine Volume 7, Number 644