سُوْرَةُ الْاِخْلَاصِ
Surah Al-Ikhlaas (112) — Ayah 1
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿1﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): "He is Allâh, (the) One.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قُلْ
qul
Say
هُوَ
huwa
He
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
(is) Allah
أَحَدٌ
aḥadun
the One
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "The polytheists said, O Muhammad! Tell us the lineage of your Lord, so Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed {’’ قُلْ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ ‘‘}." [ مستدرک حاکم : 540/2، ح : ۳۹۸۷] Many virtues of this surah have been mentioned in authentic ahadith; due to brevity, a few hadiths are presented: (1) Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man heard another man reciting {’’ قُلْ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ ‘‘} repeatedly in (the night prayer) (he was not reciting anything more than this). In the morning, he came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this to him. It seemed that he considered it insignificant, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ وَالَّذِيْ نَفْسِيْ بِيَدِهِ! إِنَّهَا لَتَعْدِلُ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ ] [ بخاري، فضائل القرآن، باب فضل : « قل ھو اللہ أحد» : ۵۰۱۳، ۵۰۱۴ ] "By Him in Whose hand is my soul! This surah is equal to one third of the Qur'an." (2) Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a man as the commander of a detachment, and he would conclude his recitation in prayer with {’’ قُلْ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ ‘‘}. When they returned, they mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: [سَلُوْهُ لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَصْنَعُ ذٰلِكَ؟ ] "Ask him why he does so." The people asked him, and he said: [لِأَنَّهَا صِفَةُ الرَّحْمٰنِ وَ أَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ بِهَا ] "Because it is the attribute of the Most Merciful, and I love to recite it." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ أَخْبِرُوْهُ أَنَّ اللّٰهَ يُحِبُّهُ ] [ بخاري، التوحید، باب ما جاء في دعاء النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم أمتہ …: ۷۳۷۵] "Inform him that Allah loves him." The ahadith about reciting this surah together with the Mu'awwidhatayn at bedtime and other times will be mentioned at the beginning of the Mu'awwidhatayn (inshaAllah).
Note: In some narrations, various virtues have been mentioned for reciting this surah two hundred times, or one hundred times, or fifty times daily, but the chains of these narrations are not authentic. Shawkani has mentioned these narrations in Fath al-Qadir and clarified their weakness. Ibn Kathir has also commented on these narrations. From this, it is clear that it is not correct to consider it Sunnah to recite this surah in any number more than three. However, if someone, for his own convenience, fixes a number without considering it Sunnah, it is permissible.
(Ayah 1) ➊ { قُلْ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ:} Its grammatical construction has been explained in several ways, the two clearest are: (1) {’’ هُوَ ‘‘} is the subject, the word {’’ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is the first predicate, and {’’ اَحَدٌ ‘‘} is the second predicate. The meaning will be: "(The Lord whose lineage you are asking about) He is Allah, (He is) One." (2) {’’ هُوَ ‘‘} is the antecedent, and the word {’’ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is the substitute; together they form the subject, and {’’ اَحَدٌ ‘‘} is the predicate. The meaning will be: "He is Allah (about whom you are asking), One."
➋ Among the countless names of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the word {’’ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is used as a proper noun, i.e., as the antecedent name, while the other names are used as attributes in some way. This is the antecedent {’’اَلْإِلٰهُ‘‘}; {’’إِلٰهٌ‘‘} means deity. So the meaning of the word {’’ اللّٰهُ ‘‘ } is that unique being who alone is worthy of worship, because all attributes of perfection are found in Him. {’’ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ ‘‘} means that the Lord about whom you are asking is not a new or unknown being, but He is Allah whom you also know and acknowledge, the One who is the true deity, and He is Allah, One.
➌ { اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ:} The oneness of Allah Almighty can have three meanings, and all three are correct here: first, that He is one being, not two or three or more, and there is no multiplicity in His being; second, that He is alone in being the true deity, He has no equal or partner; and third, that He is one, He cannot be divided, nor can He be broken into parts. With this single verse, all those who associate any kind of partner with Allah are refuted, whether they are Magians (fire-worshippers) who believe in two creators, one the creator of good (Yazdan) and the other the creator of evil (Ahriman), or those who believe in trinity (three gods), or Hindus who consider millions of deities as partners in divinity, or those who believe in wahdat al-wujud (unity of existence) who consider everything to be Allah, because if everything is Allah or Allah is in everything, then Allah is no longer one, whereas the very introduction of Allah Almighty is that He is One, there is no multiplicity or plurality in Him.
Similarly, the belief of those is also refuted who, considering someone other than Allah as knower of the unseen or possessor of powers, call upon them for help and make them partners with Allah in divine powers.
Likewise, the belief of those is also refuted who believe that parts are separated from the being of Allah, some say that Isa (peace be upon him) is the son of Allah, some say that Uzair (peace be upon him) is the son of Allah, some say that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was created from the light of Allah, because in all these cases, some being is made a partner with Allah, and He is no longer one. I heard a person in a speech saying: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is light from the light of Allah. Some people say, how can light be separated from the light of Allah? I will explain to you with an example: see! This candle is burning, if you light another candle from it, will there be any decrease in the light of the first one? Not at all, similarly, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is light from the light of Allah, and there has been no decrease in the light of Allah." This poor fellow did not understand that Allah Almighty has forbidden giving examples for Himself, saying: « فَلَا تَضْرِبُوْا لِلّٰهِ الْاَمْثَالَ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَعْلَمُ وَ اَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُوْنَ» [ النحل : ۷۴ ] "So do not give examples for Allah, for Allah knows and you do not know." Nor did he understand that whether there is any decrease in the first candle or not, two candles have been made, whereas Allah is One, and nor did he understand that the light of Allah neither comes out of anyone nor does anything come out of it. This belief is exactly the same as the belief the Christians adopted regarding Isa (peace be upon him).
Similarly, {’’ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ ‘‘} also refutes those who say that when a servant worships a lot, Allah Almighty descends into him, then he himself becomes Allah, and as evidence they present the hadith in Sahih Bukhari in which the statement of Allah Almighty is quoted: I become his ear with which he hears, his eye with which he sees... These people did not ponder over Surah Al-Ikhlas, that in this case Allah would no longer be one, whereas His very first introduction is that He is One, nor did they ponder over the end of that hadith in which it is clearly stated that Allah Almighty says: If My servant asks Me, I will give him, and if he seeks refuge with Me, I will grant him refuge. If, according to "I became you and you became Me," Allah and the servant became one, then who will ask and who will give? Who will seek refuge and who will grant refuge?
Similarly, the belief of those is also refuted who say that by worshipping, the servant becomes so united with Allah that he becomes Him, just as iron becomes fire by being heated. The fundamental mistake here is also giving examples for Allah, whereas Allah has forbidden this. Besides, these poor people did not consider that the verse «اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ » (Allah is One) negates this; the servant is a separate being from Allah. The Creator and the created are two, not one, whereas Allah Almighty is One; how did two become one? This is the same belief as the Christians: the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, but not three, rather one God. O servants of Allah! How did two or three become one? In short, this is such a blessed surah that, against all the beliefs contrary to the oneness of Allah and all the interpretations made for them, this single surah, rather even one verse of it, is sufficient for their refutation. Then, if the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has declared it one third of the Qur'an, what is surprising in that?
Note: In some narrations, various virtues have been mentioned for reciting this surah two hundred times, or one hundred times, or fifty times daily, but the chains of these narrations are not authentic. Shawkani has mentioned these narrations in Fath al-Qadir and clarified their weakness. Ibn Kathir has also commented on these narrations. From this, it is clear that it is not correct to consider it Sunnah to recite this surah in any number more than three. However, if someone, for his own convenience, fixes a number without considering it Sunnah, it is permissible.
(Ayah 1) ➊ { قُلْ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ:} Its grammatical construction has been explained in several ways, the two clearest are: (1) {’’ هُوَ ‘‘} is the subject, the word {’’ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is the first predicate, and {’’ اَحَدٌ ‘‘} is the second predicate. The meaning will be: "(The Lord whose lineage you are asking about) He is Allah, (He is) One." (2) {’’ هُوَ ‘‘} is the antecedent, and the word {’’ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is the substitute; together they form the subject, and {’’ اَحَدٌ ‘‘} is the predicate. The meaning will be: "He is Allah (about whom you are asking), One."
➋ Among the countless names of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the word {’’ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is used as a proper noun, i.e., as the antecedent name, while the other names are used as attributes in some way. This is the antecedent {’’اَلْإِلٰهُ‘‘}; {’’إِلٰهٌ‘‘} means deity. So the meaning of the word {’’ اللّٰهُ ‘‘ } is that unique being who alone is worthy of worship, because all attributes of perfection are found in Him. {’’ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ ‘‘} means that the Lord about whom you are asking is not a new or unknown being, but He is Allah whom you also know and acknowledge, the One who is the true deity, and He is Allah, One.
➌ { اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ:} The oneness of Allah Almighty can have three meanings, and all three are correct here: first, that He is one being, not two or three or more, and there is no multiplicity in His being; second, that He is alone in being the true deity, He has no equal or partner; and third, that He is one, He cannot be divided, nor can He be broken into parts. With this single verse, all those who associate any kind of partner with Allah are refuted, whether they are Magians (fire-worshippers) who believe in two creators, one the creator of good (Yazdan) and the other the creator of evil (Ahriman), or those who believe in trinity (three gods), or Hindus who consider millions of deities as partners in divinity, or those who believe in wahdat al-wujud (unity of existence) who consider everything to be Allah, because if everything is Allah or Allah is in everything, then Allah is no longer one, whereas the very introduction of Allah Almighty is that He is One, there is no multiplicity or plurality in Him.
Similarly, the belief of those is also refuted who, considering someone other than Allah as knower of the unseen or possessor of powers, call upon them for help and make them partners with Allah in divine powers.
Likewise, the belief of those is also refuted who believe that parts are separated from the being of Allah, some say that Isa (peace be upon him) is the son of Allah, some say that Uzair (peace be upon him) is the son of Allah, some say that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was created from the light of Allah, because in all these cases, some being is made a partner with Allah, and He is no longer one. I heard a person in a speech saying: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is light from the light of Allah. Some people say, how can light be separated from the light of Allah? I will explain to you with an example: see! This candle is burning, if you light another candle from it, will there be any decrease in the light of the first one? Not at all, similarly, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is light from the light of Allah, and there has been no decrease in the light of Allah." This poor fellow did not understand that Allah Almighty has forbidden giving examples for Himself, saying: « فَلَا تَضْرِبُوْا لِلّٰهِ الْاَمْثَالَ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَعْلَمُ وَ اَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُوْنَ» [ النحل : ۷۴ ] "So do not give examples for Allah, for Allah knows and you do not know." Nor did he understand that whether there is any decrease in the first candle or not, two candles have been made, whereas Allah is One, and nor did he understand that the light of Allah neither comes out of anyone nor does anything come out of it. This belief is exactly the same as the belief the Christians adopted regarding Isa (peace be upon him).
Similarly, {’’ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ ‘‘} also refutes those who say that when a servant worships a lot, Allah Almighty descends into him, then he himself becomes Allah, and as evidence they present the hadith in Sahih Bukhari in which the statement of Allah Almighty is quoted: I become his ear with which he hears, his eye with which he sees... These people did not ponder over Surah Al-Ikhlas, that in this case Allah would no longer be one, whereas His very first introduction is that He is One, nor did they ponder over the end of that hadith in which it is clearly stated that Allah Almighty says: If My servant asks Me, I will give him, and if he seeks refuge with Me, I will grant him refuge. If, according to "I became you and you became Me," Allah and the servant became one, then who will ask and who will give? Who will seek refuge and who will grant refuge?
Similarly, the belief of those is also refuted who say that by worshipping, the servant becomes so united with Allah that he becomes Him, just as iron becomes fire by being heated. The fundamental mistake here is also giving examples for Allah, whereas Allah has forbidden this. Besides, these poor people did not consider that the verse «اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ » (Allah is One) negates this; the servant is a separate being from Allah. The Creator and the created are two, not one, whereas Allah Almighty is One; how did two become one? This is the same belief as the Christians: the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, but not three, rather one God. O servants of Allah! How did two or three become one? In short, this is such a blessed surah that, against all the beliefs contrary to the oneness of Allah and all the interpretations made for them, this single surah, rather even one verse of it, is sufficient for their refutation. Then, if the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has declared it one third of the Qur'an, what is surprising in that?
