سُوْرَةُ الْاِخْلَاصِ
Surah Al-Ikhlaas (112) — Ayah 4
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ ﴿4﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
"And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَمْ
walam
And not
يَكُن
yakun
is
لَّهُۥ
lahu
for Him
كُفُوًا
kufuwan
equivalent
أَحَدٌۢ
aḥadun
any [one]
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
4. And there is none comparable [5] to Him.
[5]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿كفو﴾:
﴿كُفُوًا﴾: Kafā’ refers to that piece of cloth which, when joined with another similar piece, is placed at the back of a tent, and ﴿كفو﴾ and ﴿كُفٰي﴾ mean being equal, of the same rank and status, being on par with each other. It means having a counterpart, a match, or an equal. The word ﴿كفو﴾ is commonly used in the battlefield at the time of a challenge to single combat, or at the time of marriage and relationship proposals. “So-and-so is the ﴿كفو﴾ of so-and-so,” meaning that person is a match, counterpart, or equal to the other. At the time of a relationship proposal, both parties also consider whether the economic, social, and cultural status of the other party is similar to theirs or not. This is the meaning of ﴿كفو﴾. And the meaning of this verse is that those who ask various questions about the Being of Allah, say to them that there is nothing in this universe that is His equal, so that you could be made to understand that Allah is like such-and-such thing. Allah the Exalted has expressed this same theme at another place as follows: ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهٖ شَيْءٌ﴾
Surah Ikhlas is Equal to One-Third of the Quran:
It should be clear that since all aspects of Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah) have been fully illuminated in this Surah, therefore the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has declared this Surah to be equal to one-third of the Quran, and this is established by numerous authentic ahadith. The reason for this is that the Quran fundamentally emphasizes three beliefs: Tawheed, Prophethood, and the Hereafter. Since this Surah contains a comprehensive statement of Tawheed, it has been declared equal to one-third of the Quran. As is clear from the following ahadith:
1. It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Darda that the Prophet ﷺ asked: “Are you unable to recite one-third of the Quran every night?” The Companions said: “How can anyone recite one-third of the Quran?” He ﷺ said: ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ﴾ “is equal to one-third of the Quran.” [مسلم۔ کتاب فضائل القرآن۔ باب فضل قُلْ ھُوَ اللّٰہُ اَحَدٌ۔]
2. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Gather together so that I may recite to you one-third of the Quran.” We gathered, and the Prophet ﷺ came out and recited Surah ﴿قُلْ هُوَاللّٰهُ أحْدٌ﴾, then went inside. We said to each other: “Perhaps some news from the heavens has come for which he went inside.” Then he came out and said: “I told you I would recite one-third of the Quran to you. So this Surah is equal to one-third of the Quran.” [حواله ايضاً]
3. It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa ؓ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed a man as commander over a detachment. He would lead his detachment in prayer and would always conclude his recitation with ﴿قُلْ ھُوَاللّٰہُ أحْدٌ﴾. When the detachment returned, the people mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so he said: “Ask him why he does this.” When asked, he replied: “This is a description of the Most Merciful, and I love to recite it.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Tell him that Allah loves him.” [حواله ايضاً]
[5]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿كفو﴾:
﴿كُفُوًا﴾: Kafā’ refers to that piece of cloth which, when joined with another similar piece, is placed at the back of a tent, and ﴿كفو﴾ and ﴿كُفٰي﴾ mean being equal, of the same rank and status, being on par with each other. It means having a counterpart, a match, or an equal. The word ﴿كفو﴾ is commonly used in the battlefield at the time of a challenge to single combat, or at the time of marriage and relationship proposals. “So-and-so is the ﴿كفو﴾ of so-and-so,” meaning that person is a match, counterpart, or equal to the other. At the time of a relationship proposal, both parties also consider whether the economic, social, and cultural status of the other party is similar to theirs or not. This is the meaning of ﴿كفو﴾. And the meaning of this verse is that those who ask various questions about the Being of Allah, say to them that there is nothing in this universe that is His equal, so that you could be made to understand that Allah is like such-and-such thing. Allah the Exalted has expressed this same theme at another place as follows: ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهٖ شَيْءٌ﴾
Surah Ikhlas is Equal to One-Third of the Quran:
It should be clear that since all aspects of Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah) have been fully illuminated in this Surah, therefore the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has declared this Surah to be equal to one-third of the Quran, and this is established by numerous authentic ahadith. The reason for this is that the Quran fundamentally emphasizes three beliefs: Tawheed, Prophethood, and the Hereafter. Since this Surah contains a comprehensive statement of Tawheed, it has been declared equal to one-third of the Quran. As is clear from the following ahadith:
1. It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Darda that the Prophet ﷺ asked: “Are you unable to recite one-third of the Quran every night?” The Companions said: “How can anyone recite one-third of the Quran?” He ﷺ said: ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ﴾ “is equal to one-third of the Quran.” [مسلم۔ کتاب فضائل القرآن۔ باب فضل قُلْ ھُوَ اللّٰہُ اَحَدٌ۔]
2. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Gather together so that I may recite to you one-third of the Quran.” We gathered, and the Prophet ﷺ came out and recited Surah ﴿قُلْ هُوَاللّٰهُ أحْدٌ﴾, then went inside. We said to each other: “Perhaps some news from the heavens has come for which he went inside.” Then he came out and said: “I told you I would recite one-third of the Quran to you. So this Surah is equal to one-third of the Quran.” [حواله ايضاً]
3. It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa ؓ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed a man as commander over a detachment. He would lead his detachment in prayer and would always conclude his recitation with ﴿قُلْ ھُوَاللّٰہُ أحْدٌ﴾. When the detachment returned, the people mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so he said: “Ask him why he does this.” When asked, he replied: “This is a description of the Most Merciful, and I love to recite it.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Tell him that Allah loves him.” [حواله ايضاً]
