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Chapter 112

Monotheismal-Ikhlāṣ ( الإخلاص )

4 verses • revealed at Meccan

»The surah whose six elements of belief constitute pure sincerity of faith or Monotheism, wherein a believer affirms God’s divinity, Oneness, and eternality, and negates in relation to Him any offspring, ancestry, or likeness. It negates any kind of anthropomorphism that may compromise pure monotheism. It is unusual in having as its title a term not mentioned in the body of the surah. The word “Ikhlas” conveys the meaning of sincerity in one’s religion and total dedication to the One true God.«

The surah is also known as Divine Unity, Oneness, Pure Faith, Pure Sincerity, Pure Truth, Purity (of Faith), Sincere Religion, Sincerity, The Purity of Faith, Unity

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ

Ali Unal: IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE ALL-MERCIFUL, THE ALL-COMPASSIONATE

1
قُل هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

Ali Unal

This sūrah of four verses was revealed in Makkah. It takes its name from the subject matter; for this reason, it is also called Sūrat at-Tawhīd (Declaration of God’s Absolute Unity).
Say: “He, God, the Unique One of Absolute Unity.1
  • As pointed out by Fakhru’d-Dīn ar-Rāzī, a great interpreter of the Qur’ān, God is called by three Names in this verse: He, God, and the One of Absolute Unity. “He” denotes the Divine Being in His Essence, the Necessarily-Existent One – Who is indescribable, known by none but Himself only. “God” is the Divine Being Who manifests Himself with and is recognized by His Attributes and Names, Who encompasses all the Attributes and Names by Which the Divine Being is called. And “The One of Absolute Unity” negates all false notions and concepts about the Divine Being. “He” is the term used by those nearest to the Divine Being; they appeal to Him as He. “God” is the term used by the people of the Right, the people of happiness and prosperity (who will be given their records in their right hands), while “the One of Absolute Unity” comes in this verse in connection with the people of the Left, the people of wretchedness (who will be given their Records in their left hands), who have incorrect concepts of God, who deny Him, or who associate different partners with Him.
    There are some differences between God’s being the One of Absolute Unity (Wāhid) and the Unique One of Absolute Oneness(Ahad). God’s being the One of Absolute Unity (Wāhid) means the manifestation of God’s Names, which give existence to all things and beings, and are responsible for their life, throughout the entire universe. God’s being the Unique One of Absolute Oneness” (Ahad) means God’s concentration of the manifestations of His Names on individual things or beings. In order to understand the difference more clearly, Said Nursi makes the following analogy:
    The sun encompasses innumerable things in its light. This can serve to understand God’s Unity. But to hold the totality of its light in our minds, we would need a vast conceptual and perceptual power. So lest the sun be forgotten, each shining object reflects its properties (light and heat) as best it can and so manifests the sun. This is an analogy for God’s being the Unique One of Absolute Oneness. As related to the manifestation of God’s Unity, the whole universe is a mirror to God. While as related to the manifestation of His being the Unique One of Absolute Oneness, each (shining) being is a mirror of Him.
    Bediüzzaman Said Nursi notes that faith in God’s Unity has two degrees: believing superficially that God has no partners, and that the universe belongs only to Him (such believers may be susceptible to deviation and confusion); and firm conviction that God is One, that everything belongs to Him exclusively, and that only He creates, maintains, provides, causes to die, etc. Such believers see His seal and observe His stamp on all things. Free from doubt, they feel themselves always and everywhere in His Presence. Their conviction cannot be diluted by deviation or doubt.