Names
This surah is called Surat Al-Ikhlas. [611] See: Al-Fayruzabadi: Basa?ir Dhawi At-Tamyiz, 2/173; Tafsir Ibn ?Ashur, 30/609.
It is also called Surat Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) Al-Ikhlas 112.
It was narrated from Abu?d-Darda? (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: ?Is any one of you incapable of reciting one third of the Qur?an in a night?? They said: How could he recite one third of the Qur?an? He said: ?Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) Al-Ikhlas 112 is equivalent to one third of the Qur?an.? [612] Narrated by Muslim, 811. ?
This surah, Al-Falaq and An-Nas together are called Al-Mu?awwidhat surahs for seeking refuge with Allah.
It was narrated that ?Uqbah ibn ?Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed me to recite Al-Mu?awwidhat [613] Ibn Hajar said: The Mu?awwidhat are the three surahs. Surat Al-Ikhlas is included because of what it contains of the description of the Lord, even though it does not specifically speak of seeking refuge with Allah. Fat-h Al-Bari, 9/62. following every prayer. [614] Narrated by Abu Dawud, 1523; At-Tirmidhi, 2903; An-Nasa?i, 1336.
Virtues and characteristics
It is equivalent to one third of the Qur?an.
It was narrated from Abu Sa?id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man heard another man reciting Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) Al-Ikhlas 112 and repeating it. The following morning, he came to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and told him about that, and it was as if the man thought it was little. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: ?By the One in Whose hand is my soul, indeed it is equivalent to one third of the Qur?an.? [615] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 5013.
The Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed the Muslims to recite Al-Mu?awwidhat (which include Surat Al-Ikhlas) following every prayer, as was mentioned in the hadith of ?Uqbah ibn ?Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) quoted above.
It is one of the best three surahs that were revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, the Zabur (Psalms) and the Furqan (the Qur?an).
It was narrated from ?Uqbah ibn ?Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him: ?O ?Uqbah ibn ?Amir, shall I not teach you the best three surahs that were revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, the Zabur (Psalms) and the Furqan (the Qur?an)? I said: Yes indeed, may Allah cause me to be sacrificed for you. And he taught me Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) Al-Ikhlas 112, Qul a?udhu bi Rabb il-falaq (Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak) Al-Falaq 113 and Qul a?udhu bi Rabb il-nas (Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind) An-Nas 114. Then he said: ?O ?Uqbah, do not forget them and do not go to sleep at night until you recite them.? He said: I have never forgotten them since he said, ?Do not forget them,? and there never been a night when I did not recite them. [616] Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, 2406; Ahmad, 17334. ?
Whoever recites Al-Mu?awwidhat (which include Surat Al-Ikhlas) three times every morning and evening, they will suffice him against all things.
It was narrated that ?Abdullah ibn Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We went out on a rainy and very dark night, looking for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to lead us in prayer, and I found him. He said: ?Say,? but I did not say anything. Then he said: ?Say,? but I did not say anything. Then he said: ?Say,? and I said: What should I say, O Messenger of Allah? He said: ?Say: Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) and Al-Mu?awwidhatayn, in the evening and in the morning, three times, and they will suffice you against all things [617] It was said that what is meant is: they will suffice you against all things that you fear, whatever they may be, and they will ward off all ills from you. It may be that what is meant is: they will suffice you so that you need no other surah. See: At-Tibi: Sharh Al-Mishkat, 5/1671; ?Ali Al-Qari: Mirqat Al-Mafatih, 4/1485; Ash-Shawkani: Tuhfat Ad-Dhakirin, p. 97. .? [618] Narrated by Abu Dawud, 5082; At-Tirmidhi, 3575; An-Nasa?i, 5428. ?
If the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) fell sick, he would treat himself with ruqyah by reciting Al-Mu?awwidhat (which include Surat Al-Ikhlas)
It was narrated from ?A?ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) fell sick, he would recite Al-Mu?awwidhat over himself and blow. [619] Blow: that is, blowing with or without a small amount of saliva. At-Tibi: Sharh Al-Mishkat, 5/1651; Ibn Hajar: Fat-h Al-Bari, 10/209; Al-Qastallani: Irshad As-Sari, 8/393. ? When his sickness grew worse, I ?A?ishah would recite over him and wipe his hand over him, hoping for its barakah (blessing). [620] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 5016; Muslim, 2192.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would seek refuge with Allah for himself by reciting Al-Mu?awwidhat (which include Surat Al-Ikhlas) when he went to his bed:
It was narrated from ?A?ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) went to his bed every night, he would cup his hands together, then he would blow into them and recite into them Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) Al-Ikhlas 112, Qul a?udhu bi Rabb il-falaq (Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak) Al-Falaq 113 and Qul a?udhu bi Rabb il-nas (Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind) An-Nas 114, then he would wipe whatever he could reach of his body with his hands, starting with his head and face and the front of his body; he would do that three times. [621] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 5017. ?
Whoever offers supplication with the divine names mentioned in this surah has called upon Allah by His greatest name.
It was narrated from Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask of You by virtue of the fact that You are Allah, the One, the Eternal Refuge, Who neither begets nor is born, and there is none comparable to Him. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: ?He has asked Allah by His greatest name which, if He is asked by it, He gives, and if He is called upon by it, He responds.? [622] Narrated by Abu Dawud, 1493; At-Tirmidhi, 3475; Ibn Majah, 3857.
Whoever loves this surah will enter Paradise
It was narrated that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: An Ansari man used to lead them in prayer in Masjid Quba?, and every time he started to recite a surah for them in the prayer, he would recite Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) until he finished it, then he would recite another surah with it, and he would do that in every rak?ah. His companions spoke to him and said: You start with this surah, then you think that it is not enough until you add another one; either recite it on its own or leave it and recite some other surah. He said: I will not leave it; if you want me to lead you in prayer in this manner, then I will do that, and if you do not like that, then I shall leave you. They thought that he was the best of them, and they did not want someone else to lead them in prayer. When they came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), they told him about that, and he said: ?O So-and-so, what is preventing you from doing what your companions tell you to do? What made you always recite this surah in every rak?ah?? He said: I love it. He said: ?Your love for it will earn you admittance to Paradise.? [623] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 774.
The one who loves to recite it, Allah will love him, and it is a description of the Most Gracious.
It was narrated from ?A?ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) appointed man in charge of a raiding party [624] Raiding party: the word sariyyah (translated here as ?raiding party?) refers to a military detachment of no more than four hundred men who are sent to engage the enemy. It is so called because they are the elite and best of the troops. The sariy of anything is the most precious and valuable type of that thing. See: Ibn Al-Athir: An-Nihayah fi Gharib Al-Hadith wa?l-Athar, 2/363. , and he used to recite for his companions when leading them in prayer, and he would end with Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) Al-Ikhlas 112. When they came back, they mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he said: ?Ask him why he does that.? So they asked him and he said: Because it is a description of the Most Merciful and I love to recite it. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: ?Tell him that Allah loves him.? [625] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 7375; Muslim, 813.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) heard a man reciting it, and he said: ?Paradise is due to him?
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) heard a man reciting Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) until he completed it, and he said: ?It is due.? It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what is due? He said: ?Paradise.? Abu Hurayrah said: I wanted to go to him and give him the glad tidings, but I gave precedence to eating lunch with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as I was worried that I would miss having lunch with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Then I came back to the man, and I found that he had left. [626] Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, 2897; An-Nasa?i, 994; Ahmad, 10919.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) heard a man reciting it in the second of the two rak?ahs of Fajr, and he said: ?This is a slave who believes in his Lord.?
It was narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man stood up and prayed the two rak?ahs of Fajr. ? In the second rak?ah, he recited Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) Al-Ikhlas 112 until he finished the surah, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: ?This is a slave who believes in his Lord.? [627] Narrated by At-Tahawi: Sharh Ma?ani Al-Athar, 1774; Ibn Hibban, 2460; Al-Bayhaqi: Shu?ab Al-Iman, 2524.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to recite it in the rak?ah of Witr.
It was narrated that ?Abdullah ibn ?Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray Witr with three rak?ahs; in the first he would recite Sabbih isma rabbik Al-a?la (Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High) Al-A?la 87, in the second he would recite Qul ya ayyaha?l-kafirun (Say, O disbelievers) Al-Kafirun 109, and in the third he would recite Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) Al-Ikhlas 112. [628] Narrated by An-Nasa?i, 1702; Ahmad, 2720.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to recite it in the Sunnah prayer of Fajr:
It was narrated that ?A?ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray two rak?ahs before Fajr, and he used to say: ?How good these two surahs are to be recited in the two rak?ahs before Fajr: Qul ya ayyaha?l-kafirun (Say, O disbelievers) Al-Kafirun 109 and Qul Huwa Allahu ahad (Say, He is Allah, who is One) Al-Ikhlas 112.? [629] Narrated by Ibn Majah, 1150; Ahmad, 26022.
Makki or Madani?
Surat Al-Ikhlas is Makki; and it was said that it is Madani. [630] An-Nasafi and Ibn ?Ashur attributed the view that it is Makki was attributed to the majority of scholars. See: Tafsir An-Nasafi, 3/693; Tafsir Ibn ?Ashur, 30/611. And it was said that it was Madani. Those who favoured this view include As-Sam?ani and As-Suyuti. See: Tafsir As-Sam?ani, 6/302; As-Suyuti: Al-Itqan fi ?Ulum Al-Qur?an, 1/55.
Objectives
The most important objectives of this surah include:
Highlighting the attributes of perfection that Allah (%) must inevitably have, and highlighting what He must be declared to be above of shortcomings, and affirming that nothing is like unto Him. [631] See: Ibn Al-Qayyim: Ijtima? Al-Juyush Al-Islamiyyah, 2/94. See also: Al-Biqa?i: Masa?id An-Nazr, 3/280.
Topics?????
The most significant topics addressed in Surat Al-Ikhlas include:
Affirming the oneness of Allah (%).
To Allah (%) belong the attributes of perfection and no one is to be turned to at the time of need except Him.
Proving false the notion that Allah begets or that He could be begotten.
Declaring Allah to be far above having any peer or equal.