112- AL-IKHLAS
SINCERITY
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
# Say, “He, God, is One, # God, the Eternally Sufficient unto Himself. # He begets not; nor was He begotten. # And none is like unto Him.
1. Say, “He, God, is One,
Some of the Companions of the Prophet are said to have read this sūrah without reciting Say (qul) at the beginning. While most retain it, those who omit it argue that it is not possible for the Prophet to have been unaware of God’s Oneness; thus he would not have needed to be instructed in this fashion (Āl, R). This verse can also be read, “Say, ‘He is God, One.’” Many commentators distinguish between the meaning of aḥad (“One”), which is used in this verse, and wāḥid (“One”), which is known as one of the Divine Names, as in the One, the Paramount (12:39; 13:16; 14:48; 38:65; 39:4; 40:16), and which some early Muslims are said to have recited in this verse rather than aḥad (Ṭ, Z). The most widely held interpretation is that wāḥid is a numerical one to which another number can be added, while aḥad denotes an Absolute Oneness that is unique and cannot take a second or be divided (Ṭs). Some view aḥad and wāḥid as synonyms (Āl, R). Others say that aḥad indicates negation, as when one says mā raʾaytu aḥad (“I did not see anyone”), while wāḥid indicates affirmation, as when one says raʾaytu rajul wāḥid (“I saw one man”; R, Ṭs). Both names denote oneness, but whereas aḥad conveys an “internal oneness,” something that is one unto itself, wāḥid conveys an “external oneness,” something that is one in relation to others. Aḥad is thus seen by many as conveying a higher degree of Divine Oneness without any consideration of its relation to the multiplicity of creation, while wāḥid is seen as conveying the Oneness of the Divine Being in relation to the multiplicity of Divine Attributes and of creation
As Muslims meditated upon the relationship between the One God and the multiplicity of creation that God brings forth, the opening words of this sūrah came to be employed to identify different aspects of Divine Oneness. According to some commentators, He (huwa) designates God in and of Himself, the undifferentiated Divine Self or Essence (Kā, R). Huwa would thus be the greatest Name of God (al-ism al-aʿẓam; Ṭs), and one of the most effective formulas for calling upon Divine aid would be yā huwa yā man lā huwa illā huwa, “O He. O the One other than Whom there is no He” (Ṭs), or “O He. O the One Who is He, other than Whom there is no god” (Āl). For al-Rāzī huwa indicates a degree of Divinity above that designated by the Name Allāh, when Allāh is understood to indicate God in relation to the multiplicity that the Divine Essence or Self brings forth. For others, huwa indicates the Essence qua Essence beyond consideration of Its Attributes, and Allāh indicates “the Essence with the totality of the Attributes” (K). This, however, is not a difference in degree of Divinity, but in inner dimensions. According to al-Rāzī, Allāh can also be seen as conveying the totality of positive Divine Attributes (e.g., Creator, Knower, Powerful), and aḥad can be seen as conveying the totality of negative Divine Attributes (e.g., without body, substance, or accident); the two together, Allāh aḥad (“God, One”), thus communicate the complete understanding of God. In this context, the Name Allāh is sometimes referred to as the “Gathering Name” (al-ism al-jāmiʿ), because all of the other Divine Names and Attributes are in principle gathered within it.
2. God, the Eternally Sufficient unto Himself.
Eternally Sufficient unto Himself translates the Divine Name al-Ṣamad, which occurs in the Quran only this once and is applied only to God. Its lexical, nontheological meaning indicates something solid and impenetrable or simply “not hollow” (AḤ, Q, R, Ṭ). In this regard, some take al-Ṣamad to indicate something that is beyond all comprehension (My). Theologically al-Ṣamad is interpreted by some as an allusion to the Primary or Initial Cause of all things, an eternally self-sufficient independent Being Who continues to exist after His creation has ceased to exist, “the One Who has always been and will always be” (Ṭs). According to al-Zamakhsharī, in this context, “Al-Ṣamad is a verb taking the meaning of the passive participle, the One to Whom one betakes oneself (man ṣumida ilayhi) when one seeks Him (idhā qaṣadahu). And He is the Master Who is Sought (al-sayyid al-maṣmūd) in [all] needs. The meaning then is, ‘He is God of Whom you are aware and Whom you affirm as the Creator of the heavens and of the earth, and as your Creator. And He is the One (al-Wāḥid) unified in Divinity, in which none shares. And He is the One Whom all that is created seeks (yaṣamadu); none are independent of Him, though He is independent of them.’” The enigmatic nature of al-Ṣamad has led to many interpretations, most of which are different formulations confirming that God is the Master and ontological Source of all things and that all things are dependent upon Him, while He is independent of all things.
3. He begets not; nor was He begotten.
This verse was read by some as two verses (Āl, Ṭs). It denies categorically any form of Divine progeny and is thus seen by the vast majority of Muslims as repudiating any and all such claims. Although this verse is interpreted as denying that Jesus is the “Son of God” (see 4:171; 9:30; 19:35, 91–92), it should be noted that the Christian notion of sonship is not the same as that held by the pagan Arabs, who are criticized in other verses for ascribing offspring to God (usually daughters), as in 16:57: And they assign unto God daughters (see also 6:100; 43:16). Attempts to link this verse to discussions of Christianity are thus somewhat tenuous, and it is best understood in relation to the possible occasions of revelation mentioned in the sūrah introduction and to the Quranic critique of the pagan Arab notions of Divine procreation, as in 37:149–53: So ask them, does your Lord have daughters while they have sons? Or did We create the angels female, while they were witnesses? Behold! It is of their own perversion that they say, “God has begotten,” while truly they are liars. Has He chosen daughters over sons? (see also 39:2–3; 52:39). Such notions are distinct from the Christian understanding of Divine sonship in that the meaning of “son” in the phrase “Son of God” employed in the Christian creed is very different from the meaning of “son” in the Quran. For Christianity, the term “Son of God” refers to Jesus as the pretemporal, uncreated Word of God that is begotten of the Father before time. For the pagan Arabs, however, the progeny of God had a distinctly temporal and physical connotation.
4. And none is like unto Him.”
This verse underscores the previous verses by emphasizing that God is not only One, but also unique. As created things can be described by attributes such as living, seeing, and hearing, by which God is also described, the meaning here is that nothing bears any likeness or equality with God’s Essence or Self (Aj, Sh), as in 42:11: Naught is like unto Him. Nonetheless, nothing can exist independently of God. With regard to the Divine Essence, God is absolutely transcendent, for all things perish, save His Face (28:88). Yet with regard to the manner in which God manifests in the world (see 57:4c), He is immanent, for wheresoever you turn, there is the Face of God (2:115); for the manner in which God is both near and far, similar and dissimilar, or transcendent and immanent. According to Mujāhid, this verse means that God does not have a spouse They make the jinn partners with God, though He created them, and falsely attribute sons and daughters to Him, without any knowledge. . . . How should He have a child when He has no consort, and He created all things? It is also taken as a refutation of the pre-Islamic Arabs, who had ascribed jinn as partners to God, They have made kinship between Him and the jinn—yet the jinn know that they will surely be arraigned.
Comments
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.