July 31, 2013 Surah 112: Al-Ikhlas

Announcements: Next week Zachariah will have to extend his Tafsir (in-depth explanation) class of Surah 56 into our class, so feel free to join.

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Surah 112: Surah Al-Ikhlas

Comes after Surah 111: Al-Massaad Surah 111 deals with an enemy of Islam, specifically Abu Lahab. Abu Lahab was the uncle of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Abu Lahab was a big shot businessman He was the first person to reject Islam clearly and openly The Prophet (pbuh) gathered all the people of Mecca to the hill of Saffa, then he told them about Islam. The people knew the Prophet (pbuh) was a truthful person. They were hesitant. They wanted to see what the leaders of society would do. Abu Lahab insulted the Prophet (pbuh), saying he was wasting their time. Then all the people followed him.

So Allah cursed him in the Quran. Abu Lahab made his personal mission to discourage and insult the Prophet (pbuh)

Some scholars say theres a link between these two surahs. They say that once the enemy of Islam is dealt with, then you focus on calling people back to the message and focusing on obedience to Allah.

Surah 112: Al-Ikhlas

Ikhlas meaning Sincerity This means that if one understands this Surah, they will understand Allah, and their faith will be sincere. Its also known as As-Shifatthe Healer; it heals from sicknesses of faith. So people who have doubts are encouraged to recite this surah frequently. Its also known as Al-Munjiathe Saver. So if one understands this surah, it will save them from committing sins and going to the Hellfire. The Companions loved this Surah because they loved Allah, and it made them reflect deeply on Allah. One of the implications of this surah is to give us direction to go towards Allah, and knowing that Allah is One, Unique, and worthy of our time. So it reaffirmed the faith of the Companions and opened the world to Islam.

A hadith: If you read this surah 10 times, Allah will build you a house in Paradise. Side-note: Whenever you see huge numbers in hadith, you can ignore the hadith (i.e. if you read this 90 times a day on Tuesday nights then you will never go to Hell). This hadith is ok, though.

A hadith: Its recitation is equal to one-third of the Quran. Scholars differ in the interpretation that you get reward equal to reading one-third of the Quran by reading this surah. What this hadith refers to is that one-third of the Quran is telling us about Allah.

The point of this surah is to tell us about Allah. The Quraish went to the Prophet (pbuh) and told him to describe Allah. This surah came as a response.

Surah 112 Unity (Al-Ikhlas) Say: He, God, is One. The Eternal, Absolute He begot none, nor was He begotten. And there is none like unto him.
Qul huwallahu ahad Say: He is the One God

Qul huwa Allahu ahad Allahu assamad Lam yalid walam yoolad Walam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad

Qul means say in Arabic. Its a command to the Prophet (pbuh) first and foremost, and to all believers in later times Huwa means He, but its an emphatic He; this gives it emphasis. Ahad is One/Unique. This is the only time Ahad is used like this in Arabic. Usually used in negation (i.e. there is no one (ahad) in the house) not affirmation. What this does in this sentence is that Allah is using a word that is only ever used in the negative to assert something positive about himself.

Arabs already believed in Allah, but they worshipped idols. They had an issue with the Prophet (pbuh) saying Allah is different than everything you believe. He has no resemblance to the idols you are worshipping. He is One, Unique, with no comparison or likeness to what you are associating with Him. So, this was a bit of a big deal.

Allahu Samad Allah, the Uncaused Cause of All Being Samad has a lot of different meanings in Arabic. One of its meanings is being self-sufficient, didnt come into existence, is in need of nothing, has always been there, is called on for help, theres no problems with it. In other words, Allah has no need of anyone. Arabs, especially Quraish, conceived themselves as the servants of God, because God needed them. Here they are being told that God doesnt need them, and God is the only one Who does not need anyone else. So if Allah is self sufficient, then Hes saying that the people are not self sufficient, they need other people, and that if Allah is high above them, then they are below Him. Therefore, all below Him have equality before God. This was also an issue with Arabs because they had a very hierarchical society. The mentality of the Arabs was How can we follow you when the lowest of people are following you?

So these two sentences attribute two things to Allah: Uniqueness/Oneness, and SelfSufficiency/Eternality/Lordship

Lam yalid, wa lam yoolad He did not give birth, nor was He given birth to

Allah does not have an origin; there was nothing that created Him. Nor does He give birth to anything else. This is important because most of the polytheist religions have a belief that God has children, because they have to explain there is more than one diety. For example, look at Greek gods; all gods are the children of Zeus. Hindus talk about children of their gods. So Allah denies this outright. In Arab society, people have children to continue their legacy. Without children, you dont have supporters. More kids = more powers. Allah just mentioned that He is selfsufficient, and He doesnt need children to be powerful or to support Him. And He doesnt have an origin.

Wa lam yakoon lahu kufuwan ahad And there cannot be anything like unto Him at all.

Kufu is used in Arabic to describe an enemy with whom you are equally matched. A rival. So when you have a rivalry, there has to be equality. Kufu is also used to describe a wife for a husband, because the idea is when you get married you look for someone who is like your equal in some ways, especially intellectually and socially. So Allah is saying there is nothing at all that comes close to having any equality with him. This emphasizes that whenever Allah talks about His attributes in the Quran, they are totally different than anyway we comprehend these qualities (i.e. His Mercy is not like our mercy)

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