Sura al-Ikhlas

al-Ikhlas is the 112th sura of the Qur’an, which means ‘Sincere Devotion’ or ‘Purity of Faith’, and takes its name from the theme of the sura, which denotes a combination of sincerity, devotion and purity of faith in the Oneness of Allah. It belongs to the Meccan period and comprises 4 verses, 17 words, 47 letters, and 1 segment. It is the 22nd sura in chronological order, revealed after Sura al-Nas. The title of the sura reflects the general orientation of these verses. The opening word used for God’s introduction is He (Huwa). It means He is the One other than Whom there is no god. He is designated by the name Allah, indicating the Essence of Him with the totality of Divine Attributes, being only worthy of worship. The first two verses stress God’s Oneness and His being Eternal, Self-Sufficient, and the Master; everyone seeks protection and needs only from Him. All things depend upon Him, whereas, He is independent of everything and beyond everyone’s comprehension. The second two verses state that He has neither son nor father nor equal. The Last verse emphasises that God is not only One but also unique. Nothing bears any likeness or equality with God’s Essence in any matter.

The sura is sometimes called the ‘Chapter of Divine Oneness’ and is said to encapsulate the essence of the whole Qur’an. This sura has twenty names because of its numerous virtues and blessings. al-Bukhari and Muslim report from ‘A’isha (may God be pleased with her) that the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) dispatched a man on a military expedition, and he would lead his companions in the prayers, finishing every recitation with Sura al-Ikhlas. When they returned, they mentioned that to the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), and he (blessings and peace be upon him) said to them: “Ask him why he does that.” They asked him, and he said: ‘I do it because this sura mentions the qualities of the Most Compassionate, and I love to recite it.’ The Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said to them: ‘Tell him that Allah loves him too.’ al-Bukhari and Muslim narrate another hadith from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may God be pleased with him) who said: “The Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said to his noble Companions (may God be pleased with them), ‘Are you unable to recite a third of the Qur’an during the night?’ It was difficult for them, so they said, ‘Which of us can do that, O Messenger of Allah?’ So he said: ‘Recitation of ‘Allahu’l-wahidu’s-Samad [i.e. Sura al-Ikhlas] is a third of the Qur’an.’ Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, Malik, al-Nasa’i and al-Hakim narrate on the authority of Abu Hurayra (may God be pleased with him) who said: “I went out with the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) and he heard a man reciting: ‘Sura al-Ikhlas.’ So the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said: ‘It is guaranteed.’ I asked, ‘What is guaranteed, O Messenger of Allah?’ He (blessings and peace be upon him) said: ‘Paradise (is guaranteed for him).’