Surah al-Ikhlas and Allah’s Perfection: Ibn Taymiyah

In part of his discussion on surah al-Ikhlas, sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah included the following words related to an overarching theme of the surah:

إن هذه السورة اشتملت على جميع أنواع التنزيه والتحميد على النفي والإثبات، ولهذا كانت تعدل ثلث القرآن. فالصمدية تثبت الكمال المنافي للنقائص. والأحدية تثبت الانفراد بذلك. ـ

This surah includes all forms of 1) declaring Allah far-removed from any imperfection and 2) praising Him by both negating negative qualities and affirming positive qualities.

It is in this vein that this surah is equal to one third of the Qur’an.

The quality of being al-Samad — free of any need while all creation is in need of Him — affirms His perfection and completeness while negating any shortcomings.

And the quality of being al-Ahad — One, Unique — affirms that He is singular and unique in that.

وكذلك إذا نزه نفسه عن أن يلد، فيخرج منه مادة الولد التي هي أشرف المواد، فلأن ينزه نفسه عن أن يخرج منه مادة غير الولد بطريق الأولى والأحرى. ـ

Likewise, when He declares Himself far-removed from having any offspring, such that He never emitted the material to make a child – which would be the best of materials -, then in doing so He is also declaring Himself all-the-more far-removed from emitting any other kinds of bodily substances that would not result in producing a child.

“Seek the Forgiveness of Your Lord and Then Turn to Him in Repentance”: Tafsir al-Tabari

Allah begins surah Hud by saying:

الر ۚ كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ * أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّـهَ ۚ إِنَّنِي لَكُم مِّنْهُ نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ * وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُم مَّتَاعًا حَسَنًا إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَيُؤْتِ كُلَّ ذِي فَضْلٍ فَضْلَهُ ۖ وَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ كَبِيرٍ

Alif Lam Meem. This is a Book whose verses are perfected and then explained in detail from One Who is All-Wise and Well-Acquainted. * Saying “worship none but Allah.” I am certainly a warner from Him to you and a bringer of glad tidings. * And, “Seek the forgiveness of your Lord and then turn to Him in repentance. He will grant you good enjoyment until an appointed time and give His abounding Grace to every owner of grace. But if you turn away, then I fear the torment of a Great Day for you. [11:1-3]

While commenting on the third ayah, the great mufassir Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari summed up the passage by writing:

قال أبو جعفر : يقول ، تعالى ذكره : ثم فصلت آياته ، بأن لا تعبدوا إلا الله ، وبأن استغفروا ربكم . ويعني بقوله : ( وأن استغفروا ربكم ) ، وأن اعملوا أيها الناس من الأعمال ما يرضي ربكم عنكم ، فيستر عليكم عظيم ذنوبكم التي ركبتموها بعبادتكم الأوثان والأصنام ، وإشراككم الآلهة والأنداد في عبادته . ـ

I, Abu Ja’far, say: Allah is saying: Then His ayaat were explained in detail – that you should not worship anyone or anything besides Allah and that you should seek your Lord’s forgiveness. And the meaning of His statement:

وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ

And “seek the forgiveness of your Lord …”

is that you – O mankind – should perform those actions which are pleasing to Allah. As a result, He will pass over the grave sins that you committed in worshiping idols and statues and associating other gods and partners with Him in worship.

The Advice of Luqman in Brief: Tafsir al-Sa’di

After completing his ayah-by-ayah explanation of the story of Luqman in surah Luqman [31:12-19], sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di then provided the following summary of its main themes and messages:

وهذه الوصايا، التي وصى بها لقمان لابنه، تجمع أمهات الحكم، وتستلزم ما لم يذكر منها، وكل وصية يقرن بها ما يدعو إلى فعلها، إن كانت أمرا، وإلى تركها إن كانت نهيا. ـ

These injunctions which Luqman gave to his son combine all of the essential wisdom and whatever they did not explicitly mention is necessitated by them. And every injunction is paired with something that encourages the listener to carry it out if it is a command, or to leave it if it is a prohibition.

وهذا يدل على ما ذكرنا في تفسير الحكمة، أنها العلم بالأحكام، وحكمها ومناسباتها، فأمره بأصل الدين، وهو التوحيد، ونهاه عن الشرك، وبين له الموجب لتركه، وأمره ببر الوالدين، وبين له السبب الموجب لبرهما، وأمره بشكره وشكرهما، ثم احترز بأن محل برهما وامتثال أوامرهما، ما لم يأمرا بمعصية، ومع ذلك فلا يعقهما، بل يحسن إليهما، وإن كان لا يطيعهما إذا جاهداه على الشرك. وأمره بمراقبة الله، وخوفه القدوم عليه، وأنه لا يغادر صغيرة ولا كبيرة من الخير والشر، إلا أتى بها. ـ

And this supports what we have mentioned previously about the meaning of the word hikmah, that it refers to knowledge of the rulings and the wisdom behind them and how to appropriately apply them.

Ibrahim, the Stars, the Moon, and the Sun: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah recounts one story from the life of Ibrahim in surah al-An’aam beginning with:

فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا قَالَ هَٰذَا رَبِّي

Then when the night covered him, he saw a bright star, he said, “This is my Lord,” … [6:76]

Commenting on this, the famous scholar of tafsir al-Husayn ibn Mas’ood al-Baghawi wrote:

واختلفوا في قوله ذلك : فأجراه بعضهم على الظاهر ، وقالوا : كان إبراهيم عليه السلام مسترشدا طالبا للتوحيد حتى وفقه الله تعالى وآتاه رشده فلم يضره ذلك في حال الاستدلال ، وأيضا كان ذلك في حال طفولته قبل قيام الحجة عليه ، فلم يكن كفرا . ـ

Scholars have differed regarding this phrase.

Some have taken it at face value, saying that Ibrahim was seeking guidance and in pursuit of tawheed until Allah finally directed him to what was correct and granted him guidance, so the inferences and reasoning that he did in this state is not a demerit on him. Furthermore, they say, this was done while he was still a child before any proof could be held against him, so this was not kufr.

Tafsir of Surah al-Ikhlas: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

The book Al-Tafsir al-Muyassar was written by a group of scholars under the direction of sheikh Saalih Aal al-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was designed to be a simple and easy-to-understand tafsir according to the understanding of the salaf. What follows is its brief tafsir of surah al-Ikhlas (112) and translation:

ـ {قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (1)}
قل- أيها الرسول-: هو الله المتفرد بالألوهية والربوبية والأسماء والصفات، لا يشاركه أحد فيها. ـ

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

Say, “He is Allah, the One, (1)

1) Say – O Messenger – : He is Allah, unique in Divinity, in Lordship, and in Names and Attributes, with none sharing in any of those qualities with Him.

{اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ (2)}
الله الذي كَمُل في صفات الشرف والمجد والعظمة ، الذي يقصده الخلائق في قضاء الحوائج والرغائب. ـ

اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ

 Allah, al-Samad. (2)

2) Allah is the one who is complete and perfect in regards to praise, magnificence, and noble attributes. It is He to whom the created beings direct themselves for the fulfillment of their needs and desires.

ـ {لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (3)}
ليس له ولد ولا والد ولا صاحبة. ـ

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ

He neither begets nor is He begotten, (3)

3) There is no offspring, parent or spouse for Him.

ـ {وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (4)}
ولم يكن له مماثلا ولا مشابهًا أحد من خلقه، لا في أسمائه ولا في صفاته، ولا في أفعاله، تبارك وتعالى وتقدَّس. ـ

وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

And is there nothing equivalent to Him.” (4)

4) And there is no one in His creation who is equivalent to Him or who resembles Him, neither in respect to His names, nor in respect to His attributes, nor in respect to His actions – blessed and exalted is He.

[al-Tafsir al-Muyassar pg. 604]

This article is part of a series translating all of Juz’ ‘Amma’ from this introductory-level work of tafsir. Click here to explore more installments.

See also: Surah al-Ikhlas and Allah’s Perfection: Ibn Taymiyah

See also: Tafsir of Surah al-Falaq: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

See also: Tafsir of Surah al-Fatihah: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

See also: Tafsir of Surah al-‘Asr: Imam al-Sa’di

The Contents of Surah Hud: Ibn Taymiyah

In one of his many writings, ibn Taymiyah briefly addressed the contents and themes of surah Hud by writing:

قد افتتح السورة فقال كتاب أحكمت آياته ثم فصلت من لدن حكيم خبير ألا تعبدوا إلا الله إنني لكم منه نذير وبشير فذكر أنه نذير وبشير نذير ينذر بالعذاب لأهل النار وبشير يبشر بالسعادة لأهل الحق

Allah began the surah by saying:

كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ * أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّنِي لَكُم مِّنْهُ نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ

A Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from one who is Wise and All-Knowing. ‎‏* Do not worship any besides Allah. Indeed, I am a warner to you from Him and a bringer of good tidings [11:1-2]

So Allah mentions that the Prophet is a warner and a bringer of good tidings: a warner who warns of the punishment that the people of the Hellfire will receive and a bringer of good tidings who gives good tidings of ultimate joy for the people of the truth.

ثم ذكر حال الفريقين في السراء والضراء فقال ولئن أذقنا الإنسان منا رحمة ثم نزعناها منه إنه ليؤوس كفور ولئن أذقناه نعماء بعد ضراء مسته ليقولن ذهب السيئات عني إنه لفرح فخور إلا الذين صبروا وعملوا الصالحات أولئك لهم مغفرة وأجر كبير

He then mentioned the condition of both groups of people in times of prosperity and in times of adversity by saying:

وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ * وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ نَعْمَاءَ بَعْدَ ضَرَّاءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ السَّيِّئَاتُ عَنِّي ۚ إِنَّهُ لَفَرِحٌ فَخُورٌ * إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ

And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us and then We withdraw it from him, he is certainly despairing and ungrateful. * But if We give him a taste of favor after hardship has touched him, he will surely say, “Bad times have left me.” He is exultant and boastful – * Except for those who are patient and do righteous deeds; those ones will have forgiveness and great reward. [11:9-11]

ثم ذكر بعد هذا قصص الأنبياء وحال من اتبعهم ومن كذبهم كيف سعد هؤلاء في الدنيا والآخرة وشقي هؤلاء في الدنيا والآخرة فذكر ما جرى لهم إلى قوله ذلك من أنباء القرى نقصه عليك إلى قوله وذلك يوم مشهود

After that, He mentioned stories of the Prophets, the conditions of their followers and the conditions of their deniers, and then how their followers achieved joy in both this life and the next and how their deniers experienced sorrow in both this life and the next. So He mentioned what happened to them until His statement:

The Entire Qur’an Revolves Around al-Tawheed – Ibn al-Qayyim

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah wrote the following insightful words on the contents of the Qur’an:

فإن القرآن؛ إما خبر عن الله تعالى وأسمائه وصفاته وأفعاله وأقواله وهذا هو التوحيد العلمي الخبري والعقدي

The Qur’an – it is either some information concerning Allah and His Names and Attributes, His actions and His statements. This is the tawheed of knowledge, information and belief.

وأما دعوه إلى عبادته وحده لا شريك لها وخلع ما يعبد من دونه وهو التوحيد العملي الإرادي الطلبى العقدي

Or it is calling people to the worship of Allah alone with no partners and leaving off what is worshiped besides Him. This is the tawheed of action, intent, and belief.

وإما أمر أو نهى وإلزام بطاعته وأمره ونهيه فهــــذه حقوق التوحيد ومكملاته

Or it is commands and prohibitions and mandating obedience to Him and to His commands and prohibitions. This is the actualization of al-tawheed of its completeness.

A Subtle Point in Surah al-Nisaa’: Tafsir al-Shawkani

In the middle of surah al-Nisaa’, Allah describes a number of the deeds meriting punishment, the qualities of those who call to and partake in these deeds and their ultimate destination [4:115-121] before describing the people of al-Jannah and their qualities and then mentioning:

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِّمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّـهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۗ وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّـهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا

And who is better in religion than one who submits himself to Allah while being a doer of good and follows the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth? And Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend. [4:125]

Allah then follows that ayah up immediately by seeming to turn to a new subject:

وَلِلَّـهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّحِيطًا

And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And ever is Allah, of all things, encompassing. [4:126]

Before then turning to yet another subject in the very next ayah, beginning with:

وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ

And they ask you [O Muhammad] for a legal verdict regarding the women … [4:127]

Sheikh Muhammad al-Shawkaani points out a subtle connection between ayahs 125 and 126 in his tafsir where he wrote:

ولله ما في السماوات وما في الأرض فيه إشارة إلى أنه سبحانه اتخذ إبراهيم خليلا لطاعته لا لحاجته ولا للتكثر به والاعتضاد بمخاللته وكان الله بكل شيء محيطا هذه الجملة مقررة لمعنى الجملة التي قبلها ؛ أي : أحاط علمه بكل شيء لا يغادر صغيرة ولا كبيرة إلا أحصاها [ الكهف : 49 ] ـ

وَلِلَّـهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ

And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.

This indicates that Allah took Ibrahim as a close friend due to his obedience, not due to any need of him or to increase His ranks or gain any support from his friendship.

“Are They Equal?”: Tafsir al-Sa’di

In the midst of surah al-Nahl, Allah strikes two parables in succession when He says:

ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبْدًا مَّمْلُوكًا لَّا يَقْدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ وَمَن رَّزَقْنَاهُ مِنَّا رِزْقًا حَسَنًا فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنْهُ سِرًّا وَجَهْرًا ۖ هَلْ يَسْتَوُونَ ۚ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ * وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَّجُلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَبْكَمُ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَىٰ مَوْلَاهُ أَيْنَمَا يُوَجِّههُّ لَا يَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ ۖ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي هُوَ وَمَن يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ ۙ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

Allah strikes a parable of a slave who is owned and unable to do anything and one to whom We have given good provision and so he spends from it both secretly and openly. Are they equal? All praise is due to Allah. But most of them do not know. * And Allah strikes a parable of two men: one of them dumb and unable to do anything and he is a burden to his guardian. Wherever he directs him, he brings no good. Is he equal to one who enjoins justice while he is on the straight path? [16:75-76]

Commenting on this in his well-known book of tafsir, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di wrote the following:

ضرب تعالى مثلين له ولمن يعبد من دونه: أحدهما: عبد مملوك أي: رقيق لا يملك نفسه ولا يملك من المال والدنيا شيئا، والثاني: حر غني قد رزقه الله منه رزقا حسنا من جميع أصناف المال وهو كريم محب للإحسان، فهو ينفق منه سرا وجهرا، هل يستوي هذا وذاك؟! لا يستويان مع أنهما مخلوقان، غير محال استواؤهما . ـ

Allah struck two parables of Him and those who are worshiped besides Him.

The first parable is one slave who is owned – someone who is the property of another person. He does not own himself nor does he own any wealth or any worldly goods. The other person in this parable is a free, wealthy person whom Allah has provided with good shares of all forms of wealth and he is generous and loves to do good to others. As a result, he spends out of his wealth both secretly and openly. Is this one equal to that one? Are the two equal? Even though they are both created beings, they are certainly not equal.

The Prophet Muhammad was Sent to All Mankind: Tafsir ibn Kathir

Allah says in surah Aal ‘Imran:

فَإِنْ حَاجُّوكَ فَقُلْ أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّـهِ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِ ۗ وَقُل لِّلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالْأُمِّيِّينَ أَأَسْلَمْتُمْ ۚ فَإِنْ أَسْلَمُوا فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوا ۖ وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَاغُ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ

So if they argue with you, say, “I have submitted myself to Allah, and so have those who follow me.” And say to those who were given the Scripture and to the unlearned, “Have you submitted yourselves?” And if they submit, they are rightly guided; but if they turn away – then only notification is required of you. And Allah is Seeing of His servants. [3:20]

Commenting on this in his book of tafsir, al-haafidh ibn Kathir wrote:

قال تعالى : ( فإن حاجوك ) أي : جادلوك في التوحيد ( فقل أسلمت وجهي لله ومن اتبعن ) أي : فقل أخلصت عبادتي لله وحده ، لا شريك له ولا ند [ له ] ولا ولد ولا صاحبة له ( ومن اتبعن ) على ديني ، يقول كمقالتي ، كما قال تعالى : ( قل هذه سبيلي أدعو إلى الله على بصيرة أنا ومن اتبعني [ وسبحان الله وما أنا من المشركين ] ) [ يوسف : 108 ] . ـ

Allah said:

فَإِنْ حَاجُّوكَ

So if they argue with you …

i.e. if they argue with you regarding Allah’s sole right to be worshiped

فَقُلْ أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّـهِ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِ

… then say, “I have submitted myself to Allah, and so have those who follow me.”

i.e. then say, “I have made my worship exclusively for Allah alone, without making any partner, counterpart, offspring, or spouse for Him

وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِ

“… and so have those who follow me.”

i.e. follow me in my religion – they will also say the same thing.