|
|
"Alif Laam Raa. A
book which we have revealed to you (Muhammad) so that you may lead the
people from out of the darknesses into the light by their Lord's leave to
the path of the All-Mighty, the Praiseworthy." [Qur'an 14:1]
- Surah 112 Al-Ikhlas
Name
Al-Ikhlas is not merely the name of this Surah but also the title of its
contents, for it deals exclusively with Tauhid. The other Surahs of the
Quran generally have been designated after a word occurring in them, but in
this Surah the word Ikhlas has occurred nowhere. It has been given this name
in view of its meaning and subject matter. Whoever understands it and
believes in its teaching, will get rid of shirk (polytheism) completely.
Period of Revelation
Whether it is a Makki or a Madani Surah is disputed, and the difference of
opinion has been caused by the traditions which have been related concerning
the occasion of its revelation. We give them below ad seriatum:
Hadrat Abdullah bin Masud has reported that the Quraish said to the Holy
Prophet (upon whom be be peace): "Tell us of the ancestry of your Lord."
Thereupon this Surah was sent down. (Tabarani).
Abul Aliyah has related on the authority of Hadrat Ubayy bin Kab that the
polytheists said to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace): Tell us of your
Lord's ancestry. Thereupon Allah sent down this Surah. (Musnad Ahmad, Ibn
Abi Harim, Ibn Jarir, Tirmidhi, Bukhari in At-Tarikh, Ibn al-Mundhir, Hakim,
Baihaqi). Tirmidhi has related a tradition on the same theme from Abul
Aliyah, which does not contain any reference to Hadrat Ubayy bin Kab, and
has declared it to be more authentic.
Hadrat Jabir bin Abdullah has stated that a bedouin (according to other
traditions, some people) said to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace):
"Tell us of your Lord's ancestry."Thereupon Allah sent down this Surah.(Abu
Yala, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Tabarani in Al-Ausat, Baihaqi, Abu Nuaim in
Al-Hilyah).
Ikrimah has related a tradition form Ibn Abbas, saying that a group of the
Jews, including Kab bin Ashraf, Huyayy bin Akhtab and other, came before the
Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and said: "O Muhammad (upon whom be
Allah's peace and blessings), tell us of the attributes of your Lord, Who
has sent you as a Prophet." Thereupon Allah sent down this Surah. (Ibn Abi
Hatim, Ibn Adi, Baihaqi in Al-Asma was-Sifat).
In addition to these, some other traditions also have been cited by Ibn
Taimiyyali in his commentary of Surah Al-Ikhlas, which are as follows:
These traditions show that different people on different occasions had
questioned the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) about the essence and
nature of the God to Whose service and worship he invited the people, and on
every occasion he recited by Allah's command this very Surah in response.
First of all, the pagans. of Quraish asked him this question in Makkah, and
in reply this Surah was sent down. Then, at Madinah, sometimes the
Christians, and sometimes the other people of Arabia, asked him questions of
this nature, and every time Allah inspired him to recite this very Surah in
answer to them. In each of these traditions, it has been said that this
Surah was revealed on this or that occasion. From this one should not form
the impression that all these traditions are mutually contradictory. The
fact is that whenever there existed with the Holy Prophet a verse or a Surah
previously revealed in respect of a particular question or matter, and later
the same question was presented before him, Allah inspired him to recite the
same verse or Surah to the people as it contained the answer to their
question. The reporters of Hadith describe the same thing, saying: When such
and such a question or matter was presented before the Holy Prophet, such
and such a verse or Surah was revealed. This has also been described as
repetition of revelation, i.e. the revelation of a verse or Surah several
times.
Thus, the fact is that this Surah is Makki, rather in view of its subject
matter a Surah revealed in the earliest period at Makkah, when detailed
verses of the Quran dealing with the essence and attributes of Allah
Almighty had not yet been revealed, and the people hearing, the Holy
Prophet's invitation to Allah, wanted to know what was his Lord like to
whose worship and service he was calling them. Another proof of this Surah's
being one of the earliest Surahs to be revealed is that when in Makkah
Umayyah bin Khalaf, the master of Hadrat Bilal, made him lie down on burning
sand and placed a heavy stone on his chest, Bilal used to cry "Ahad, Ahad!"
This word was derived from this very Surah.
Theme and Subject Matter
A little consideration of the traditions regarding the occasion of the
revelation of this Surah shows what were the religious concepts of the world
at the time the Holy Prophet began to preach the message of Tauhid. The
idolatrous polytheists were worshipping gods made of wood, stone, gold,
silver and other substances. These gods had a form, shape and body. The gods
and goddesses were descended from each other. No goddess was without a
husband and no god without a wife. They stood in need of food and drink and
their devotees arranged these for them. A large number of the polytheists
believed that God assumed human form and there were some people who
descended from Him. Although the Christians claimed to believe in One God,
yet their God also had at least a son, and besides the Father and Son, the
Holy Ghost also had the honor of being an associate in Godhead: so much so
that God had a mother and a mother-in-law too. The Jews also claimed to
believe in One God, but their God too was not without physical, material and
other human qualities and characteristics. He went for a stroll, appeared in
human form, wrestled with a servant of His, and was father of a son, Ezra.
Besides these religious communities, the zoroastrianism were fire
worshipers, and the Sabeans star worshipers. Under such conditions when the
people were invited to believe in Allah, the One; Who has no associate, it
was inevitable that questions arose in the minds as to what kind of a God it
was, Who was one and Only Lord and invitation to believe in Whom was being
given at the expense of all other gods and deities. It is a miracle of the
Quran that in a few words briefly it answered all the questions and
presented such a clear concept of the Being of Allah as destroyed all
polytheistic concepts, without leaving any room for the ascription of any of
the human qualities to His Being.
Merit and Importance
That is why the Holy Messenger of Allah (upon whom be peace) held this Surah
in great esteem, and he made the Muslims realize its importance in different
ways so that they recited it frequently and disseminated it among the
people. For it states the foremost and fundamental doctrine of Islam (viz.
Tauhid) in four such brief sentences as are immediately impressed on human
memory and can be read and recited easily. There are a great number of the
traditions of Hadith, which show that the Holy Prophet on different
occasions and in different ways told the people that this Surah is
equivalent to one-third of the Quran. Several hadith on this subject have
been related in Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud; Nasai, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah,
Musnad Ahmad, Tabarani and other books, on the authority of Abu Said Khudri,
Abu Hurairah, Abu Ayyub Ansari, Abu ad-Darda, Muadh bin Jabal, Jabir bin
Abdullah, Ubayy bin Kab, Umm Kulthum bint Uqbah bin Abi Muait, Ibn Umar, Ibn
Masud, Qatadah bin an-Numan, Anas bin Malik, and Abu Masud (may Allah be
pleased with all of them). The commentators have given many explanations of
the Holy Prophet's saying this. But in our opinion it simply means that the
religion presented by the Quran is based on three doctrines: Tauhid,
Apostleship and the Hereafter. This Surah teaches Tauhid, pure and
undefiled. Therefore, the Holy Prophet (upon whom he Peace) regarded it as
equal to one-third of the Quran.
A tradition on the authority of Hadrat Aishah has been related in Bukhari,
Muslim and other collections of the hadith, saying that the Holy Prophet
sent a man as leader of an expedition. During the journey he concluded his
recitation of the Quran in every Prayer with Qul Huwa-Allahu ahad. On their
return him companions mentioned this before the Holy Prophet. He said: "Ask
him why he did so." When the man was asked, he replied: "In this Surah the
attributes of the Merciful God have been stated; therefore, I love to recite
it again and again." When the Holy Prophet heard this reply, he said to the
people: "Inform him that Allah holds him in great love and esteem."
A similar incident has been related in Bukhari, on the authority of Hadrat
Anas. He says: "A man from among the Ansar led the Prayers in the Quba
Mosque. His practice was that in every rakah he first recited this Surah and
then would join another Surah to it. The people objected to it and said to
him: 'Don't you think that Surah Ikhlas is by itself enough? Why do you join
another Surah to it? You should either recite only this surah, or should
leave it and recite some other Surah'. He said: 'I cannot leave it, I would
rather give up leadership in the Prayer, if you so desired'. The people did
not approve that another man be appointed leader instead of him. At last,
the matter was brought before the Holy Prophet. He asked the man, 'What
prevents you from conceding what your companions desire? What makes you
recite this particular Surah in every rakah?' The man replied: 'I have great
love for it.' The Holy Prophet remarked: 'Your this love for this Surah has
earned you entry into Paradise'."
Source: Chapter
Introductions to the Qur'an
by Syed Abul A'la Maududi |
