Introduction: The Significance and Virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas

Surah Al-Ikhlas was revealed in Makkah according to the most correct opinions. It consists of four verses in which Allah Almighty says:

﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (١) اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ (٢) لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (٣) وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (٤)﴾ [Al-Ikhlas].

Many authentic hadiths have established the virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas, indicating the greatness and importance of the Surah and its focus on consolidating the foundations of creed (Aqidah) and the principles of faith. It is even referred to in some copies of the Quran as “Surah al-Tawhid” (The Chapter of Monotheism), and in Al-Itqan, it is called “Surah al-Asas” (The Chapter of the Foundation) because it encompasses the Oneness of Allah, which is the foundation of Islam.

As one of the three pillars upon which Islam is built, it was fitting for Surah Al-Ikhlas to equal one-third of the Quran, as established in authentic tradition. Therefore, it was famous in the speech of the Salaf (pious predecessors) that the Holy Quran revealed to the Prophet ﷺ is divided into three parts: one-third regarding rulings (Ahkam), one-third regarding promises and warnings (Wa’d wa Wa’id), and one-third regarding Names and Attributes. This Surah gathered the Names and Attributes specific to the Lord, the Almighty, in which no one can resemble or equal Him.

1. The Pillars of Dawah and the Monotheism of Allah’s Holy Essence

The Surah contains a clarification of Allah’s Holy Essence and His sublime attributes that no one can share with Him. Everything Allah described Himself and His Essence with in this Surah—between affirmation and negation—are attributes exclusive to Him, because His Essence does not resemble any other essence, and His attributes are specific to Him and do not resemble any other attributes. Rather, He is the One (Ahad), the Eternal Refuge (Samad), “He neither begets nor is born,” and “Nor is there to Him any equivalent.” His name (Al-Ahad) indicates the negation of partners and likeness, while His name (Al-Samad) indicates that He is deserving of all attributes of perfection.

The Surah also included the prevention of deficiencies regarding Allah the Almighty in His Essence and Attributes, from two perspectives that converge in the meaning of the two names (Al-Ahad) and (Al-Samad), and this is counted among the eloquence of Surah Al-Ikhlas:

  • The First Perspective: Negating deficiencies from Allah the Almighty as one of the necessities of affirming the attribute of perfection. This is derived from the Great Name (Al-Samad); therefore, it was said regarding the meaning of Al-Samad: that He is the One perfect in His attributes whom all His creatures stand in need of.
  • The Second Perspective: That there is nothing like Him in the attributes of perfection established for Him, and this is the meaning of His name (Al-Ahad); for He is unique in His majesty and greatness, having no equal or partner.

Based on this, Surah Al-Ikhlas included everything that must be negated regarding Allah the Almighty, just as it also included everything that must be affirmed for Allah the Almighty regarding the attributes of perfection and beauty, because everything Allah the Almighty is praised for regarding negation must include the affirmation of its opposites.

2. Authentic Hadiths on the Virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas

A number of hadiths have been narrated regarding the virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas, ranging from what is authentic to what is weak. We limit ourselves here to the authentic hadiths specific to this Surah, including:

That Surah Al-Ikhlas is the description of the Most Merciful

On the authority of Aisha: “The Prophet ﷺ sent a man in charge of an expedition, and he used to lead his companions in their prayer and would conclude with {Say, He is Allah, One}. When they returned, they mentioned that to the Prophet ﷺ, so he said: ‘Ask him for what reason he does that.’ They asked him, and he said: ‘Because it is the description of the Most Merciful, and I love to recite it.’ So the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Inform him that Allah loves him.’”

That love for the Surah necessitates Allah’s love

Based on the aforementioned hadith, and from it the saying of Ibn Mas’ud: “Whoever loves the Quran, he loves Allah.”

That love for this Surah necessitates entering Paradise

Mentioned by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih as a hanging narration (Mu’allaq), where he said: Ubayd Allah on the authority of Thabit on the authority of Anas who said: “An Ansari man used to lead them in the Quba mosque, and every time he opened a Surah to read for them in prayer from what is recited, he would open with ‘Say, He is Allah, One’ until he finished it, then he would read another Surah with it, and he used to do that in every rak’ah.” He mentioned the hadith, and in it: “The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘O so-and-so, what carries you to keep to this Surah in every rak’ah?’ He said: ‘I love it.’ He said: ‘Your love for it has entered you into Paradise.’”

Surah Al-Ikhlas equals one-third of the Quran

In Sahih al-Bukhari, from the hadith of Abu Sa’id, that a man heard a man reciting: “Say, He is Allah, One” repeating it. When it was morning, he came to the Prophet ﷺ and mentioned that to him—and the man seemed to find it a small thing—so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, it equals one-third of the Quran.” And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Gather, for I will recite to you one-third of the Quran.” So those who gathered did so, then the Prophet of Allah ﷺ came out and recited: “Say, He is Allah, One,” then he entered. Some of us said to one another: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘I will recite to you one-third of the Quran,’ I see this is news that has come to him from heaven.” Then the Prophet of Allah ﷺ came out and said: “I said I would recite to you one-third of the Quran; indeed, it equals one-third of the Quran.” (Narrated by Muslim).

Reciting Al-Ikhlas suffices against evil and prevents it

As in Sahih al-Bukhari: On the authority of Aisha “that the Prophet ﷺ, when he went to his bed, would recite it with the Mu’awwidhatayn and wipe what he could of his body.”

That it is the best of the Surahs of the Holy Quran

In the hadith of Uqbah bin Amir, he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me: “Shall I not teach you the best three Surahs revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the Great Quran? I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: So he recited to me: ‘Say, He is Allah, One,’ ‘Say, I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak,’ and ‘Say, I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.’ Then he said to me: ‘O Uqbah, do not forget them and do not spend a night until you have recited them.’”

That supplication through it is answered

On the authority of Abdullah bin Buraydah, from his father “that the Prophet ﷺ heard a man praying and supplicating, saying: ‘O Allah, I ask You by my testimony that I bear witness that there is no god but You, the One, the Eternal Refuge, who neither begets nor is born, and to whom there is no equivalent.’ He said: ‘By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, he has asked Him by His Greatest Name, which if He is asked by it He gives, and if He is called by it He answers.’” (Narrated by the four Sunan, and Al-Tirmidhi said: Hasan Gharib).

3. Scholarly Interpretations: How Does Surah Al-Ikhlas Equal One-Third of the Quran?

We have referred to the aforementioned virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas that it equals one-third of the Quran, so what is the nature of this equivalence? Does it equal one-third of the Quran in reward, or does it equal one-third of the Quran in the types of knowledge and meanings that the Holy Quran contains, as is famous from some of the speech of the Salaf? Scholars’ views differed in interpreting this hadith, which can be gathered into four or five views:

The First View

That it equals one-third of the Quran in reward. That is, the one who recites it has a reward like one-third of the reward of the one who recites the entire Quran without it. Ibn al-Sid attributed this to the jurists and commentators, and it is the view of Al-Abbi.

The Second View

That this is for the one who does not know other than it, or during the period of attempting to learn others with it, or it was intended for that specific reciter or his like among those who recited it with a state of humility and regret because he did not know others, as indicated by the narrator’s saying: “(And it was as if the man found it a small thing).”

The Third View

That it equals one-third of the Quran considering the types of its meanings; because the Quran is rulings, news, and monotheism (Tawhid). This Surah is unique in its gathering of the foundations of Islamic creed with brevity. Ibn Ashur said: This interpretation is strengthened by what Muslim narrated from Abu Qatada, and Ahmad from Abu al-Darda that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah divided the Quran into three parts, so He made ‘Say, He is Allah, One’ one-third of the Quran.” That is, that was before the revelation of verses like it such as Ayat al-Kursi, or because no single Surah is found gathering what is in Surah Al-Ikhlas.

The Fourth View

That it equals one-third of the Quran in reward like the first interpretation, but repeating this Surah is not in the place of reciting a complete khatma of the Quran; rather, reciting it once has a reward like one-third of the reward of reciting the entire Quran. This was said by Ishaq bin Rahwayh.

This difference in the views of scholars has nothing to settle between them, nor is any view free from objection. This led some scholars to pause regarding the intended meaning of the hadith, from which we obtain another view:

The Fifth View

Which is pausing from searching for the intended meaning of the hadith. Ibn Abd al-Barr said: “Silence on this issue and its like is better than speaking about it and safer.” It seems that Ibn Ashur also chooses this in his book Al-Mughatta.

The third view is perhaps the most preponderant, as the recitation of Surah Al-Ikhlas equals one-third of the Quran in terms of it being the only Surah in the Quran that contains the description of the Most Merciful alone and reporting about Him from its beginning to its end. It included one of the three meanings for which the Quran was revealed, which are monotheism, rulings, and stories. As Ibn Taymiyyah said:

“This Surah is the description of the Most Merciful, in it is monotheism alone, and that is because the Quran is the speech of Allah. Speech is of two types: either origination or information. Information is either news about the Creator or news about the creation. Origination is the rulings like command and prohibition. News about the creation is stories. And news about the Creator is the mention of His Names and Attributes. There is no Surah in the Quran that is purely a description of the Most Merciful except this Surah.”

By: Idris Ahmad