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Surah 112. Al-Ikhlas
Qur'an
Translation
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:1
- Mohammad Asad
According to most of the authorities, this invocation (which occurs at the beginning of every surah with the exception of surah 9) constitutes an integral part of "The Opening" and is, therefore, numbered as verse 1. In all other instances, the invocation "in the name of God" precedes the surah as such, and is not counted among its verses. - Both the divine epithets rahman and rahim are derived from the noun rahmah, which signifies "mercy", "compassion", "loving tenderness" and, more comprehensively, "grace". From the very earliest times, Islamic scholars have endeavoured to define the exact shades of meaning which differentiate the two terms. The best and simplest of these explanations is undoubtedly the one advanced by Ibn al-Qayyim (as quoted in Manar I,48): the term rahman circumscribes the quality of abounding grace inherent in, and inseparable from, the concept of God's Being, whereas rahim expresses the manifestation of that grace in, and its effect upon, His creation - in other words, an aspect of His activity.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
- Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
In the Name of Allah- the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
- Mustafa Khattab
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
- Marmaduke Pickthall
In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful. 19
- Abdullah Yusuf Ali
The Arabic words "Rahman" and "Rahim" translated "Most Gracious" and "Most Merciful" are both intensive forms referring to different aspects of God's attribute of Mercy. The Arabic intensive is more suited to express God's attributes than the superlative degree in English. The latter implies a comparison with other beings, or with other times or places, while there is no being like unto God, and He is independent of Time and Place. Mercy may imply pity, long-suffering, patience, and forgiveness, all of which the sinner needs and God Most Merciful bestows in abundant measure. But there is a Mercy that goes before even the need arises, the Grace which is ever watchful, and flows from God Most Gracious to all His creatures, protecting the, preserving them, guiding them, and leading them to clearer light and higher life. For this reason the attribute Rahman (Most Gracious) is not applied to any but God, but the attribute Rahim (Merciful), is a general term, and may also be applied to Men. To make us contemplate these boundless gifts of God, the formula: "In the name of God Most Gracious, Most Merciful": is placed before every Sura of the Qur-an (except the ninth), and repeated at the beginning of every act by the Muslim who dedicates his life to God, and whose hope is in His Mercy.
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SAY: "He is the One God:
- Mohammad Asad
Say: He is Allah the One and Only;
- Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Say, 'O Prophet,' 'He is Allah- One 'and Indivisible';
- Mustafa Khattab
Say: He is Allah, the One!
- Marmaduke Pickthall
Say: He is Allah the One and Only; 6296 6297
- Abdullah Yusuf Ali
The nature of Allah is here indicated to us in a few words, such as we can understand. The qualities of Allah are described in numerous places elsewhere, e.g., in lix. 22-24, lxii. 1, and ii. 255. Here we are specially taught to avoid the pitfalls into which men and nations have fallen at various times in trying to understand Allah. The first thing we have to note is that His nature is so sublime, so far beyond our limited conceptions, that the best way in which we can realise Him is to feel that He is a Personality, "He", and not a mere abstract conception of philosophy. He is near us; He cares for us; we owe our existence to Him. Secondly, He is the One and Only God, the Only One to Whom worship is due; all other things or beings that we can think of are His creatures and in no way comparable to Him. Thirdly, He is Eternal, without beginning or end, Absolute, not limited by time or place or circumstance, the Reality. Fourthly, we must not think of Him as having a son or a father, for that would be to import animal qualities into our conception of Him. Fifthly, He is not like any other person or thing that we know or can imagine: His qualities and nature are unique.
This is to negative the idea of Polytheism, a system in which people believe in gods many and lords many. Such a system is opposed to our truest and profoundest conceptions of life. For Unity in Design, Unity in the fundamental facts of existence, proclaim the Unity of the Maker.
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"God the Eternal, the Uncaused Cause of All Being.1
- Mohammad Asad
This rendering gives no more than an approximate meaning of the term as-samad, which occurs in the Qur'an only once, and is applied to God alone. It comprises the concepts of Primary Cause and eternal, independent Being, combined with the idea that everything existing or conceivable goes back to Him as its source and is, therefore, dependent on Him for its beginning as well as for its continued existence.
Allah is the Self-Sufficient (independent of all, while all are dependent on Him);
- Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Allah- the Sustainer 'needed by all'.
- Mustafa Khattab
Allah, the eternally Besought of all!
- Marmaduke Pickthall
Allah the Eternal Absolute; 6298
- Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Samad is difficult to translate by one word. I have used two, "Eternal" and "Absolute". The latter implies: (1) that absolute existence can only be predicated of Him; all other existence is temporal or conditional; (2) that He is dependent on no person or things, but all persons or things are dependent on Him, thus negativing the idea of gods and goddesses who ate and drank, wrangled and plotted, depended on the gifts of worshippers, etc.
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"He begets not, and neither is He begotten;
- Mohammad Asad
He begets not, nor is He begotten;
- Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
He has never had offspring, nor was He born.
- Mustafa Khattab
He begetteth not nor was begotten.
- Marmaduke Pickthall
He begetteth not nor is He begotten; 6299
- Abdullah Yusuf Ali
This is to negative the Christian idea of the godhead, "the Father", "the only-begotten Son" etc.
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"and there is nothing that could be compared with Him."2
- Mohammad Asad
Cf. note [2] on 89:3 , as well as surah {19}, note [77]. The fact that God is one and unique in every respect, without beginning and without end, has its logical correlate in the statement that "there is nothing that could be compared with Him - thus precluding any possibility of describing or defining Him (see note [88] on the last sentence of 6:100 ). Consequently, the quality of His Being is beyond the range of human comprehension or imagination: which also explains why any attempt at "depicting" God by means of figurative representations or even abstract symbols must be qualified as a blasphemous denial of the truth.
And there is none comparable to Him.
- Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And there is none comparable to Him.'1
- Mustafa Khattab
As mentioned in the Introduction, the Quran has three main themes: 1. Stories. 2. Muslim teachings. 3. And belief in the unseen. Since Sûrah 112 covers the third theme, the Prophet (ﷺ) says in a ḥadîth collected by Bukhâri and Muslim that reading this sûrah equals reading one third of the Quran.
And there is none comparable unto Him.
- Marmaduke Pickthall
And there is none like unto Him. 6300
- Abdullah Yusuf Ali
This sums up the whole argument and warns us specially against Anthropomorphism, the tendency to conceive of Allah after our own pattern, an insidious tendency that creeps in at all times and among all peoples.
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