Islamic Studies: Sura Al-Ikhlas

Theme of this early Makkan is God in himself in terms of His unique person. It outlines the most fundamental and cardinal aspects of Tawhid (oneness of God). 

It out rightly declares God’s unity and emphatically negates the false belief of God having ancestors and descendants. 

It further highlights God’s unity by saying that God’s nature or person can never be compared to anyone throughout the universe. 

It also mentions God’s freedom from time and space by saying that he has always been and will always be there. This way, the passage crystallizes the belief of Tawhid.

Theme of this passage purifies Muslim’s belief in Tawhid and that is why the passage is named al-Ikhlas (the purity of faith). 

Muslims learn from this passage that God is unique in all aspects. 

This uniqueness and supremacy of God highlights human inability and limitation before his Lord. 

Thus, it eliminates all forms and degrees of shirk or associating partners with God. 

Muslims recite this sura in daily prayers in order to reiterate rejection of shirk. It is so important that the holy prophet declared it equivalent to one third of the Quran. Its theme is so important that the Quran repeatedly mentions this: “and your God is one God” (2:163, al-Baqarah) and “God! there is no God but He” (2:255). 

Belief in Tawhid, in turn affects the conduct of Muslims as they develop a strong sense of God’s presence and knowledge.