The Reason for the Revelation of Soorah al-Ikhlaas

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

The Reason for the Revelation of Soorah al-Ikhlaas (1/2)

Dr. Bilal Philips


There is one authentic narration indicating the circumstances under which this chapter was revealed. The Prophet's (Peace be upon him) follower, Ubayy ibn Ka'b[1], related that some of the pagans asked Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) to list the lineage of his Lord so Allah revealed: "Say: He Allah is Unique, Allah is Self-Sufficient."[2] Thus, the chapter was revealed specifically to clarify the uniqueness of Allah for idol worshippers in the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) time who believed that their gods had fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. However, the chapter's presentation of Allah's Unique Unity remains in clear opposition to all expressions of shirk in Allah's Names and Attributes which have appeared down through the ages. It challenges all false religions in the world today, whether they are deviations from the original divine messages, like Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism, or those that appear to be completely man-made religions like, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
Place of Revelation
There are no authentic hadeeths which clearly indicate where this chapter was revealed. However, most scholars of Tafseer (Qur’anic exegesis) hold that it was among the early chapters revealed in Makkah [prior to the Hijrah] as it has most of the characteristics of the Makkan revelations. Ibn Mas'ood,[3] 'Ataa, Ikrimah and Jaabir were among the early generations of scholars who were of that opinion. On the other hand, Ibn 'Abbaas[4], in one of his opinions, considered it to be from the Madeenan period and so did Qataadah, ad-Dahhaak and as-Suddee.[5]
The Virtues of the Soorah
This chapter is popular among Muslims due to the many special merits associated with reading it according to various authentic statements of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him):
1. It Earns Allah's Love
'Aa'ishah related that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) sent a man as leader of a troupe and he used to lead them in prayer. However, he would complete his Qur'anic recitation in prayer with "Say: He Allah is Unique." When the group returned, they mentioned it to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and he told them to ask him why he did that. When he was asked, he replied, "Because it is the description of ar-Rahmaan (The Beneficent), and I love to recite it." The Prophet (Peace be upon him) told them:
"Inform him that Allah loves him."[6]
This does not mean that the mere recitation of this chapter after every Qur’anic recitation in prayer will automatically earn Allah's Love. Were that the case, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) would not have asked the man about his reasons for doing so. The fact that he asked indicates that it was his intention which mattered, in keeping with the general prophetic principle, "Deeds are judged according to the intentions behind them"[7] Because the man understood that the chapter was a divine description of the Creator which caused him to love reciting it, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) judged that such an intention would earn him Allah's Love. Therefore, in order for the repeated recitation of this chapter to earn Allah's Love, one must contemplate its meanings and be driven by their impact on his soul to love its recitation. It is the love of the Words of Allah based on an understanding of their meaning, and not based solely on the beauty of a reciter's voice, which earns Allah's Love. This principle is not restricted to this chapter but is applicable to the whole of the Qur’an.


(Continued)

[1] In Madeenah, the most noted school of tafseer was that of Ubayy ibn Ka'b, who was considered by most of his contemporaries as the top reciter of the Qur’an. Ubayy was also the first person chosen by the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to record the revelation of the Qur’an.

[2] Sunan at-Tirmidhee, Kitaab Tafseer; Baab: wa min soorah al Ikhlaas, Musnad Ahmad, vol. 5, p. 133. Authenticated in al-Jaami' li Ahkaam al-Qur’an, vol. 20, p. 194.

[3] In 'Iraaq, Ibn Mas'ood headed the most prominent school of tafseer. 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, the sixth person to enter Islam, was among the top reciters of the Qur’an. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) himself praised his recitation saying, "Whoever wishes to recite the Qur’an in the tender manner in which it was revealed should recite it as Ibn Umm 'Abd (Ibn Mas'ood) does." (Ahmad, Ibn Maajah (vol. 1, p. 77, no. 138), al-Haakim and others and authenticated in Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer, vol. 2, p. 1034.) As for his knowledge of tafseer, Ibn Mas'ood said, "By the One besides Whom there is no other god, I know where and why every verse of Allah's book was revealed." (Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1312, no. 6023) Among the many students of Ibn Mas'ood who later became scholars in their own right were al-Hasan al-Basree, 'Alqamah ibn Qays, Masrooq, al-Aswad ibn Yazeed, and 'Aamir ash-Sha'bee.

[4] In Makkah, the tafseer school of Ibn 'Abbaas became the most prominent. 'Abdullaah ibn 'Abbaas was considered to be the greatest tafseer scholar among the sahaabah. He reported that once the Prophet (Peace be upon him) hugged him and prayed for him as follows: "O Allah, give him a deep understanding of the religion and make him skilled in its interpretation." (Collected by Ahmad (al-Musnad, no. 2274)). A version mentioning only the first half of the Prophet's supplication on his behalf is reported in Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 106, no. 145, and Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, pp. 1320-1, no. 6055.) The most famous students of Ibn 'Abbaas were Mujaahid ibn Jabr, 'Ikrimah (the freed slave of Ibn 'Abbaas), Sa'eed ibn Jubayr, Taawoos ibn Keesaan al-Yamaanee, and 'Ataa ibn Abee Rabaah. (Al-Itqaan fee 'Uloom al-Qur’an, vol. 2, p. 242. It is interesting to note that all of these great scholars were former slaves.)

[5] Al-Jaami' li Ahkaam al-Qur’an, vol. 20, p. 193.

[6] Sahih Al Bukhari, vol. 9, p. 287, no. 7375, Sahih Muslim, vol. 2, p. 388, no. 1773,

[7] The relevant text is:
"[Surely actions are judged solely] by their intentions and everyone will be rewarded according to his intention. Thus, whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His messenger, and whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take a woman in marriage, his migration was for whatever he migrated." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.1, p.1, no.1 and Sahih Muslim, vol.3, p. 1056, no.4692.)