The Reason for the Revelation of Surah Al-Ikhlas

The Jews said to the Messenger, “Describe your Lord for us.” Their question was out of stubbornness, not out of the love of knowledge and seeking to be guided by it. For that reason Allah revealed Surah Al-Ikhlas:

﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ﴾

[which means] “[O Muhammad,] say Allah is One,” meaning the One Who does not accept multiplicity, or to be many. Also, He does not have a partner in the Self or the Attributes or the Doings, and no one has an attribute like His Attributes. Instead, His Power is One Power, with it He has Power over everything, and His Knowledge is One; with it He Knows everything.

The Saying of Allah:

﴿اللهُ الصَّمَدُ﴾

[which means] “Allah is As–Samad,” means the One to whom all the creations are in need, while He is Free from being in need of anything that exists. It also contains the meaning that He is the One Who is sought in times of hardship with all of its different types. Allah does not obtain benefit for himself by His creation, and He does not repel harm from Himself by them.

The Saying of Allah:

﴿لَم يَلِدْ وَلَم يُولَدْ﴾

[which means] “He did not give birth and He was not born,” is a negation of being made of physical matter and being a vessel for containment.

What came in the book Mawlid Al-^Arus, [the false claim] that Allah took a handful of the light of His face and said, “Be Muhammad,” and it became Muhammad, is among the invalid fabricated perversions. The judgment of whoever believes that Muhammad ﷺ is a part of Allah the Exalted is a definite charge of blasphemy, and likewise for the one who believes that ^Isa [Jesus] is a part of Allah. This book is not authored by Ibnul-Jawziyy, and no one attributed this book to him except for the orientalist Brockelmann.[1]

Allah the Exalted Said:

﴿وَلَم يَكُنْ لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ﴾

[which means] “There was never a similar for Him.” This means that nothing resembles Him, meaning He has no similar for Him in any way whatsoever.

[1] Carl Brockelmann (1868–1956).