Surah Al-Ikhlas

It is called the foundation and the purifying one, and say, "He is Allah, One."

Its purpose is to clarify the truth of the Most Sacred Essence by indicating His exclusive attributes of the utmost perfection. This serves as evidence for the correctness of belief in the sincerity of monotheism by affirming perfection and negating any flaws or deficiencies. This leads to the goodness of words and actions, and to steadfastness in seeking refuge and reliance in all situations. The name Al-Ikhlas indicates the necessity of salvation, as do the terms foundation and purifying one. It was said in the dictionary: The two purifying ones are disbelief and Al-Ikhlas, meaning they purify from hypocrisy and polytheism, just as purity removes scabs. Purity refers to tar. Imam Abdul Haqq said in his book Al-Wa'i: Just as it cures the sick from their illness when they recover from it - this is the end. It is derived from the word for gathering, thus they are named so because they follow us with all types of hypocrisy, as well as polytheism and disbelief. They both gather and negate these from their reader when read correctly. The discussion on this name has been elaborated upon in Al-Bara'a, and likewise, its name "Say, He is Allah, One" indicates its purpose by reflecting on all the meanings of easy and numerous purification. This Surah is the greatest contributor to monotheism in the Quran. Al-Razi said: Monotheism is a station that the scope of speech cannot encompass, for when you inform about the truth, there is an informer about it and an informer of it, both of which are two. This makes three; the intellect knows it, but speech cannot reach it. Al-Junaid was asked about monotheism, and he said: Its meaning is that forms vanish within it, and sciences become confused in it, and Allah is as He has always been. Al-Junaid also said: The noblest word in monotheism is what the truthful one said, may Allah be pleased with him: Glorified is He who has not made a way for His creation to know Him except through the inability to know Him. "In the name of Allah" who possesses all perfection in majesty and beauty, "the Most Gracious" who has bestowed from His bounty upon all beings the general favors, "the Most Merciful" who has specifically granted His beloved ones from the light of His grace with completion and perfection.

When al-Kawthar was a reason for the prohibition of what the denial included of the evils of actions, and he knew that he ﷺ was specifically granted the good that necessitates that his adversary is the one who is cut off, the place of the question about what he does with the adversaries in battles or in abstaining came. The disbelievers came for abstaining due to the fewness of the people of religion at that time. This indicates that this abode is built upon causes. The disbelievers knew that the adversary is something that is not cared for. Thus, the soul was stirred to ask about the time of suitability for battling after this abstaining, and what results from battling in terms of overpowering the adversary by action. Therefore, Surah al-Nasr came as an indication that it is not to be asked about when, to clarify that in the face of kindness in submission. Rather, it is asked about what he does at that time in terms of kindness in worship, expressing with the tool of verification to inform that it is certainly coming. So the question about its time is not from the habit of the questioners. When the treasures of these riches appeared with the details of those symbols, and what was joined to it from the apparent signs, the state of Abu Lahab was recalled when he was with his close relatives in great stubbornness and immense effort in everything that opposes the noblest of the servants. The longing for the reversal of his state at that time intensified. Would it be by what the victory concluded with repentance or by his abandonment and reversal with the greatest failure and regret? Thus, his Surah came for that, clarifying that misery prevailed over him, so he descended into the depths of degradation, preventing him from the heights of elevation. When Allah, glorified is He, clarified by that his destruction of his enemy ﷺ, and concluded with the most hostile of his enemies, He decreed his destruction and the destruction of his wife in a way that is evident that he is in the lowest depths of contempt and the greatest types of loss. The mind danced with joy from these matters, and the intellect was intoxicated by the wonders of destiny. The listener trembled greatly at the description of the doer of that which is beyond the capacity of humanity and transcends the norms. It is the manifestation of one person over all people despite their intense enmity towards him. Sincerity came revealing what has been established of greatness for the ally of the Prophet ﷺ, glorified and exalted is He, who commanded him with this religion and did for him these great matters that necessitate for whoever has a heart or lends an ear while being present, so that nothing of that or anything else is distanced from Him, glorified and exalted is He. Indeed, the representation of all that He commands our Lord, both what has been and what will be, in whatever way it is, is in accordance with His command and obedience to Him, and indicative of the true belief that necessitated this support, coming upon all sects of misguidance. This, in turning from the latter to the former with respect to the Surahs, is among the greatest correspondences in that, in view of the verses, that He, glorified is He, explained by the Elephant and what follows it from the Surahs all the verses of al-Fatiha, then from the beginning of al-Baqarah to the verse of Tawhid. He indicated by the Elephant to His gathering of the attributes of perfection, for He has the praise for what He guarded from His House from the kings and protected it from the plots of the tyrants, and the best upbringing for Quraysh, who are the noblest of the worlds. With their righteousness, the righteousness of their land, the Mother of Cities, is established. With its righteousness, its righteousness is established. This indicates that He will judge the servants on the Day of Calling. For that reason, He gave the head of the guides the religion that He singled out for worship and seeking help with al-Kawthar, and guided him to the straight path, and protected him from the way of the disbelievers who oppose and the misguided. He indicated at the beginning of al-Baqarah to the entry of the righteous—those for whom the Book is guidance—into the religion in droves. Indeed, the richest of the people of disbelief and the most obstinate among them are equal regarding the warning and its absence, for he does not believe, and he is Abu Lahab and whoever follows his path from the openly defiant and the secretive, and they are all encompassed by loss, and destruction encompasses them, by the decree of the One, the All-Prevailing, who is commanded with His worship and His oneness in the comprehensive verse for the calls of oneness: "O mankind, worship your Lord" [al-Baqarah: 21], who is characterized by what is in Surah al-Ikhlas, which nothing has been revealed in its description like it. Thus, the religion was completed at that point by what He, glorified is He, has of the perfection of attributes and the majesty of descriptions with might and kindness. There remained only the seeking refuge of the people of religion from any flaw entering upon them, or any removal or slip occurring to them. Thus, He concluded with the two seeking refuge for that, and Allah is the One asked for bestowing the return of the request for every seeker.

And when the purpose of the Qur'an is to call the servants to the Worshipped, and the one called to something is most in need of knowing it, and the definition is sometimes about the essence and sometimes about the attributes and sometimes about the actions, and this [nation] is the noblest of nations because its Prophet is the highest of the Prophets, blessings and peace be upon him, and it is the final one, the speech about defining Him, glorified and exalted is He, in the Qur'an is complete, and the explanation of that has reached a limit beyond which there is no more, and no book from the previous books has approached it in that. However, when the great one reaches the peak of His greatness, the knowledge of His essence becomes rare. And Allah, the Exalted, is the greatest absolutely. The knowledge of His essence - as indicated by Al-Ghazali in Al-Jawahir, and Al-Fakhr Al-Razi in his books - is the narrowest in scope and the most difficult to articulate, and it is the hardest for thought to grasp, and it is far from accepting mention in a flowing manner. This is because the Qur'an contains only hints and indications, most of which return to mentioning absolute sanctification, like His saying, "There is nothing like Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing" [Ash-Shura: 11], and to absolute glorification, like His saying, "Glorified and exalted is He above what they describe" [Al-An'am: 100]. Therefore, it was appropriate to limit it to that along with the definition of the attributes and actions. However, since this nation is at the peak of good understanding with what it has attained of honor, He, glorified and exalted is He, bestowed upon it the complete Surah of Al-Ikhlas with an explanation that human minds cannot bear more than it. This is by indicating that He is established in a way that no other can be established, and that He, glorified and exalted is He, is free from similarity, counterpart, equal, and like. So, He has no wife and no child, and there is no need in any way for anyone. Rather, to Him belongs creation and command. He destroys whom He wills and makes happy whom He wills. So He said, commanding His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that the first word in it indicates His message, responding to those who denied him in his own self and to the Brahmins who said: 'In reason, there is no need for the messengers.' And the explanation is to be on his tongue, blessings and peace be upon him, so that it is closer to the understanding of creation about those lofty attributes, as it is similar to what they have. "Say" means, O most honorable of creation, and no one understands from his sender as he does. And the command is unrestricted, not limited by a saying that he understands the generality of the message, and that the intended meaning is everyone to whom it can be said, whether he is asking about that in action or by force, urging to [bring forth] what belongs to the Lord of this religion - which has been surrounded by this protection and nurtured by this upbringing - of greatness and majesty, and pride and perfection. Thus, in the unrestricted indication of generality, there is a response to those who acknowledged his sending, blessings and peace be upon him, specifically to the Arabs, and it indicates that the saying has no harm in it for anyone, for its apparent meanings are understood by everyone, and there is no trial in it in any way. Rather, trial comes when the misguided delve into what [the mind cannot] bear.

And when the most important of the objectives is the response to the deniers, who are a type of those who say, "We die and we live, and nothing destroys us except time" [Al-Jathiya: 24], He established His existence, glorified and exalted is He, in the most complete, highest, most fulfilling, and clearest of ways. What we mean by this is that His reality is firmly established, with no doubt directed towards it in any way. He said, revealing the secrets - for it is impossible for Him to be absent from them at all - and for the lovers: "He is". So He began with this noble name, which is the most profound of names, indicating that He concealed the unseen in regard to His essence, like the letter 'A', and that He is necessarily existent by His essence. His identity is not derived from anything other than itself nor is it dependent on anything other than itself. For everything whose identity is derived from another or dependent on it, if the other is not considered, then He cannot be He. And whatever His identity is for His essence, He is He, whether the other is considered or not. Therefore, this name does not rightfully belong to anyone other than Him at all. The letter 'H' by itself indicates - being one of the most profound - that He is the First and the Hidden, the Originator of what is other than Him. The letter 'W' - being one of the most apparent letters - indicates that He is the Last and the Manifest, and that to Him is the ultimate end, and there is no target beyond Him. And He is the Initiator and the Restorer - as indicated by the repetition of the 'W' in His name - and that He encompasses everything due to the encompassing nature of what is in it.

And when His existence, glorified is He, is for His essence, and it is not derived from anything else, then what is derived from something else is possible. It is not possible to explain His name, which is He, nor is there a name for the reality of anything else that stands from a genus, type, or definition because it has no genus, no type, and no cause by which it is known. And that which has no cause cannot be known except by its necessary attributes. The necessary attributes include some that are negative and some that are additional, some that are close and some that are distant. The definition by the additional and the close is more complete than the definition by the negative and the distant. This is because the distant, like the laughing, which is after the astonished in relation to man, cannot be attributed to anything, but rather attributed to its cause. By combining the negative and the additional, it is more complete than restricting oneself to one of them. Therefore, a comprehensive name was chosen for both types so that the definition would be more complete, and that is the fact that that identity is a God. Thus, a name was chosen that indicates it, which is specific and not shared. It is the first manifestation of the pronoun just as the hamzah is the first manifestation of the alif. For this reason, some have said: the greatest name is the last of the manifestations of the names. For this reason, all of them are attributes for Him, and He is the first of the innermost realities. He said, revealing to the spirits and to the monotheists: "Allah" meaning the existent, of which there is no existent in reality besides Him! He is the one called by this name, and this name was chosen to inform about Him due to its indication of all attributes of perfection: majesty and beauty, and because it is a comprehensive name for all meanings of the beautiful names. It is the closest necessary attribute to the identity because there is no necessary attribute closer to it than the necessity of existence, which is the requirement of the essence as it is with its attributes, not through the intermediary of anything else. And through the necessity of His existence, He was the one who bestows existence by His choice upon everything He wills. The totality of necessity, which is a negation, is solely existence, which is a choice for goodness by the addition of existence and an addition to the divinity that majesty has gathered, and it is the closest necessary attribute to the most sacred essence. The expression by it indicates that there is no constituent for divinity from a genus or anything else or a cause, otherwise, it would have been a deviation from it to the definition by the necessary attribute, which would be deficient. And that His divinity is absolute for all existents, thus the explanation of that identity by the necessary attribute is the most eloquent eloquence and the most sound wisdom, because it, while being the truth, points to what has been mentioned of the subtleties.

And when the essence was mentioned, which has no cause or constituent of the same kind or type, nor anything else at all, but is merely a singular unity and is exalted above composition, having no multiplicity or duality in any way, it was defined by the name that encompasses the negated types and the necessary additions to it, which is the closest of the necessities to it. Thus, its specific existence became clear as it is, and that was a complete definition because the definition of that which has no composition in it by the close necessities in perfection is like the definition of compounds by their constituents. For the ultimate definition is that an image conforming to the rational concept occurs in the soul. The increase in explanation is desired because it is more complete, especially in hidden and subtle matters. This was followed by a negative name indicating that the contemplation of this abode regarding the aspect of majesty should be greater. That name is closer to majesty as its proximity to identity, for it indicates the complete abstract unity. It is the descent of majesty just as it is the descent of identity. Just as majesty does not involve any partnership at all, it resembles it in that there is no partnership for anyone other than Him, glorified and exalted is He, when using it alone in its true meaning, except that in the negation there is an indication that everything besides Him is non-existent. He said, revealing to the hearts and to the knowers, denying the Christians who say of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to the Jews who say that He is a body, and to the Magians who say that there are two: a light that creates good and darkness that creates evil, and to the Sabians who worship the stars, and to the polytheists who claim the divinity of idols, informing of another news, or substituting from majesty, or informing of a deleted subject: "One," and this is because of its specificity in affirmation when being alone with Him, glorified and exalted is He, knowing that He is free from the "family" of definition. It is more profound in indicating the attributes of majesty just as majesty is more profound in indicating the attributes of perfection. For the true one is that which is exalted in essence from all forms of composition and multiplicity and what necessitates either of them, such as corporeality, localization, and participation in reality and its properties, like the necessity of existence, complete power, and perfect wisdom that necessitates divinity without the need for a cycle or succession from the aspect of composition or otherwise. It was read by omitting "Say" here and in the two chapters of seeking refuge, with agreement on affirming it in the disbelievers and denying it in "Perish." Perhaps the wisdom is that the disbelievers are addressed in a manner between opposition and separation, so it was appropriate for the situation that this was from him, blessings and peace be upon him. And "Perish" is a reproach of the uncle of the Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, and a reprimand of him, so it is not appropriate for that to be from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. The remaining verses are between monotheism and seeking refuge, so it was appropriate to command conveying it and to call upon it. And the oneness was arranged upon divinity without the reverse, because divinity is an expression of His independence from all, and the need of all for Him. Everything that is like this is absolutely one, otherwise it would be in need of its parts. Thus, divinity, in terms of its essence, necessitates unity, and unity does not necessitate divinity. He expressed it without "one" because the intended meaning is to convey the description of unity to an extent that nothing is more intense than it. The one, as Ibn Sina said, is said about what is beneath it with ambiguity, and that which cannot be divided in any way is more deserving of oneness than that which can be divided from some aspects. And that which is divided by intellectual division is more deserving than that which is divided by sense, and that which is divided by sense in potential is more deserving than that which is divided by sense in actuality. And if it is established that unity is capable of being more intense and weaker.

And that the One is said regarding what is beneath it with doubt, was the most complete in unity, which cannot have anything else stronger than it in it. Otherwise, it would not have reached the utmost goal. And the One is inclusive of that, indicating oneness from all aspects. And that there is no multiplicity there at all, neither in the meaning of the constituents from the kinds and categories, nor in the intellectual parts like matter and form, nor in the sensory with strength or action as in bodies. This is because He, glorified and exalted is He, is exalted above kind, category, matter, form, accidents, parts, limbs, shapes, colors, and all other aspects of duality that blemish the complete true unity (p-357) that is befitting of the generosity of His countenance and the might of His majesty, that anything should resemble Him or be equal to Him. For all that His identity is, it is obtained from the gathering of parts, whose identity is contingent upon the existence of those parts. Thus, He would not be Himself for His essence but for another. Therefore, He is exalted above multiplicity in every regard and characterized by unity from all aspects. This arrangement has reached the greatest status of expression. So glorified is He who revealed this speech, how great is its status and how it has subdued its dominion. For He is the end of needs, and from Him is the attainment of requests. And the least of what He has exclusively of majesty, greatness, and splendor cannot reach the utmost attributes of the describers and the greatest description of the describers. Rather, the possible amount of Him that is impossible is more than that, which He mentioned in His glorious Book, and He placed it in His wise sacred revelation. And by the words regarding its meaning and the meaning of the One, what has preceded has been realized. Imam Abu al-Abbas al-Iqlishi said in the explanation of the names: Among the people of language are those who equate between them, making them synonymous. Among them are those who said: The root of 'One' is 'Wahid' from which the alif has dropped, then the hamzah was substituted from the open waw. [And among them are those who said: Its root is not 'Wahid' even if they have the same meaning, but its root is 'Wahd' - from unity - which means it is 'Wahid' -] like 'Hasan' which means 'to do good' so it is 'Hasan' - from goodness, the waw was substituted with a hamzah. As for those who differentiated between them, among them are those who said: 'Ahad' is a name in its own right with no substitution or change in it, and among them are those who said: Its root is 'Wahd', the waw was substituted with a hamzah - this has ended. And I have extracted (p-358) the words regarding the two noble names from several explanations of the beautiful names and others, including the explanation of al-Fakhr al-Razi and al-Fakhr al-Harali and others. They said: The One is that in which there is no multiplicity in any way, neither by division nor otherwise, while being characterized by greatness, so that the individual essence emerges which is [also -] that which does not dualize, meaning it has no opposite or similarity. So He, glorified is He, is One in both meanings absolutely, not with regard to a condition nor anything. Imam Abu al-Abbas al-Iqlishi said in the explanation of the names: This is the reality of unity among the scholars. It is not correct to describe anything composite with it except metaphorically, as when you say: One man, and one dirham. And rather, the reality of what has no part is described with it, like the individual essence according to the Ash'ariyyah. However, when you look and find its existence from another, you know that its entitlement to this description is not like the entitlement of its creator to it. And He, also, is described with it due to His greatness, and His entitlement to unity absolutely, and the entitlement of the essence with regard to the absence of composition from the body, while the correctness of its entitlement that it is a part removes from it the reality of that. And unity also, with regard to the second meaning, which is what has no counterpart, is not correct in reality except for Him, glorified is He. And all that has its type in its individuality, like the Throne, the Chair, the Sun, and the Moon, it is correct to attribute to them counterparts. And He has a third meaning which is the unity in action and creation, so He does all that He wills without stopping at anything. The difference between this aspect and the one before it is that the first looks at the negation of a second god, and this negates a specific one and a minister. Both of them are a negative essential description. The result is that (p-359) the correct view indicates that we have a single creator in the sense that it is not correct for Him to be afflicted by the deficiency of division in any way, and in the sense that He is without equal in every regard, and in the sense that He is independent in action, self-sufficient in creation, and unique in decree, singular in management. This has been decreed by the witness of the intellect, which is protected from the darkness of desires and the density of nature, and it has been conveyed by decisive transmissions and the utterances of hearing. And for this reason, it was among the greatest truths to call upon Him, glorified is He, for all creation, and the call of His final Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, to all creation was comprehensive. And Imam -] the Proof of Islam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali said at the end of his explanation of the names in explaining the reduction of many names to one essence and seven attributes: The One is that which is devoid of an equal. And he said in the mentioned explanation: The One is that which cannot be divided nor dualized. As for that which cannot be divided, it is like the individual essence which does not split, so he said: It is One - meaning it has no part. And for that reason, the point has no part. And Allah, the Exalted, is One - meaning it is impossible to conceive of division in His essence. And as for that which cannot dualize, it is that which has no counterpart, like the Sun for example, for although it is capable of division in imagination, being particular in its essence, it has no counterpart except that it may have a counterpart. And there is no existent that is unique in its specific existence in a way that it cannot be shared in by another at all except the Absolute One, eternally and perpetually. And a servant is only one if he has no counterpart among his kind in a quality of goodness. And this is with reference to his kind (p-360) and with reference to time, as it is possible for him to have a counterpart at another time, and with reference to some qualities without all. Thus, there is no absolute unity except for Allah, the Exalted. And Imam Muhammad ibn Abdul Karim al-Shahrastani said in the introduction to his book Al-Milal wa al-Nihal: And they differed regarding the One, is it from the number or is it the principle of the number and not included in the number? And this difference arises from the shared meaning of the word 'One', for 'One' is used and intended to mean what is composed of the number. For indeed, the two has no meaning except 'One', repeated for the first repetition, and likewise the three and the four. And it is used and intended to mean what results from the number, meaning it is its cause and does not enter into the count, meaning it is not composed of the number. And the oneness may accompany all numbers not in the sense that the number is composed of it, but every existent is its kind or its type or its individual is one. It is said: One human, and one individual, and in the number -] likewise, for indeed the three is that it is three one. So the one in the first meaning is included in the number, and in the second meaning is the cause of the number, and in the third meaning is concomitant with the number. And there is no category among the three categories that can be applied to the Creator, the Exalted, in its meaning: For He is One, not like the ones, meaning these units and the multiplicity from Him has been created, and it is impossible for Him to be divided in any way from the aspects of division - this has ended. And He is One also by Himself, not in relation to a second in any way (p-361) from the aspects. And some of them said: The One indicates eternity and primacy, for the One in numbers is its cornerstone and the manifestation of its principle. And the One indicates His separation from creation in all His attributes and the negation of the doors of polytheism from Him. So 'Ahad' was built to negate what was mentioned with it from the number, and 'Wahid' is a name for the initiator of the number. And Imam Abu Hatim Muhammad [ibn Mahran -] al-Razi said in his book Al-Zinah, some of the wise said: It was said to Him, glorified is He, 'One' because He, the Mighty and Majestic, was alone before the creation, unique in eternity with no second with Him nor creation. Then He originated creation, so all creation, with its need for Him, glorified is He, was in need of one another, some holding on to others, some opposing and contradicting, and some resembling and being paired and connected and separated. And He, the Mighty and Majestic, was free from creation, so He did not need anything, so that thing would be associated with Him due to His need for it, nor did anything oppose Him so that thing would be an adversary to Him, thus that adversary and companion would be a second. Rather, He was unique in His independence from all His creation because He was before everything, and the primacy indicated His oneness. So 'Wahid' is a name that indicates a single system known by its name that it is One, with nothing before it.

And in everything, there is a sign for Him that indicates that He is One.

(p-362) And the one from the number in calculation is nothing before it. Rather, it is before every number and it is outside of number. And the one, however you turn it, does not increase in it anything nor decrease from it anything. You say: one in one by one - so it does not increase beyond one. This indicates that there is nothing before it. And if it indicates that there is nothing before it, it indicates that it is the originator of the thing. So if it indicates that it is the originator of the thing, it indicates that it is the sufficiency of the thing. And if it is the sufficiency of the thing, it indicates that there is nothing after it. So if there is nothing before it and nothing after it, then it is the unique one in eternity. It means that it is the one who has no counterpart; it is the one. He said: For this reason, it was said: it is one and unique. And we said: that the unique is a more complete name - that is, more general - than the one. Do you not see that if you say: so-and-so has no one to stand for him, it is permissible in meaning that two or three or more may stand for him? And if you say: so-and-so has no one to stand for him, then you have firmly stated that no one stands for him, neither one nor two nor more than them. So the unique is more complete than the one. And in the unique, there is a specificity that is not in the one. You say: there is no one in the house. It may be one of the animals or birds or beasts or humans. So the one encompasses people and others. And if you say: there is no one in the house, it is specific to humans without others. And the unique is prevented from entering into division, number, and anything from calculation. (p-363) And it is unique in its uniqueness. And the one is subject to number, division, and others that are included in calculation. You say: one, two, and three. This, even if it is not from the number, is the cause of the number and included in the number. Because if you multiply one by one, it does not increase. And two is the root of calculation. And you say: in division, one between two or three. For each one of the two, there is a half, and from the three, a third. This is the division. And the unique is prevented from this. It is not said: unique and two nor unique in unique nor unique in one nor in two or three. And the one, even if it does not divide from one, it divides from [two and] three or more than them. You say: one part from two or three or more than them. And it is not permissible: one part of the unique from two or more than them. And Allah has named Himself one and unique and described Himself with oneness and uniqueness. So the one is an attribute that is truly necessary for Him because He was before and there was no second with Him. And the second is a characteristic of the one. So He is one due to His unity in antiquity. And creation is two due to its conjunction with the event because the event is second to antiquity. And by it, duality appeared. So the one is the unique in itself; there is nothing before it, nor from anything, nor in anything, nor on anything, nor for anything, nor with anything. So that thing would be second with it; rather, it is the one who creates and all things [belong to Him]. (p-364) And He is the unique in His essence, prevented from having a second thing in any way. And all creation belongs to Him. And even if it is called the one, or if this attribute has been necessary for all things in one way, it will be removed from them in another way.

As it is said: One human, one horse, and one camel. Likewise, it is said for all things. This is a characteristic that is inherent in the wording. The named does not lack many meanings that are combined in it, like body and accident. It is one collection of disparate things. Everything does not lack duality, opposition, similarity, limitation, and counting. All these attributes negate from it the meaning of oneness and singularity. And in the term 'one' there are many languages among the Arabs. It is said: one, ahad, wahd, wahid, had, ahad, and muwahhid. All of this returns to the meaning of 'one'. Although there are subtle meanings in that, the terms used in the description of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, are only 'one' and 'ahad'. I said: And 'wahid' according to some grammatical interpretations in Al-Muddathir, he said: And all of them are derived from 'wahid'. It is as if that is taken from limitation, as if all things end at Him, and all are limited except Him, glorified and exalted is He, and He is the ultimate of the limited and the ultimate of the ultimates, and He has no limit. 'Ahad' comes in speech meaning the first and meaning one. So when it comes in the meaning of the first and in the meaning of one, it is permissible to speak of it in the news, like your saying: This is one, ahad. The Arabs used to call the day of Ahad in the pre-Islamic period the first. And your saying 'the day of Ahad' is evidence that it is the first day of the week, and 'ithnayn' is evidence that it is the second day. And in the Torah, Allah, glorified and exalted is He, said that the first of the days He created was 'the day of Ahad'. I said: It is possible that the meaning of the day of Ahad is the day of Allah, added to it because it is the first of His creations among the days. So when He created the second, it was named the day of 'ithnayn' because it is the second day of Ahad. He said: And the opposite of one is two, and the opposite of ahad is the other. Allah, the Exalted, said: 'One of them said, I see myself pressing wine' [Yusuf: 36]. Then he said in opposition to it: 'And the other said'. This is evidence that the meaning of their saying 'the day of Ahad' is the first day, because they said for what comes after it, two, and they did not say: the other, because if ahad is not in the meaning of the first, its opposite is the other. If ahad is in the meaning of the first, then news and denial are permissible. If it is not in the meaning of the first and is in the meaning of one, then it is permissible in news and permissible in denial. Allah, the Exalted, said: 'Send one of you with this silver of yours' [Al-Kahf: 19]. This is from the news. So if ahad is not in the meaning of the first and in the meaning of one, it is not permissible to speak of it except in denial. You say: No one came to me, and it is not permissible to say: One came to me, or: One spoke to me. Allah, the Exalted, said in the meaning of denial: 'Does he think that no one can overpower him?' [Al-Balad: 5]. And ahad is equal for both masculine and feminine. Allah, the Exalted, said: 'O wives of the Prophet, you are not like any one of the women' [Al-Ahzab: 32].

And one does not equate in it the masculine and the feminine until the letter 'h' enters it, and it is said 'one' and it is not permissible to say 'like one of the women.' And 'one' can mean the plural. The Arabs say: 'One of us remains for days without eating,' meaning all of us do not eat. Thus, it carries the meaning of both singular and collective - this is the end. So, 'one' from the names of the affirmative attributes can, in the original language, be in relation to a second, which is half of it, and to a third, which is a third of it. And so it is a description of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, meaning the unique in the attribute of divinity, so that no one else accepts it in any way, so there is no partner for Him. And 'one' is from the negative attributes, rather it is the sum of them. He is one in Himself, not accepting number or composition in any way, neither by division nor otherwise, whether one looks at it in relation to others or not. So, He is purely negative. It is a description that returns to the essence itself, meaning that He is complete in His essence, and the consideration of anything does not affect its concept at all. And 'individual' looks at the negation of number. Thus, the three descriptions diverged, even though they are close in meaning.

And Imam Abu al-Khayr al-Qazwini al-Shafi'i said in his book 'Al-Urwat al-Wuthqa fi Usul al-Din', quoting from some who differentiated between it and 'one': 'Indeed, 'ahad' is a name for negating what is mentioned with it. And from some of them, it is said that it is that which cannot be divided, neither in action nor in imagination. So, He is 'ahad' in His essence and 'ahad' in His attributes. The oneness of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is His knowledge that He is one, and His informing of that, and the oneness of the servant to Him is his knowledge of that along with his acknowledgment of it. And Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi said in the explanation of the beautiful names: 'So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is 'ahad' in His essence, 'ahad' in His attributes, 'ahad' in His actions, 'ahad' not from another, neither divisible nor separable, 'ahad' not composite nor made up, 'ahad' nothing resembles Him nor does He resemble anything, 'ahad' independent of every one.' - This is the meaning of what the grammarians quoted from Tha'labi that he differentiated between them by saying that 'one' can be included in a number, while 'ahad' cannot be included in that. It is said: 'Allah is 'ahad', and it is not said: 'Zayd is 'ahad', because 'ahad' is a characteristic of Allah, glorified and exalted is He. Zayd can have states. And he refuted him with the counted number that is conjoined. It is said: 'one' and 'twenty' and 'two and twenty'. And he replied that 'ahad' in it means 'one'. And Imam Fakhr al-Din said in the explanation of the names: 'He is specifically for the Creator, glorified is He. As for 'one', it includes participation. For this reason, it was stripped of the definite article because it became an attribute for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, specifically, thus it became a definite term. And Al-Azhari said: Ahmad ibn Yahya was asked about 'ahad', is it a plural of [ahad]? He said: 'God forbid, 'ahad' has no plural, nor is it far-fetched to say that it is a plural of 'one' like 'witnesses' is the plural of 'witness'. - End of quote. And Al-Iqlishi said in the explanation of the names: 'Ahad' is that which is not divisible nor separable. (p-368) So it is, on this, a name for the essence itself, in it He negated multiplicity from His essence, thus He is glorified by this description from the attributes of bodies that are capable of division and separation. The point and the simple essence are different from their affirmers - meaning from the speakers, and the simple essence according to its proponents - meaning from the philosophers. And although these do not divide nor separate, they contradict the Creator, glorified and exalted is He, in His oneness. As for the point, it is an attribute according to some of them since it is an expression for the end of the line. And if the line is an attribute, then the point is more deserving of being an attribute. And as for the simple essence, even if it does not divide, it is quantified by a part. And everything that is quantified by a part cannot be devoid of existents, and it is however it is according to the opinion of those who affirm it from the speakers, even if they are disputing in its attributes, it cannot be devoid of attributes. And as for the simple essence according to those who affirm it, its existence with them is not its essence when I dualize it other than its essence. And what is described by this description with them has duality in it. So the Creator, glorified and exalted is He, is distinguished by His oneness from these existents just as He is distinguished by His essence from bodies. So His existence is from His essence, and His attributes, glorified is He, are not different from His essence. And as for 'one', it is a description of His essence, in it is the negation of a partner and an equal from Him. So they differ - meaning that 'ahad' looks to the essence itself, while 'one' looks to something external to it. And Al-Bayhaqi said in the book of names and attributes: 'Ahad' in what the polytheists call a god [besides Him cannot be a god -] since the signs of occurrence from division and limitation are established in it and necessary for it. And the Creator, glorified and exalted is He, does not divide nor limit. It has been established that 'ahad' is specific to Allah, glorified and exalted is He: there is no difference in its application to Him, glorified and exalted is He, between its definition and its indefiniteness because it is a definite term in itself. Thus, the objection of those who said from the atheists: 'Jalalah is a definite term and 'ahad' is an indefinite term that cannot be described with it.'

And regarding the estimation of the greeting, it is permissible to make it a substitute as previously mentioned. There is no objection to substituting the indefinite with the definite, like in 'We will surely seize him by the forelock, a lying forelock.' The author of the book of beauty said: 'And upon this reading - meaning the reading of the indefinite - the community has agreed.' And a group narrated from Abu Abdullah ibn Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq that he recited: 'Say, He is Allah, One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge.' And Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Hirali said in the explanation of the Most Beautiful Names: 'The One is a name that has rendered the minds incapable of comprehending its signs in creation, affirmatively. The Arabs have never used it in the singular form, meaning in its true sense, not in one meaning or in a first meaning, for example, except in negation. When they realized that it expresses an encompassing totality from which nothing deviates, and this is something that minds and senses can grasp in negation but cannot grasp in affirmation, they say: 'There is no one in the house' - negating everyone, and it does not permit in their minds to say: 'There is one in the house' or 'in existence,' for they cannot comprehend that a human being is a totality that includes every human being. So when the name of Allah was mentioned in the Quran, the believers received it with faith, and their hearts loved the chapter that mentions Him for its gathering of countless praises of the Most Merciful. And it is one of the three lights in the Quran; the Quran is light.

﴿But We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants﴾ [Ash-Shura: 52] and the light of His light [Surah] mentions the One in its conclusion. The Ayat al-Kursi is at its beginning, and Surah Ya-Sin, which is before it, is in its place. It is one that is clear regarding the name of [Allah, who is encompassing of all things; no association can penetrate Him in truth or falsehood, and He is One, clear regarding the name of -] the God, in whom association is not valid in truth, and it may penetrate Him in falsehood. "And they have taken besides Allah deities" and that is because the One adds to the second, and One is encompassing and does not remain outside of it. This means that His concept is observed as He is glorified and exalted now as He was in eternity alone. For indeed, creation is perishing, so in reality, it is non-existence. It is as if it never was due to His encompassing of it and His being in His grasp and under the control of His will. There is no external entity that can be added to Him because nothing can be added to a thing except by resemblance for equality or competition in opposition or otherwise. Everything in relation to Him is non-existence. ﴿Indeed, you are dead, and indeed, they are dead﴾ [Az-Zumar: 30] ﴿Everything upon it will perish﴾ [Ar-Rahman: 26] ﴿Everything is destroyed except for His Face﴾ [Al-Qasas: 88] [This is His intent -] with evidence from what precedes and follows it, so there is no doubt in it for the people of unity - upon them is disgrace and curse. He said: and unity (p-371) from the One is [a limit -] the end, and the goal of what is its unity, and what is less than the unity which is the ultimate is secondary and beneath it. The totality of the encompassing of all of that is the Oneness which no one deviates from, nor does anyone exit from it. Among the names is what is known for a creation from His creation by what He has given them, such as the Merciful and the All-Knowing. Among them are those that their opposition cannot reach, like the preceding names from His name, the All-Enumerating. However, an example can be taken from their saying. Among them are those that knowledge has not reached nor have minds comprehended anything like it, which is His name, the One. So Allah is the One, of whom there is no One except Him - it has ended. And Imam Abu al-Hakam ibn Burjan said in the explanation of the beautiful names: and He - that is the One - is the origin of the chapter of unity, indicating pure unity. Do you not see that it is negating that comes with it? If you say: No one has come to me, the two are negated. And do not say: One has come to me as you say! One has come to me, for the One's unity is removed from it by adding a second to it, unlike the Oneness, for it is the necessity of the One and does not depart from its ruling after the addition of the second. Rather, it has a preserved aspect upon it, which appears in pairs and strings. For indeed, you say: No one has come to me, so the pairs are negated as the strings are negated. And this is evidence for the increase of its honor, for the name, the more its indication is obscure and its knowledge becomes difficult for the minds and is absent from the intellects, the more that is evidence of its proximity to the Greatest Name - it has ended, (p-372) and some of the knowers said in revealing the meaning of the One and its rank: Indeed, the Greatest Essence is pure unseen [and the One is the first of its manifestations, and for this reason, it began with the hamzah, which is the first of the manifestations of the alif, which is pure flame -] and this is the secret of its difference from the letters in that every letter indicates its named thing, the first letters of its name [except -] the alif for being unseen. So the first of its name [is the hamzah, which is the first of its manifestations, and the hamzah for being elevated to the unseen of the alif was the first of its name -] also [not -] indicating its named thing.

Then after the specification with the comprehensive oneness that encompasses [it descends -] to the divinity, then from it to the oneness. For this reason, the oneness begins with the letter 'waw', which is a connection to what is in it from the 'alif' that is unseen. For the oneness is elevated to the understanding of the God, and the God is elevated to the comprehension of the One, and the One is elevated to the worship of the Most Sacred Essence. Whoever believes in His oneness, glorified and exalted is He, produces for him love and veneration. This is the oneness of divinity, for the uniqueness in that necessitates perfection and beauty - and Allah is the Grantor of success.

Imam [Abu -] Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr said: When the purpose of the glorious book was completed in its entirety, the matter returned to what it was. And it informed the scholar of their condition from their hesitation between two non-existences. "Then Allah will create the creation of the Hereafter" [Al-Ankabut: 20]. Their existence is from Him, glorified and exalted is He, and their continuation is by Him, and all that issues from them of their sayings and actions (p-373) all of that is His creation and invention. And He, glorified and exalted is He, was before there was a world, nor time, nor place. [And He is now as -] He was, not in need of anyone nor requiring assistance, nor confined by time, nor limited by place. So, praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the one deserving of all praise absolutely. To Him is praise in this world and the Hereafter, and to Him belongs the judgment and to Him is the return. "Say, He is Allah, the One" "Allah, the Eternal Refuge" [Al-Ikhlas: 2] "He neither begets nor is born" [Al-Ikhlas: 3] "And there is none comparable to Him" [Al-Ikhlas: 4]. He is the true existent, and His words are the truth.

"And the worldly life is nothing but play and amusement, and the Hereafter is better for those who fear" [Al-An'am: 32]. So, glad tidings to whoever seeks clarity from the Book of Allah, and the matter came from its door and he recognized himself and his world. And he answered the call of Allah and saw no doer in existence truly except Him, glorified and exalted is He, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. And when the purpose of the book was completed, and the great mercy of Allah became clear through it for whoever reflects and takes heed and repents, it became a place of refuge and seeking protection from the evil of the envious and the scheming of the enemies. So he concluded with the two [surahs] of seeking refuge from the evil of what He created and spread and from the evil of the two weighty ones - ended.