Explanations are simplified from tafsirs by Ibn Kathir, Mufti Muhammad Shafi, and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Spot an inaccuracy? Let us know.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
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1
١
qul huwa l-lahu aḥadun
Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One,
2
٢
al-lahu l-ṣamadu
Allāh, the Eternal Refuge.
3
٣
lam yalid walam yūlad
He neither begets nor is born,
4
٤
walam yakun lahu kufuwan aḥadun
Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
Surah Al-Ikhlas (The Sincerity) — Full Text
Ayah 1
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One,1
This is the ultimate declaration of who God is: Say, He is Allah, the One. Not "one of many" — the only One. This surah was revealed when people literally asked the Prophet to describe God's lineage and what He's made of, and the response is beautifully simple: He's One, period. No partners, no components, no parts — just pure, absolute oneness. This single concept is so powerful that the Prophet called this surah equal to a third of the entire Quran.
Ayah 2
ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ
Allāh, the Eternal Refuge.1
Allah is As-Samad — the One everyone and everything depends on, but who doesn't depend on anyone or anything. Think of it like this: every living thing needs something — food, water, support, help — and ultimately all of those needs trace back to Him. He's the source that never runs dry, the foundation that never shakes. While everything in the universe is needy by nature, He is completely self-sufficient and perfect in every way.
Ayah 3
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
He neither begets nor is born,
He doesn't have children and He wasn't born from anyone — God is nothing like a human being. This directly pushes back on every culture and religion that tried to give God a family tree, whether it's calling angels His daughters or claiming He has a son. The logic is simple: anything that's born eventually dies, and anything that dies leaves something behind — but God is eternal, with no beginning and no end, so the whole concept of biological relationships just doesn't apply to Him.
Ayah 4
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ
Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
And the final mic drop: there is absolutely nothing and no one comparable to Him. Not similar, not equal, not even close. This covers every possible angle — no one matches Him in power, knowledge, mercy, or any attribute. It's the perfect ending to this surah because after establishing that He's One, that everything depends on Him, and that He has no family, it seals it all by saying He's in a category entirely of His own. Nothing you can imagine or compare Him to will ever do Him justice.