The Arabs of Mecca used to worship idols they made themselves. These idols were the representation of their bond between themselves and God. Throughout history man has always tried to create this form, an imagination turned into physical representation of a deity. It was the limit of his comprehension that had driven him to believe in absurd ideas and link them to God. These idols came in many forms. For some these were man made. Whereas others took humans to be these deities. Some attached all attributes of God to creation. Whereas others still believed in the ultimate Authority but created their interpretations of mini-gods to get them nearer to the Almighty creator. Some believed these intermediaries would be by their side answering to the Almighty on their behalf on judgement day.
أَلَا لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡخَالِصُۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِهِۦۤ أَوۡلِيَآءَ مَا نَعۡبُدُهُمۡ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ زُلۡفَىٰٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحۡكُمُ بَيۡنَهُمۡ فِى مَا هُمۡ فِيهِ يَخۡتَلِفُونَۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهۡدِى مَنۡ هُوَ كَـٰذِبٌ۬ ڪَفَّارٌ۬
Al-Quran 39:3
Indeed, sincere devotion is due ˹only˺ to Allah. As for those who take other lords besides Him, ˹saying,˺ “We worship them only so they may bring us closer to Allah,” surely Allah will judge between all1 regarding what they differed about. Allah certainly does not guide whoever persists in lying and disbelief
وَيَعۡبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمۡ وَلَا يَنۡفَعُهُمۡ وَيَقُوۡلُوۡنَ هٰٓؤُلَاۤءِ شُفَعَآؤُنَا عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِؕ قُلۡ اَتُـنَـبِّـــُٔوۡنَ اللّٰهَ بِمَا لَا يَعۡلَمُ فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَلَا فِى الۡاَرۡضِؕ سُبۡحٰنَهٗ وَتَعٰلٰى عَمَّا يُشۡرِكُوۡنَ
Al-Quran 10:18
They worship besides Allah others who can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, “These are our intercessors with Allah.” Ask ˹them, O Prophet˺, “Are you informing Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or the earth? Glorified and Exalted is He above what they associate ˹with Him˺!”
Indeed, this was a travesty of their own making. Allahﷻ had never directed them with such commands or promises. They had wronged themselves by self-appointing these intermediaries with Allahﷻ. The faith in Creator had taken a backseat overshadowed by the belief in creation. The false interpretation of fear of the Creator had turned their hearts towards the creation instead of bringing them close to the Creator. This absurdity was not concocted overnight by a few people. Prophet Ibrahim AS and his son Prophet Ismail AS had introduced them to Islam and the oneness of God, tawheed. Over generations the stories of forefathers, personal experiences and agendas were mixed into the pure message and polluted the pure religion of Islam.
Allahﷻ began the revelation of Al-Quran to Prophet Muhammadﷺ in Mecca with the message of tawheed to re-assert His oneness and purify the hearts of people. This same message continued to be revealed over the next few years, with various examples to help the people understand what had befallen them over generations. Examples from previous generations and Prophets AS are presented. All Prophets came to their people with one common message of tawheed, pure monotheism, worship Allahﷻ alone. When Al-Quran was organized before the passing of Prophet Muhammadﷺ, majority of this Meccan revelation was gathered together in the last portion of the book. Although the message of tawheed is evident all over Al-Quran from the first chapter, Surat-ul-Fatiha till the last chapter, Surat-un-Nas. However, the last 1/3 of Al-Quran concentrates mainly on tawheed along with many important subjects of after-life, judgement day. The commands regarding worldly obligations of a Muslim are mostly concentrated in the first part of Al-Quran. Chapter 112, Surat-ul-Ikhlas is in many ways a summary of this last portion.
قُلۡ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (١) ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ (٢) لَمۡ يَلِدۡ وَلَمۡ يُولَدۡ (٣) وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ ۥ ڪُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (٤)
Al-Quran 112
Say, “He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Self-sufficient One. He has never had offspring, nor was He born. And there is none comparable to Him.”
Prophet Muhammadﷺ said reciting Surat-ul-Ikhlas is equivalent to the reward of reciting 1/3 of Al-Quran. With the permission Allahﷻ, we will be blessed with this immense reward if we put this sunnah into practice. There is however a deeper meaning to this hadeeth which is made in reference to the subject matter of the last 1/3 of Al-Quran. Surat-ul-Ikhlas is a concise summary of tawheed and a very important article of our creed (aqeedah).
عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ خَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ” أَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكُمْ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ ” . فَقَرَأَ { قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ * اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ} حَتَّى خَتَمَهَا
Sahih Muslim 812
Abu Huraira reported the Messenger of Allahﷺ came out to us and said: I am going to recite before you one-third of the Qur’an. Prophetﷺ then recited:” Say: He is Allah, One–Allah, the Eternal,” to the end of the Surah.
Additional References –
Sahih al-bukhari 6643
Sahih Muslim 811
