SURAH IKHLAS
Respected friends, welcome. Since last week we mentioned that today we would speak on one Surah which beholds significant importance in the Noble Qur’an, since through a rather laconic and eloquent fashion it speaks on one significant religious dimension. The principle which gives the distinction from all other religions and understandings is precisely the element of oneness, the element of wahdat, inasmuch the acceptance of the only ultimate real existence.
Its explanation I shall engender with one story told by our contemporary Muslim scholar who lived in Paris for some time, he was Pakistani and he passed away 5-6 years ago. Faqir had the occasion to once meet him in Istanbul, we are talking about Muhammad Hamidullah. It is good to remember his name, he has a number of very didactic works on Islam but simultaneously they have managed to be written in a good fashion. One of his works has been translated in Albanian, it is called “Muhammad (PBUH)”, the author speaks on the personality and the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) in profound historical state, in fact he conducts a sociology and a philosophy on the history of the Prophet (PBUH) and in highly analytical fashion assays the period upon which the Prophet (PBUH) had lived. In one of the occasions he delineated the occasion he met one proclaimed French painter, Dine on one symposium. The painter approaches the author by saying: I have read all the sacred scriptures, I have read on Buddhism, Confucianism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, I have read on Christianity, Judaism, as I have also read on Islam, but on neither from the above I could not come across the prudent, pure monotheism, in other words that pure faith and believe in one God.” Muhammad Hamidullah answers: have you completely read the Qur’an?” the painter answers by saying no, not until the end but I have read some Surah on the beginning, I could not find what I was looking for and thus I was disappointed and did not read any further. Then the author told him to read it completely once anew the entire Qur’an, and at that moment the author decided to make one translation of the Qur’an in the French language, and hither this time the best French translation of the Qur’an is that of Muhammad Hamidullah.
In the meantime Dine read the entire Qur’an and when he reached to this Surah (my point was here) in the Surah Ikhlas, or as is known by people, Qulhuwallah, the painter said he had now found what he was in seek of, for in this Surah there is an imperative by Allah Almighty, by God who turns to the adherent, to man in general, Qul- Say! Huwallahu ahad – Huwe in the Arabic language is the personal pronoun of the third person singular, moreover it is the symbol of our Foundation Huwe, which means He, but when Huwe is mentioned in the religious literature it refers only to God, since only God has real absolute existence, every single other thing is characterized by a shadowed existence. Think about this, if there was no God would there be any of us, but if there was none from us God would still exist, which shows that we have an existence which is in direct manner engaged to the existence of God, thus He Himself declares in the Qur’an: Say, He (huwe) Allah edhe Huwe (He) is Allah. Those of you who are into linguistics, semantics well know that when one pronoun and one singular noun are mentioned in one sentence, then it reflects one solid linguistic enforcement; a better enforcement is established when the singular noun is used merely for God, Allah.
Allah Almighty in the Qur’an has a number of names, for instance He has the name RABB. RABB also means God, He has the name ILAH, and we say La Ilaha Ilallah, He has the name MAULA; all of the names mean and refer to God; Rahman, Rahim, all of these are synonyms to refer to God in the Qur’an, yet the name Allah, is the name which is never used for anyone else and it exclusively means and refers to Allah, and it has been said, He, Allah is one (ahad).
When Dine read this verse, he declared that he has now found what he has been in seek of; this reflects the pure monotheism, since the logic of man cannot accept in existence to coexist a dualism, for there to be two, for there to be present an element which will separate and divide God, as a result the latter avows and accepts Islam. Thereof this Surah beholds great importance.
What does Allah Almighty tell us through this Surah? Foremost I shall encounter some facts regarding the naming of this Surah. The Surah is known under the name Ikhlas. Ikhlas in the Arabic language refers to sincerity. The fundamental element of religion is sincerity; people who are not sincerely cannot become good adherents, in fact they are not even believers. Allah Almighty exclusively, only through sincerity establishes the link with people, with creatures. Aside from sincerity, despite all our physical movements, if they are not consisted in sincerity Allah Almighty then does not affiliate with his creatures. This Surah is known as Ikhlas / sincerity, yet it speaks on the adherence and believe in the oneness of God.
I will encounter one more occasion. When the devil did not avow to prostrate to Adam; once God decreed for him to prostrate to Adam, the devil refused to do so. He claimed he was better. Let us conduct one ontological comparison which is rarely done by one believer, one which a believer should never do. A believer cannot make an ontological comparison, for instance he cannot claim to be better than another person only because he has black eyes or green eyes. These are pure ontological comparisons, which are not under our control. The devil made such a comparison, he said: “I am better than Adam since you have created me from fire and you created him from earth” and since the latter disobeyed, God abandoned him from His mercy, he thus accursed him and gave him the given accursed name. As a result the devil had one request from God: “I will put astray from your path all humans” or in other words he will try to do his best in this. The devil doesn’t have any power under his control which by force would put people astray from the right path. In regards to God, be assured on this, keep this in mind, for the true adherent, for the person who submits to God, there is no other mystical power who can come between him and God. Whoever claims the opposite to you is just trying to fool you. The greatest existential strength is the sincere connection with God and the creatures. Nobody not even jinns, devils, monsters can interfere here. The sincere connection is the brightest light which melts whatever walks within it, ceases even the person himself. In this relation man evanesces his self, his ego and begins to dwell in the unification, in the presence of Allah Almighty, in the presence of God. This is the one significant joyful state.
Let us get back to our story. The devil told God: “I have only request. You have accursed me for the sake of this being, please don’t put me before the sincere people.” The devil doesn’t have the power to do something by force, he can only present the evil as good and “this” I will to do everyone, aside from those who are sincere (muhlesin), don’t let me come across them, since there is nothing I could do with them. In the Qur’an it has been said: “ [Iblees] said, “By your might, I will surely mislead them all, Except, among them, Your chosen servants.” (The Qur’an Surah Sad, verse: 82-83).
This shows how actually the first request the devil had to God was not to put him forth the sincere people. In another verse of the Qur’an there is actually a dialogue the devil will have with people in the other world, especially with those who will go to Jahannam / hell: “And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, “Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with Allah ] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment.” (The Qur’an, Surah Abraham, verse: 22)
As a result the devil will say to those who didn’t pursue the righteous path” “Allah Almighty promised you, He descended the Qur’an, showed you the right path and said if you pursue this path you shall have comfort both in this world and the hereafter. You did not follow this path and I said, if you do not pursue the righteous path which God has showed you, you will be happy, you will experience all the satisfactions of this world, then why should you enslave yourself within rules and religious boundaries or the rules and limits of worship, you are free, satisfy yourselves will all the profuse experiences which life has to offer. And I said that I have said this, but I turned away from my promise. Do not accuse me, accuse yourselves. Moreover he also said: “I did not have any power under my control to force you into committing to evil, but you chose this, preferring the short term satisfactions.” Maybe I have told this to those whom I see more often, have in mind that if you feel satisfactions for a brief, a momentary pleasure, then have in mind that that initiative is rather harmful for humans. Satisfactions which do not commit in continuity, are not human, they rather contain the animal dimension, the physical dimension of functionality, whereas those satisfactions which are permanent have continuity for their construct, they are instead more human.
I will encounter one more occasion regarding sincerity, which is the fundament of religion. Ebul Husein Nur, one proclaimed Muslim scholar and Sufi, one day as he was passing by the Bazar in Bagdad and noticed that there was a great fire burst which took place in the building, and two children were inside.
The father of the children, the owner of the store called: “Whoever goes inside the house to save my two children I will give him 1000 ducat. Nobody ventured to go inside for the fire had seized everywhere. Ebul Husein Nur immediately hurried inside, he took the two children with him and walked outside. Then the owner of the store took out 1000 ducat to give to him. The latter refused to take them and told the father: “Thank God for this. If I would have walked inside for your money I would have died along with your children, but I walked in there with the purpose to satisfy Allah Almighty, for us to be under his decree and to this reason your children were saved.” This is a mere example we come across in the Qur’an, as well as in the Bible and anywhere, but I am specifically referring to the Qur’an since we are now speaking on Islam, the Qur’an mentions one of the prophets of Allah Almighty who ventures to be set aflame, Abraham (PBUH)…David Hume does not conclude as absolute the thoughts and hypotheses which people affix according to their experiences with their senses. For instance one of these hypotheses is that “fire burns”. David Hume says, that yes fire usually burns but does not absolutely burn, if fire has not scalded Abraham this means that there is a possibility for it not to burn. Abraham (PBUH) is one messenger of God who is set aflame by Nemrud, the king of his time and Allah Almighty orders fire: “Allah said, “O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham.” (The Quran, Surah Al-Anbya, verse: 69). One scholar infers that if God would have said only “be cool”, Abraham would have frozen, but instead He said be coolness and safety upon Abraham.
My point here is to convey the importance of sincerity. Sincerity will come vital only when these verses of the Surah Ikhlas shall be conceited as they truly are in essence.
In the initial verse of the Surah Ikhlas, Allah Almighty anew as on the rest of the Surahs which we encountered alike the Surah Al-Falaq and An-Nasr, in the identical fashion eventuates by a decree and He says: Qul-Say. Picture here one predestined, pre historical scene where none of us is found.
The Qur’an is not a created book, it is rather a book which exists in the knowledge of God even prior to our arrival onto this world. Imagine who tells whom, qul? Who is telling whom, say? Which means that the answer given to imperative, to the decree qul, embarks us to the dimension of the attributes of God, since people in general, even the world itself is a portion of God’s attributes, it is a domain of the attributes of the creation of God and these attributes attain the genuine shape in this world.
When qul is said to us Allah Almighty automatically establishes a dialogue with us, with each of us who reads the Qur’an. Especially if there is sincerity which each of us ought to have, then be aware that the dialogue with God enables the greatest comfort in the world for people. To be in dialogue with the Creator is the outmost joyful platform and pedestal for man in this world.
And what is the answer? Say (huwallahu ahad) that Allah Almighty is one. Ahad in the Arabic language is one philosophical number, it is not a typical number which we use in our daily life. For instance, the Arabs do not use the word ahad for number one, but they say wahid, surely when they number they say wahid, ithani, thalathe, arba, hamsa, and so forth, whereas here for God the term ahad is used, which means the philosophical One, which has no zeros before it, and no second afterwards, moreover ahad is one attribute of the absolute oneness of Allah Almighty, where it is impossible to discuss on nothingness, and yet it is also impossible to discuss the second, the tri, fourth and so on. In this fashion Allah Almighty seeks from us to answer him. All the revelations, from our Muslim background perception, have turned to man with this substance of the oneness of God, reflecting the teuhid/ the submission to God, foremost to the existence of God, secondly to the oneness of God and thirdly is the non-acceptance, not establishing anything else alongside but God alone. This is the consistency of the true belief in Allah Almighty.
Ahadiyah / onesness has led us hither the entire domains of our lives in order not to have dilemma. At this moment Muslims are experiencing a great weakness, yet the winch has begun its motion, we have begun to grow aware from the domain of belief, despite our rooted weakness, we have never abandoned the humane within us, faith in the ultimate real existence has kept kindled the humane within us, we have remembered that, He is. For instance never in the recorded history have we killed children. Only now in our contemporary times, even this now is conducted with some influence, not that it is another’s fault, I never accept saying it is another’s fault, it is our fault entirely, for this makiavist mentality, which does not use tools to reach for a certain purpose. Under no occasion could one claim to be man of God, to be in connection with God and thus for reaching one designated purpose not to use assigned tools, this is simply improbable. We strive for one brave purpose, but that does not enable us to destroy everything which comes forth our way. Even within our path, when we walk hither God, we ought to keep in mind to serve the purpose, if we do not serve the purpose, then we shall never truly, ultimately attain our purpose. Whereas the rest in a very soulless hollow manner, also among the Muslims not only from outside, let me encounter another thing, the revelation never distinguishes amid the Muslim and non-Muslim when it refers to good and evil; for instance it says do not steal, do not distinguish people as Muslims but rather as good and evil, the righteous and the wrongdoers, the beautiful from the hideous, these are rather categorical distinctions upon which we have both Muslims and non-Muslims, and from all the other religions. Hence evil and good can be present in the everyday life of man if there is no contact from the domain of the moral norms with Allah Almighty.
Among us for instance, the Muslim has for obligation to feel close the presence of God and the true adherents always feel close the presence of God in themselves. Once one scholar, Imam Junayd Baghdad, had his students by his side and told them: “Go and take one chicken and stab it in one place where nobody could see you.” Everyone had gone and stabbed their chicken aside from Imam Shibli, one student who later one shall grow to be a proclaimed scholar of the Islamic world, he came back with a living chicken. Imam Junayd asked: “Why did you not conduct the obligation with which I assigned you?” the later replied: “I failed to find a place where nobody would see me. Wherever I went God was with me, whereas you sought from me to stab the chicken in a place where nobody could see me. I could not find this place.”
Imagine what moral attributes the feeling being close to God develops within man. This only takes place when one considers himself part of the real existence of Allah Almighty. Thus in the Surah Ikhlas, Allah Almighty decrees say, as this is also the motto of our faith, say that Allah Almighty is one. This oneness of God in our literature has been delineated through the attributes of Allah Almighty, upon which we will talk in the following lectures. We shall seek to speak on the attributes of God represented in the Revelation, in the Noble Qur’an.
There is one crucial device from the perspective of religion among us, and that, as you all know is amentu bilahi, the six conditions of belief, amentu bilahi – I believe in the God, wa mala’ikatihi – in the angels of God, wa kutubihi – in the scriptures reveled by God, wa rusulihi – in the messengers which God has sent, wa la-yaum la-akhiri – in the Judgment Day, wa bil al-qadri khayrihi wa sharrihi minalahi teala – and on that, that good and evil come from God.
Yet when reading amantu bilahi there is one significant device which beholds importance for us, and that amantu bilahi wa bi ma jae min indilah – I believe in God and that which has come to me from God, which reflects that faith alongside brings a number of obligations. Faith, belief embarks several obligations upon will, nothing upon force, yet a number of obligations which encounter us in the group of people who truly perform deity on Allah Almighty.
For instance we have two devices through which we reflect our belief, we convey ourselves as Muslims. The initial is La ilaha Ilalah Muhammedur Rasulallah – there is no other God but Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is the messenger and Prophet of Allah. This is the theoretical dimension of faith, the actual declaration proclaiming us as adherents, but moreover there is another device which is Ash-hadu an la ilaha ilallah wa ash-Hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasool – I bear witness (ash-hadu means declare) that there is no other God but Allah Almighty (wa ash-hadu) and I bear witness that Muhammad (PBUH) is His servant and Messenger / prophet. What does it mean to bear witness? Witnessing is not committed through words only, to witness is a manifestation throughout life under the provision of the human principles which lead us even hither Allah Almighty. Which are these human principles? To this reason at the beginning I said, that I believe in God, but not only in God, inasmuch in those which have also come to me from God, those matters which God seeks from me to accomplish. Allah Almighty does not enforce us to pray to Him, since He created man as such to make choices, to have that freedom of choice on whether to believe or not to believe, to act or not conduct actions based on the rules which are established on the revelation, yet the moment the person shall believe, when shall truly articulate the need for belief, then surely the rules of the games we must play according to God’s rules, since He reveals to us the manner upon which we can best serve Him. Inasmuch all these rules are in perfect harmony with the nature and character of man. There is not a single edict assigned by God which contrast the nature of man, there is none. Moreover there is also no prohibition which Allah Almighty has affixed it as forfeited which is in contrast with the nature of man, prohibitions are surely matters which belittle the character and nature of man. Look for instance. God seeks from us a Muslims to conduct namaz – prayer 5 times a day, which means that in the course of the day we shall not have a great gap where we will not remember God, He seeks from us to fast 1 month out of the entire year (now Ramadan is approaching). And why does He ask this from us? In order to conclude that we can sacrifice from our own personal satisfactions for the sake of Allah Almighty. He seeks from us to give zakah, to help the poor, here also God wants to see that for us the decree of God is more important than our wealth, for that wealth which we share on that God says” do not hesitate, if you give one, know that I give you 10 of that, that which you shall give in sincerity on my road, know that I shall give you by 10 more.”
This does not mean, we have discussed this several times, it does not only refer to do with wealth, moreover it also encompasses saying a good word; it has to do with spending time upon one significant value, it has to do with spreading knowledge, it embraces all domains of good, it has to do with all of these; Allah Almighty has established them as such in order for them to be in harmony with the nature of man. Thus only through this motion could man grow to be human.
Observe how all these elements have two angles, two angles beholding the greatest importance among all the religious decrees and prohibitions. The initial angle is for man to evanesce his ego and his self, for the momentary satisfactions which also serve the self and his ego and thus these elements to melt, the second element is for man to become one body with the others, and this is also how satisfaction would be experienced. If you give man whatever he wishes, the greatest wealth, the highest social position, give him whatever he would like and tell him that still he ought to stay alone for the rest of his life. Who would accept this? Nobody would. Why? For the most crucial element being that the humane and living in unity with the others, to share both the good and evil with the others. Moreover the religious laws have the same character, as well as the prohibitions are characterized as such. Do not think that Allah Almighty needs us not to drink, needs from us not to gamble, needs us not to lead a profane lifestyle. No, God does not need this. But we are the ones in need of this and hence Allah Almighty seeks this from us, since we are in need of this and through them we walk hither accomplishment. The reason for man’s creation in this world is to attain perfection, accomplishment. Among us adherents this perfection is attained through the true deity on Allah Almighty, moreover this also takes place among all other ideologies, regardless of where one is found, the purpose of man is (why do we get education? Why do we undergo growth? Why do they write? Why do they conduct various activities? ) in order to help this world and achieve their accomplishment, perfection. Inasmuch perfection in our religion is attained through the true deity on Allah Almighty and this deity is established only if we have a never vacillated faith in the genuine existence of Allah Almighty.
I am not referring to a never vacillating knowledge, since knowledge serves only to the extent we are acquainted to the existence of God, until the moment we believe. From then on where faith begins, knowledge cannot keep up, it is rather a dimension of feelings when faith ought to be experienced and to this reason Allah Almighty says that in order for one to attain this state of faith, surely one must analyze, study, learn to listen, and then one could be enriched with the moral of God. What is characteristic about the moral of God? The moral of God is such that even to His servants, who do not prostate to Him, he still provides nourishment to them. The moral of God does not expel anyone, it is instead embracing. The attributes of God teach us to be embracing, how to approach and embrace another, how to approach ourselves, and this embracement is established only when we begin to comprehend the conception of God. If we attach ourselves to His existence, then we grow part of the circle of His existence.
Let me just bring forth another example and I shall finish with this. Imagine how many people have lived since the beginning of the world until now, how many beings, how many living organisms, the universe in general, how much time has passed? Imagine, throughout this entire time occurrence, we live only 50 years, and how important is this? It is not important at all if we analyze it from the general point of view of life on existence. What makes man important? Which element? Only the element if he reaches to establish himself among the primary Circle of the universe and this primary circle is found at Allah Almighty. There is one book by Aliya Sheriat, which Faqir has translated it into Albanian many years ago, “Uncountable zeros before the one” he infers that everything aside but God is zero in the universe, and this means that if to all these zeros we simply insert the one before them, in other words God, the more zeros we insert from behind the greater the value grows, if instead we insert the zero before, then the more zeros we insert from this side the less value it beholds. Hence we can conclude that Allah Almighty gives values to the things, as well as the faith and trust in God.
Thank you.
