FAKHRA SAMAN

ALLAH IN HIMSELF

Q (a) Briefly describe the main theme(s) in each

passage. (b) Briefly explain the importance of
these themes in a Muslim’s life today.

Allah. There is no god but He, the living, the self-subsisting, eternal.
No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens
and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He
permits? He knows what is before or after or behind them. Nor shall
they compass any of His knowledge except as He wills. His Throne
extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in
guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme.

(1) Surah Baqarah (Ayat ul Kursi) [2-255]

Omnipotence
Omniscience
Verse of the throne
No fatigue, no sleep
No slumber can seize him
(a) Main Theme: This passage is Ayat Ul kursi from Surah
Baqarah. This is Madni Surah and the main theme is Allah in
Himself. This verse begins with the declaration that only Allah
deserves to be worshipped. The foremost attributes of Allah, the
living, the self-subsisting, and the eternal reveal the Lord as
creative and sustaining force behind all existence and the Master

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of all His creations. He is unlike other beings because He doesn’t

have any relations, partners or associates like humans. It
particularly mentions Allah’s Supreme Knowledge and Supreme
Authority. His attributes are unmatchable. He is an Ever-Living
Being. Quran says, “He is the First and the Last and the
Manifest and the Hidden.” The passage also tells that Allah
has the greatest knowledge of everything due to the fact that He
is the maker of all in the universe and that He exists every time.
The knowledge of Allah is far beyond man’s comprehension.
He has the knowledge of all times; Past, Present and Future as the
Holy Quran mentions, “It is He who knows what is open in
speech and what you hide (in your hearts)”. The throne
which is the symbol of power tells us how great His authority is.
Huwal ali ul azeem , the most high, signify that Allah is the most
exalted and perfect, no one can challenge Him, rather everything
moves as per His authorization. Thus, the passage signifies His
power to control everything on earth and heavens without any
fatigue that is why He is free from any comparisons.
(b) Significance: The passage helps us to understand the
unity, perfection and exclusive authority of Allah. It strengthens
our faith in the oneness and unity of Allah. Quran says, “O you
people! Adore your Guardian –Lord who created you and
those who came before you that you may have the chance
to learn righteousness.” A Muslim must avoid all forms of Shirk
in his life like considering anyone equal to Allah or as His
assistant.
Firstly, it gives us the evidence to decline the pantheist belief
about ‘God is in everything’. By the phrase ‘His are all
things’ we analyze that He is not everything rather everything is

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His. Secondly, learning about His unity make us realize that He is

the only God thus we submit ourselves to Him alone. Hazrat Ali
was told by the Holy Prophet, “Quran is a great Word, and
Surah Baqarah is the leader of the Quran and Ayat-ul-Kursi
is the leader of Surah Baqarah.” Thirdly, the term ‘al-
Qayyum’ in this passage helps us to realize the incomparable
power of Allah. It says He is independent and limitless to time and
space. So, we get to learn unlike us Allah is perfect in life because
he never dies and Allah is also perfect in activity as He never
slows down in working not does He grow tired. Lastly, we analyze
the power of Allah and extension of His throne that it is the most
extended. Thus, it gives all humans the idea that they should
turn to Allah alone in adversity and prosperity both rather than
turning to any worldly throne or designation. Moreover, we also
learn that His support and decision are the most absolute one
which neither can be challenged nor changed. Holy Prophet S.A.W
said, “Whoever reads Ayat Ul Kursi after every obligatory
prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise
except death”.

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“To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: how can
He have a son when He has no consort? He created all things, and He
has full knowledge of all things. 102. That is Allah, your Lord! there is
no god but He, the Creator of all things: then worship Him: and He has
power to dispose of all affairs. 103. No vision can grasp Him, but His
grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is
acquainted with all things”.
(2) Surah Anam [6.101-103]
Key Words:
 The Creator
 No wife so no son (Children
 Omnipotence
 Omniscience
(a) Main Theme: This is Makki Surah and the Main theme of the
passage is Oneness of Allah. It tells us about His oneness in
Creation that when there was nothing He was there and then it is
He who solely created the entire universe. So, He owns all in the
universe. Quran says, “To Him belong all that is in the
heaven and on earth, for verily Allah-He is free of all
wants, worthy of praises.” The verse begins with the Arabic
word ‘Bad’i which means to create something new, thus
acknowledging Allah as the creator ‘without precedent’. It
establishes Him as the Creator of the heavens and the earth and
everything that exist between or beyond them, without any
previous resources. The passage also signifies His oneness in
existence, He alone created the entire universe amazingly without
anyone’s help. This was the direct response to the Christians view
that Hazrat Isa was the son of God although Hazrat Isa never
claimed this. It Highlights His attribute of being as fine and subtle

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(hard to grasp) as to be invisible to physical eye and not

detectable to the senses. Verses of Surah Anam mention His
ultimate knowledge and His power to originate, create and decide
all affairs.

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This verse, “How can He have a son when He has no

consort” refutes the false idea of Him having a son. All these
characteristics of Allah guide humans to accept Allah as their
only God whose strength, power and vision are unlimited and
incomprehensible.
(b) Significance: The Tafseer of Holy Quran explains its
importance that when this surah was being revealed seventy
thousand angels were accompanying it. The reciter of this
surah gets inner peace and all those angels will ask for
forgiveness for that person. The passage enhances our
knowledge about Allah’s attributes of being primary, single,
invisible omnipotent and omniscient. Firstly, it gives us the
evidence to decline the communists, belief of there being no
controller of the universe. It teaches Allah is the primary of
this universe and then the creation of universe happened by
His exclusive power and will. Secondly, it logically proves
Allah’s singularity by stressing the fact when He has no wife
or partner then from where His children could be. This also
makes us realize that Allah is free from all physical relations.
The Quran refers to it in Surah Ikhlas, “Neither He begets
nor is He begotten.” It is the fact that Allah is the
Originator and the Fashioner of the whole world, therefore we
should worship Him alone. Thirdly, Allah’s inaccessibility is
highlighted by the term ‘Latif’. It teaches that Allah’s
presence cannot be seen by the naked eye. “You shall
never see Me”. [7:147] His presence can be felt and

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visualized only by pondering over the excellence and

perfection of the vast Universe that He has created alone.
Lastly, the term ‘Khabir’ teaches us about Him being
omniscient. Only Allah possesses the knowledge of all the
things including what man keeps in his heart therefore it
helps us to turn away from all the false claimers of knowledge
like fortune tellers, foreseer and foretellers. It gives them
strength in difficult matters like marriage of their daughters,
financial or medical problems as this passage strengthens
their belief by saying, “He has power to dispose off all
affairs”.

“Among His signs are the night and the day, and the
sun and the moon. Adore not the sun and the moon, but
adore Allah, who created them, if it is Him you wish to
serve”.
(3) Surah Fussilat [41, 37]
Key words:
 Signs to know Allah Almighty
 Celestial bodies
 Allah the Creator should only be worshipped
 Link it with the story of Hazrat Ibrahim A.S
(a) Main Theme: Surah Fussilat is a Makki Surah
revealed soon after Hazrat Hamza, Holy prophet’s S.A.W

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uncle, had embraced Islam. The main theme is Allah in

Himself. At the time of its revelation, Prophet was in the
courtyard of the Ka’abah, where the Makkans offered
him wealth and position, and even help in getting rid of
the jinns, which they thought affected him. The Surah
was recited to the Makkans in response to their views.
The creation of various observable facts around us is a
reflection of His ultimate power. All natural objects on
earth and in the sky, like the sun and the moon have
been created by Allah, with no power and authority of
their own so they are not to be worshipped. “Adore not
the sun and the moon, but adore Allah, who
created them” The verse denotes the idea that these
signs are shown to bring our attention towards our
creator. Once we start observing these signs our belief
in His Lordship grows strong hence, we praise and
worship Him alone. The Holy Quran says, “It is not
permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon nor
can the Night outstrip the Day: each (just) swims
along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).”
[36”40] This verse forbids praising or worshiping the
creatures of Allah as they don’t have power of their own.
Rather, it suggests praising and worshipping the
Creator, Allah who is the maker and controller of these
creations. The passage teaches us that worship is the
right of Allah alone who is the creator and maintainer of
everything. Worshipping some of Allah’s creations is
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Shirk, which is unpardonable sin. The Holy Quran says,

“Verily Allah forgives not that partners should be
set up with Him but He forgives except that
(anything else) to whom He wills.” The verses also
highlight the choice provided to mankind either to
believe in Allah or His creations. Man’s belief or disbelief
in Allah’s glory and Lordship will cause benefit or loss to
him, it can never affect Allah’s glory and Lordship as it
remains unaffected. Quran says, “…but if any deny
faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His
creatures.” Thus, for our own benefit we need to
praise and worship Him alone and avoid getting
impressed by any of His creatures.
(b) Significance: The verse invites us to believe in
Allah’s oneness in power and submitting ourselves to
Him alone by learning through the signs he has made
for us. Just as Hazrat Ibrahim identified his real Lord by
observing the stars, the sun and the moon, this verse
points out the importance of observation and reasoning
as these objects of nature reflect Allah’s presence and
His Majesty. “It is Allah who is my Lord and your
Lord; then worship Him. This is a way that is
straight”. The belief that it is Allah who is the sole
Creator of the sun and the moon, and has made the day
and night for the benefit of mankind, keeps one away
from the sin of Shirk. It makes humans realize that it is
unlawful to prostrate before anyone except Allah. From
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His signs are the Night and the day. These are opposites
of each other but they both are made for the similar
purpose of serving human. Night provides us with rest
and the day promotes activity in which we can work.
The sun and moon are complementary to these signs in
this verse. At times man’s vision and perception are
limited, he starts praising the objects like the celestial
bodies mentioned in the passage and refuses to
recognize the glory of Allah. We need to understand
that these signs are nothing but instruments of Allah.
Therefore, our relationship with these signs should be to
learn from them about God’s glory and to utilize them in
our daily living instead of praising them. The infinite
space, the vast scenery of nature with its charm, the
regular shining and fading of the moon, the astonishing
harmony of the seasons all point towards one fact: there
is a God i.e. Allah who is the creator and the controller of
all these beauties. Thus, it reminds us to adhere only to
worshipping and praising Allah and staying away from
all pagan beliefs. The word ‘Adore’ in this verse is used
in the connection of praising and worshipping with the
feelings of dedication and love. It refers us that on
observing the beauty of the creatures we need not to be
affectionate to them rather we should sincerely and
lovingly praise and worship Allah alone. It is widely
believed that the recitation of this Surah also brings
clarity and renewed faith to the believer.
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“To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: and He
is most high, most great. 5. The heavens are almost rent
asunder from above them, and the angels celebrate the
praises of their Lord, and pray for forgiveness for beings on
earth: Behold! Verily Allah is He, the oft-forgiving, the most
merciful”.
(4) Surah Shura [42:4-5]
key words:
 Heavens and earth
 Praises and worship of Allah
 Angels ask for Allah’s forgiveness
 Allah, the forgiving, the merciful.
(a) Main Theme: The main theme of this Makki Surah
is Allah in Himself. It is believed to be revealed
immediately after Surah Fussilat in Makkah though some
of its verses were later revealed in Madinah. The
Makkans were expressing surprise and doubts at the
holy Quran and its themes. This surah was in response
to those doubts, saying that there is nothing strange
about Allah’s revelations as He had sent similar
revelations to the earlier prophets as well, with similar
instructions. The passage highlights Allah’s attributes of
mercy and forgiveness and His supremacy and power
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over the entire universe and tells us about the status of

God that it is higher and nobler than His creatures;
heavens and angels. It tells us that Allah is so great and
sublime that the highest among His creatures i.e.
heavens can get burst into pieces by His glory and
Wrath. But they don’t burst due to His mercy on His
creatures. Quran says, “…. But My mercy extends to
all things…” [7:156] The passage signifies His mercy
that Allah is highly merciful and forgiving towards His
creatures.
Allah says, “But seek the forgiveness of Allah; for
Allah is oft – forgiving Most Merciful.” He appointed
His noble creatures, angels, to seek His mercy so that
He could withhold His wrath and showers His mercy on
the vicegerents of earth. It is also due to His mercy that
the heavens do not burst. The passage tells that His
mercy excels among all His attributes and powers.
(b) Significance: The passage enables us to
comprehend Allah’s Greatness, Nobility and Mercy.
Firstly, the terms ‘Al alliyul and Al azim’ teach us
about Allah’s Height and Nobility. These significant
attributes of Allah separates Him from any possible
comparison. Like His existence is inconceivable for us,
His Height and Nobility are also beyond our reach to
conceive. As Ayat ul Kursi says, “His throne extends
over the heavens and the earth.” Therefore even by
using our knowledge we can’t conceive the difference
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which separates His attributes Most High from the

highest and Most Great from the greatest. Everything in
the universe is under Allah’s control and bears witness
to His creative powers.
On realizing the Greatness of Allah and our inability to
conceive the difference between Him and His creations,
the passage diminishes our ego by telling us that we are
nothing but a worthless small piece in comparison to
almighty Allah. It also convinces us on considering
ourselves equal to everyone else as we all are the
creatures of One Allah. Secondly, Allah’s Mercy is stated
for our learning. As we are to err and perform sin, Allah
has willed upon Himself the law of forgiveness and
Mercy. In spite of our transgression, arrogance and
limitless sins, He gives us more time and chances to
think, realize our mistakes, rectify ourselves and come
to the right path. Thirdly, this passage strengthens our
belief in angels.
Angels glorify Allah and Praise Him, and they also seek
forgiveness of Allah for humans on earth. Allah says,
“Those who bear the Throne and those around it
glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in
Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe.” [Al
Momin, 40:7] Thus, His distinctive and exclusive Mercy
compels us to admit our flaws before Him and supplicate
to seek His forgiveness. All this also motivates us to be
on the righteous path consistently, not to be hopeless
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due to our sins and always feel proud of the beauty of

our religion.

“Say: He is Allah, the one and only; 2. Allah, the eternal, absolute; 3.
He does not beget, nor is He begotten; 4. And there is none like
Him”.

(5) Surah Ikhlas [112]

(a) Main Theme: The main theme is Allah in Himself.

This is an early Makkan Surah and was revealed in the
rejection of the Quraish who thought that only one
being is not enough to run all offices of the universe.
So they believed in idols as Allah’s appointed
authorities. Quraish and Jews asked the Holy Prophet
about the attributes of Allah, His linage, His sex, what
was He made of, whether He ate and drink.
“Abdullah bin Masud reported that the Quraish
said to the Holy Prophet, Tell us of the ancestry
of your Lord. Thereupon this Surah was sent

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down.” It proves His oneness in existence. It is also

said as one third of Holy Quran in Hadith of Prophet
Mohammad. This passage describes Tawhid of Allah
which is the fundamental of Islamic beliefs. It tells us
that Allah does exist, He is not fictitious and not the
outcome of someone’s philosophical approach. It
emphasizes that in His existence Allah is the One
without any hint of plurality. This ideology of Muslims
is also mentioned at numerous places in the Quran.
Quran says, “And your God is one God….” His
oneness in existence also means that He doesn’t
have any partner, associate or relative in any form.
He is absolutely single and doesn’t need links like us.
Surah Anam tells us the same, “How can He have a
son when He has no consort?” [Anam 7:101].
The passage also tells us that His existence is
everlasting and unlike all the other creatures the
creator Himself is immortal. Due to these exclusive
characteristics of existence He is undoubtedly
incomparable with anyone. His existence is also far
beyond man’s imagination as it is not possible for us
to conceive Him because our pattern to conceive
someone is by comparing and we do not have any
example to compare Him as He is the only of His kind.
Significance: Whenever the Quraish asked the Prophet to describe
god, he recited Surah Ikhlas to them. The passage is important in
our life in order to recognize merits of Lordship, to submit ourselves
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to Allah alone and to avoid shirk. Firstly, we learn by the passage

that the Lord is only the one who possesses the four attributes
highlighted in the passage which include in existence being the one,
perfect, single and incomparable. He is ‘SAMAD’ independent while
others are dependent on Him for their survival. Ayat ul Kursi says,
“There is not god but He, the Eternal, the Ever living.” As
Muslims we are the only nation who can claim that the God we
worship, possesses all these merits. So, he alone is worthy to be
designated as God. Secondly, on realizing Allah being the only true
Lord we submit ourselves to Him alone and then pray before Him
devotedly. Surah Muminun says, “No son did Allah beget nor is
there any god along with Him.” [23:91]. This helps us to attain
piety and righteousness in character and conduct. Moreover, the
passage convinces us to turn to Allah alone in adversity or
prosperity as He is the only one who rewards our actions. Lastly,
the passage helps us to decline and disbelief the wrong ideologies
related to God like the ideologies of communists, Polytheists,
Christians, and Jews etc. Thus, we avoid doing any sort of shirk i.e.
associating partners to Allah in His existence or attributes.

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