 قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

We might begin a project with pure sincerity (ikhlas), but that's not a guarantee that our efforts will remain sincere forever. We have to be vigilant in our guarding our intentions and question our sincerity if we begin to feel desperate for validation and appreciation from others.

If you began something with a sincere desire to serve Allah, but now you find yourself bitter or resentful because you don't feel successful, appreciated, or acknowledged, take a step back and reflect upon ayah three of surah Al-Iklaas: 'He has never had offspring, nor was He born.'

The One you serve through this effort has never had offspring. He has never been born. He is not your boss, your followers, your coworkers, your community members, your fellow volunteers, your family, your friends. Do not let your heart be disturbed by their lack of appreciation. What matters is that we serve Al-Ahad - The One - with true ikhlaas, true sincerity. He will never let any of the efforts done sincerely for His sake go to waste. Alhamdullilah.

Oh Allah, make us of the Mukhliseen.
Ameen, Ya Rabbil alameen. 

(As always, advice to myself first and foremost. I've referenced additional verses we can reflect upon. Feel free to share more in the comments. JAK)

Jazaak Allah Khair, Sister. Sincerity is the heart of it all, it appears to me, and not an easy thing to assess for oneself, it seems. We need to keep trying to purify and never stop trying, I think. Allah Most High knows best.

آج ہم سوشل میڈیا کے دور میں جی رہے ہیں، جہاں ہماری زندگی کا کوئی بھی خاص لمحہ اس وقت تک خاص محسوس نہیں ہوتا جب تک لوگ اسے دیکھ نہ لیں، لائیک اور کمنٹ کے ذریعے اس کی تصدیق نہ کر دیں۔ یہ بیماری اب صرف عام زندگی تک محدود نہیں رہی، بلکہ مذہبی حلقوں تک بھی پہنچ چکی ہے۔ افسوس کی بات ہے کہ اب لوگ اپنی کامیابی کا پیمانہ اپنے فالورز اور لائیکس کی تعداد کو سمجھتے ہیں۔

لیکن اسلام ہم سے اخلاص چاہتا ہے۔ یہی وجہ ہے کہ قرآن کی ایک پوری سورت کا نام 'اخلاص' رکھا گیا حالانکہ اس سورت میں لفظ 'اخلاص' استعمال نہیں ہوا۔ اس سورت میں یہی تو پیغام ہے کہ صرف اللہ ہی ہے جو اصل اہمیت رکھتا ہے، باقی سب کچھ غیر اہم ہے۔ 

ایک نہایت خوبصورت قول ہے:
'كم من مجهول في الأرض مشهور في السماء'
کتنے ہی ایسے لوگ ہیں جنہیں زمین والے نہیں جانتے لیکن آسمان والوں میں، فرشتوں میں، عرش والوں میں وہ بےحد مشہور ہیں۔

اللہ تعالیٰ سے دعا ہے کہ وہ ہمیں انہی مخلص لوگوں میں شامل فرمائے جن کا ذکر آسمانوں میں عزت کے ساتھ کیا جاتا ہے۔ آمین۔

بسم الله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله أما بعد:

یہ آیت ہمیں بتاتی ہے کہ اللہ صرف ایک نہیں بلکہ 'اَحَد' ہے، یعنی وہ بالکل تنہا ہے اور اس جیسا کوئی بھی نہیں۔ اس تصور میں انسان کے لیے بے حد آزادی ہے۔ جب دل میں یہ یقین جم جاتا ہے کہ اہمیت صرف اللہ کی رضا کی ہے اور کسی دوسرے کی رائے، پسند یا ناپسند سے ہمارا کوئی حقیقی نقصان یا فائدہ وابستہ نہیں، تو انسان لوگوں کی خوشنودی کی قید سے نکل کر حقیقی معنوں میں آزاد ہو جاتا ہے۔ پھر اس کا ہر قدم، ہر فیصلہ صرف اللہ کو خوش کرنے کے لیے ہوتا ہے۔

دنیا کی نگاہوں سے آزادی صرف اسی وقت نصیب ہوتی ہے جب بندہ دل سے جان لے کہ اس کا معاملہ صرف اس اَحَد کے ساتھ ہے جو تنہا ہی عبادت، محبت اور فرمانبرداری کا حق دار ہے۔ یہ وہی یقین ہے جو دلوں کو اطمینان بخشتا اور زندگی کو آسان بناتا ہے۔

یا اللہ، ہمیں دل کی وہ آزادی عطا کر دے جو تیری وحدانیت کے حقیقی احساس سے پیدا ہوتی ہے، اور ہمیں تیری رضا کے علاوہ ہر چیز کی غلامی سے نجات عطا فرما۔ آمین۔

یہ ایک سجدہ جسے تُو گراں سمجھتا ہے
ہزار سجدے سے دیتا ہے آدمی کو نجات!

ماشاء اللّٰہ.. بہت خوبصورت اندازِ بیان
آمین ثم آمین 

This is an early Makkan chapter. The doctrine of God’s pure unity, or the Divine oneness, is clearly stated here: God is not many, He is only one. Everyone is in need of Him, but He is not in need of anyone. He reigns over all things of the heavens and the earth. Unlike human beings, He has no son or father.
He is such a unique Being that there is nobody like Him or equal to Him in any manner whatsoever, He is eternal, without beginning or end, and is thus a Unique Being who has no equal. This chapter has been called the essence of the Quran. The Prophet Muhammad once described this chapter as ‘equivalent to one-third of the whole of the Quran.’ (Bukhari, Muslim)

Indeed. Jazakallahu khair for sharing this beneficial reminder.

~ The perfection in Surah Al Ikhlas ~

Surah Al Ikhlas is for sure the most popular and the most memorized Surah in the whole Qur’an. It’s also one of the shortest Surah’s in the Qur’an ~ containing only four Ayah’s. 

When you ask yourself, which was the first Surah that you managed to memorize very easily, you would probably recall that Surah Al Ikhlas was one of them. 

When I was reading this Surah I couldn’t help but see how perfectly detailed this Surah was. It might be short, but it carries a clarity, a truth which is very heavy in weight. 

This is The Surah of Tawheed ~ a heavy declaration of monotheism ~ as it gives you a crystal clear understanding of Who Allah ﷻ is and everything you need to know about Him ﷻ. 

Imam Ahmad recorded from Ubayy bin Ka'b that the idolators said to the Prophet ﷺ, 'O Muhammad! Tell us the lineage of your Lord.' 
So Allah ﷻ revealed this Surah. 

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ - اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ - لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ - وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

1. Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ 'He is Allah—One ˹and Indivisible˺;
2. Allah—the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺.
3. He has never had offspring, nor was He born.
4. And there is none comparable to Him.'


Four simple Ayah’s. No long Surah like Surah Al Baqarah ~ but rather, just four Ayah’s. Allah ﷻ is for sure capable to reveal even more about Himself, in an even longer Surah ~ for the words of our Lord will never be depleted. 

But He ﷻ chose in His wisdom to make this Surah short, easy to understand and peculiarly clear. That He ﷻ is Allah and that He is One. Not three, not two ~ but One. And that He ﷻ is The One Who sustains everything; the heavens and the earth, and everything that is within them. Indicating that nothing can ever exist without Him ﷻ. That He ﷻ never had and will never have offspring ~ and that He ﷻ was not born. And last but not least ~ that nothing, and absolutely nothing is comparable with Him ﷻ. 

This Surah is a miracle on its own. If someone would want to know who God is ~ its simple ~ its logical ~ it’s a four Ayah description of The Creator of The heavens and the earth. 

It’s perfect in every sense ~ coming from a Perfect God ~ The Only One Who has the right to be worshipped. For perfection can only be attributed to Allah ﷻ. 

'Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn 'Abbas, 'He is the Master Who is perfect in His sovereignty, the Most Noble Who is perfect in His nobility, the Most Magnificent Who is perfect in His magnificence, the Most Forbearing Who is perfect in His forbearance, the All-Knowing Who is perfect in His knowledge, and the Most Wise Who is perfect in His wisdom. He is the One Who is perfect in all aspects of nobility and authority. He is Allah, glory be unto Him. These attributes are not befitting anyone other than Him. He has no coequal and nothing is like Him. Glory be to Allah, the One, the Irresistible.'

There is perfection in the simplicity of the message of Surah Al Ikhlas ~ but nevertheless carrying the heaviest of truths. There is perfection in the way how He ﷻ described Himself in these Ayah’s ~ it’s a compact message with everything that you need to know if you want to know Who your Creator is. There is even perfection in the attributes that He ﷻ has chosen to describe Himself with; 

أَحَدٌ ~ ‘One’
ٱلصَّمَدُ~ ‘The Sustainer’

That He ﷻ is ‘One’ ~ and He ﷻ is ‘The Sustainer’ ~ 'The One Sustainer'.

When I looked further at the Name of Allah ﷻ ~ it contained the letters ~ ا ل ل ه ~ Alif Lam Lam Ha ~ together Allah ~ ﷻ ﷲ .

Exactly 4 letters ~ just like the Surah He ﷻ chose to describe Himself with, has 4 Ayah’s. Look at the perfection and the balance. 

Even Surah Al Ikhlas is chapter 112 in the Qur’an ~ and even 1+1+2 equals 4. It’s just utterly incredible ~ Subhan Allah ﷻ . 

And look at the weight this Surah carries; Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Sa'id, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to his Companions; 'Is one of you not able to recite a third of the Qur'an in a single night?'.

This was something that was difficult for them and they said, 'Which of us is able to do that, O Messenger of Allah?' So he ﷺ replied; 'Allah is the One, As-Samad' is a third of the Qur'an'.

Look at the mercy of Allah ﷻ ~ look at the Surah He ﷻ described Himself with ~ He ﷻ made it short, making sure it’s easy for us to memorize ~ He ﷻ made it clear for anyone who wants to know about Who his Lord is ~ and He ﷻ made its reward like that of one third of the Qur’an. Allah ﷻ created us and He ﷻ knows our weaknesses ~ and He ﷻ makes sure that the easiest of things are largely rewarded by Him ﷻ. 

Why you might ask? Because He ﷻ loves you and wants ease for you, as He ﷻ wants you to live with Him ﷻ in a Garden for eternity. 

I am amazed at my Lord’s Perfection and I am amazed by His endless Kindness. He ﷻ makes everything so easy for us, for He ﷻ desires for us ease, no hardship.

Next time when you find yourself in Salah reciting Surah Al Ikhlas ~ think of the heaviness of this Surah ~ think of the pure declaration of Tawheed and love that you are confessing in front of Ar Rahman. Let’s not read it out of laziness ~ but let’s read it out of true love for it ~ because it describes The Source of Love, The One we love, and The Only One we yearn for.

For He ﷻ is The Perfect One, The Lord of the heavens and the earth ~ and truly, nothing is comparable to His Majesty. 
Ar Rahman, Ar Raheem.

~ Leila

- - -

Imam Malik bin Anas recorded from 'Ubayd bin Hunayn that he heard Abu Hurayrah saying, 'I went out with the Prophet ﷺ and he heard a man reciting 'Say: He is Allah, the One.' So the 

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said; 'It is obligatory.' 

I asked, 'What is obligatory?' 

He ﷺ replied; 'Paradise.'

At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i also recorded it by way of Malik, and At-Tirmidhi said, 'Hasan Sahih Gharib. We do not know of it except as a narration of Malik.

The Hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ said,

'Your love of it will cause you to enter Paradise.'

My dear sister Shamsa i truly pray the same for you and all of us ameen ~ Jazaki Allahi Kul Khair 🌷

Sometimes when we do something good, we expect  some type of validation in return...

Perhaps a 'thank you', 'JAK', a thumbs up, a 'good job' etc. If we find ourselves discouraged when we don't recieve that validation, it's time to re-examine our ikhlas (sincerity).

💭 These are some of the questions we can ask ourselves when examining our levels of sincerity:  

- Am I genuinely serving Allah with this work? Or did I begin to serve His creation?

- Why do I await validation from His creation if I am serving Him and Him alone? 

- Do I truly believe that Allah sees all and that He will not allow any of my good deeds to be lost?

- If I am bitter, annoyed, resentful, or upset while doing this work - why is that? Should a servant who loves His Master feel this way while serving Him? Or did I start to serve others without realizing it?

📖 Let's reflect on Surah Al-Ikhlas and remember Who we strive to serve, and let's get back on track when we subconsciously begin serving anyone else: 

Our Master is One.

He is the One who sustains every single thing (not us or anyone else!).

He has never had offspring, nor was He ever born - so carefully re-examine who you think you are serving and re-adjust if you began to make any of your efforts for the sake of someone on this earth. Being discouraged by a lack of human validation is a good signal to re-examine our hearts.

There is none comparable to Him! We will never serve anyone like Him - the One Whose service only enriches us, and never depletes us. He is the only One worth serving, and we serve others for His sake alone.

🤲 Oh Allah, grant us genuine Ikhlas in serving You and make us those who serve you gratefully, appreciative of the opportunity to be Your servants. May we not depend upon validation from the creation, but may our love for You be the fuel that drives us to serve You, and You alone. 

💬 Do you have tips on how to increase in sincerity? Are there any particular ayahs that help you when you desire validation from others? Share your thoughts and comments below so we can reflect and grow together ❤️

(Please be sure to see the wonderful comments from the QR community below! MashaAllah)

I spent my Friday trying to be as productive as possible, by the end of the day I was happy because a lot happened today. Alhamdulillah
 Yet as I was trying to reflect a homeless man entered the train . 

He was Muslim , he greeted everyone but said 
السلام عليكم  
to the Muslims . And that caught me off guard. He started talking about Allah , he recited surah Ikhlas and continued talking about Allah. 

The surah we recite carelessly in our salah is everything he has. And I can see it means so much to him. 

His pronounciation wasn't perfect but he was doing more dawah in these two minutes that I ever did in my life. I looked around as he was talking and he got a few affirmation from non Muslims , meaning some of what he was saying was being recieved. 

He walked through the cart. 
'Allah is the greatest'. He didn't beg for money. 

I felt so ashamed, the day I thought was productive is nothing compared to what he accumulated in these two minutes. 

I wish I had the confidence to at least say
 و عليكم السلام 
back at loud but I was so puzzled 

He said jazak Allah khairun to the Muslims and left. 

Ya Rab, I look forward to seeing him again and if not in the highest level of Jannah.

If you don't have the confidence to speak, keep some dawah leaflets with you at all times, and when you get the chance give one to someone you meet. Iera have some great booklets. Making Sense of God, Muhammad the Messenger, God's Testimony. All free, just postage. All logical and basic. https://iera.org/shop/ 

The Foundation of Faith

Imagine building a house. What's the most important part? The foundation, of course. It's the base that holds everything up. In Islam, the foundation of our faith is the belief in one God, Allah ﷻ. Allah is unique; there's no one like Him. He's the Creator of everything, the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing, and the All-Powerful. When we truly understand this, it changes everything. It gives our lives purpose, direction, and a sense of peace.

Think about it: When you believe in Allah, you're not alone. You have a guide, a supporter, and a loving Creator watching over you. It's like having a constant source of strength and comfort. So, let's start our journey together by strengthening our belief in Allah ﷻ. Let's remember His greatness, His mercy, and His love. Have you ever felt a deep connection with Allah ﷻ?

Share your thoughts in the comments below. I absolutely love this surah! 💯

اخلاص

نماز پڑھتے ہوئے میرا ذہن زندگی کی الجھنوں میں پھنسا ہوا تھا میں کوشش کر رہی تھی کہ دل میں رکھے چراغِ ایمان سے روشنی حاصل کر پاؤں پر بار بار دھیان بٹ جاتا یہاں تک کہ مجھے اپنی نماز میں منافقت کا شبہ ہونے لگا۔ پھر جب میں پڑھتے پڑھتے سورۃ اخلاص تک پہنچی تو میرا دھیان اس سورہ کے نام کی طرف گیا۔ اخلاص۔ پر اس سورۃ کا نام اخلاص ہی کیوں ہے عموما سورتوں کے نام انہی میں موجود کسی لفظ سے منسلک ہوتے ہیں پر بظاہر اس سورۃ میں تو 'اخلاص' کا لفظ کہیں نہیں ہے۔ میں یہ سوچتے ہوئے یہ سورۃ پڑھنے لگی پھر مجھے اس سورۃ میں ایک دعا نظر آئی
اللہ الہ واحد ہے تو اسکی شایان شان عبادت بھی وہی ٹھہرے گی جس میں وحدت ہو۔  یا اللہ تیری عبادت کے لائق میری یہ نماز تو نہیں ہے یا رب تو مجھے ایسا ایمان عطا کر دے جو اپنے یکتا رب کی  عبادت میں یکتا ہو  کر حاضر ہو 

یا رب تو بےنیاز ہے میں نہیں ہوں۔ تیری عبادت بھی بےنیازی ہی مانگتی ہے پر میں دنیا سے بےنیاز ہو کر تیری عبادت کرنے سے قاصر رہتی ہوں میرے ذہن میں زندگی کی الجھنوں کے ڈیرے رہتے ہیں جبکہ زبان سے تیرا کلام جاری ہوتا ہے سر سجدے میں ہوتا ہے۔ تو اے رب میری اس خامی پر بھی درگزر فرما مجھے ایسا ایمان عطا کر جو دنیاوی فکروں سے بےنیاز ہو، میرے دل کے طاق میں رکھے ایمان کے اس چراغ کو وہ بےنیاز لو عطا کر کہ اس کی تابناکی  پہ نفس و شیطان کے اندھیرے کوئی اثر نہ ڈالیں اور یہ صرف تیری ہی یاد میں تیرے لئے ہی جلتا رہے۔

یا رب تو تو ہر طرح کے شرک سے پاس ہے نہ تیری کوئی اولاد ہے نہ ماں باپ۔ تو اس شراکت داری سے پاک واحد ذات ہے۔ پر میرے حصے میں بہت شراکت داریاں ہیں لیکن ہاں یہ غلطی میری ہے کہ میں زندگی کی ان شراکت داریوں کو عبادت میں بھی شریک کر لیتی ہوں۔ یا رب میں ان رشتوں سے پاک ہوکر تیری عبادت کرنے میں ناکام ہو جاتی ہوں۔ ان رشتوں سے منسلک معاملات کی بیڑیاں میرے ذہن کو جکڑ لیتی ہیں اور میں ناکام ہو جاتی ہوں اپنے الہ واحد و بےنیاز اپنے لا شریک رب کی بلا شرکت غیر عبادت کرنے سے۔ پس یارب مجھے ڈھانپ لے تو پاک ہے مجھے بھی وہ عبادت   وہ بندگی نصیب فرما جس میں کسی غیر کا کوئی عمل دخل نہ ہو۔ نہ سوچوں میں اور نہ ہی عمل میں۔

یا رب تو اکیلا ہی کافی ہے پر میرا ایمان تو بہت کمزور ہے یہ دنیا کی گرد میں، نفس کے وار کے آگے، شیطان کے وسوسوں کے مقابلے میں اکیلا کافی نہیں رہ پاتا یہ دھندلا جاتا ہے، ٹمٹمانے لگتا ہے ڈر لگتا ہے کہ اس چراغ کی یہ لو بجھ نہ جائے۔ یا رب مجھے وہ ایمان عطا فرما جسکا تیری بندگی میں کوئی ہم سر نہ ٹھہرے۔ مجھے وہ اخلاص عطا فرما جو تیری بندگی کے شایان شان ہے۔ اے سب کے مالک، سب کے خالق، سب کے رب، اس عاجز مخلوق کو اپنا مخلص غلام بننا نصیب فرما۔ 
یوں میں نے زندگی میں پہلی بار اس سورۃ کو سمجھا اور مجھے معلوم ہوا کہ اس سورۃ کی وجہ تسمیہ یہ کیوں ہے۔ یہ ہمارے رب کی شان بیان کر کے ہمیں اسکی ذات کے ساتھ منسلک اپنے خلوص کے اس رشتے میں موجود کوتاہیوں اور کمزوریوں کی طرف متوجہ کرتی ہے۔ اللہ تعالیٰ سے دعا ہے کہ وہ ہم سب کو اپنے مخلص غلاموں کی فہرست میں داخل فرمائے وہ غلام جن کی غلامی وہ تسلیم کرتا ہے جنکی بندگی اسکی بارگاہ میں محبوب ہے۔
آمین

Surah Al Ikhlas,

The Names of Allaah:
Al Ahad and As Samad.

I understand these names of Allaah are mentioned only once in the Qur'an and within this surah. These attributes are only attributed with Allah and nothing else.

As Samad - The One who is self sufficient, the One who is the disposer of all affairs. The sustainer of all. No one else can have this attribute for example a person can be very merciful (though no one can be as merciful as Allaah)

Al Ahad - The One. This Name is only mentioned once in the Qur'an. (Unlike Al Awwal the first). 

I once listened to the tafseer of Surah Ikhlas by Shaykh Yasir Qadhi in which he said that Suratul Ikhlas is the Surah we mention and learn most frequently one reason because it is short, he advised there is also a deeper reason. I recall the following hadith when reading Ibn Kathir that:

In his book of Tafsir An Nasa'i recorded from Abdullah bin Buraydah who reported from his father that he entered the masjid with the Messenger of Allaah (pbuh) and there was a man praying and supplicating: 'O Allah verily, I ask you by testifying that there is no God worthy of worship except You. You are the One, the Self Sufficient, Sustainer of all, who does not give birth, not were You born and there is none comparable to Him.' The blessed Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: 'By He in whose Hand is my soul, verily he has asked Him by His greatest Name. It is His Name that if He is asked by it He will give, and if He is called by it He will answer.' - Tirmidhi.


The fact that these two blessed Names are mentioned only once and are only synonymous with Allah, yet this is the Surah we repeat so often, inclines me to think that indeed Allaah wants to answer our du'a for we repeat this beautiful Surah and His Names in almost every single salah. It is the Sustainer of All, the One who is not begotten nor begets that answers our supplications. 

May Allaah forgive me if I have made any errors in this speech and guide me towards understanding His book and thus implementing His book better - Ameen. 

#SurahAlIkhlas #AsSamad #AlAhad #ShaykhYasirQadhi

jazaki Allaah 5hyran very much new to this. so I really welcome your advice 😊