Sūrah 112 · Meccan

How Sūrah Al-Ikhlaas was revealed.

Where and when it came down, what it teaches, and the hadith about it — all on one calm page.

Read Al-Ikhlaas → The revelation story
Where revealed Meccan

Revealed in the Meccan period, before the migration to Madīnah.

Order of revelation #22

Its place in the traditional order in which the sūrahs were revealed.

Length 4 ayahs

1 reading sections in the Muṣḥaf.

The revelation story

How and when it came down.

This Meccan surah is the definitive statement of Islamic Monotheism. Its purpose is to describe Allah's nature, asserting His absolute Oneness, His status as the Eternal Refuge, His independence from parentage, and His unparalleled nature, thereby purifying belief from all forms of shirk.

Themes and purpose:

This Meccan surah is the definitive statement of Islamic Monotheism. Its purpose is to describe Allah's nature, asserting His absolute Oneness, His status as the Eternal Refuge, His independence from parentage, and His unparalleled nature, thereby purifying belief from all forms of shirk.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan according to the majority, as it establishes the core principle of Monotheism central to the early message.

Context: The surah was revealed when the Quraysh asked the Prophet (ﷺ) to "describe the lineage" of his Lord. It also serves as a general answer to similar questions posed by Jewish scholars and other groups, though the correct time of revelation places the initial query with the Quraysh in Makkah.

Chronology: It is counted as the 22nd surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat al-Nās and before al-Najm.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: This surah is famed for having over twenty names, including "Sūrat Qul Huwa Allahu Aḥad" (Say, He is Allah, [the] One) and "Sūrat al-Ṣamad" (The Eternal Refuge), based on the opening and the name in ayah 2, respectively. The most famous name is "Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ" (Sincerity/Purity of Faith), reflecting the theme; similarly, "Sūrat al-Tawḥīd" (Monotheism) and "Sūrat al-Asās" (The Foundation).

Virtue: It is explicitly stated by the Prophet (ﷺ) to equal one-third of the Quran in merit.

Verse Count: 4 ayahs (Madinah/Kūfah/Baṣrah) or 5 (Makkah/Shām).

Surah Overview:

  • Establishing the absolute oneness of Allah, negating all duality or partnership. [1]
  • Affirming that Allah is the Eternal Refuge, the one to whom all creation turns for their needs, and who has no needs Himself. [2]
  • Declaring Allah's absolute transcendence by negating both begetting and being begotten. [3]
  • Negating any comparison by affirming that no one is equal or comparable to Him. [4]

Sūrah background — via the Quran Foundation Content API. Shown as supplied by the provider. We do not edit, summarise or generate it.

Hadith about this sūrah

What the hadith say.

These 8 narrations in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī are connected to specific āyāt of this sūrah — a linkage reviewed by the Quran Foundation. Open any one to read it in full, in Arabic and English.

  1. Relates to āyah1
    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 774b Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5013 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5014
    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5017

    حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُفَضَّلُ، عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ إِذَا أَوَى إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ جَمَعَ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ نَفَثَ فِيهِمَا فَقَرَأَ فِيهِمَا ‏﴿‏قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ‏﴾‏ وَ‏﴿‏قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ‏﴾‏ وَ‏﴿‏قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ‏﴾‏ ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَبْدَأُ بِهِمَا عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَوَجْهِهِ وَمَا أَقْبَلَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ‏.‏

    Narrated 'Aisha: Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face and front of his body. He used to do that three times.

    Open at Sunnah.com →

    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6643 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 7374 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 7375
  2. Relates to āyah3–4
    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4975

    حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ هَمَّامٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ قَالَ اللَّهُ كَذَّبَنِي ابْنُ آدَمَ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، وَشَتَمَنِي وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، أَمَّا تَكْذِيبُهُ إِيَّاىَ أَنْ يَقُولَ إِنِّي لَنْ أُعِيدَهُ كَمَا بَدَأْتُهُ، وَأَمَّا شَتْمُهُ إِيَّاىَ أَنْ يَقُولَ اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ وَلَدًا، وَأَنَا الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ أَلِدْ وَلَمْ أُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِي كُفُؤًا أَحَدٌ ‏"‏‏.‏ [quran sura="112" aya_start="3" aya_end="4"]‏{‏لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ * وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُؤًا أَحَدٌ‏}‏ كُفُؤًا وَكَفِيئًا وَكِفَاءً وَاحِدٌ‏.‏

    Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Allah said:-- 'The son of Adam tells a lie against Me and he hasn't the right to do so; and he abuses me and he hasn't the right to do so. His telling a lie against Me is his saying that I will not recreate him as I created him for the first time; and his abusing Me is his saying that Allah has begotten children, while I am the self-sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, Who begets not nor was He begotten, and there is none like unto Me."

    Open at Sunnah.com →

The link between each āyah and these narrations is the Quran Foundation's reviewed reference map. The wording is reproduced verbatim from a public-domain edition of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and is not edited, summarised or generated; every narration also opens at Sunnah.com so it can be checked against another copy.

Learning to pray as you read? How to pray step by step, how to perform wuḍūʾ, and how many rakʿahs each prayer has.