- In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Ever-Merciful:
“Say: He is Allah—One; Allah, the Eternal Refuge; He neither begets nor is born; and there is none comparable to Him.” (Q 112:1-4)
• That is: Say it with firm conviction, sincerely believing it, understanding its meaning, and acting in accordance with it—through faith in Allah, veneration of Him, and humble submission.
• “He is Allah—One”: the One in whom oneness is exclusively confined—unrivaled in every attribute of perfection. No one shares any part of it with Him. His are the Most Beautiful Names, the Lofty Attributes, the sanctified acts, and the unrestricted governance.
• “Allah, the Eternal Refuge” (al-Ṣamad): the Sovereign whose supremacy has reached its zenith; the All-Knowing whose knowledge is complete; the Forbearing whose forbearance, power, and every quality of perfection are brought to fullness. For this reason all creatures turn toward Him, seek Him for every need, and take refuge in Him during their pressing concerns and calamities.
• Thus al-Ṣamad is the One to whom all beings repair because He possesses every perfection. Among those perfections is His declaration: “He neither begets nor is born,” for He is the Self-Sufficient Owner, and adopting a child would contradict His dominion and self-sufficiency.
• “And there is none comparable to Him”: meaning that no one can equal or resemble Him in His names, attributes, or actions—glorified is He.
• This surah is a mighty foundation of faith: it encompasses the oneness of the divine names and attributes, and—by necessary implication—the oneness of worship. The One who is unique in every respect, who has no equal whatsoever, is the only One worthy of worship; there is no deity but He.