he is denied, he is displeased. May he perish and be cast down! If he is pierced by a thorn, may he be unable to remove it!”

This is a vast subject, and this is not the place to discuss it at length. We have already explained that each of these two types entails that the Lord—glorified and exalted be He—alone is al-Ahad (the One) and al-Samad (the One to whom all turn). His being One entails that no partner be associated with Him in worship or in seeking help, and thus that none besides Him be invoked. The name al-Samad appears with the definite article to make clear that He alone deserves to be turned to in both of these ways.

These two names occur nowhere in the Quran except in this surah, which, as established through several narrations from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is equivalent to one-third of the Quran. Then there is the report from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said:

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to his Companions, “Is any one of you unable to recite one-third of the Quran in a night?” They found this difficult and said, “Which of us could manage that, O Messenger of Allah?”