is He a son—Allah forbid—or they asked, “Of what is He made: of gold, of silver, or something similar?” Thereupon Allah revealed this sūrah:

Say: He is Allah, the One.

“The One” means the Unique, utterly singular, set apart from all His creation. The name Ahad is exclusive to Allah; it is never applied to anyone else.

Allah, al-Ṣamad.

The commentators have offered various explanations of al-Ṣamad, yet the comprehensive sense is that al-Ṣamad is the One perfect in all His attributes, upon Whom every creature depends. He is perfect in His knowledge, His power, His mercy, His forbearance, and every other attribute. Likewise, every created being is in need of Him; all creatures turn to Him with their needs and petitions—even the polytheists, when they find themselves at sea and the waves surge around them, call upon Allah alone. He, exalted is He, is the final refuge of all creation. Thus al-Ṣamad means “the One perfect in His attributes, upon Whom the whole of creation depends.”

He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable to Him.

“He begets not”: He has no children, for He is self-sufficient and in need of none. Allah the Exalted has said, “How could He have a son when He has no consort?” ⦗Q 6:101⦘. This statement refutes and nullifies what the Jews, the Christians, and the polytheists have alleged. The Jews said, “Ezra is the son of Allah,” claiming that the Deity begets and that His son is Ezra; and the Christians