1. Say, “He, God, is One,

2. God, the eternally sufficient unto Himself [i.e., perfect and complete],

3. He neither begets, nor was He begotten,

4. And none is like unto Him (or His equal).”

This chapter is also known as Tawhīd (Absolute Monotheism). Five Qur’anic chapters start with the imperative “Say” (qul; قُلْ).Two commence with “Say, ‘O unbelievers’” (109:1)and “Say, ‘He, God, is one’” (112:1). These are in stark contrast with each other and are intended for diametrically opposed audiences. In between these two chapters are chapters 110 and 111, Nasr (Divine Support)and Masad (The Palm Fibre), respectively,which deal with two opposing destinies. Most Shi‘i Muslims recite this chapter in their ritual prayer after reciting the mandatory al-Fātihah (The Opening) while in the standing posture. This means that they recite it at least ten times every day. They are not required to do so, however, because they have the option to recite any other complete chapter. Since most Muslims are not familiar with Arabic, they select a short chapter like this one that can be easily memorized. Moreover, many hadith reports in both Sunni and Shi‘i sources urge Muslims to recite this chapter in their prayers. The Sunni legal schools allow the recitation of just a portion of any selected chapter after the al-Fatihah (The Opening).

This chapter deals with Islam’s most important aspect, namely, absolute monotheism (tawhīd), which comprises about one-third of the Qur’an. Despite its brevity, this chapter provides the most succinct yet comprehensive analysis of this topic. Thus it warrants close attention and reflection, for one tends not to pay attention to something that is recited habitually.

[112:1] Say, “He, God, is One,

Say that the One who is sought by all humans and by human nature is the one God. Why is the emphasis placed on informing the people that God is one? Did the Prophet ever remark that this was not the case? There is no evidence that the Prophet, even before Islam, was a polytheist. He was associated with the hanīfs (monotheists),whose lineage is traced to Abraham. As neither he nor the Muslims believed in polytheism, what lesson can be gained with this reminder that God is one?

[112:2] God, the eternally sufficient unto Himself [i.e., perfect and complete],

All-embracing (samad)means “full, complete, perfect.” Anything that does not have these characteristics is considered unfinished. But God is absolutely perfect and His attributes are infinite in the sense that nothing can be added in terms of knowledge, wisdom, grandeur, divinity, mercy, forgiveness, honor, or anything else. How is this concept relevant and useful in our daily life?

[112:3] He neither begets, nor was He begotten,

Were the polytheists making such a claim, and what is the value of reading this verse now? “Giving birth” and “being born” are not limited to humans, for all creatures known to us produce their own kind. Even such inanimate objects as sedimentary or volcanic rocks undergo some type of transformation in the form of being subjected to high pressure and temperatures. Thus they owe their present shapes to volcanic activity. Moreover, they are composed of various elements. Everything in our world has been “begotten” from something else or has helped produce other things. Even now these rocks are very slowly being transformed into dust. Nature follows its path along the perpetual trail. Only God is free of this process: “He is the First, the Last, the Manifest, and the Hidden”(57:3). And thus Jesus Christ cannot be considered God’s son and no human being may claim or be said to be in any way divine.

[112:4] And none is like unto Him (or His equal).”

No one has been, is, or will ever be like Him. He has no partner or associate, no one shares even the smallest of divine tasks with Him. Is such knowledge useful for us today, or was it meant only for the polytheistic Makkans? They believed that the angels were God’s daughters. Although “Allah” was the supreme master who created us, the world’s affairs were managed by the angels. But if these claims were made by those long-ago polytheists, then why do contemporary Muslims have to be reminded of them? Given this reality, why are people encouraged to recite this chapter?

Let’s examine and then compare the thoughts, worldviews, and confessions of those long-ago polytheists with those of their Muslim contemporaries. It must be said that these polytheists did not deny the Creator’s existence. In fact, no prophet was ever sent to tell people to worship God because most people have always worshipped God. What is important is the way one worships God – through monotheism and sincere worship, or through polytheism and one based on wrong concepts: “True devotion is due to God alone, and those who choose protectors beside Him say, ‘We only worship them because they bring us nearer to God.’” The conclusion is: “God does not guide one who is a liar, an ingrate” (39:3).Where does it say that a mediator is essential or that there should be those who help one draw closer to God? We are obliged to make a personal effort to reach this goal, as this is not a me-chanical action. Qur’an 10:18 says: “They worship alongside God that which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, ‘These are our intercessors with God.’”God categorically rejects their claim in many places.

This discourse should have a great impact upon our understanding of polytheism and monotheism. Certain verses point out that if you were to ask these polytheists, “Who created the sky and Earth, who manages the movement of the Sun and the Moon, who has given them eyes and ears or who holds their life and death in His hands,” they will reply, “God” (yaqūlūna-l-Lāh): “Say [Oh Prophet], ‘Who provides for you from the sky and the earth? Who controls hearing and sight? Who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living, and who governs everything?’ They are sure to say, ‘God’” (10:31).

The phrase, “if you ask” is mentioned four times in this context, and the Qur’an invariably informs us of the polytheists’ response that it is God, for only He has the ability to create. Thus they believed that God was the Creator, the Provider of sustenance, the Manager of the universe, the Giver of life, and the One who sends down the rain from the sky. In another passage, the Qur’an says that they also believed that He owns Earth and its creatures and controls everything: “Say [Oh Prophet], ‘Who owns Earth and all who live in it, if you know [so much]?’ and they will reply, ‘God.’ Say, ‘Will you not take heed?’” (23:84–85) and: “Say, ‘Who holds control of everything in His hand? Who protects, while there is no protection against Him, if you know [so much]?’ and they will reply, ‘God.’ Say, ‘Then how can you be so deluded?’” (23:88–89). Perhaps they believed in more expansive powers of God than many contemporary believers. If so, what was their issue with the Prophet?

We have outlined above those aspects of God in which the polytheists believed. However, they rejected His lordship (rubūbiyyah) and His all-merciful nature (rahmāniyyah).

Lordship: The Qur’an’s last chapter (an-Nās; The Humanity) underlines the importance of believing in all of God’s attributes and that they are intertwined: “Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of humanity, the Master of humanity, the God of humanity.”It is not enough just to believe in His divinity and that He created us and provides us with our daily sustenance. Rather, we have to believe that He is the sole Creator, our Master, and our Lord because all of these go hand in hand. Who do we look up to when we are in need? Who do we fear or hold in awe? It is not enough to admit that this world has a creator; we have to discover whether our hopes and fears also reside in Him. Do we fear violating His laws, or are we more concerned with temporal managers, monarchs, and wealthy and powerful figures? Putting God at the center of our life and accepting His lordship brings about a totally different perspective and worldview, because from that point onward all of our efforts are geared toward obtaining God’s pleasure and consent.

The Qur’an shows that the main obstacle in the prophets’ dealings with their opponents was the issue of accepting God’s lordship, as opposed to His divinity. Pharaoh believed in his people’s deities, but considered himself to be their lord: “I am your exalted lord” (79:24).Everyone should listen to and then obey him, because he has the exclusive prerogative to issue commands and decide our fate. The conversation between Abraham and Nimrūd was also about lordship. After all, our main problems are accepting God as our one and only Lord and believing that He is always observing our actions, is aware of whatever we do, hears everything we say, and is with us at every moment. In other words, He is within us metaphorically.

The All-Merciful Nature of God: Like the Sun that provides light and warmth to everything, God’s mercy and blessings are for everything and everyone, without exception. Thus there is no scope for any type of social stratification based on ethnicity, tribe, nation, wealth, and/or power. In other words, they would have to discard such man-made distinctions if they were to embrace the rahmāniyyah of God: “The Lord of Mercy, established on the throne”(20:5).God manages the world’s affairs, bestows His mercy equally upon all of His creation, and treats all humans equally. Therefore, one cannot seek superiority or domination over others. These were the things that the polytheists could not accept.

Many verses state that any mention of God’s oneness horrified them: “The hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion whenever God is mentioned on His own, but they rejoice when gods other than Him are mentioned” (39:45).They accept and believe in God and yet assert the existence of other deities: “How can he claim that all the gods are but one God? What a peculiar thing [to claim]” (38:5).They would protest and incredulously ask the Prophet if he wanted them to reject their ancestral beliefs and accept his belief in one God: “When you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion” (17:46) and:“When God was invoked alone, you would disbelieve. But if partners were ascribed to Him, you would believe” (40:12).

Monotheism is related to how we conduct our lives, which explains why all prophets and leaders are role models and vehicles for guidance. But in matters related exclusively to God, one has to seek Him alone and cannot resort to any intermediaries. The main point here is that we must stop deferring divine matters to others, for God is both Omnipresent as well the Beginning and the End. If this permanent relationship is neglected, “intermediaries” begin appearing in order to fill the void by claiming that they can fulfill our needs because God has appointed them for that very purpose. And so they direct their requests and prayers toward them instead of God. They claim that they do not consider the intermediaries as divine, but only as a way of responding to their needs.

The Qur’an completely rejects this view and states that such people resort to intermediaries not to learn how to worship Him sincerely, but rather to fulfill their worldly desires. In fact, we use these exemplary beings as tools for securing our worldly wishes and aspirations, exactly as if we have hired them to serve us. We summon them, tell them what we want, and then send them off to inform God so that He can fulfill our wishes. This is considered polytheism. Righteous and pious persons like the Prophet and the infallible Shi‘i Imams have become no more than tools to fulfill our needs, instead of being considered worthy exemplars to show us how to worship God with sincerity and gain closeness to Him. We must view them as our teachers and educators, as those who can show us how to move toward God instead of fantasizing that they can somehow convince God to solve our problems.

If you reflect on this chapter’s verses from this viewpoint, you will understand why God’s oneness and lordship has been emphasized so strongly: “Say, ‘He, God, is one’” (112:1).God is the One with whom we establish a spiritually meaningful relationship, and we love and worship Him exclusively. The all-embracing, complete, and perfect God, Who needs nothing and no one, clearly has no deficiency that a man-designated intermediary could fulfill. In almost all cases, the Qur’an accompanies any mention of intercession (shafā‘ah) with a reminder: “He knows what is before them and what is behind them” (2:255).Moreover, His omniscience nullifies any need for an intermediary. Furthermore, as He is the All-Merciful, not to mention the source of all love and affection, why would anyone need to ask an in-termediary to convince God to have mercy upon us?

Nothing is hidden from God. Not limited by man-made concepts of time, He knows, sees, and hears everything about us from the day of our birth until the day of our death. All of our hidden thoughts, concealed secrets, private feelings and desires are known to Him in their entirety. Given all of this, why would we need an intermediary to inform God about anything? Praying and interceding are not mechanical issues, but internal issues related to one’s character and spirit that need to be brought in line with His will. This relationship is one of the heart and of introspection, a private dialogue from the individual to God, one in which there is no room for any intermediary. This relationship enables one to realize which of his or her needs are legitimate and which ones they should discard so that they can move closer to Him.

The Qur’an clearly proclaims that those presumed intermediaries (i.e., angels and false deities) themselves resort to God to meet their own needs, fear Him, and wish to receive His mercy: “It is they who make supplication, seeking a means of approach to their Lord. Which of them is nearer? And they hope for His mercy and fear His punishment” (17:57).To whom is this verse addressed? Some have answered “to those who worshipped idols.” But were the idolaters after God’s mercy and blessing? Some have suggested that it warns us not to worship idols or use them as a tool to become closer to God. They do not realize that idols can do nothing for a person, are not seeking God’s mercy and blessing, and that fear is unknown to them. The Qur’an says that those whom you call upon for help are themselves fearful of God and wish to receive His mercy. In other words, they themselves resort to God.

In the Du‘ā Kumayl (Supplication of Kumayl), which is attributed to Ali we read: “It is by Your remembrance that I seek to be close to You.” He does not say, “I seek Your help through the intercession of your Prophet,” but “I seek help from You as the sustainer and the Lord” and “I will seek Your intercession through Yourself.” This is the meaning of pure monotheism, to seek God and to worship God in purity.

The thrust of this entire chapter is to worship God in sincerity and with purity: “Truly, exclusive devotion is worthy of God” (39:3)and: “Say, ‘Indeed I have been commanded to worship God, dedicating my service exclusively to Him’” (39:11).If one’s devotion is impure, meaning that one has placed someone or something between oneself and God, it is a waste of time.

Polytheists believed that God created the world and its contents, but also that He was like a monarch who had contact only with “important” people: the prime ministers, governors, mayors, the wealthy, and so on. Therefore, the only way for everyone else to attract the monarch’s attention was to find a “lobbyist” who would be able to present our petition and let us know the outcome. The polytheists believe that this structure also applies to their dealings with God. But as the Qur’an tells us time and again, they are mistaken because, in His capacity as humanity’s Lord, He is in constant contact with all of His creation and is present in their lives and inner being and spirit.

The points made in this chapter go straight to the heart of our relationship with God: Given God’s omniscience and interest in us, there is no need for an intermediary, be it human (e.g., saints), an angel, or someone else. All we have to do is turn to God only and worship Him purely. In this respect, the best role models for us to follow are the Prophet of Islam, other messengers and prophets, and the Shi‘i Imams, who are the best teachers and whose lives and characters were molded by the Qur’an. Thus they are not intermediaries, intercessors, or “lobbyists,” for their sole role is to teach us monotheism and pure worship: “Say, ‘All intercession belongs to God alone. He holds control of the heavens and Earth, [and] you will all return to Him’” (39:44).

Translator: Amir Douraghy
Editor: Hamid Mavani