Surah Al-Ikhlas, Ayah 2

Which was revealed in Makkah

The Reason for the Revelation of this Surah and its Virtues

Imam Ahmad recorded from Ubayy bin Ka`b that the idolators said to the Prophet , "O Muhammad! Tell us the lineage of your Lord." So Allah revealed

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Similar was recorded by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Jarir and they added in their narration that he said,

الصَّمَدُ

(As-Samad) is One Who does not give birth, nor was He born, because there is nothing that is born except that it will die, and there is nothing that dies except that it leaves behind inheritance, and indeed Allah does not die and He does not leave behind any inheritance.

Verse [ 112:2] اللَّـهُ الصَّمَدُ (Allah is Besought of all, needing none) The word samad bears several literal senses. Therefore, the Qur'anic exegetical scholars have assigned different meanings to this verse. Tabarani, the leading authority on Prophetic Traditions, in his kitab-us-Sunnah, has collected all the interpretations of the Divine attribute As-samad and concluded that they are all authentic, and comprehend all the attributes of our Lord that have been assigned to Him, but originally it refers to 'the chief who has no superior and to whom the people turn for the fulfillment of their desires and needs; thus all people depend on him, but he does not depend on any one.' [ Ibn Kathir ].