Quranic Passages

1. Allah in Himself

1. surah Baqarah Ayat-ul-Kursi

a) This verse is taken from surah Al-Baqarah which is a Madni surah and also known as
the ‘verse of the Throne.’ and its basic theme is ‘Allah in Himself.’ It describes the
personality and matchless attributes of God and highlights the theme of Tauheed. It
explains the Omnipotence and independence of God by telling His creations that He
is “Al-Hayy-ul-Qayyum” which means He is the ‘Ever Living’ and the ‘Self Subsisting’
and does not suffer from any human like weaknesses like sleep and fatigue. The verse
further emphasises His Omnipotence by teaching that everything in the universe is
His kingdom and under His power and authority. His creations are dependent on Him
not only He created them but also sustains and make decisions for them.
Furthermore, the verse informs us about His Omniscience. He has boundless
knowledge of past, present and future and humans only know what He allows them
to know. His ‘Kursi’ signify His majesty, uniqueness, knowledge and authority. The
Holy Quran at another place speaks about Him being the highest authority in these
words:
“Proclaim, Allah alone is the Creator of all things and He alone is
dominant over all.”

b) The main virtue of this passage is that the Muslims recite it when setting out on a
journey or before going to bed seeking either spiritual or physical protection.
Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) said:
“Whoever recites Ayat-ul-Kursi after every obligatory prayer, nothing will withhold
him from entering Paradise except death.”
[sunan Nisai]
This passage encourages us to reject every notion of shirk. The Holy Quran says:
“Say. He is Allah, the one and only.” [112]
It strengthens our belief in Allah being Omnipotent, thus we should only trust
Him and seek His help and not fall for the tall claims of the corrupt people who say
that they will protect their close friends from Allah’s wrath on the Day of Judgement.
As we learn that nothing is hidden from Him it motivates us to do good and avoid evil
and reminds help us not to believe the false claimers like fortune tellers, palmists
who foretell or predict our future. It makes us cautious and help us to realise not to
boast about our knowledge and talent but always thank Allah who is the source of
our knowledge.
 2. Allah in Himself

2. surah Al-An’aam 6, verses:101-103

a) These verses of surah Al-An’aam discuss the fundamental Quranic theme of Allah
in Himself and was revealed in Makkah. It discusses the absolute Unity of Allah
with clear examples. They mention His ultimate knowledge and power to
originate and create without a precedent and decide all affairs. This passage
emphasizes that although He is the Originator ‘Al-Badi’ but He Himself does not
have a beginning or an end and no peer, partner or off spring can be ascribed to
Him. Furthermore, the passage describes the most unique attribute of Allah
being ‘Al-Lateef’ subtle, imperceivable, kind and ‘Al-Khabeer’ All Perceiving. This
means that Allah knows and understands everything in creation but He is beyond
human comprehension. No sight even combined can see Allah. As the Holy Quran
says:
“You shall never see Me.” [7:143]
It further tells us that Allah’s attributes are limitless while human senses, reason
and imagination are limited.

b) These verses strengthen our belief in monotheism and divine power as opposed
to paganism and idols who are powerless. Thus, rejecting polytheism. The Holy
Quran says:
“Yet the people have taken besides Him gods who cannot not create anything
but are themselves created. Nor can they protect themselves. Nor can they
control life, death or resurrection” [25:3]
We realize that it is only God who can fulfil our needs because He is Omnipotent
so we should turn to Him alone for our needs and worship and obey none other
than Him. When we learn that He sees and records even the minutest details of
our speech and actions because He is ‘Al-Khabeer’ then we should guard and be
mindful about all that we do because we will be held accountable for them on
the Day of Judgement. As the Qur’an says:
“ ….and He is with you wherever you are.”
It also explains that because He is ‘Al-Lateef’ imperceivable so we cannot see Him
in this mortal life and we should pray for his countenance in the Hereafter and
perform deeds which make us worthy of this privilege.
 2. Allah in Himself

3. surah Al-Fussilat 41, verse 37:

a) This verse of surah Al-Fussilat is a late Makkan surah, revealed soon after Prophet’s(S)
uncle Hamza (RA) accepted Islam. It presents the theme of Allah in Himself by directing
attention to the concept of Tauheed and existence of Allah. The passage teaches that God
creates and controls everything. By giving the example of the sun and the moon, the cycle of
Day and night, this verse highlights and reflects the Omnipotence, Glory and mercy of God
who has created them to provide comfort and ease to humankind. The signs are shown to
bring the attention of Man towards the Creator and not the creation. There is also negation
of the paganistic belief who use to worship these celestial bodies. The Holy Qur’an says:
“Behold in the creation of the heaven and the earth, and in the alteration of Day and Night
there are indeed signs for the men of understanding.” [Ale-Imran;190]

b) Once we understand and learn that only God is the Creator and the Controller of
everything it encourages us to seek help and guidance only from God rather than looking
towards created things for guidance. The passage motivates us to ponder and reflect upon
these signs to recognize true majesty and presence of God the way Ibrahim (AS) identified
his real Lord by observing the sun, stars and moon. It inculcates fear of the Creator and
abolishes fear of the creation. It strengthens our belief in Tauheed as we realise that the
complex working of the Universe is not a chance but is controlled by a supreme Lord and
Master and discards the atheist doctrine who does not believe in the existence of God. The
Holy Qur’an says:
“Certainly, clear proofs have come to you from your Lord. Whoever therefore, sees it is to
his own gain, and whoever be blind, it is to his own loss; and am not a keeper over you.”
[al-Anaam:104]
 2. Allah in Himself

4. surah Al-Shura 42, verses 4-5:

a) The theme of these verses of surah Al-Shura is Allah in Himself. It’s a Makki surah.
This passage highlights the total authority, Ownership, Majesty and Mercy of Allah.
God is the owner of everything because He created everything and is the Provider
and Fosterer of all. The verse also makes a reference to Resurrection through which
polytheists and disbelievers are warned that the heavens will be soon rent asunder
and countless angels as part of their duty are always busy praising God and seeking
forgiveness for the inhabitants of the earth. The two names of Allah ‘Al-Ghafoor’ and
‘Ar-Raheem” are symbol of Allah’s extreme mercy and forgiveness and emphasizes
upon Man to put his trust in Allah alone. The Holy Qur’an says:
“Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy; indeed, Allah forgives all sins; He only is Oft-
Forgiving, the Most merciful.” [39:53]

b) As Allah is the Controller and Owner of the World it inculcates humility in us as it

reminds us that we have no power in comparison to God so we should surrender
before Him. ‘God is Merciful’ ensures and kindle hope in us that we can take refuge
in God’s Mercy despite our wrongdoings, as long as we make genuine repentance.
God’s mercy towards mankind encourages us to show gratitude in return and forgive
those who wrong us. The Holy Quran says:
“The believers are brothers, so make reconciliation between your brothers and fear
Allah, that you mat receive mercy.” [49:10]
These verses remind us not to despair or lose hope in God’s mercy even if we have
sinned as the doors of Mercy and forgiveness are open for us until we see the angel
of death. The obedience of angels to God motivates us to be obedient to God
unconditionally and to seek forgiveness for ourselves also. If humans go astray and
neglect their duties towards God it is their own loss as God has other creation who
are always surrendering before His Will.
 2. Allah in Himself

5. surah Al-Ikhlas (112)

a) The theme of Surah al-Ikhlas is Allah in Himself. It is a Makki surah and highlights the
most important and fundamental theme which is Oneness of Allah. In just four
verses, it comprehensively explains all concepts of Tauheed and strengthen the
merits of His Lordship. Disbelievers often used to question Prophet (pbuh) about the
lineage, gender and background of Allah. The passage concisely answer that Allah is
beyond any nature of His creations. He does not have a beginning nor end. He has
always been and always will be. Furthermore, it discusses that Allah has no partners,
ascendants or descendants and He is completely independent in every term. Rather
everyone else is dependent on Allah, no matter he believes or not. This makes Allah
all- Unique in nature and attributes. Similar theme is repeated many times in the
Qur’an. Holy Qur’an says:
“Allah has never had any offspring, nor is there any god besides Him….”
(23:91)

b) The passage helps Muslims to develop a sense of dependency towards their Lord.
They understand the fact that they are nothing without Allah. It is He who has given
life to every being and further created sources for survival for every creation. As a
result, Muslims turn to Allah for any help instead of turning towards His creations be
it angels, saints (living or dead). Thus, it refutes all forms of shirk, which is an
unpardonable sin. This surah is considered one third of the Qur’an because it
outlines the foundation of a Muslim’s faith and the theme of tauheed is summarized
in it. It is said alongside the other qul’s as a means of protection. The Prophet (pbuh)
said:
“Whoever recites surah Ikhlas ten times, Allah will build for him a house in
Paradise.” (al- Bukhari, 4627)