Quranic Themes: Allah in Himself

QURANIC THEMES
ALLAH IN
HIMSELF
1: Surah, 2.225 (Ayat ul Kursi)
Allah! There is no deity but He (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever living, the
One Who sustains and protects all, neither over takes Him slumber nor sleep, To Him belongs all
that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, who is there that could intercede with Him
except
by His Own permission. He knows all what is in front of them and also what is hidden from them
and they cannot comprehend anything of His knowledge except what He wills. His kingdom
extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding them both, and He is
the most High and the most Great. (2:255)
Main Theme of Passage:
 Theme of this long verse is God himself.

 It’s a verse of Sura al-Baqara, a Madninan sura.
 It begins with the expression of the Shahada (declaration of oneness
of God) and then elaborates various aspects of unity of God that make
Him matchless
 God is free from all weaknesses and limitations, has perfect
knowledge of all times, is not dependent on anyone for His survival
and enjoys autonomy in exercising His authority.
 His authority and His rule encompass the entire universe. This makes
God not only unique but also elevates him to the heights, we just can’t
imagine and that is mentioned in the Quran' as: “then He established
Himself on the throne” (10:3, 13:2)
Importance of the Theme:
• This passage tells Muslims to believe in Tawhid in terms of God’s

uniqueness, majesty and glory.
• The theme is important for Muslims as it crystallizes the belief of
Tawhid and trains them to condemn shirk.
• There is repetitive mention of God’s authority, unlimited knowledge
and powers in order to strengthen the faith of its readers.
• For example, it says “He is exalted in power, Wise. He created the
heavens without any pillars”31:9-10, luqman) and “but God is
the One free of all wants “(35:15,Fatir).
• The objective is to remind Muslims that God alone is to be
worshipped and no authority can be compared with him.
• Many Muslims recite this verse regularly to reiterate God’s power
and high position as compared to any worldly authority.
2. Surah (6:101-103) (Al-An’aam)
101. To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: how can He have a son
when
he has no consort? 102. He created all things, and He has full knowledge of all things.
That is
Allah, Your Lord! There is no god but He, the Creator of all things: then worship Him:
and he has
power to dispose of all affairs. 103. No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all
vision: He
is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things. (6:101-103)
• The Theme of this passage is God in Himself.
• It elaborates some of the fundamental aspects of unity of God
(Tawhid).
• It describes God as the originator of universe and rejects any kind of
misconception of God having any family.
• It also refers to His unbounded knowledge, power and grasp on His
created world.
• The passage further stresses on the sublime nature of God and
inability of human imagination to encompass God’s person, though
He himself can see to the unfathomable depths, as endorsed
elsewhere in the Quran: “for God is He Who understands the finest
mysteries” (22:63).
• This passage is important for Muslims to clearly understand the doctrine of
Tawhid in terms of God’s nature and powers. Muslims need to learn that
though God is too sublime to be perceived,
• He is everywhere and all powerful.
• The Quran reminds Muslims this repeatedly: “and He is with you where
ever you are” (57:04, Al-hadid), and “for We are nearer to him (man) than
his jugular vein” (50:16, Qaf).
• The passage also categorically negates the false belief of God having any
wife or children and thus, it strikes at the roots of shirk (associating
partners with God).
• Muslims, in this way, develop a clearer concept of tawhid and feel
themselves bound to adore God only.
• They remember that shirk is the only unpardonable sin in the sight of God.
3. Sura (41.37) (Surah Fussilat)
7. Among His sings are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Adore not the sun and
the moon, but adore Allah, who created them, if it is Him you wish to serve. 38. But if people are
arrogant, in the presence of your Lord are those who celebrate His praises by night and by day.
And they never grow tired. 39. And among His signs is this: you see the earth barren and
desolate, but when We send down rain to it, it is stirred to life and yields increase. Truly, He who
gives life to the earth can surely give life to those who are dead, for He has power over all things.
(41:37-39)
Main Theme of Theme:
• This verse is from sura fussilat Ha-Mim, an early makkan sura,
• it describes the theme of God in Himself.
• It mentions some of the signs and phenomena of nature that
reflect God’s unity and majesty.
• It refers to the cycles of day and night as evidence of divinity.
• The Quran supports it elsewhere as: “Behold! In the creation of
the heavens and earth; in the alternation of the night and the
day….are signs for the people who are wise’’ (2:164).
• The passage commands us to worship the Creator of the sun
and moon and not the creations themselves because the Creator
is always superior to the creations
Importance of Theme
• Theme of this passage urges Muslims to observe various objects of nature
that reflect God’s presence, majesty and glory.
• Since humans can not afford to see God physically, they are asked to identify
the real creator through his creations that bear witness to is existence.
• Such observation encourages Muslims to develop a strong belief in Tawhid
in all its aspects.
• The Quran, for this reason, frequently refers to the need of pondering and
observing: “Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that
God has created in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who fear
Him” (30:40, Al-Rum).
• So, Muslims should express their gratitude to God for enabling them to see
and think deeply.
• Muslims will thus avoid Shirk that the earlier communities fell victim to, and
worship one Supreme God.
4. Sura Al-Shura (42.4-5)
4. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: and

He is most high, most great. 5. The heavens are almost rent
asunder from above them, and the angels celebrate the praises
of their Lord, and pray for forgiveness for beings on earth:
Behold! Verily Allah is He, the oft-forgiving, the most merciful.
• The two verses are from sura al-Shura, revealed in Makkah shortly after
sura fussilat and its theme is God’s unity expressed by His grandeur and
authority.
• He enjoys unshared authority over entire universe.
• The Quran says: “His are all things in the heaven and on the earth”
(2:255).
• It also mentions the effect of God’s might on the heavens that hardly
sustain this immense burden.
• The passage also refers to the countless angels who are busy in the prayers
and glorification of the Lord and also invoke His mercy and pardon for
humans who tend to disobey their lord. The Quran declares this weakness
of humans as: “It is man that wrongs his own soul” (10:44).
 Theme of this message guides Muslims about two articles of faith: Belief
in Tawhid and angels.
 The passage tells Muslims about God’s power, authority and glory in
order to make them His obedient servants.
 By referring to the angels praising God and seeking forgiveness for
humans, it tells them about God’s mercy. Humans, because of free will,
can commit sins but God is ready to forgive them.
 Belief in God’s mercy and forgiveness prepares Muslims to repent over
their misdeeds.
 The Quran re-assures Muslims by saying: “Despair not of the mercy of
God; for God forgives all sins, for he is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful’’
(39:53 al-zulmar). Surah 97(al-Qadr) also tells about: “the angels and the
spirit” descending in the night of Power to distribute God’s mercy.
5. Sura Al- Ikhlas(112)
﷽
‫قُلْ هُ َو هَّللا ُ أَ َح ٌد‬
َّ ‫هَّللا ُ ال‬
‫ص َم ُد‬
‫لَ ْم يَلِ ْد َولَ ْم يُولَ ْد‬
‫َولَ ْم يَ ُك ْن لَهُ ُكفُ ًوا أَ َح ٌد‬
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;

Allah, the Eternal. Absolute;
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten.
And there is none like unto Him.
• Theme of this early Makkan surah is God in himself in terms of His
uniqueness
• It outlines the most fundamental and cardinal aspects of Tawhid
(oneness of God).
• It out rightly declares God’s unity and emphatically negates the false
belief of God having ancestors and descendants.
• It further highlights God’s unity by saying that God’s nature or person
can never be compared to anyone throughout the universe.
• It also mentions God’s freedom from time and space by saying that he
has always been and will always be there.
• This way, the passage crystallizes the belief of Tawhid
• Theme of this passage purifies Muslim’s belief in Tawhid and that is why the
passage is named al-Ikhlas (the purity of faith).
• Muslims learn from this passage that God is unique in all aspects.
• This uniqueness and supremacy of God highlights human inability and limitation
before his Lord.
• Thus, it eliminates all forms and degrees of shirk or associating partners with
God.
• Muslims recite this surah in daily prayers in order to reiterate rejection of shirk.
• It is so important that the Holy Prophet declared it equivalent to one third of the
Quran.
• Its theme is so important that the Quran repeatedly mentions this: “and your
God is one God” (2:163, al-Baqarah) and “God! there is no God but He”(2:255).
• Belief in Tawhid, in turn affects the conduct of Muslims as they develop a strong
sense of God’s presence and knowledge.

Quranic Themes: Allah in Himself

Uploaded by

Quranic Themes: Allah in Himself

Uploaded by

QURANIC THEMES

 Theme of this long verse is God himself.

• This passage tells Muslims to believe in Tawhid in terms of God’s

4. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: and

Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;

You might also like