Surah Al-Ikhlas (The Sincerity)
"In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful"
"'Say (Oh! Prophet)"
Know it for yourself and must convey this message to others that
"He is God, the one!"[2]
Unlike the gods of deviated ideologies of other religions, He does not have any partners rivals, or equivalents. It means the creation is free of conflict and war between different gods. Rather, all traditions and laws of the universe are arised from the one source of external power, by a single decision. It is because of this force that a co-ordinated discipline, and homogeneity is maintained through the universe. All the laws, transformations, and natural motions of the universe are moving in one single direction towards one single goal.

Among all of them only man has been given the power of decision and right of determination. He is capable to disobey this divine discipline, and may play a music, in conflict and uncoordinated with other musical instruments, or may sing a melody like a lone singer. Also, he is capable to select to live his life in accordance with these divine commands.
"God the eternally, Besought of all!"
God is free from everybody and everything. The God Almighty to whom we adore, praise, and pay homage is not like the imaginary gods whose creation, continuity of lives, strength, and living require the help, support, and favour of someone else. Such a god is creature equivalent to man or meeker or a little lower. Man - this magnificent deep creature - will surrender himself, and will adore and praise only a supreme power, which does not require the least want from any other source or element. His being existed, being powerful, and being eternal all depend upon his own essence.
"He begetteth not."
It is not so! The way it has been ridiculously imagined among the deviated religions or polytheist dogmas. He is not like the (imagined) god of Christians and Polytheists who could be father of a son. He is the One, who creates everything and everyone - and is not their father. All the creatures of this universe (be heavenly or earthly) are his servants - and not his sons or daughters. It is because of this special relationship (bondage vs. divinity) between man and God, which frees the real servants of Him from the slavery of everything and everybody, because two masters simultaneously could not own a servant.

Those who imagined God as the kind father of the man and other creatures and did not consider the relationship (bondsman vs. divinity) between man and God as something worthy enough for the exalted position of man; in reality opened for themselves the door for the bondage of other than God, and in doing so become slaves of many of the unkind slave-owners of this world, by turning into handpicked tools and possessions of slave-owners and slave producers.
"Nor was begotten."
He is not the phenomenon, which did not exist one day, and would become visible in the world of existence the next day. He neither is physically begotten by anyone nor he is the by-product of someone's thought or imaginations. Neither a superior military force or superclass produces him, nor he resembles with any form of human life. He is the supreme and most esteemed reality an eternal One, which existed before and will exist forever.
"And there is none comparable unto Him ".
He could not be compared to anyone or anything and no one could be found as His rival or equivalent. It is not possible to divide the domain of His influence or His kingdom, which includes the entire universe, between Him and someone else i.e. to consider a part of the world or portion of human life belongs to God and the remaining belonging to someone other than Him. Or to allocate a part of the universe and stage of human life between Him and others; between the gods of alive and gods of dead; or to assign them to the false claimers of godhood and power.

As the name indicates this Surah is in reality the Surah of Monotheism. The philosophy of Monotheism, which has been explained in various tones and different styles, in hundreds of surahs throughout the Holy Qur'an; in this Surah, has been presented in a condensed form and clear-cut manner which overrides the prevalent ridiculous and Polytheistic thinking of that period; denying and negating explicitly all claimers of false godhood - for the last time in the text of the Holy scripture. This Surah introduces the characteristics of God, which from the Islamic point of view deserves to be praised and worshipped not only by the Muslims, but by the entire mankind living in His kingdom.

A god who is not unique, and hundreds and thousands of his look-alike are in abundance among the mankind is not deserving of divinity or Godhood. A powerful person or a source of power, requiring help and support of other source for his continuation (or existence) does not deserve, and should not be imposed upon mankind. The one, who lowers his head in front of a puppet god, a created being, needy, and fallable has indeed shamed, lowered the human dignity, and has taken a backward step. This is the positive dimension of Surah of Monotheism (or Sincerity), that indicates and distinguishes the characteristics of the Lords of the worlds, and simultaneously negates the existence of puppet gods throughout the history.

On the other hand this Surah warns the Monotheistic worshippers and Muslim believers, not to be curious and indulgent into mental, rational debates regarding God's characteristics and essence, which would lead them to doubts and evil temptations; rather they should seek and remember God by short words in order to get rid of the false claimers of divinity and from their idle talks. Instead of getting trapped into the philosophical puzzling they should ponder over the commitments arising out of the monotheistic belief.

According to a tradition, narrated by Imam Ali bin al Hussein (A.S.), since God was aware that the later period of history, would produce curious people, and therefore: He revealed the verses of Surah Iron [3] till verse "knower of all that is in the breasts," in order to define the boundaries for investigating His essence and characteristics. Therefore whosoever has allowed himself to ponder over beyond these prescribed limits is bound to be doomed."

As if this Surah "say God is One" says to the prayer offerer: God is unique Supreme Power, the Most High, Exalted, the Needless, His Essence beyond description, neither Begets nor Begotten, and there is no one similar to Him or His equivalent. Learned, Seer, Wise... etc., and other characteristics of God's essence whose knowledge-and awareness is obligatory for Muslims, and are regarded influential and effective in shaping their lives, and ascension of their spirits, have been repeated in other surahs of the Holy Qur'an. Do not think beyond the limits as already defined in this surah about God's essence and know-how about His characteristics. Rather, concentration should be exerted for performing deeds, which would eventually enlighten the believer in knowing God better.

Do not think that by engaging in lengthy mental debates about His essence - you will achieve more enlightenment. It is not so! Instead, try to achieve this desired enlightenment by bringing purification and spirituality to your innerself, and by practising the principles of Monotheism in your deeds and actions; and that is the way the prophets, saints, righteous servants of God, pure Monotheists, and Gnostic's were.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

[1] AI- Ikhlas, "'The Sincerity" also known as "Al-Tauhid", takes its name from its subject. It has also been called the essence of the Holy Qur'an. Some authorities ascribe this Surah to the Madinah period, and think that it was received in answer to a question of some Jewish doctors concerning the nature of God. It is generally held to be an early Meecan Surah. [Tr]

[2] "The one God, the unique God." Therefore, the pronoun "He" is used and recited for dignity.

[3] In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Al-Hadid, "Iron" takes its name from a word in v. 25. The reference in the word "victory" in v. 10 is undoubtedly to the conquest of Makkah, though Noldeke takes it to refer to the battle of Badr and so would place the surah in the forth or fifty year of Hijrah. The words of the verse are against such an assumption since no Muslims "spent and fought before the battle of Badr, which was the beginning of their fighting."

The date of revelation must be eighth or ninth year of the Hijrah. The first six versus of this Surah referred in the above discussion are as follows:

1. All that is in the heavens and on the earth glorifieth God; and He is the Mighty, the Wise.

2. His is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth He giveth Life and He giveth death; and He is able to do all things.

3. He is the First and the Last, and the outward and the Inward; and He is the Knower of all things.

4. He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days; then He mounted the Throne. He knoweth all that entereth the earth and all that emergeth there from and all that cometh down from the sky and all that ascendeth therein; and He is with you wheresoever ye may be. And God is the seer of what ye do.

5. His is the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and unto Allah (all) things are brought back,

6. He causeth the night to pass into the day, and He causeth the day to pass into the night, and He is Knower of all that is in the breasts, [Tr]