Commentary of Allāhus-Ṣamad

ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ[Allah al-Ṣamad] – Ṣamad refers to that Being Who does not depend on anything or anyone else, but all things are dependent upon Him. Qul huwa Allāh Aḥad affirmed that Allah exists and He is One; the proof of this claim has been given in the verse Allah al-Ṣamad. Some commentators say that these words have only been added here to match the poetic meter [rhyming scheme]. However, this view is incorrect. Rather, each verse in this chapter is a powerful proof for the subject matter in the preceding verse. Therefore, firstly: Huw Allāh Aḥad proclaims that ‘the reality is that Allah is singular and unique.’ This is followed with: ‘the evidence for this is Allah al-Ṣamad,’ that everything in the world depends on Him. 

And when all things rely on Him and He alone fulfils all of our needs, what need remains for any other [divine] being? And if, despite this, someone is accepted as a divine being, we would have to admit that this deity would be useless, and clearly an ineffective being cannot be God. When even polluted water, polluted air and polluted food is worthless, then what value could an ineffective deity have?  Thus, when it is only the One True God Who creates everything and He alone fulfils  everyone’s needs, it is futile to  depend on anyone else  to fulfil those needs. In short, the argument for tauḥid (the oneness of God)is provided in ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ[Allah al-Ṣamad]. Someone might contend that saying that Allah is needs nothing and no one is a claim for which we have no evidence before us, because God does not appear before us. We can neither perceive His Being with our physical eyes nor can we comprehend the full extent of His Being. So there can only be one answer to this, and that is to prove that all of creation is dependent on Almighty Allah. When everything is proven to be dependent on Allah Almighty, it will automatically prove that He is not dependent on anything. 

It is a truth as clear as daylight that there is nothing in the world that is perfect in itself. Everything is dependent on something else for its existence without which it cannot be sustained. If one observes the minutest particles of an element, one realises that each and every particle affects the others. For example light affects other particles, just as ether does on others. Man is deemed to be a perfect but is dependent on water, food and air. The sun requires gas in order to maintain its mass. It needs to draw matter from other planets and requires scores of other things. For its existence, the earth depends on the gravitational force of other stars, the atmosphere, and the new matter of ether. Thus, take a look at anything large, and zoom in more and more closely, it will certainly prove to require other things. So everything we see in this world is contingent on other things for its existence. And this contingency is proof that the universe does not sustain itself. Rather, some other power operates it, because something that is dependent on other things cannot have been created itself, nor can it be eternal. Someone could say that the dependence of matter is only based on current research, and perhaps when the research is complete, it may support the view that the world as a whole does not depend on anything. Firstly, in response to this, new research may in fact reveal further evidence the world is dependent and further manifest the existence of its Creator. Therefore, this is no objection. Despite the fact that research has passed through many phases, this concept remains established. No evidence has ever been provided to counter this view. So the fact that with each new discovery this notion has become more firmly established is evidence that future research will not contradict this view, but will in fact support it. However, even if we assume that we happen to discover a particle which is intrinsically perfect, it will still need someone to create it. In reality it is rationally impossible for a particle to exist that is complete and perfect in itself. This omnipotence cannot be found in anything else besides the Conscious and Absolute Powerful Being of God. 

Then the question also arises: is it possible for that matter, which is deemed complete in itself – to adopt another form? Because tranformatiom comes about when one thing combines with another, and this characteristic is found only among imperfect things. Something that is perfect cannot accept any change, nor can it truly merge with anything else. Its combination can only be likened to the particles of sugar which, even when combined, stay sugar just the same. So even if such a [perfect] particle does exist, then this world cannot come from because this world has hosted innumerable changes. Thus, studying the universe it becomes manifestly clear that everything here undergoes change and depends on other matter for its own existence. Therefore, it is necessary to believe in a Being Who can bring these dependent beings into existence and Who can regulate them under a universal law. Some people say that all of this occurs because of a hidden power but the question is whether this hidden power is conscious or not. If it is not conscious then it must have been created from other things itself, because all faculties are formed as a result of motion or mutual processes. And if it is conscious then this proves our claim as we also want such a Power to be recognised. Thus, in the words Allāh al-Ṣamad an extremely marvellous proof has been given for the existence of God Almighty. 

Another meaning of al-Ṣamad is al-Rafī‘ i.e. one of high status. In light of this meaning Allāh al-Ṣamad means Allah is that Being Who possesses the grandeur of Aḥadiyyah [Oneness]. He is of Rafī‘al-Darajāt [sublime status] and is limitless. He transcends all conception. In other words, we have been told that when we fly towards the God Who is of Sublime Status, then no matter how high we fly it is not high enough, because our God is Rafī‘ [of a High Status] and unlimited. And the ways to progress towards Him are endless. No matter how much progress someone makes, their status will always be below His. And there is no point we can arrive at where we can claim that our journey has ended.

One of the meanings of al-Ṣamad found in the commentaries is also Ghaniyy [self-sufficient]. Ghaniyy connotes someone that is not dependent on anyone. However, it is clear that this meaning is incomplete [when referring to Allah]. In contrast, Ṣamad conveys two meanings: that being who does not itself depend on anything, but upon which everything else depends. Therefore, the word Ghaniyy does not convey all of the meaning of Ṣamad, but rather only half of it. In Urdu, there is no single word that can encompass the entire meaning of Ṣamad. If we keep in view the complete meaning of Ṣamad, then it translates as Raḥmān [the Merciful] because it indicates that God manifests His providence [Rubūbiyyah] regardless of one’s actions. When we claim that all things depend on God, it implies that even in the mother’s womb the child depends on Him, as God nurtures the baby there as well.

So when we claim that everything relies on God, this means, for instance, all goats, camels and horses depend on Allah Almighty, and it is He Who fulfils their needs. Moreover, this also means that God also manifests His mercy [Raḥmān] to sinful people. And this refutes [the doctrine of] atonement. It is by virtue of misunderstanding this point that the concept of transmigration arose. These verses also refute this concept. Moreover, when we say everything depends on God Almighty, even the moon, the sun, the stars and the most minute particles on earth depend on Him alone. 

So-called solitary objects (referred to as baṣīṭ in the science of logic) and compound things are all in need of God. He is also the Creator of matter, of man and of the soul. This proves that God’s Mercy [Raḥmāniyyah]is latent within His attribute of Ṣamadiyyah. In actuality, God’s Oneness [Tauḥīd]is the fountainhead of His mercy [Raḥmāniyyah]because if there is no Tauḥīd then Raḥmāniyyah cannot exist. Thus, a simple example is that those nations which reject Tauḥīd also reject [God’s] Raḥmāniyyah. Hindus do not accept Tauḥīd; as such, they do not accept [God’s] Raḥmāniyyah either. They believe that man will certainly be punished for the sins he commits. Similarly, Christians do not believe in Tauḥīd and believe atonement is necessary for their sins to be forgiven. So it is very clear that a nation that fails to believe in Tauḥīd does not believe in Raḥmāniyyah either. The belief of a nation in Raḥmāniyyah is always in proportion to its degree of belief in Tauḥīd. However much a nation is distant from Tauḥīd, it is [equally] as distant from Raḥmāniyyah. For example, currently Judaism accepts Raḥmāniyyah to an extent. The reason for this is that the Jews believe in Tauḥīd to a degree as well. However, the other religions accept neither Raḥmāniyyah nor Tauḥīd. At the beginning of Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ Allah states:

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ‘Say, Allah is One.’ And then following this with [ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ] Allāh al-Ṣamad, it declares that His beneficence is continuous and everything benefits from His mercy and depends on Him. That is, by having both these verses one after the other, it is indicated that Tauḥīd and Raḥmāniyyah are concomitant, and that Raḥmāniyyah is latent within God’s attribute of Ṣamad which testifies to the Oneness of God. 

Another meaning of Ṣamad is al-Dā’im i.e. the Everlasting. In other words, we have been told that Allah exists and He is One. He has forever existed and will exist for eternity. He was not preceded by any being nor will he be followed by any being. Rather, it is He Who is the First [Awwal] and also the Last [Ākhir].

ENDNOTES

The terms basīṭ [simple] and murakkab [composite] that have been employed particularly in the fields of Islamic philosophy and logic refer to two general categories: simple substances are fundamental i.e., an indivisible particle or atom, while composite substances are arrangements of two or more simple substances. [Publisher]