Verse 1
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
Qul huwa-llāhu aḥad
“Say: He is Allah, [who is] One,”
Reviewed July 2026
Learn Surah Al-Ikhlas الإخلاص
Four short verses on who Allah is: One, without origin, without equal. It is usually the first surah learned after Al-Fatiha, and the one you will hear most often in prayer. Take it a verse at a time: tap between the Arabic, how to say it, and what it means, and listen to each verse recited.
Verse 2
اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ
Allāhuṣ-ṣamad
“Allah, the Eternal Refuge.”
Verse 3
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
Lam yalid wa lam yūlad
“He neither begets nor is born,”
Verse 4
وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Wa lam yakul-lahū kufuwan aḥad
“Nor is there to Him any equivalent.”
When reciting, open with Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm, “In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful”, as with every surah recited from the beginning. The English is an interpretation of the meaning (after Saheeh International), not a replacement for the Arabic.
Surah Al-Ikhlas, answered
Why is Surah Al-Ikhlas so important?
In an authentic hadith (Sahih al-Bukhari), the Prophet ﷺ described Al-Ikhlas as equal to a third of the Qur'an, because in four verses it carries the Qur'an's central message: Allah is One, self-sufficient, without parents or children, without any equal. Many Muslims recite it in nearly every prayer.
What does 'Al-Ikhlas' mean?
'Sincerity' or 'purity', the surah is pure statement of who Allah is, nothing else. 'Aṣ-Ṣamad' in verse 2 is a name of Allah often rendered 'the Eternal Refuge': the One whom everything needs, who needs nothing.
When do Muslims recite Al-Ikhlas?
Anywhere a surah follows Al-Fatiha in prayer, it is many people's default for a quick rakʿah. It is also part of the morning and evening remembrances and recited before sleep, traditionally together with Al-Falaq and An-Nas.