Surah Al-Ikhlaas 112:3 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ

English: He begot no one nor was He begotten.

Bengali: তিনি কাউকে জন্ম দেননি এবং কেউ তাকে জন্ম দেয়নি

Meaning & Reflection

al-Razi asks a sharp question: why 'He begets not' before 'nor was He begotten', when in our experience a being is first born and only later becomes a parent? Because the Surah is correcting a specific error — the claim that Allah has children (the pagans said the angels were His daughters, others said Uzayr or the Messiah was His son) — so it opens with the most urgent denial first, then adds the proof: One who was never begotten cannot beget. Ibn Ashur notes that wanting a child implies need — a helper, an heir — and the Samad, who needs nothing, is far above that. Ask yourself: do I unconsciously shrink Allah down to something like me — with needs, with lineage — instead of letting Him be utterly beyond compare?

Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Razi, Ibn Ashur, Ma'arif al-Qur'an.

Reflect with the Five Lenses

Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Ikhlaas 112:3:

• Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
• Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
• Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
• Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
• General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?