Introduction
Islam teaches that Allah was not born, has no offspring, and has no equal. He is the Creator of all creation, and all creation depends on Him.
Surah Al-Ikhlas expresses this truth briefly and comprehensively. The related verses in Surah Al-An‘am and Surah Maryam explain that our relationship with Allah is that of creation to its Creator and servants to their Lord.
Quranic Verses and Their Meanings
Each verse is followed immediately by its English meaning. These are explanatory English renderings based on the verified Arabic and checked Urdu translation; they are not quotations from a named published English translation.
Surah Al-Ikhlas: Allah’s Oneness and Self-Sufficiency
— Surah Al-Ikhlas, 112:1
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
Translation: Say, “He is Allah, the One.”
— Surah Al-Ikhlas, 112:2
ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ
Translation: Allah is the Self-Sufficient One upon whom all depend.
— Surah Al-Ikhlas, 112:3
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
Translation: He neither begets nor was He begotten.
Clarification: “He neither begets” means that Allah has no offspring. It does not deny that He creates. Creating something and being its parent are different relationships.
— Surah Al-Ikhlas, 112:4
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ
Translation: And no one is equal or comparable to Him.
Together, these verses introduce Allah as One, Self-Sufficient, without offspring or parents, and without any equal.
Surah Al-An‘am: The Creator of Everything
— Surah Al-An‘am, 6:101
بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُۥ وَلَدٌۭ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُۥ صَٰحِبَةٌۭ ۖ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍۢ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ
Translation: He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a child when He has no spouse? He created everything, and He has complete knowledge of everything.
This verse connects the rejection of offspring with Allah’s being the Creator. Its complete argument should be kept in view: He originated the heavens and the earth, created everything, and knows everything.
Surah Maryam: All Are His Servants
— Surah Maryam, 19:92
وَمَا يَنۢبَغِى لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا
Translation: It does not befit the Most Merciful to take a child.
— Surah Maryam, 19:93
إِن كُلُّ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّآ ءَاتِى ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ عَبْدًۭا
Translation: Everyone in the heavens and the earth will come before the Most Merciful as a servant.
These verses reject the attribution of offspring to Allah and explain the true position of creation: everyone is His servant.
Understanding the Key Words
Three expressions in Surah Al-Ikhlas are especially important: Ahad, As-Samad, and kufuwan.
Ahad expresses Allah’s unique oneness. In the consulted Tafsir Ibn Kathir, it is explained through the absence of any partner, rival, or equal. The final verse of the surah reinforces this meaning: no one is comparable to Him.
As-Samad describes Allah’s self-sufficiency and creation’s dependence upon Him. The tafsir explains that creatures turn to Him for their needs and requests. All depend on Him, while He depends on no one.
Kufuwan refers to an equal or counterpart. Its denial means that Allah has no equal and that nothing is comparable to Him.
Read together, these expressions show that Allah’s having no offspring is part of His perfection and self-sufficiency. Human needs cannot be used as a measure of divine perfection.
A Simple Explanation
Human life involves birth, upbringing, and many needs. Parents, children, and family relationships have an important place in ordinary human life. Allah, however, cannot be understood by projecting these relationships onto Him. The Quran describes Him as As-Samad: all depend on Him, and He depends on no one.
“Lam yalid” means that Allah has no offspring. “Wa lam yulad” means that He Himself was not born. Together, these statements make clear that Allah is not part of a family or a chain of ancestry. He has neither parents nor descendants.
The distinction between being a creator and being a parent is fundamental here. Allah created His creatures, but being created by Him does not make them His children. Surah Al-An‘am describes Him as the Creator of everything, while Surah Maryam describes everyone as His servant.
Likewise, a creature’s honour, excellence, or extraordinary status does not make it a partner in Allah’s divinity. Whatever dignity it possesses is bestowed by Allah; it remains His creation and His servant.
For this reason, Allah’s having no offspring should not be understood through human ideas of deprivation or loneliness. His self-sufficiency is perfection. He is free of the needs that belong to created beings.
Summary of Tafsir Ibn Kathir
In explaining Surah Al-Ikhlas, Ibn Kathir describes Allah’s being Ahad through the absence of any partner, rival, or equal. The rejection of offspring therefore belongs to the surah’s wider explanation of Allah’s complete oneness and incomparability.
Under As-Samad, the tafsir transmits an explanation from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, that creation turns to Allah for its needs and requests. It also discusses the perfection of His knowledge, wisdom, greatness, and authority. This clarifies the relationship between Allah and creation: all creatures need Him, while He needs no support.
In explaining the final two verses, the tafsir denies that Allah has a child, parent, or spouse. Ibn Kathir connects this with Surah Al-An‘am 6:101: Allah owns and creates everything, so none of His creatures can be His equal.
In Surah Al-An‘am, Badi‘ is explained as the One who originated the heavens and the earth without a preceding model. Alongside the reference to spouse and offspring, the tafsir stresses that nothing resembles Allah and that all creation was made by Him. Reducing the verse to a statement about human reproduction would overlook its complete argument. The surrounding verses reject the uninformed attribution of sons and daughters to Allah and then call people to worship Him as their Creator.
The explanation of the relevant passage in Surah Maryam also discusses Jesus—Isa, peace be upon him—the son of Maryam and a servant of Allah. The tafsir connects the account of his birth without a father with the subsequent rejection of attributing a child to Allah. This helps clarify an important distinction: an extraordinary birth demonstrates Allah’s power; it does not establish that the person born is Allah’s offspring.
Ibn Kathir further explains that attributing offspring to Allah does not befit His greatness, because all creatures are His servants. The following verses discuss His knowledge of them and their individual appearance before Him on the Day of Resurrection. Knowing Allah correctly, therefore, also reminds us of our responsibility: we will stand before our Lord as His servants.
The Central Message — Summary
Allah is One, Self-Sufficient, and without equal. He is neither anyone’s offspring nor does He have offspring. These verses call us to recognise our Creator, avoid equating creation with Him, and worship Him alone.
Guidance from an Authentic Hadith
Sahih al-Bukhari 4974 — Meaning of the relevant passage of a hadith qudsi:
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ conveyed Allah’s statement: a person denies Allah by claiming that He will not recreate them, and insults Him by attributing a child to Him. Allah is the One and the Self-Sufficient; He neither begets nor was begotten, and no one is comparable to Him.
The narration shows that attributing offspring to Allah is not treated as a harmless expression. Our beliefs and words about Allah should agree with the attributes He has revealed.
Reflection and Guidance for Our Lives
These verses invite us to recognise our dependence. We did not bring ourselves into existence, and our lives involve many needs. Allah’s name As-Samad directs us towards the Lord who knows our needs and is Himself dependent on no one.
A useful question to ask is: are we learning about Allah from His revelation, or projecting human experience onto Him? Family and children have their place in human life, but they cannot become a measure of Allah’s perfection.
Acknowledging our servanthood means recognising our true position. Our proper response is to know our Creator, accept His guidance, and remember our accountability before Him. Surah Maryam’s description of everyone coming before Him as a servant directs our attention to this reality.
When sharing this teaching, clarity and respect should remain together. Disagreement with a belief does not require humiliating the person who holds it. The Quran’s position can be explained plainly while allowing others space to ask questions, understand, and reflect.