Samad

In S 112:2 we read: Allah the Samad. What is a samad? Various Muslim translators have rendered it in a number of ways. From one of Sam Shamoun’s articles: The commentators don’t really help the situation, but provide more confusion. The late Abdullah Yusuf Ali stated:

Samad is difficult to translate by one word. I have used two, "Eternal" and "Absolute". The latter implies: (1) that absolute existence can only be predicated of Him; all other existence is temporal or conditional; (2) that He is dependent on no person or things, but all persons or things are dependent on Him, thus negativing the idea of gods and goddesses who ate and drank, wrangled and plotted, depended on the gifts of worshippers, etc. (Y. Ali, The Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary, fn. 6298, p. 1806)

Another late Muslim scholar writes:

1 This rendering gives no more than an approximate meaning of the term as-samad, which occurs in the Qur'an only once, and is applied to God alone. It comprises the concepts of Primary Cause and eternal, independent Being, combined with the idea that everything existing or conceivable goes back to Him as its source and is therefore, dependent on Him for its beginning as well as for its continued existence. (Muhammad Asad, source)

Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi says:

(of everyone and everything, and yet besought by all) i.e. lacking in nothing, and wanting none to complement Him; Absolute; the Eternal… as epithets applied to God, signify ‘A lord; because one repairs, betakes himself, or has recourse to him, in exigencies, or, when applied to God, because affairs are stayed, or rested, upon Him and none but He accomplishes them; …or the Being that continues, or continues for ever or is everlasting; or the Creator of everything, of whom nothing is independent, and whose unity everything indicates.’ (LL). The verse strikes at the root of the pagan and Christian conception of incomplete God. (Daryabadi, [Darul Ishaat, Karachi-1 Pakistan, 1991 first edition], p. 540)

A Muslim professor notes:

a Samad: other commonly held interpretations include ‘self-sufficient’ and ‘sought by all’ (Razi). (M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur’an [Oxford University Press, 2005], p. 444)

Here is what a commentary attributed to Ibn Abbas claims:

(Allah, the eternally Besought of all!) the Master whose glory is at its peak and for Whom all created beings are in need; it is also said that (al-Samad) means: He Who does not eat or drink; it is also said that this means: He Who does not have an interior; it is also said that this means: the Everlasting; and it is also said this means: the Sufficient; and it is also said this means: He who does not have an entrance or exit. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn 'Abbâs; source)

Renowned Sunni exegete Ibn Kathir commented:

<Allah As-Samad.>

`Ikrimah reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "This means the One Who all of the creation depends upon for their needs and their requests." `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas, "He is the Master Who is perfect in His sovereignty, the Most Noble Who is perfect in His nobility, the Most Magnificent Who is perfect in His magnificence, the Most Forbearing Who is perfect in His forbearance, the All-Knowing Who is perfect in His knowledge, and the Most Wise Who is perfect in His wisdom. He is the One Who is perfect in all aspects of nobility and authority. He is Allah, glory be unto Him. These attributes are not befitting anyone other than Him. He has no coequal and nothing is like Him. Glory be to Allah, the One, the Irresistible." Al-A`mash reported from Shaqiq, who said that Abu Wa'il said, …

<As-Samad.> is the Master Whose control is complete." (Source)

Finally, here is Al-Tabari’s lengthy discussion of this word taken from his commentary on Sura 112:2{1}:

And His word: Allahu s-samad expresses (the idea): The One who is worshiped, He the samad, nobody except Him can be properly worshiped. The Qur’an commentators disagree as to the meaning of as-samad.

(I) Some of them say: He is the one who is not hollow, who does not eat and drink. This opinion is held by the following personalities:

(1) ‘Abd-ar-Rahman b. al-Aswad <Muhammad b. Rabi‘ah <Salamah b. Sabur <Atiyah <Ibn <‘Abbas: As-samad is he (that) who (which) is not hollow.

(2) Ibn Bassar <‘Abd-ar-Rahman <Sufyan <Mansur <Mujahid: is the solid one (musmat) who has no hollowness.

(3) Abu Kurayb <Waki‘ <Sufyan <Mansur <Mujahid: ditto.

(4) Al-Harit <al-Hasan <Warqa, all together <Ibn Abi Najih <Mujahid: (ditto).

(5) Ibn Bassar <‘Abd-ar-Rahman and Waki‘ <Sufyan <Ibn Abi Najih <Mujahid: is the one who has no hollowness.

(6) Abu Kurayb <Waki‘, also Ibn Humayd <Mithran, all together <Sufyan <Ibn Abi Najih <Mujahid: ditto.

(7) Ibn Bassar <‘Abd-ar-Rahman <ar-Rabi‘ b. Muslim <al-Hasan: As-samad is the one who has no hollowness. He said: Ar-Rabi‘ b. a Muslim told us on the authority of Ibrahim b. Maysarah who said Mujahid sent me to Sa‘id b. Jubayr to ask him about as-samad. He said: He who has no hollowness.

(8) Ibn Bassar <Yahya <Isma‘il b. Abi Halid <as-Sa‘bi: As-samad is the one who does not taste food.

(9) Ya‘qub <Husaym <Isma‘il b. Abi Halid <as-Sa‘bi who said: As-samad is the one who does not eat food and does not drink.

(10) Abu Kurayb and Ibn Bassar <Waki‘ <Salamah b. Nubayt <ad-Dahhak: As-samad is the one who has no hollowness.

(11) Abu Kurayb <Ibn Abi Za’idah <Isma‘il <Amir: As-samad is the one who does not eat food.

(12) Ibn Bassar and Zayd b. Ahzam <Ibn Dawud <(al-)Mustaqim b. ‘Abd-al-Malik <Sa‘id b. al-Mussayyib: As-samad is the one who has no stuffing (intestines).

(13) I was told on the authority of al-Husayn who said: I heard Abu Mu‘ad say: ‘Ubayd told me: I heard ad-Dahhak say concerning His expression as-samad: He who has no hollowness.

(14) Al-‘Abbas b. Abi Talib <‘Umar b. Rumi <Ubaydallah b. Sa‘id, the guide of al-A‘mas <Salih b. Hayyan < ‘Abdallah b. Buraydah <Abdallah’s father –He said: I do not know (anything about) it (?) except that he led it back to the Prophet-who said: As-samad is the one who has no hollowness.

(15) Ibn ‘Abd-al-‘Ala <Bisr b. al-Mufaddal <ar-Rabi‘ b. Muslim: I heard al-Hasan say: (ditto).

(16) Ibn Abd-al-A‘la <Ibn Tawr < Mu‘ammar (Ma‘mar) <‘Ikrimah (ditto).

(II) Others say that he is the one from whom nothing comes out. This opinion is held by the following personalities:

(1) Ya‘qub <Ibn ‘Ulayyah <Abu Raja: I heard ‘Ikrimah say concerning His expression as-samad: He from whom nothing comes out and who did not beget and was not begotten.

(2) Ibn Bassar <Muhammad b. Ja‘far <Su‘bah <Abu Raja’ Muhammad b. Yusuf (leg. Sayf): As-samad is the one from whom nothing comes out.

(III) Others say: He is the one who did not beget and was not begotten. This opinion is held by the following personalities:

(1) Ibn Humayd <Mihran <Abu Ja‘far <ar-Rabi‘ <Abu l-‘Aliyah: As-samad is the one who did not beget and was not begotten. For nothing begets which is not going to leave an heir. And nothing is begotten which is not going to die. Thus, He informed them that He would not leave an heir and would not die.

(2) Ahmad b. Mani‘ and Mahmud b. Hidas <Abu Sa‘id as-San‘ani: The polytheists said to the Prophet: Give us the genealogy of your Lord. Whereupon God revealed Surah 112…. For nothing is begotten which is not going to die, and nothing dies which is not going to leave an heir. God does not die and leaves no heir. "And He has no equal." And He has nobody who is like Him or equal to Him, and nothing is comparable to Him.

(3) Abu Kurayb <Waki‘ <Abu Ma‘sar <Muhammad b. Ka‘b: As-samad is the one who did not beget and was not begotten and did not have an equal.

(IV) Others say: He is the lord (sayyid) whose lordship has reached its peak. This opinion is held by the following personalities:

(1) Abu s-Sa’ib <Abu Mu‘awiyah <al-A‘mas <Saqiq: As-samad means the lord whose lordship has reached its peak.

(2) Abu Kurayb, Ibn Bassar, Ibn ‘Abd-al-A‘la <Waki‘ <al-A‘mas <Abu Wa’il: (ditto). Abu Kurayb and Ibn ‘Abd-al-A‘la omitted "lordship."

(3) Ibn Humayd <Mihran <Sufyan <al-A‘mas <Abu Wa‘il: ditto.

(4) ‘Ali <Abu Salih <Mu‘awiyah <‘Ali <Ibn ‘Abbas, with regard to His expression as-samad: It means the lord whose lordship is perfect; the noble one whose nobility is perfect; the great one whose greatness is perfect; the kind one whose kindness is perfect; the rich one whose richness is perfect; the mighty one whose might is perfect; the knowing one whose knowledge is perfect; the wise one whose wisdom is perfect. He is the one who is perfect in every aspect of nobility and lordship. He is God, Praised be He. This is His attribute, applicable only to Him.

(V) Others say: In reality, as-samad is the enduring one who does not disappear. This opinion is held by the following personalities:

(1) Bisr <Yazid <Sa‘id <Qatadah, with regard to Surah 112: Al-Hasan and Qatadah used to say: He who endures after His creation. He said: This is a pure (halisah) surah. Nothing is mentioned in it about matters of this world and the other world.

(2) Ibn ‘Abd-al-A‘la <Ibn Tawr <Mu‘ammar (Ma‘mar) <Qatadah: As-samad is the lasting one.

(VI) Says Abu Ja‘far (at-Tabari): With the Arabs (Bedouins), as-samad means the lord to whom recourse is had and above whom there is nobody. It is used with reference to their noble men. Thus, the poet says:

There came in the morning a herald of the

death of the two best ones of the Banu Asad,

Of ‘Amr b. Mas‘ud and the samad lord.

And as-Zibriqan says:

There is no guarantee but (better than) a samad lord.

(Conclusion) If this is so, the meaning (of as-samad) which is known from the speech of those in whose language the Qur‘an was revealed is to be preferred for the interpretation of the word.

If the tradition of Ibn Buraydah on the authority of his father (above I, 14) were sound, it would be the statement most likely to be sound since the messenger of God was best informed about what God meant and what was revealed to him. (bold and underline emphasis ours) The Unintelligibility and Incompleteness of the Quran : As-Samad

In this version of Ibn Kathir we read: وقد ذكر محمد بن إسحاق وغيره أنهم كانوا يعبدون أصناماً فصنم يقال له صمد وآخر يقال صمود وآخر يقال له الهباء And Muhammad b. Ishaq and others mentioned that they used to worship idols and one idol is called Samad and another is called Samud (or Sumud) and another is called Al-Hiba’. تفسير الآية 68 إلى 73 من سورة الأعراف تفسير ابن كثير