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Now clearly as humans grow to adulthood

they need to rethink their understandings.

The language they will have used in pre-school days

would be much simpler than that of adulthood

because they inevitably understood less of the subtleties

of whatever they might be talking about.

So their language changes to match the new understandings

that come as they get older.

Now, for muslims, Ikhlas is almost always

the first sura they learn after Fatiha.

So the language with which they first encounter it is childish.

It might even be that it was learnt

with no concern for what the words meant at all,

which might have served its purpose in childhood,

but is not really suitable for an intelligent adult muslim.

Not when ikhlas is so much more than that.

It is said that the Messenger said

that sura Ikhlas is equal to a third of the Qur'an.

Is there anything we can think about it that would seem to justify that statement?

Because if not, our understanding of the sura has not grown sufficiently

to come close to matching the depth and subtlety of the original,

and it's probably time for us to devote some time to a little study.

Many books have been entirely devoted

to understanding the different subtleties of Ikhlas,

considering it with regard to its grammar and its vocabulary,

its esoteric and exoteric meanings,

so there is no shortage of source material.

And the same could be said of the verse in sura Baqara,

that along with Ikhlas

is one of the best known and most loved passages in the Qur'an,

Ayat-ul-Kursi.

Longer than Ikhlas, but just one single ayat,

Ayat-ul-Kursi,

known as the Verse of the Throne,

is also often learned early,

and as with ikhlas,

the great muslim thinkers of all time

have put their minds to exploring the subtleties

of this short but extraordinarily deep and complex verse,

and it is said that the Messenger said that

the Verse of the Throne

is the Chief of all the verses of the Qur'an.

Exploring the verses of Ikhlas and Ayat-ul-Kursi

we find the primary aspects of God's Essence and Attributes,

knowledge of which is the ultimate aim of all the Qur'anic sciences,

so throughout history

the great muslim minds have applied themselves

to expansive commentaries on these verses,

each with their own different perspective.

Of course, the Qur'an can speak to each soul individually,

so when forming our own relationship with the meaning of the Qur'an

there is no absolute need to have scholars to refer to,

but when setting out on a journey

it can be useful to listen to people who have been there before you.

And on that journey of understanding there have been a lot of people

with a lot to say.