Surah Ikhlaas

Shaane Nuzool (Reason for revelation)
Imam Ahmad RH has reported from Ubayy bin Ka'ab RA that the idolaters of Makkah said to the Messenger SAW, "Oh Muhammad! Tell us the lineage of your Lord."
Another narration mentions that the Makkans asked if Allah SWT was made of gold or silver. 
As a result, Allah SWT revealed this Surah. 

It has been mentioned in Sahih Bukhari that 'Aisha RA said: 
"The Prophet SAW sent a man as the commander of a war expedition and he used to lead his comrades in prayer with recitation (of the Quran). He would complete his recitation with the recitation of 'Say: He is Allah, One'. So when they returned they mentioned this to the Prophet SAW saying, "Ask him why he does this."
The Commander replied, "Because it is the description of Ar-Rahmaan and I love to recite it. So the Prophet SAW said, "Inform him that Allah the Most High loves him." [Book of Tauhid]

Lessons to learn from this Surah
The word أَحَدٌ refers to the concept of Tauhid (Oneness of Allah). Allah SWT created all humans with the knowledge of Himself, therefore every being knows that there is a higher Being known as Allah. The notion of a Creator is pre-programmed within us. Just think, whenever a person becomes distressed, what is their immediate reaction?

Most often, a person will look towards the sky. It is just a reflex action. 
Even renowned atheist Richard Dawkins once when being interviewed, hesitated and instead responded with 'Oh God!' when asked to name the full title of On the origin of Species, the 'Bible' of Atheists.[1]

Man's purpose of life is to establish and maintain a connection with their Lord. By eliminating the idea of the 'Self' a person realises that there is a deeper meaning to life. The greatest accomplishment for a person is that they attain the pleasure of Allah SWT.  

A person who is hungry but finds no food will consume junk in order to appease their appetite; similarly a person who does not keep himself steadfast in the remembrance of Allah will find an alternative to occupy their minds, and this is often a futile and time-consuming activity. 

In the past, that object of worship used to be another God, such as idols or fire. Nowadays however, the focus is much different. Some people become fixated on their appearance and have this need to always look their best. It must be noted that although there is no harm in dressing well, it must not get to a stage where a person is obsessed with their looks and will go to extreme lengths to achieve 'perfection'. 

With other people, their objective in life is to make as much money as possible, they are not satisfied until the next wage slip has arrived. They won't be able to talk about anything else besides work and unfortunately, if something goes wrong they become suicidal. 
With others, it is their children. However those who make their objective Allah will do everything for His Sake and will find that their other responsibilities are also made easy. 

It is easy to say that Allah is the One but does our lifestyle reflect this?

May Allah make us from the people who proclaim His Oneness and allow us to make this a part of our lives. Ameen. 

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[1] https://goo.gl/QdnrKa