Lesson Content
The greatest blessing
It is the statement of Islam and the key to Jannah, the statement of taqwa and the most trustworthy handhold, the statement of ikhlas and the disownment of shirk (al-Badr).
The two questions
The first and the last of creation will be asked about this statement. The feet of the servant will not move on the Day of Judgement until he is asked two things:
Allah alone: ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah.
We followed Muhammad ﷺ: wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah.
The meaning of la ilaha illa Allah
Nothing is worshipped by right except one God, and He is Allah alone, with no partner. Ilah in the language is the one who is worshipped.
Quraysh understood it exactly, which is why it outraged them:
Has he made the gods into one God? This is truly an astonishing thing.Sad 38:5
The people of Hud said the same: "Have you come to us so that we worship Allah alone and leave what our fathers used to worship?" (al-A'raf 7:70). They did not deny that Allah exists; they refused to worship Him alone.
Its two pillars
| Arabic | Pillar | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| لَا إِلَٰهَ | Negation | Nothing is worthy of worship: no idols, no dead, no saints, no prophets of the past |
| إِلَّا اللَّه | Affirmation | All worship belongs to Allah alone |
And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion.al-Bayyinah 98:5
Saying it is not enough on its own
Al-Badr explains that the statement benefits the one who says it with knowledge of its meaning, acts upon what it requires, and is truthful in it. Those who lack these were not saved by the words.
In la ilaha illa huwa, the predicate of "la" is left out but understood: it is haqq, by right. The meaning is: there is no god worshipped by right except Him. Other things are worshipped in fact, but they are false gods; they have nothing of divinity and deserve no worship.
Why does the word "by right" matter? Without it, the sentence would deny that anything else is worshipped at all, which contradicts what we see. With it, the sentence says: whatever else is worshipped, it is worshipped falsely.
Key points
- Knowing la ilaha illa Allah is the greatest blessing (Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah).
- Meaning: nothing is worshipped by right except Allah alone; ilah means the one worshipped.
- Two pillars: negation (la ilaha) and affirmation (illa Allah).
- Quraysh understood it and refused it (Sad 38:5).
- It benefits with knowledge, implementation and truthfulness.
- Ibn 'Uthaymeen: the omitted word is haqq, by right.
Quiz
Test your understanding of this lesson.
Discussion
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