Essence, virtues and conditions of La Ilaaha Illallaah (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh )

First Sermon:

All praise is due and belongs to Allâh. We praise Him, seek His help and forgiveness and repent to Him. We seek refuge with Allâh from the evils of ourselves and from the wickedness of our own deeds. Whomever that Allâh guides, none can mislead him, and whomever He sends astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ )

(O you who believe, fear Allâh as he should be feared and die not unless you are Muslims) [Al-Imran: 102]

( يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاء وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا )

(O people fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul. From it, He created its spouse, and from both of them scattered many men and women. Fear Allâh, by whom you ask one another, and (fear) the wombs (lest you sever its relationship). Allâh is ever watching over you). [An-Nisa: 1].

( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا * يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَن يُطِعْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا )

 (O you, who believe, fear Allâh and say sound statements. He will mend your deeds for you and forgive your sins. Whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger shall win a great victory) [Al-Ahzab: 70-71].

If people of the earth were to gather to tear asunder the doctrine of La Ilaaha Illallaah "There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh " after it had settled in the heart of the believer, they cannot achieve that. No sooner does the heart realize the essence of this doctrine, taste of its savor and realize its importance and the inevitability of living and dying upon it, than it takes hold of its inner part and sits on its throne and the bearer would hate to go back to disbelief just as he would hate to be thrown into the fire.

They have tempted Bilal, may Allâh  be pleased with him, to reject this word and disbelieve in "La Ilaaha Illallaah" but far, and very far! He never did anything other than uttered these words: "One God"! "One God"!.

Moreover, the polytheists of Makkah tore apart the body of Khubaib bin Adiy but that only increased him in faith! The parents of Ammar bin Yasir were killed in front of him to put pressure on him to reject this word "There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ," and subjected him to an excruciating torture but they could not get from him except a word of the tongue belied by all his limbs, cells and faculties ...

Their steadfastness upon this word (La Ilaaha Illallaah) "There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh " confirms two things:

The first is what we have established that it has never inhabited a heart and got settled in it but made it stronger and firmer than firm and fixed mountains.

The second meaning is that the (La Ilaaha Illallaah) " There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh " brought by Islam is heterogeneous and contradictory to what the polytheists used to believe and embrace, hence they fought them and tortured them.

In a nut shell, (La Ilaaha Illallaah) means " There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ". Thus, there is no who causes benefit or harm but Allâh . There is no healer but Allâh, there is no one that is worthily intended or feared  or desired for himself but Allâh . No one can elevate or debase, give life or take away life but Allâh … No effective doer nor administrator who worthily directs the affairs of the universe but Allâh . God is the deity that is obeyed and the object which the hearts idolize; by intending it and surrendering to it.

According to this, (La Ilaaha Illallaah) involves, regulates and disposes the affairs of life in entirety. Allâh , the Almighty said,

( قُلۡ إِنَّ صَلَاتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحۡيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ * لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ )

Say (O Muhammad): "Verily, my Salâh (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the mankind, jinn and all that exists) (162) "He has no partner [Al-An'am: 162-163].

It is two halves; denial and confirmation. La Ilaaha "there is no deity" denies divinity to everyone, and "but Allâh  " confirms divinity for Almighty Allâh  alone without any partner.

Slaves of Allâh ! The word (La Ilaaha Illallaah)  has countless virtues, including the following:

• It is (May the blessings and peace of Allâh be upon him),  said, "Any slave that says, (La Ilaaha Illallaah), there is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh , and then dies, he will enter Paradise" (Agreed upon).
• That the person that has, (La Ilaaha Illallaah) will not abide in the hellfire forever. The Messenger of Allâh (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), said, ((Whoever said "None has the right to be worshipped but Allâh  and has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of a barley grain will be taken out of Hell. And whoever said: "None has the right to be worshipped but Allâh  and has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of a wheat grain will be taken out of Hell. And whoever said, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allâh  and has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of an atom will be taken out of Hell)) (Agreed upon).
• It protects the soul and wealth of one that proclaims it. The Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh be upon him), said, "I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh , and he who professed it has guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allâh  (Agreed upon).

Usama bin Zaid said, the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), sent us to Huraqat, a tribe of Juhainah. We attacked that tribe early in the morning and defeated them and I and a man from the Ansar caught hold of a person (of the defeated tribe). When we overcame him, he said: There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh . At that moment the Ansari spared him, but I attacked him with my spear and killed him. The news had already reached the Messenger of Allâh  (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), so when we came back he (the Messenger of Allâh ) said to me: Usama, did you kill him after he had made the profession: There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ? I said. Messenger of Allâh , he did it only as a shelter. The Prophet observed: Did you kill him after he had made the profession that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ? He (the Messenger of Allâh ) went on repeating this to me till I wished I had not embraced Islam before that day (Agreed upon).

• The person that professes it as his last words in this world, will enter Paradise. The Messenger of Allâh (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),  said, "He whose last words are: `La ilaha illAllâh ' (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ) will enter Al-Jannah'' (Abu Dawud).
• It is the heaviest thing in the balance of good deeds on the Day of Resurrection: The Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh be upon him), said, "When the Prophet Nuh, may Allâh  bless him and grant him peace, was about to die, he told his son, "I will give you some instructions. I command you two things and I forbid you two things. I command you to say, 'There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh .' If the seven heavens and the seven earths were placed in a scale and "La Ilaaha Illallaah" (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ) is placed in another scale, "La Ilaaha Illallaah" would outweigh them. If the seven heavens and the seven earths were a dark ring, they would be cut by "La Ilaaha Illallaah" (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ) and "SubhaanAllâh i Wa bi hamdihi" (Glory be to Allâh  and by His praise), for it is the prayer of everything and by it everything has its provision... "(Ahmad).

O believers! The word of Tawheed has conditions and necessitations that must be achieved to yield its fruits. It was said to Al-Hasan Al-Basri, that some people are saying, "Whoever says,  "La Ilaaha Illallaah" (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ) will enter Paradise". He said, " Whoever says,  "La Ilaaha Illallaah" (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh), and meets its right and obligation will enter Paradise.

Moreover, once Wahab bin Munabbih was asked: " Is La Ilaaha Illallaah" (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ) not the key to paradise? " He replied, "Yes, but there is no key without teeth, so if you come with a key with teeth it will be opened for you, or otherwise it will not be opened for you."

Its right, obligation and teeth refer to the conditions of La Ilaaha Illallaah" (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh ) which are seven-:

The first condition: Knowledge, i.e. to know its meaning, essence and requirements. Allâh , the Almighty, has commanded His Messenger,  (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),  saying,

( فَٱعۡلَمۡ أَنَّهُ ۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ )

So know (O Muhammad) that none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh [Muhammad: 19].

He did not say " then say". The Messenger of Allâh  (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),   said, " He who died knowing (fully well) that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh  will enter Paradise" (Muslim).

The second condition is certainty. Allâh , the Almighty said about the faithful believers:

( إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ لَمۡ يَرۡتَابُواْ )

The believers are those who believe in Allâh  and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not) [Al-Hujuraat: 15].

He also said about the hypocrites,

( وَٱرۡتَابَتۡ قُلُوبُهُمۡ فَهُمۡ فِى رَيۡبِهِمۡ يَتَرَدَّدُونَ )

And whose hearts are in doubt that ask your leave [At-Tawbah: 45].

Hence, the believer is certain and does not doubt, while the hypocrite is steeped in the deep seas of hesitation and doubt.

The Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),    told Abu Hurairah: " Take these sandals of mine, and whoever you meet outside this garden testifying that La ilaha illallâh  (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allâh ), being assured of it in his heart, give him the glad tidings that he will enter Al-Jannah" (Muslim).

Thus he made it a prerequisite for one to be certain about it.

The third condition: To admit and surrender to the orders and prohibitions of Allâh  and orders and prohibitions of the Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him). Allâh,  the Almighty, said concerning the case of the faithful believers:

( ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ‌ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيۡنَ أَحَدٍ۬ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ‌ۚ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعۡنَا وَأَطَعۡنَا‌ۖ غُفۡرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ)

The Messenger (Muhammad) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allâh, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say), "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers" and they say, "We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all) [Al-Baqarah: 285].

He also said,

( فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُواْ فِىٓ أَنفُسِہِمۡ حَرَجً۬ا مِّمَّا قَضَيۡتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسۡلِيمً۬ا )

But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission [An-Nisa: 65].

The fourth condition: docility: i.e. surrender, compliance, submission and absolute obedience to Allâh  and His Messenger, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), and to act as ordered by the religion. Allâh , the Almighty, said,

( وَأَنِيبُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمۡ وَأَسۡلِمُواْ لَهُ )

And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islâmic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him [Az-Zumar: 54].

Allâh, the most Glorified and Exalted, further said,

‌( وَمَن يُسۡلِمۡ وَجۡهَهُ ۥۤ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحۡسِنٌ۬ فَقَدِ ٱسۡتَمۡسَكَ بِٱلۡعُرۡوَةِ ٱلۡوُثۡقَىٰ)

And whosoever submits his face (himself) to Allâh, while he is a Muhsin (good¬doer), then he has grasped the most trustworthy hand¬hold [Lâ ilâha illallâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh) [Luqman: 22].

Second sermon:

All praise is due and belongs to Allâh  alone. May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon the last Prophet.

Dear beloved ones! We have stated that the word " Lâ ilâha illallâh " (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh) has certain conditions that without achieving, it will be of no benefit to a person. We have enumerated four of them and the rest are as follows:

As for the fifth condition, it is truthfulness. I.e. for the sayings and actions of the Muslim to ratify and correspond with the testimony of his tongue that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh . Allâh , the Almighty, said to the believers,

( يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَكُونُواْ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ )

O you who believe! Fear Allâh and observe your duty to Him, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds) [At-Tawbah: 119].

The Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), prescribed this condition when he said about the word of Tawheed (Islamic monotheism): "No person would profess it sincerely from his heart and then dies on it but Allâh  will make the fire of Hell unlawful for him " (An-Nasaei).

The sixth condition: Sincerity. It is the act of purifying one's deeds of impurities of polytheism and hypocrisy, as Allâh , the Almighty, said,

( وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓاْ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مُخۡلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ حُنَفَآءَ )

And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allâh, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him), [Al-Bayyinah: 5].

Moreover, the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), said, "Indeed, Allâh  has made the fire of Hell unlawful for him who professes that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh , with the sole intention of seeking the face of Allâh  "(Agreed upon).

Any deed that lacks sincerity will be rejected and thrown back at its owner. In the Hadith Al-Qudsi (Divine Hadith): " I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. He who does a thing for the sake of someone else beside Me, I discard him and his polytheism " (Muslim).

The seventh condition is love: The word Lâ ilâha illallâh " (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh) requires that one should not love something in a manner that is equal to the love of Allâh , but he should love Allâh, the Almighty, more than everything. Also, it is part of his perfect love for Him that he loves what Allâh  loves, and hates what He distastes.

The eighth condition is to disbelieve in all what is worshipped besides Allâh . This has been derived from the saying of the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),   " He who professes La ilaha illallâh  (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allâh ), and denies of everything which the people worship besides Allâh , his property and blood become inviolable" (Narrated by Muslim).

O you Muslim monotheists! Realize in yourselves the requirements of La ilaha illallâh  (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allâh ) for it will be of use to you on the Day of Resurrection, hence you will triumph and be saved ...

O Allâh, send Your Salah (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad) and his family and companions.