Our topic today is about a phrase that is light on the tongue but heavy on the scales—a phrase that, if a person dies upon it, they are saved from everlasting dwelling in Hellfire. It is the gateway into Islam:
“The Testification that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
We clarify here that entering the religion of Islam occurs by uttering the two testifications (shahadatayn)—not merely by saying “Astaghfirullah” (i.e., I seek Allah’s forgiveness).
The meaning of “Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah” is: I know, believe, and affirm that there is no God worthy of worship except Allah —meaning no one deserves the ultimate form of reverence, humility, and submission—except Allah. Allah alone is worthy of the utmost veneration and devotion. No one should be glorified to the same degree as Allah —not angels, not prophets, not righteous believers. They may be honoured to a degree appropriate to their rank, but never as Allah is glorified. The glorification of Allah is absolute.
Allah has all attributes of perfection. He exists and does not resemble anything of creation. He does not resemble anything in the universe—whether we have seen it or not. He does not resemble human beings. He does not have an upper and lower half, like a human. He is not like inanimate objects such as the sun, the moon, or planets. He is not like air, light, or darkness. He resembles none of these.
As the scholars said:
“Whatever you imagine in your mind, Allah is different from it.”
This was said by Imam Dhun-Nun al-Misriyy and Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal—both of whom were great scholars—and by many others whose tongues overflowed with pearls of knowledge. This belief is derived from the Qur’an, wherein Allah said:
{ليس كمثله شىء }
[This means] [There is nothing like Him in any way whatsoever] (Surat ash-Shura 11).
Some ignorant people say, “The soul is a part of God.” According to their false claim, Allah dwells in us because the soul is in us and is, supposedly, a part of God. These people have no knowledge of Allah.
Surat Az-Zukhruf, Verse15 means: [And they have made for Him a portion out of His slaves].
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: <<Do not attempt to imagine the Lord>>.
(Related by Abu al-Qasim al-Ansariyy in Sharh al-Irshad)
Meaning: The intellect of any thinker cannot reach the reality of Allah. We are required not to ponder Allah’s Self, but rather to reflect on His creations.
Allah is One, He has no partner in Godhood, and no one is worthy of worship besides Him. He is the Eternal, the One with no beginning, and the Everlasting, the One with no end. He does not perish, nor does He die.
Allah is Ever-Alive—not with a soul, nor with flesh and blood. Allah is “al-Qayyum” meaning the One who needs nothing, yet everything is in need of Him.
Did Allah not say in the Qur’an:
{الله الصمد}
[This means] [Allah is as–Ṣamad] (Surat al-Ikhlas, Verse 2)?
Yes, meaning: The One to whom all turn in need, and who needs no one.
He is the Creator who brought this universe from nonexistence into existence. He created both good and evil. Allah said:
Surat al-Furqan, Verse 2 means: [Allah created everything].
He is the Sustainer, who provides sustenance to His slaves. He knows everything. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is Powerful over all things. Nothing can debilitate Him. He does whatever He wills. Whatever Allah willed shall happen, and whatever He did not will shall not occur.
As for the meaning of “Muhammadun Rasulullah” (Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah):
It means that Muhammad Ibn ^Abdillah, the Qurashiyy and Hashimiyy, is the Prophet of Allah and is truthful in everything he conveyed from Allah. Everything he informed us about from Allah is the truth. We do not object to anything he has deemed lawful or unlawful for his nation. If he said, “This is forbidden,” then it is truly forbidden. If he said, “This is obligatory,” then it is indeed obligatory. If he said, “This will happen in the Hereafter,” then it will certainly occur. If he said, “Such and such happened to Adam, or Moses, or Aaron, or Jesus (peace be upon them),” then it happened as he said.
One of the poets praising the Prophet—known as Abu Bakr al-Warraq—said:
“If he says a word, then that word is certainly true.”
The purpose of the two testifications is to deny Godhood to anyone/anything other than Allah and to affirm it for Allah alone, while affirming the prophethood of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Surat al-Fath, Verse 13 means: [And whoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger—then indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers a Blazing Fire].
Whoever knows Allah and His Messenger as explained, avoids acts of disbelief, and dies upon that belief—such as refraining from swearing at Allah, the prophets, and the angels (like Angel ^Azraʾil), and avoiding mockery of Islamic rituals such as the five daily prayers, fasting of Ramadan, and Hajj. Those who preserve their tongue and belief from blasphemy, will surely enter Paradise, even if they died with many sins.
And if they died in a state of repentance from all sins, then they will face no torture in the grave nor in the Hereafter. Rather, their soul will always be in happiness, and their body will not be harmed by the punishment of the grave—not even by a single snake from among the snakes of the grave.
O Allah, make the words “La ilaha illallah Muhammadur-Rasulullah” the last words upon our tongues, and admit us into Paradise in peace. O Most Merciful
