Continuation of the explanation of what is mentioned in the hadith of 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with him): (

The Shaykh : So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) permitted the Messenger (peace be upon him) to establish the crooked religion, and he did not die until he had fulfilled this obligatory duty, in accordance with the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): So Allah fulfilled it for him and protected him from the people until he established the pure religion after it had been distorted from every direction. He explained this phrase by saying how the establishment of the crooked religion takes place: "until he establishes with him—meaning with the Messenger (peace be upon him)—the crooked religion by them saying, 'There is no god but Allah.'" In this passage, there is a great reminder to the importance of this testimony, the testimony of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), in Islam. The establishment of the religion in which people have deviated from the straight path is, first and foremost, by them saying, "There is no god but Allah." It is self-evident that the intention is not merely for them to say "There is no god but Allah" as a word on their tongues without its meaning entering their hearts. This is, of course, not the intention. It is not intended that a person say "There is no god but Allah" while not knowing what the meaning of "There is no god but Allah" is. Rather, the purpose is that he say this beautiful phrase with his tongue while being aware of its intended meaning. So what is the meaning of "There is no god but Allah"? I have mentioned this meaning in more than one past lesson, and I find myself compelled to repeat it because most people are heedless of the meaning of this phrase and this beautiful word. Therefore, the crooked religion has returned in this time, and before it by years, to its original state because of people's heedlessness of the meaning of "There is no god but Allah" and its implications and requirements. Many people imagine that the meaning of "There is no god but Allah" is: "There is no Lord but Allah." This is incorrect. The meaning of "There is no god but Allah" is not just "There is no Lord but Allah." There is no doubt that there is no Lord but Allah, but the important thing for understanding this beautiful word, "There is no god but Allah," is that we distinguish between the meaning of "Lord" (Rabb) and the meaning of "God" (Ilah). The meaning of "Ilah" is broader and more comprehensive than the meaning of "Rabb," and the meaning of "Rabb" is narrower than the meaning of "Ilah." I give, for example, a very simple example: One who believes that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah—this is correct, for Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah—but his faith is not complete until he believes that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. This is because every Messenger is a Prophet, but not every Prophet is a Messenger. That is, the meaning of "Prophet" is narrower than the meaning of "Messenger." Likewise, if one says "animal" and one says "human," the meaning of "animal" is broader than the meaning of "human." Every human is an animal, but not every animal is a human. So if I say "animal human," it excludes having a life similar to the life of the angels; he is a human and an animal. So Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah is a Prophet and additionally a Messenger. I do not know if you know the difference between the Prophet and the Messenger? We know that there are Prophets and there are Messengers, so what is the difference between the Prophets and the Messengers? The Prophet is a man to whom revelation is sent from Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), but this revelation does not contain legislation sent down to him specifically from the sky; rather, he judges by the message and the book of the Messengers before him. This is the Prophet. As for the Messenger, he is a Prophet and additionally sent to the people with a book. Therefore, the Messengers are distinct from the Prophets, but we must remember this meaning well: every Messenger is a Prophet, but not every Prophet is a Messenger. So if we assume that a person believes that Muhammad is only a Prophet, this faith is correct but incomplete. His faith in the Messenger is not complete until he adds to it that he is a Messenger in addition to being a Prophet. This is a specific meaning and a general meaning, or a narrower meaning and a broader meaning.