Explanation of a portion of the hadith of Jibril, namely his saying: (Islam is that you testify that there is no god but Allah), and a warning against shirk (associating partners with Allah) and falling into it.

The Shaykh : He said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified in this hadith the Islam that Jibril asked about, which is to testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. This is the meaning of the famous hadith agreed upon by the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar himself: to the end of the hadith.
The Messenger (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him) clarified in this hadith that Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah. The meaning of testifying that there is no god but Allah is as it came in another narration: . The meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah" is . This meaning is taken from the other narration I mentioned earlier. However, the traditional inherited meaning known to all Muslim scholars is their saying—and their saying is true—that the meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah" is that there is no deity worthy of worship in existence except Allah. This is the correct meaning. Similarly, in the other narration, when he was asked about Islam, he (peace and blessings be upon him) answered: .
The meaning of this and that is that one who has become a Muslim, whether long ago, recently, or by inheritance, but who on the other hand worships other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with any of the known forms of worship in Islam, is not a Muslim. He will not be guided to Islam, and there is no bliss for him. Whoever worships other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not a Muslim, even if he says "La ilaha illa Allah," even if he prays and fasts and claims to be a Muslim. This is because he has neglected the first pillar of the five pillars of Islam, which is to testify that there is no god but Allah; that is, to worship none but Allah and not associate anything with Him.
And because of the seriousness of this topic, for it is part of the creed, indeed the foundation of the creed; especially since I see new faces every day, and I assume, indeed I am certain, that there are people who have never heard a discussion on this important topic. It is obligatory for every Muslim, before he imitates his father and grandfather in prayer and fasting, to know what Islam is. Then, after knowledge, to believe in it with firm conviction. After that, to proceed to act upon the remaining pillars of Islam.
Some people may think, or indeed may ask: What is the benefit of this speech? Are there any Muslims who do not worship Allah alone? Are there any among them who associate something with Allah, when the hadith explains Islam as worshipping Allah alone and not associating anything with Him?
We say: With great regret, there are many, and very many, who worship others alongside Allah, and they associate things with Him, not just one thing. But most people do not know. These people assume that the shirk (associating partners with Allah) that the Messenger (peace be upon him) warned against in this hadith, and which he made distinct from tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the testimony that there is no god but Allah, is to worship a god alongside Allah just as one worships Allah completely; to pray to him, to fast for him, to perform Hajj for him, and to worship him with everything that belongs to Allah alone. This is what they imagine, but that is not the case.
Indeed, shirk (associating partners with Allah) is more dangerous than this wide circle. If a person worships Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for the life of Noah (peace be upon him), and then one day, at some hour, he calls upon other than Allah, calling him besides Allah, or indeed calling him alongside Allah; he has associated partners with Allah, and his deeds are rendered void, as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: . He calls upon him besides Allah, as you often hear, saying: "Ya Baz" (O Falcon). This is calling upon other than Allah, calling alongside Allah; "Ya Allah, Ya Baz." This is calling alongside Allah. If the matter were only a matter of taste, I would say that calling upon other than Allah alongside Allah is uglier. And pay attention to what I am saying; if the matter were only a matter of taste, otherwise the matter is one, because it is all shirk (associating partners with Allah), I would say that calling upon a servant of Allah who does not hear, and even if he hears does not respond, calling him alongside Allah is uglier than calling upon him besides Allah. And mentioning this servant alongside the Lord may suggest that Allah alone is not sufficient and does not enrich him. Whereas if he called upon the servant alone, this wrong concept does not come to mind. And there is no doubt he associated partners with Allah when he called upon the falcon. But here he said: "Ya Allah, Ya Baz," as if he feels or confirms that Allah is not sufficient for His servant; so he says: "Ya Allah, Ya Baz," as if he is correcting himself, Ya Allah, Ya Baz, as if Allah is not sufficient, so he seeks aid from a servant of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) who is called "Baz" among them. So these who call upon other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic), these have not yet understood the Islam that they should be upon. If they are granted sufficiency, there will be bliss for them and a good return.