The testimony that there is no god but Allah necessitates both speech and action
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Question:
Is "La ilaha illa Allah" a statement made with the tongue, or a statement that requires action?
Answer:
This phrase is the greatest and best of all that people say. It is both speech and action, and mere speech is not sufficient. If mere speech were sufficient, the hypocrites would be Muslims, for they say it, yet they are disbelievers, indeed in the lowest depth of the Fire. This is because they say it with their tongues without belief or faith. Therefore, it is necessary to say it with the tongue while the heart believes and has faith that there is no true object of worship except Allah.
It is also necessary to fulfill its rights by performing the obligatory acts and avoiding the forbidden, for this is part of the right of "La ilaha illa Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 3927Sahih (Darussalam).
In another wording:Sahih al-Bukhari 25 It is agreed upon that it is authentic.
The conclusion is that it is necessary to have speech accompanied by certainty, knowledge, and action, not merely speech with the tongue. The Jews say it, and the hypocrites say it, but it does not benefit them because they did not realize it through action and belief. Therefore, it is necessary to have the belief that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth except Allah, and that what people worship of idols, trees, stones, graves, prophets, angels, or others is invalid, and that this is shirk (associating partners with Allah) . Faith is the truth for Allah alone, and this is the meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah," for its meaning is: there is no deity worthy of worship in truth except Allah. As the Exalted said: [Luqman: 30], and the Exalted said: [Al-Bayyinah: 5], and the Exalted said: [Al-Fatihah: 5], and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [Al-Isra: 23], and the Exalted said: [Az-Zumar: 2], and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 23a, and in another wording in Muslim: Sahih Muslim 23a. This indicates that it is necessary to have tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and sincerity for Allah.
When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen as a teacher, guide, governor, and leader, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:Sahih al-Bukhari 7372, and in another wording: the hadith.
In conclusion, it is necessary to believe in it through speech and action along with the utterance. One testifies that there is no god but Allah with knowledge, certainty, sincerity, truthfulness, and love for what it indicates of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and submission to its right and acceptance of it, and disavowal of what is worshipped besides Allah the Exalted. This is how faith in this phrase is: one says it with certainty that there is no true object of worship except Allah, with knowledge in which there is no ignorance or doubt, with sincerity in which there is no showing off or seeking reputation, with love for what it indicates of tawhid and sincerity, and with truthfulness, not like the hypocrites who say it with their tongues and lie about it in their hearts.
And with acceptance of what it indicates of tawhid and submission to it, and love for it, and commitment to it, along with disavowal of everything worshipped besides Allah, and disbelief in everything worshipped besides Allah, as the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah: 256].
And disbelief in the taghut means disavowal of what is worshipped besides Allah, and believing in its invalidity, and that you disavow the worship of other than Allah, and believe in the invalidity of that, and that worship in truth is for Allah alone (may He be exalted) , with no partner in that, not an angel, not a prophet, not a tree, not a stone, not a dead person, nor anything else.
Is "La ilaha illa Allah" a statement made with the tongue, or a statement that requires action?
Answer:
This phrase is the greatest and best of all that people say. It is both speech and action, and mere speech is not sufficient. If mere speech were sufficient, the hypocrites would be Muslims, for they say it, yet they are disbelievers, indeed in the lowest depth of the Fire. This is because they say it with their tongues without belief or faith. Therefore, it is necessary to say it with the tongue while the heart believes and has faith that there is no true object of worship except Allah.
It is also necessary to fulfill its rights by performing the obligatory acts and avoiding the forbidden, for this is part of the right of "La ilaha illa Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
I have been commanded to fight the people until they say: La ilaha illallah. If they say it, then their blood and wealth are protected from me, except for a right that is due from it, and their reckoning will be with Allah.
أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يقولوا لا إله إلا الله، فإذا قالوها عصموا مني دماءهم وأموالهم إلا بحقها وحسابهم على اللهIn another wording:
I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah.
أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله وأني رسول الله، ويقيموا الصلاة، ويؤتوا الزكاة، فإذا فعلوا ذلك عصموا مني دماءهم وأموالهم إلا بحق الإسلام وحسابهم على الله The conclusion is that it is necessary to have speech accompanied by certainty, knowledge, and action, not merely speech with the tongue. The Jews say it, and the hypocrites say it, but it does not benefit them because they did not realize it through action and belief. Therefore, it is necessary to have the belief that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth except Allah, and that what people worship of idols, trees, stones, graves, prophets, angels, or others is invalid, and that this is shirk (associating partners with Allah) . Faith is the truth for Allah alone, and this is the meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah," for its meaning is: there is no deity worthy of worship in truth except Allah. As the Exalted said:
That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon other than Him is falsehood
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الْبَاطِلُAnd they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَIt is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُAnd your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُSo worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion. (3) Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion.
فَاعبد الله مُخْلِصًا لَهُ الدِّينَ أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُHe who professed that there is no god but Allah and made a denial of everything which the people worship beside Allah, his property and blood became inviolable
من قال لا إله إلا الله وكفر بما يعبد من دون الله حرم ماله ودمهHe who professed that there is no god but Allah and made a denial of everything which the people worship beside Allah, his property and blood became inviolable
من وحد الله وكفر بما يعبد من دون الله حرم ماله ودمهWhen the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen as a teacher, guide, governor, and leader, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:
the first thing to which you will invite them, be the Tauhid of Allah
ادعهم إلى أن يوحدوا اللهCall them to testify that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah, and when they do that, inform them that Allah has made obligatory upon them five prayers in the day and night, and if they obey you, inform them that Allah has made obligatory upon them a charity to be taken from their rich and returned to their poor...
ادعهم إلى أن يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله وأني رسول الله، فإذا فعلوا ذلك فأخبرهم أن الله افترض عليهم خمس صلوات في اليوم والليلة، فإن هم أطاعوك فأخبرهم أن الله افترض عليهم صدقة تؤخذ من أغنيائهم وترد إلى فقرائهم...In conclusion, it is necessary to believe in it through speech and action along with the utterance. One testifies that there is no god but Allah with knowledge, certainty, sincerity, truthfulness, and love for what it indicates of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and submission to its right and acceptance of it, and disavowal of what is worshipped besides Allah the Exalted. This is how faith in this phrase is: one says it with certainty that there is no true object of worship except Allah, with knowledge in which there is no ignorance or doubt, with sincerity in which there is no showing off or seeking reputation, with love for what it indicates of tawhid and sincerity, and with truthfulness, not like the hypocrites who say it with their tongues and lie about it in their hearts.
And with acceptance of what it indicates of tawhid and submission to it, and love for it, and commitment to it, along with disavowal of everything worshipped besides Allah, and disbelief in everything worshipped besides Allah, as the Exalted said:
So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَى لَا انْفِصَامَ لَهَا وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌAnd disbelief in the taghut means disavowal of what is worshipped besides Allah, and believing in its invalidity, and that you disavow the worship of other than Allah, and believe in the invalidity of that, and that worship in truth is for Allah alone (may He be exalted) , with no partner in that, not an angel, not a prophet, not a tree, not a stone, not a dead person, nor anything else.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.