The Meaning of "There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"

Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …

Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...

Episode (1)

The meaning of the phrase "There is no god but Allah" is that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. He alone is deserving of all acts of worship, which should be directed solely to Him. Allah Almighty says: {And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the ‎Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.} [Al-Baqarah: 163]‎.

Allah Almighty said: {And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham said to his father and his people, ‎‎"Indeed, I am disassociated from that which you worship (26) Except for He who ‎created me; and indeed, He will guide me." (27) And he made it a word remaining ‎among his descendants that they might return [to it]. (28)} [Az-Zukhruf: 26-28]‎. And He said: {Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining.} [Ali ‎‎'Imran: 2]‎.

The meaning of the testimony "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" is the acknowledgment with the tongue and belief with the heart that Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Qurashi al-Hashimi is the Messenger of Allah to all of creation, both jinn and humans. Allah Almighty says: {Say, [O Muhammad], "O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you ‎all, [from Him] to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. ‎There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death." So believe in Allah ‎and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, ‎and follow him that you may be guided.} [Al-A'raf: 158]. 

Allah Almighty said: {Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His Servant that he may be to ‎the worlds a warner –} [Al-Furqan: 1]‎.

The phrase "There is no god but Allah" includes two parts: negation and affirmation:

- As for "There is no god": it negates all that is worshiped other than Allah, for no one deserves to be worshiped except Him. "An indefinite noun in the context of negation implies generality"; thus, it encompasses everything that can be the object of worship and everyone to whom worship is directed other than Allah Almighty.

- As for "but Allah": it affirms worship for Allah alone, for He is the true god, deserving of worship. The meaning of "There is no god in truth but Allah" is that there is no one truly worthy of worship except Allah. Just as He, exalted and glorified, is unique in creation, provision, giving life and death, bringing into existence and causing extinction, benefit and harm, and other aspects of His Lordship, and no one shares with Him in the creation of beings or in the management of anything, likewise His uniqueness in divinity is a truth with no partner. Allah Almighty says: {That is because Allah is the True Reality, and that what they call upon other than ‎Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand.} [Luqman: 30].‎  

- As for the word of majesty "Allah" in the testimony:

- It is one of His names, Glorified and Exalted, and it is considered by some to be His greatest name.

- It is the most frequently mentioned name in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

- ‘’Allah’’ is the most famous and commonly spoken name by all creatures in their various languages.

- ‘’Allah’’ is the name that signifies the magnificent essence that encompasses the attributes of divinity and lordship.

It is a name that belongs to Him alone, no one else is associated with it, it is not applied to anyone else, and none of His creation claims it.

- "Allah" is the name of the worshiped and praised Lord, whom creation glorifies, praises, and exalts. The seven heavens, the seven earths, and all within them, as well as the night and day, humans and jinn, land and sea, glorify Him. Allah Almighty says: {The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt Him. And there is ‎not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise, but you do not understand ‎their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing1 and Forgiving.} [Al-Isra: ‎‎44]‎.

- "Allah" is the Lord to whom hearts are devoted, to whom souls long, toward whom desires are directed. Hearts find love and comfort in His remembrance and closeness, they yearn for Him, and all creatures are in need of Him at every moment, in every blink, every thought and idea, in their personal and general matters, great and small, present and future. He is their Initiator and Restorer, their Creator and Flawless Shaper. They submit to Him, acknowledge Him, and are dependent on Him in all their affairs. There is no creature that does not feel that Allah has surrounded it with countless favors and blessings, showered it with His grace, generosity, and immense gifts. It is therefore fitting that a person’s heart turns to Allah, the Exalted, in love, reverence, and yearning.

- "Allah" is magnificent in His essence, attributes, names, majesty, and glory. Minds cannot fully encompass Him, nor can understanding grasp Him, and even the most profound thoughts cannot reach His greatness. Intellects are bewildered by His majesty, though they can, with the capacity they have been granted, comprehend an aspect of this greatness that instills in them love for Allah, fear of Him, hope in Him, and the desire to worship Him to the fullest of their ability.

- "Allah" is the worshiped God to whom believers dedicate their hearts, worship, prayers, pilgrimage, rituals, their lives, and their afterlives. Allah Almighty says: {Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for ‎Allah, Lord of the worlds. (162) No partner has He. And this I have been ‎commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims." (162)} [Al-An'am: ‎‎162-163]‎. The essence and secret of "There is no god but Allah" is the unique devotion to the Lord, Glorified is His praise, Sanctified and Blessed are His names, and Exalted is His grandeur. There is no god other than Him; it involves loving, venerating, and glorifying Him, as well as fearing and hoping in Him, and the accompanying acts of reliance, repentance, desire, and apprehension. No one else should be loved except in relation to His love and as a means to increase it. No one else should be feared or hoped for, relied upon, desired, or dreaded. Oaths should be sworn only by His name, warnings should be given only for Him, repentance should be made only to Him, obedience should be given only according to His command, acts should be accounted for only in His name, help in hardships should be sought only from Him, refuge should be taken only with Him, prostration should be made only to Him, and sacrifices should be made only for Him and in His name. All of this is contained in one phrase: that no one should be worshiped in all forms of worship except Him. This is the realization of the testimony of "There is no god but Allah". For this reason, Allah has forbidden Hell for those who sincerely testify that "There is no god but Allah". It is impossible for someone who has truly realized this testimony and acts upon it, as Allah Almighty says: {And those who are in their testimonies upright} [Al-Ma'arij: 33]‎, to enter Hell . One must uphold this testimony both internally and externally, in heart and form.

The implications of this testimony are that you must believe in what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has conveyed, comply with his commands, avoid what he has prohibited and warned against, worship Allah only in the way He has prescribed, and not believe that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has any right to divinity or control over the universe, or any right to be worshiped. He (peace and blessings be upon him) is a servant who is not to be worshiped, a Messenger who is not to be disbelieved, and he does not possess any power to benefit or harm himself or others except as Allah wills.

"There is no god but Allah" has been known among Muslims as the "Word of Monotheism," the "Word of Sincerity," and the "Word of Piety." It was a declaration of revolution against the tyrants of the earth and the idols of ignorance, a revolt against all false gods and idols, whether they were trees, stones, or humans. "There is no god but Allah" was a global call to liberate humanity from the servitude of other humans, nature, and all created beings. It was the banner of Allah’s methodology, to which all faces must submit, all hearts must be devoted to His judgment, and to which all must yield.

Episode references:

- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 40-45.

- Standard Quranic proverbs for belief in Allah, Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al-Jarbou, Deanship of Scientific Research at the Islamic University, Medina, 1st ed., 2003, 1/233.

- The Sufficient Answer for Those Who Ask About the Healing Medicine, Muhammad bin Abi Bakr Ibn al-Qayyim, Dar al-Ma’rifah, Morocco, 1st ed., 1997, p. 139.

- With Allah, Al-Awda, previous reference, pp. 36-37.

- The Pure Creed, Sayyid Saeed Abdul Ghani, Dar Taiba Al-Khadra, 1434 AH, p. 260.

- Faith and Life, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Al-Risala Foundation, 4th ed., 1399 AH, p. 31.

For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:

The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi: