The Testimony of Faith:

Tawheed

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

The Testimony of Faith:

Tawheed
A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Table of Contents
Pages
1. Introduction to Tawheed........................................................... 1
3. Lordship..................................................................................... 4
4. Worship..................................................................................... 9
5. Names and Attributes of Allah

.......................................... 14

6. Benefits of Tawheed................................................................ 17
7. Shirk........................................................................................ 19
8. Other Important Matters Related to Tawheed and Shirk........ 25
9. Summary of Key Points........................................................... 38

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Introduction to Tawheed

Laa-ilaaha-illallaah

his statement is the Expression of Faith, which means There is

no god worthy of worship except Allah (Alone). This statement is
known as the Shahadah. It is this very statement that Allah
sent
to all His Prophets and Messengers, the last of whom was Prophet
Muhammad .
The Shahadah consists of 2 parts:
1. To believe that none is worthy of worship but Allah .
2. To believe that the Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of
Allah .
The Shahadah has the following 8 conditions:
1. Knowledge
One must have knowledge of the meaning of the Shahadah and the
actions it requires.

The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

2. Certainty
One must believe in the Shahadah with certainty, without any doubt,
that Allah
(Alone) is the Lord of the Worlds, and He (Alone) is
worthy of worship and that Prophet Muhammad is His Messenger.
3. Acceptance
One must accept the statement and not reject it.
4. Submission
One must obey (through actions) and totally submit to all of Allahs
Commands.
5. Truthfulness
One must say the Shahadah sincerely from the heart and not deny it.
This is unlike the hypocrites, who say the Shahadah on their tongues
but deny it in their hearts.
6. Sincerity
One must have the sincere intention to worship Allah
follow the Prophet Muhammad .

(Alone) and

7. Love
One must love Allah , His Messenger , and also love the deeds
that Allah
loves, and those who love all of them from the Muslims.
8. Disbelief
One must disbelieve in anything or anyone that is worshipped
besides Allah .
This booklet will aim to explain Tawheed or the Oneness of Allah
and how we are required to act upon it in our daily lives.

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

What is Tawheed?

Tawheed (Monotheism/Oneness of Allah) means to single out Allah

as the One and Only True God in our belief and in our worship. In
order to complete Tawheed, we must single out Allah
(Alone) in
all of the following three categories of Tawheed:
yy Lordship (Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyah)
yy Worship (Tawheed Al-Uloohiyah)
yy Names and Attributes (Tawheed Al-Asmaa wa As-Sifaat)

The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Lordship

t is to believe that Allah

(Alone) is the only One Lord and Master
of everything that is in the heavens and the earth, such as humans,
angels, the universe, plants, animals, etc. He (Alone) is the Creator of
all creation and has the right to be obeyed. He (Alone) is the Provider
and Sustainer of everything that is in the heavens and the earth.
Some of the proofs for Allahs Existence are:
1. Fitrah (the natural instinct in everyone to automatically believe
in a One true God).
This natural instinct is evident when one is facing a calamity and they
have no other means of relief in sight. Allah
says in the Quran:

...Till when you are in the ships, and they sail with them with
a favourable wind, and they are glad therein, then comes a
stormy wind and the waves come to them from all sides, and
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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

they think that they are encircled therein. Then they invoke
Allah, making their faith pure for Him Alone (saying), If You
(Allah) deliver us from this, we will most certainly be of the
grateful ones. (10 : 22)
2. Purpose for sending Prophets and Messengers
Every nation since the beginning of creation has been sent a Prophet
by Allah
until Prophet Muhammad , who was the last Prophet
of Allah
sent to all of mankind. All of the Messengers delivered
the same message of Tawheed.
In the Quran, Allah

says:

And verily, We have sent among every nation a Messenger with
the command: Worship Allah (Alone) and avoid worshipping
others besides Allah. (16 : 36)
In the story of Ibrahim (Abraham)
, Ibrahims father was an idol
maker. Since Ibrahim
believed in Allah
(Alone), he asked
his father why they worshipped idols who could not benefit them
at all. His father replied by saying that they had inherited this from
their forefathers. Ibrahim
told his father, He and his forefathers
were led astray in doing so.
Ibrahim
then said, Your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the
earth. The One who has created you.
One day the people around him were going to a celebration and no
one was present around their idols. So Ibrahim
went to their
deserted temple and smashed all the idols with an axe except the
biggest one out of them. He then placed the axe with the biggest
idol and in this way it appeared as if the biggest idol had smashed
the rest of the idols. When the people returned they saw what
had happened, they suspected Ibrahim
due to him preaching
against idol worship. When they questioned Ibrahim
, he told
them to ask the biggest idol with the axe. The idol worshippers got
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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

angry because they knew that the idol could not speak or defend
itself. Ibrahim
then said, Why do you then worship these idols
instead of Allah? The idols could neither benefit nor harm you.
We also see in the discussion between Moosa (Moses)
and the
Firawn (Pharaoh) about the Oneness of Allah
, Allah
tells us
in the Quran:

Firawn said, And what is the Lord of the worlds? Moosa said,
The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between
them, if you seek to be convinced with certainty. Firawn said to
those around, Do you not hear what He says? Moosa said, Your
Lord and the Lord of your ancient father! Firawn said, Verily,
your Messenger who was sent to you is a madman! Moosa said,
Lord of the east and the west, and all that is between them, if you
did but understand! Firawn said, If you choose a god other than
me, I will certainly put you with the prisoners.(26:23-29)
(26:23-29
The manner in which the Prophets delivered the message of
Tawheed were similar in that they called the people to worship
Allah
alone.
3. In the Creation itself and its signs
The universe is a sign in and of itself that a Creator must exist. The
precision and the orderliness of creation necessitates that a true
perfect entity must have created it. Creation which exists must have
had a cause for its existence.

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Allah

says:

Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the

creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but
they have no firm belief. (52:35-36)3
This verse indicates to us the law of cause and effect. This law explains
that nothing can happen by itself without another thing causing it to
happen. Creation does not have the ability to exist without a cause.
In the past, there was a group of people who denied the existence
of a Creator, so they went and visited a scholar of Islam. The scholar
asked what they would say to a man who has claimed to have seen
a ship filled with cargo in the middle of the sea; with strong winds
and waves; with no sailor controlling the ship; yet the ship is sailing
smoothly. The people responded that seeing such is impossible.
The scholar then said that if its not possible for such a ship to sail
smoothly, then how is it possible that this world; with all of its
intricacies and complexities can exist without there being a Creator!
The people then repented and accepted the fact that there is a
Creator.
4. Common sense
Lastly, common sense is yet another proof for the existence of
God. It is only logical to believe that there must be an independent
Originator, that has no beginning nor end. The Creator is All Powerful;
who is neither overtaken by fatigue nor slumber; who has Created
all things which otherwise would not have come into being. For
we know that we did not create ourselves, nor did we come out of
nothing. Hence the only explanation for our cause of existence and
everything around us must be that there is a God.

The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Allah

says:

O mankind! What has made you careless about your Lord, the
Most Generous? Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and
gave you due proportion in whatever form He willed, He put you
together
)82:6-8(
Allah

also says:

Say (O, Muhammad ), He is Allah, the only One. Allah, the SelfSufficient Master, He begets not nor is He begotten. And there is
none co-equal or comparable to Him
)112:1-4(
We see that when one realizes that only Allah
is the Lord of the
worlds, the One who has all power and everything happens according
to His Will, then no matter what harm people may plan to cause, it
will only occur if Allah
Wills it to occur. He does whatever He
Wills and all His actions are full of wisdom. He (Alone) is the true God
worthy of worship. Anybody or anything that is worshipped besides
Him is nothing but falsehood.
Consequently, the Lordship of Allah
necessitates that He be
worshipped without any partners associated with Him. The Quran
not only proves the existence of God, but also concentrates on
proving that Allah
(Alone) is to be worshipped.
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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Worship

ince Allah
is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Owner, the
Provider, it necessitates that we worship Allah
(Alone). He
(Alone) is worthy of worship, so all our acts of worship are directed
to Him (Alone).
O mankind! Worship your Lord, who created you and those who
were before you so that you may become conscious of Me. Who has
made the earth as a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy,
and sent down rain from the sky and brought forth fruits as a
provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship)
while you know that He (Alone) has the right
to be worshipped
)2:21-22(
Allah

also says:

O mankind! Remember the Grace of Allah upon you! Is there any

creator other than Allah who provides for you from the sky and the
earth? None has the right to be worshipped but He. How then are
you turning away (from Him)? (35: 3)

The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Allah

also says:

I have not created Jinn nor Mankind

except to worship Me
)51:56(
All of our worship, whether big or small, must meet 2 conditions:
1. To follow what Allah
has Legislated and what His Messenger
Muhammad has ordered and taught us to do.
2. To follow what has been legislated with pure sincerity from
a heart full of love for Allah ; The Most Kind, The Most
Merciful.

And they were commanded not, but that they should worship
Allah, and worship none but Him Alone, and perform Prayers
and give Zakat: and that is the right religion. (98: 5)
There must be no intermediaries between you and Allah
(whether
they are alive or dead), as Allah
Rebukes those who do so. The
idolaters at the time of Prophet Muhammad acknowledged many
aspects of Allahs
Lordship, however, when it came to worshipping
Him Alone, they did not do this. This lack in worshipping Allah
(Alone) is what the revelation of the Quran came to change.
The proof from the Quran that the idolaters used to believe in
Allahs Lordship:

Say, Who is it that gives you sustenance from the sky and earth,
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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Who governs the sight and hearing, and Who brings forth life from
dead and death from the living; and plans the affairs of man?
They will all say, Allah..... (10: 31)
This verse shows that even though they acknowledged that
Allah
alone was the Creator, the Sustainer, they were considered
as disbelievers because they worshipped other gods along with their
worship of Allah.
Allah

also says:

...Do you worship besides Allah that which does not help you at
all or harm you? (21: 66)

Those on whom you call besides Allah are only slaves like
yourselves... (7: 194)

There are among men those who take for worship others
besides Allah as equals to Him. They love them as they should
only love Allah. But those who believe have a much greater
love of Allah... (2: 165)
When the idolaters at the time of Prophet Muhammad
asked about why they pray to their idols, they replied:

were

Surely, the religion is for Allah (Alone). And those who take
gods other than Him (say), We worship them only that they
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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

may bring us near to Allah. Verily, Allah will judge between

them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly, Allah guides
not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever. (39: 3)
This verse shows that these idols were only used as intermediaries
and so Allah
called them disbelievers.

Worshipping In Islam

The meaning of the testification of faith (Shahadah) is: There is no

deity worthy of our worship except Allah. Unfortunately, like the
Arab idolaters, many Muslims around the world are guilty of taking
intermediaries with Allah
through their saints, deceased people,
amulets and others objects. Also note that even Satan (Shaitaan)
believes in Allahs
Lordship yet he is a disbeliever!

Allah

says in the Quran:

Like the example of the shaitaan when he says to man,
Disbelieve! Then when man disbelieves, shaitaan says,
Indeed I am free of you; indeed I fear Allah the Lord of all the
worlds. (59: 16)
The following are some of the most common acts of worship
which must be directed sincerely to Allah (Alone):
Offering prayers (The Salah)
Fasting in the sacred month of Ramadan
Slaughtering animals with the name of Allah
Supplicating to Allah
for ones needs and wants
Putting ones trust in Allah
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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Having patience
Seeking blessings
Reading the Quran
All acts of worship are driven by our love, fear and hope of Allah
. We fear His punishment, hence we stay away from that which
is impermissible and immoral in His sight and fulfill our obligations.
At the same time, we are hopeful for His rewards and His mercy.
Ultimately, what drives us to worship Him (Alone), is our love for
Him.

...And they hope for His Mercy and fear His Torment...
(17: 57)

Allah

also says about the family of Zakariya (Zachariya)

...Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds they used to

call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves
before Us. (21: 90)

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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Names and Attributes

of Allah

his category of Tawheed refers to ascribing uniqueness to

Names and Attributes. He has the Most Beautiful
Allahs
Names and absolutely perfect Attributes (which are unique to Him
alone).
Allah

commands us to call Him by them:

And the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him
by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny His
Names... (7: 180)
It is mandatory to believe in His Names & Attributes without altering
their meanings and without likening any of them to any of His
Creation.
describes Himself as the All-Hearing and
For example, Allah
the All-Seeing. He also describes us to have hearing and seeing but
attributes are absolute and
they are not similar because Allahs
uniquely perfect!
Mankind cannot be given the attributes of Allah
attributes are unique and specific to Him.
Allahs
14

because

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

From the Quran:

...There is nothing like Him, and He is the Hearer and Seer of
all. (42: 11)
Names and Attributes must be from references in
Allahs
the Quran or in the Hadith (Prophetic narrations) of Prophet
Muhammad .
For example:
Ar-Rahman (the Most Beneficent)
Ar-Rahim (The Most Merciful)
As-Samee (The All-Hearing)
Al-Baseer (All-Seeing)
as He has referred to Himself without
One must refer to Allah
using any new names or attributes. For example, one may NOT use
Himself
the name Al-Ghadib (The Angry One) even though Allah
has said that He gets angry, but this specific name is not used in the
Quran or in the narrations of Prophet Muhammad . It is highly
recommended that when one makes dua (supplication) to Allah ,
he/she uses one of the relevant Names and Attributes. For example,
O Ar-Rahim (The Most Merciful), have mercy on me.
are infinite in number, but
The Names and Attributes of Allah
there are 99 of them which are special. The Prophet said,
To Allah belong 99 names, one hundred less one, whoever
believes in their meaning (and acts upon them)will enter
Paradise. (Bukhari and Muslim)
The Messenger of Allah

used to say at times of distress:

Laa ilaaha illaallah al-Azeem al-Haleem, laa ilaaha

illaallah Rabb ul-Arsh il-Azeem, Laa ilaaha illaallah Rabb ussamawaati wa Rabb ul-ard, Rabb ul-Arsh il-kareem.

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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

(There is no god worthy or worship except Allah, the Most

Great, the Ever Forbearing, there is no god worthy of worship
except Allah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, there is no god
worthy of worship except Allah, the Lord of the heavens and
the Lord of the earth, Lord of the Noble Throne). (Bukhari and
Muslim)
heard a man say, O
It is also narrated that the Prophet
Allah, I ask of You by the fact that You are Allah, there is no
god except You, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, who begets
not, nor was He begotten, and there is none like or comparable
said, He called upon Allah by His
to Him. The Prophet
Greatest Name, which if He is asked by it, He grants, and if He
is called upon by it, He responds. (Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood)1
This narration indicates that the greatest Name for God is Allah . It
has been repeated in the Quran 2697 times.

1. Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/703, Hadith No. 2289.

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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Benefits of Tawheed

nyone who fails to meet any one or more of the three categories
of Tawheed has failed to fulfill the requirements of Tawheed.
Tawheed teaches us about Allah
and the purpose of our life.
It teaches us to worship Allah
(Alone) without associating any
partners with Him. Those who have a firm understanding of Tawheed
in their hearts and obey Allah
, by following the Quran and His
Messenger , will have their sins expiated (and enter Paradise).
The Prophet said,
Whoever testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but
Allah Alone Who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His
Servant and His Messenger, and that Jesus is Allahs Servant
and His Messenger, His Word which He bestowed on Mary and
a spirit (created at a command) from Him, and that Paradise
is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise with
the deeds which he had done. (Bukhari, Muslim, At-Tirmidhi
and Ahmad)
The Prophet

said,

...Allah
has forbidden the Hellfire (to touch) those who
say There is no deity but Allah, only for the sake of Allah.
(Bukhari and Muslim)
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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

The Prophet

said,

Moses said, O My Lord! Teach me an invocation with which

I should remember and invoke You. Almighty Allah said, Say:
There is no deity but Allah. Moses said, O My Lord! All Your
servants say this invocation. Almighty Allah replied, O Moses!
If the seven heavens, their inhabitants, other than Me, and the
seven earths were to be in a scale, and the statement There
is no deity but Allah were to be in the other end of the scale,
the latter would definitely outweigh them. (Ibn Hibban and
Al-Hakim)
If a person meets Allah
with pure Tawheed and their sins are
equivalent to all of creation, then their Tawheed will outweigh their
sins. In order to ensure that we adhere to Tawheed, we must refrain
from its opposite, Shirk or associating partners with Allah .

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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Shirk

hirk (polytheism) is the opposite of Tawheed. It is to associate

a partner (or partners) in any form with Allah
. One commits
Shirk by giving one of the rights of Allah
to anything other than
Him. It is the worst of all sins. Allah
says:

And when Luqman said to his son while he cautioned him: O

my son! Do not associate partners with Allah, for associating
partners with Allah is a grievous wrong. (31: 13)
Also Allah

says:

...Sodonot make, along with Allah, partners while you know
thatHe is the true Creator). (2: 22)
Learning about Shirk is very important so one can stay away from
it. After one has accepted Tawheed, one fears of falling into Shirk,
therefore, one should ask Allah
for protection from Shirk. One
tries to learn about Shirk in its various forms and also about actions
that can lead to Shirk.
The act of Shirk was feared by the best amongst mankind. In the
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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Quran, we find:

My Lord, make this city (Makkah) secure and keep me and my

sons away from worshipping idols. (14 : 35)

The verse shows that Ibrahim (Abraham)

also feared Shirk, as
such we should also supplicate to Allah
to be safe from Shirk as
done by Ibrahim
.
Shirk is the ONLY sin that will not be forgiven if one dies without
repenting for it.
From the Quran:

...Whoever does Shirk with Allah, Allah has made Paradise

forbidden for them and the Fire will be his abode...
(5 : 72)

And indeed it has been revealed to you (O Muhammad ), as

it was to those before you: If you join others in worship with
Allah, then surely all your deeds will be in vain, and you will
certainly be among the losers. (39 : 65)

Surely Allah will not forgive the association of partners with

Him, but He forgives sins less than that of whomever He
wishes... (4 : 48)

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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

There are 3 categories of Shirk:

yy Major Shirk (Ash-Shirk Al-Akbar)
yy Minor Shirk (Ash-Shirk Al-Asghar)
yy Hidden Shirk (Ash-Shirk Al-Khafi) - can either be Major Shirk or
Minor Shirk

Major Shirk

Major Shirk is to direct an act of worship to anything or anyone other

than Allah . Committing an act of Major Shirk takes one out of the
fold of Islam and is the most serious form of Shirk. There are more
than 500 verses in the Quran warning against shirk. The Messengers
were specially sent by Allah
to warn mankind to stay away from
this type of Shirk, as Allah
says in the Quran:

Surely We have Sent to every nation a messenger saying,
worship Allah and avoid taghut... (16 : 36)
Taghut in this verse refers to anything or anyone that is worshipped
besides Allah
. This can include: idols, worship of animals,
worshipping humans and so on.
Allah
also says in the Quran:

Have you not seen the one who takes his desires as his god?...
(25 : 43)

Major Shirk is the greatest of all sins. There are even Muslims
who commit Major Shirk by praying to Prophet Muhammad
or
to their saints, believing that they have the ability to answer their
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supplications. Allah

has clearly warned against this in the Quran:

Say, Think to yourselves; if there came upon you Allahs

Punishment or the Final Hour, would you then call on other
than Allah? (6 : 40)
The following are some of the most common acts of committing
Major Shirk:
Supplicating to anyone or anything other than Allah .
Directing acts of worship to anyone or anything other than
Allah
.
Prostrating to anyone or anything other than Allah .
has
Obeying anyone else which goes against what Allah
commanded.
Showing love which is due to Allah
(Alone) to anything or
anyone other than Him.

Minor Shirk

Minor Shirk is an action or statement that has been given the name
of Shirk in the Quran and Sunnah (Prophetic teachings), but it is
less than Major Shirk because it does not take a person out of the
fold of Islam. Nevertheless, Minor Shirk makes a persons Tawheed
deficient.
One Must not be fooled by the word Minor!
In the Quran or Sunnah (Prophetic teachings), unless specified,
whenever Shirk is mentioned, it refers to both Major and Minor Shirk.
Also note that Minor Shirk is still worse than a Major Sin because, as
mentioned previously, if one was to die without repenting, Allah
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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

may Forgive a person who committed a major sin as long as they did
not commit any Shirk (Major or Minor).
The following are some of the most common acts of committing
Minor Shirk:
Taking an oath by anyone or anything other than Allah .
Wearing rings, amulets, threads or any other object thinking that
it is a means of protection with Allah .
Showing off in acts of worship so that you may be praised and
not doing the acts of worship sincerely for Allah
(Alone).
Prophet Muhammad

said,

The most dreadful sin I am afraid you may do is Minor Shirk:

it is doing good deeds to show-off. (Ahmad)
This narration shows that beautifying ones acts of worship for
someone else (Riyaa) is Minor Shirk. This also nullifies any benefit in
a righteous act of worship. It is natural for someone wanting to hear
praiseworthy remarks about themselves so falling into riyaa is very
easy and making it even more dangerous.
Since Riyaa is hidden, it involves one changing their inner intention,
it is also part of the third category of Shirk (Hidden Shirk).

Hidden Shirk

Hidden Shirk may either be Major or Minor Shirk. It can be Major

Shirk, as done by the hypocrites who hide their false beliefs and
outwardly act as if they are Muslim but they worship others besides
Allah
. On the other hand, it can be Minor Shirk, when one is
doing good deeds to show-off (as mentioned previously).

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In order to ensure that ones intentions remain pure, one should

regularly make supplications to Allah
before any act of
worship. Many supplications have been prescribed by The Prophet
Muhammad
which can be found in books such as Hisnul
Muslim (Fortress of a Muslim). Saying these supplications
regularly ensures that one develops awareness of
Allah , which ultimately ensures that ones intentions always stay
pure for Allah
(Alone).
The Prophet
Shirk:

taught us the supplication to protect oneself from

Allahuma inna naoodhu bika an-nushrika shayan nalamuh,

wa nastaghfiruka lima la nalamuh.
(O Allah, we seek refuge in You from knowingly committing
Shirk with you, and we ask Your forgiveness for what we do
not know about).

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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Other Important Matters

Related to
Tawheed and Shirk
Wearing Rings, Amulets and Such for
Removing Harm

f a person wears an amulet or ring for removing harm, their heart is

attached to this amulet or ring. They think that the ring or amulet is
a means for warding off evil and this constitutes Minor Shirk.

However, if the person believes that the ring or amulet itself is the
source (and not the means) for warding off evil, then this person
has ascribed something which belongs only to Allah
(the ability
to ward off any evil) and this is Major Shirk. This shows how Minor
Shirk can lead to Major Shirk, so one should not be fooled by the
word Minor!
The scholars of Islam say that the way for warding off evil must be:
In the Quran and Sunnah (Prophetic narrations)
Well-known or observed and not any supernatural way

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Allah

says:

Say, Then have you considered what you call upon besides
Allah? If Allah intended me harm, are they removers of His
harm; or if He intended me mercy, are they withholders of His
mercy? Say, Sufficient for me is Allah; upon Him rely the wise
reliers. (39: 38)
This verse establishes that none can bring benefit other than
Allah and none can harm besides Allah .
The Prophet

said,

If a person uses an amulet, may Allah not fulfill his purpose,

and if he uses a seashell (to protect him), may Allah not grant
him calmness. (Ahmad)
The Prophet

said,

Whoever uses an amulet has done an act of Shirk. (Ahmad)

Wearing Rings, Amulets and such with verses from the Quran
Rings, amulets and such that have verses from the Quran on them
were disallowed by some of the companions of Prophet
such as
Ibn Masoud and Ibn Abbas . Furthermore, the evidences and the
narrations do not make a distinction between rings and amulets that
have verses of the Quran and those that do not. We also know that
the Prophet never wore any such thing to ward off evil. One can
protect oneself from evil by reciting the Quran, rather than wearing
it as a charm. One of the remedies to ward off evil which has been
taught to us by the Prophet
is to recite the following verse from
the Quran (this verse is known as Ayatul Kursi):

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A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever
Living, the One Who Sustains and Protects all that exists.
Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs
whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is
he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission?
He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world,
and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will
never encompass anything of His Knowledge except that which
He wills. His Chair extends over the heavens and the earth, and
He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is
the Most High, the Most Great. (2: 255)

Blessings

Blessings (Barakah) is presence of goodness in something. Allah

has blessed certain times, such as the last 10 nights of the month
of fasting or the day of Friday. Allah
has also blessed certain
places, for example Makkah and Madinah, as well as certain food,
such as dates and olives. Allah
has also blessed certain people for
example the Prophet .
Blessings come only from Allah , one can seek these Blessings by
supplicating to Him in times and places that are blessed. For example,
supplicating to Allah
during the last 10 nights of the month
of fasting. One may also seek blessings by increasing worship of
Allah
and decreasing or abandoning ones sins.
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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Seeking blessings is often misunderstood and it can lead to Shirk.

Since blessings are from Allah
(Alone), one cannot seek blessings
from people; dead or alive. However, one is allowed to seek blessings
from the Prophets of Allah , but only while they are alive (hence
it does not apply in our time).
The companions of Prophet Muhammad
used to seek blessings
from the Prophet
while he was alive. After the death of
Prophet
, the companions did not seek blessings from the
Prophet .
The companions of the Prophet also did not seek blessings from
each other. Also note that the blessings of the Prophet were only
possible with Allahs
Permission and Will (Alone).
One is not allowed to seek blessings from objects. The key concept
to remember is that blessings only come from Allah
(Alone).
Seeking blessings from objects like trees and stones can be Major or
Minor Shirk.
If one believes that an object itself is the source of blessing then
this is Major Shirk.
If one believes that an object is a means to seek blessings from
Allah
then this is Minor Shirk.
Before the coming of the Prophet Muhammad , there was a
man by the name of Al-Lat who used to give food to the pilgrims of
Makkah. After he died, the people named the rock where he used to
stand and give food from, Al-Lat, to honour him. Over time, people
started to seek blessings from this rock called Al-Lat. Later on,
people actually started worshipping the rock i.e. they fell into Shirk!
Allah

28

says:

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

So have you considered Al-Lat and Al-Uzza? And Manah, the
third the other one? Is for you the male and for Him the
female? That, then, is an unjust division. They are not but
names you have named them you and your forefathers
for which Allah has sent down no authority. They follow not
except assumption and what their souls desire, and there has
already come to them from their Lord guidance.
(53: 19-23)
Abu Waqid Al-Laythi

narrated,

We went along with the Prophet to Hunayn. At that time,

we were new converts to Islam. The disbelievers had a lot
tree for adoration. They used to attach their arms to the tree
seeking its blessings. Afterwards, we passed by another lot
tree and said, O Messenger of Allah! Let this tree be a source
of blessings for our arms as the disbelievers used to do. The
Prophet
exclaimed, Allah is the Greatest! By the One in
whose Hand my life is, you have said the same as the children of
Israel said to Moses
(7: 138). You will follow the mistakes
of those before you i.e the People of the Book. (At-Tirmidhi)
The companions knew blessings are from Allah
, but wanted to
use the tree as a means of getting the blessings, which is Minor Shirk.

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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Intercession

The Arab idolaters at the time of the Prophet

used to say that
we believe in Allahs
Lordship, but our intercessors are closer to
Allah
so we ask them to intercede for us. It is Major Shirk to
believe that these intercessors can influence Allah
in any way,
and so seeking intercession from creation is pointless. Only if Allah
permits the intercessor to intercede (while they are alive), then
intercession can take place.
Allah

Says:

Say, To Allah belongs the right to allow intercession entirely
(39: 44)

...Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His

permission? (2: 255)

And how many angels there are in the heavens whose
intercession will not avail at all except only after Allah has
allowed to whom He wills and approves. (53:26)
permission,
Even the Angels cannot intercede without Allahs
then what about the false deities! Ones heart should be attached to
Allah
(Alone) if they want this intercession because it belongs to
Him, hence, one should adhere to pure Tawheed.

30

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

The Quran says:

Say, O Muhammad, Invoke those you claim as deities besides

Allah. They do not possess an atoms weight of ability in the
heavens or on the earth, and they do not have therein any
partnership (with Allah), nor is there for Him from among
them any assistant. And intercession does not benefit with Him
except for one whom He permits... (34: 22-23)

Some of the scholars say that this verse cuts to the roots of Shirk.
In this verse:
Allah
rejects the claim that these false deities have power.
Allah
rejects the claim that these false deities assist Him.
Allah
rejects the claim that these false deities share power
with Him.
Allah
rejects the claim that these false deities can intercede.

Fortune Tellers

Islam has prohibited us to visit fortune tellers; even if we do not

believe in what they say. The Prophet said,
The prayer of whoever visits a fortune teller and asks him
about anything (even out of curiosity) will not be accepted for
40 days and nights. (Muslim)
There is such a strong prohibition for visiting and asking fortune
tellers because it is the first step in actually believing what the
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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

fortune tellers tell us. Especially if what they tell us becomes true,
one will incline towards believing in the fortune teller. Also note that
the obligation to pray still remains during those 40 days and nights,
but one will not be rewarded for those prayers.
If one actually believes what a fortune teller says is true, i.e. one
claims that a fortune teller has knowledge of the future and the
unseen, then that person has disbelieved. Such a person is assigning
an attribute of Allah
(knowledge of the future and the unseen) to
the fortune teller.
The Prophet

said,

Whoever visits a fortune teller and believes what he

says, then he has disbelieved in what was revealed to
Muhammad . (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Baihaqi)
Allah
says in the Quran that only He, and not even Prophet
Muhammad , knows of the unseen:

With Him are the keys to the unseen, and none knows it except
Him (Alone)... (6: 59)

Say (O Muhammad), I have neither power to bring good to
myself nor remove harm but it is only as Allah Wills. If it were
that I knew the unseen, I would have multiplied the good and
no evil would have touched me... (7: 188)

Say, None in the Heavens nor the Earth know the unseen
except Allah... (27: 65)
32

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Horoscopes

Similar to fortune tellers, visiting an astrologer or reading about their

findings, which includes horoscopes, is also prohibited. Astrology
is mainly used for predicting the future, hence, it is very similar to
fortune telling. The one who reads or asks for ones horoscope also
falls under the same rulings:
The Prophet

said,

The prayer of whoever visits a fortune teller and asks him

about anything will not be accepted for 40 days and nights.
(Muslim)
The Prophet

said,

Whoever visits a fortune teller and believes what he

says, then he has disbelieved in what was revealed to
Muhammad . (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Baihaqi)
It is unfortunate that many Muslims around the world base their
decisions and actions according to horoscopes. In many cultures,
an astrologer or a saint is consulted before fixing a wedding date
to ensure that the wedding takes place on an auspicious day. This
goes against the teachings of Islam.
The Prophet
has prescribed for us a supplication that we can
make after praying two units of non-obligatory prayer while seeking
guidance from Allah
in making a decision (The Istikhaarah Prayer).
One can make this supplication for any decision-making matters
related to marriage, business, when purchasing property, when
selecting a college or university to attend and so on.

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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Jabir

narrates:
used to teach us the Istikhaarah for each
The Prophet
and every matter as he
used to teach us the Surahs from
the Quran. He
used to say, If anyone of you intends to do
something, he should offer two units of prayer other than the
obligatory prayer, and then say:
Allahumma inni astakhiruka biilmika, wa astaq-diruka
biqudratika, wa asaluka min fadlikal-azim, fa innaka taqdiru
wala aqdiru, wa talamu wala alamu, wa antaallamulghuyub. Allahumma in kunta talamu anna hadha-lamra
(name your matter) khairun li fi dini wa maashi wa aqibati
amri (or say: fi ajili amri wa ajilihi) fa-qdurhu li, Wa in junta
talamu anna ha-dha-l-amra sharrun li fi dini wa maashi wa
aqibati amri (or say, fi ajili amri wa ajilihi) fasrifhu anni
was-rifni anhu wa aqdur li alkhaira haithu kana, thumma
Raddani bihi.
(O Allah! I consult You, for You have all knowledge, and appeal
to You to support me with Your Power and ask for Your Bounty,
for You are able to do things while I am not, and You know
while I do not; and You are the Knower of the Unseen. O Allah
If You know It this matter (name your matter) is good for me
both at present and in the future, (or say, in my religion), in
my this life and in the Hereafter, then fulfill it for me and make
it easy for me, and then bestow Your Blessings on me in that
matter. O Allah! If You know that this matter is not good for
me in my religion, in my this life and in my coming Hereafter
(or say, at present or in the future), then divert me from it and
choose for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me
be pleased with it). (Bukhari)

Where is Allah
So where is Allah
? Allah
says that He is above His Throne.
is the Most High; He is Raised high above all of His creation,
Allah
regardless of where that creation is.
34

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

Allah

Says:

Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven will not
cause the earth to sink with you, and then it should quake?
Or do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven will not
send against you strong winds?... (67: 16-17)

The Angels and the Ruh (Gabriel) ascend to Him...

(70: 4)

And this (the Quran) is a blessed Book which We have sent
down... (6: 92)

Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High. (87: 1)
From verses from the Quran:

...His Chair extends over the heavens and the earth, and He
Feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is
the Most High, the Most Great. (2: 255)

They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are
commanded. (16: 50)
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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

The Prophet

praised Allah

in his supplication,

And You are, and there is none above You. (Muslim)

Also note that there is no contradiction between Allah
being
above all of His creation, and Him saying that He is near to us.
says:
Allah

When My slaves ask you regarding Me, indeed I am close. I

answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls upon me.
So let them also listen to My call and believe in Me so that they
may be guided. (2: 186)
The Prophet

said,

O People! Take hold of your-selves, for verily you are not

calling upon one that is deaf or absent, rather you are calling
upon the All-Hearing, the Near. Verily, the One that you are
calling upon is closer to you than the neck of your riding
beast. (Muslim)
When Allah
says that He is close or near, this means that Allah
is near in reality to those whom He Wills from amongst His
supplicants, while being seperate from His creation and still being
established above His Throne. It denotes that Allah
knows the
secrets of the people. He is with His creation by His knowledge and
power. He is the All-Knowing and the All-Seeing.

He is the First and the Last, the Most High and the Most Near.
And He is the All-Knower of everything. (57: 3)

36

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

From this verse, we can see:

He is the First, so nothing is before Him
He is the Last, so nothing is after Him
He is the Most High, so nothing is above Him
He is the Most Near, so nothing is nearer than Him

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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Summary of Key Points

1. Tawheed is:
To single out Allah
in the fact that He is the True Lord, The
Sustainer, the Creator of everything that is in the heavens and the
earth.
To single out Allah
in all of our acts of worship.
To single out Allah
when addressing His Most Beautiful Names
and Absolutely Perfect Attributes.
2. All of the Prophets and Messengers were sent to their people to
call them to Tawheed.
3. Natural human instinct (fitrah), signs of creation and common
sense, all point to the fact that there is only One Creator.
Lordship, however,
4. The pagan Makkans believed in Allahs
they were not considered to be Muslims because they did not
single out Allah
in their worship.
5. Worship is anything that is pleasing to Allah , whether it is an
action or a statement, and it is driven by love, hope and fear of
Allah .
6. The testification of faith is defined as: there is no deity worthy of
worship besides Allah .
with pure Tawheed on the Final
7. A person who meets Allah
Day will have all of his sins removed and enter into Paradise.
38

A Summary of La-ilaha-illallah

8. Shirk is the opposite of Tawheed and it is when one gives the

rights of Allah
to anyone or anything other than Him.
9. Learning about Shirk is essential so one does not fall into it and
one is able to attain pure Tawheed.
10. Major Shirk is the most serious type of Shirk, however, one must
be careful not to fall into Minor Shirk either because it can lead
to Major Shirk.
to protect
11. One must constantly pray and supplicate to Allah
oneself from Shirk. Even the Prophets sent by Allah
used to
ask for Allahs
Protection from falling into Shirk.
(Alone) so it is
12. None can benefit nor harm besides Allah
prohibited to wear amulets, threads, rings and other charms to
ward off evil (even those that have verses from the Quran on
them).
13. Blessings and intercessions are only from Allah
(Alone), so
one should do righteous acts of worship and refrain from the
prohibited matters in order to attain them.
14. It is prohibited to visit fortune tellers, astrologers and read
horoscopes, even if one does not believe them.
15. All of the matters of the unseen are only known by Allah , the
All-Knowing.
is the Most High, so He is above His Throne and all of
16. Allah
His creation at all times in a manner that befits Him.

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The Testimony of Faith: Tawheed

Glossary
Subhanahu Wa Taalaa
glorified and exalted be He
SalAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam
May Allahs Peace and Blessings be upon him
Alayhis Sallam
Peace be upon him
Radi Allahu Anhu
May Allah be Pleased with him
Radi Allahu Anha
May Allah be Pleased with her
Radi Allahu Anhum
May Allah be Pleased with them

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