Introduction

Having read with special attention numerous Islamic books written on the Qur’an, Hadith, Islam, the history of the Muslim nation, and by several great thinkers of the present age, I have briefly compiled and presented to readers in this booklet the meaning and significance of Islam’s fundamental creed, the Kalimah Tayyibah, as I have understood them. It goes without saying that, in writing what has been stated in this booklet while explaining the meaning of the Kalimah in detail, I have written according to the firm conviction of my faith in my heart and mind. I firmly believe that unless one knows at least this much of the broad and detailed meaning of the Kalimah Tayyibah and believes it with one’s heart, one has neither truly known this fundamental creed of Islam nor can one fully believe in it. Moreover, it would not be possible to shape one’s practical life according to this Kalimah. For this reason, addressing the general body of Muslims, I have tried to explain the subject in language and words as simple as possible.

It is my heartfelt and earnest wish that Muslims of the present age will openly and comprehensively know, understand, and believe in this Kalimah, and, gaining from it a similarly immense revolutionary power as the Muslims of the early age did, will once again become invincible in the world. This booklet was first published in 1950. Over the past years, many editions of it have been completely sold out. Seeing that this booklet has been appreciated in society, I offer hundreds of thousands of thanks to Allah Most High.

Let me state one necessary point here. Human beings are formed amid error and mistakes. While writing the detailed meaning of the Kalimah, I may have made a mistake somewhere; that would be nothing unusual. Thoughtful readers will do me justice if they point out my mistakes to me. But it must be remembered that this explanation of the Kalimah has been written solely on the basis of the Qur’an and Hadith; therefore, its errors too must be proven only from the Qur’an and Hadith. Apart from these, I recognize no other standard for determining truth and falsehood or correctness and error.

Muhammad Abdur Rahim
1 June 1987

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ٢٤
تُؤْتِىٓ أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍۭ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ ٢٥

Have you not observed how Allah has explained by giving a parable? The Kalimah Tayyibah is like a pure, strong, excellent tree. Its root is firmly established deep in the (earth), and its branches extend into the vast sky. It continually yields its fruit at all times by the permission of its Allah—the Master. (Surah Ibrahim: 24 and 25)

بِسْمِ الله الرّحمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Kalimah Tayyibah

لآ اِلَهَ اِلّا اللّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُوُل اللّهِ

Introductory Remarks

The Kalimah Tayyibah is Islam’s fundamental declaration. No person can enter within the bounds of Islam without reciting this Kalimah. That is why, when a disbeliever or polytheist wishes to accept Islam, he must first recite this Kalimah. When a child is born in a Muslim household, the sound of this Kalimah is first made to reach his ears. In Muslim neighborhoods, five times during the day and night, the mu’adhdhin proclaims this Kalimah aloud and calls everyone to prayer. This Kalimah must be recited repeatedly during prayer. The Qur’an Sharif speaks of this Kalimah in many ways on page after page. From this alone one can understand how great the importance of the Kalimah is in Islam. Therefore, it is necessary for every Muslim to learn the meaning of this Kalimah very well.

Just as a tree cannot grow without sowing a seed, so the tree of Islam cannot possibly grow in the field of human life unless this Kalimah takes firm root in the human heart and mind. Just as a tree grows when its seed is sown and that tree has a trunk, branches, flowers, and fruit, so, unless Muslims understand the meaning of this Kalimah very well and accept it with heart and soul, such qualities as performing Islam’s prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and almsgiving; distinguishing between the lawful and the unlawful; and acting in every sphere and every matter of life with only Allah’s pleasure as their aim—these qualities, these qualities—can in no way blossom in the lives of Muslims.

If the seed is bad, no tree can sprout from it. Similarly, if a person does not knowingly and understandingly accept this Kalimah, or accepts an incorrect meaning of it, then it is in no way possible for him to live by Islam’s commands and injunctions.

If you conduct any transaction with someone else—whatever kind of transaction it may be—you must first settle an agreement with him firmly; otherwise your work cannot proceed properly. If you lend someone any money, you first make him acknowledge that, having taken the money, he will repay it on time and by such-and-such a date. Above all, that he will never deny having taken the money, and so on. You lend him money only if he acknowledges all these things; otherwise you do not lend even a penny to anyone.

If you let someone cultivate your land, you must make the necessary arrangement with him beforehand. If you yourself wish to cultivate or use someone else’s land, you must accept the landowner’s conditions and write out a deed of acceptance. In exactly the same way, since a Muslim must deal with Allah throughout his entire life, by reciting this Kalimah he finalizes with Allah an agreement concerning all the affairs of his life. If you sign a document without knowing what is written in it, you cannot possibly act according to its conditions, because you do not know which conditions of the document you accepted by signing it. Consequently, your conduct may go against the conditions of that document. In the same way, you entered within the bounds of Islam by reciting the Kalimah Tayyibah and considered yourself a Muslim and a servant of Allah; but you did not know which actions you had agreed to perform by reciting this Kalimah and which actions you had promised not to perform. Without this, your recitation of the Kalimah has no value at all. Allah cannot accept your recitation of this Kalimah. You cannot become a true ‘Muslim’ and ‘servant of Allah.’ None of the actions of your life can be carried out according to that Kalimah.

Indeed, this Kalimah is immense and magnificent in every respect. Allah Most High Himself has declared testimony to this Kalimah; all the angels and all the learned and virtuous among creation have acknowledged its truth. It is an incontrovertible symbol of a supremely true and correct declaration, justice, and righteousness. Whatever is declared by this Kalimah is true and genuine, fully consistent with reality. This is Islam’s fundamental declaration. No one can be a Muslim unless he knows the true message of this Kalimah, accepts it in his heart as the absolute truth, clearly declares its truth with his tongue, and is inwardly willing to follow it completely.

This Kalimah is a powerful declaration of the Tawhidi creed and a declaration of completely rejecting and denying the Shirk-based creed. Through this declaration a Muslim can be saved from the filth and grievous consequences of the Shirk-based creed.
To benefit from it fully, seven conditions must be fulfilled. First, knowledge—that is, knowing what is denied and what is affirmed by it. Second, firmly believing with heart and soul that what has been learned is true, without entertaining the slightest doubt about it. Third, having complete sincerity toward it—maintaining a firm and uncompromising attitude against shirk. Fourth, making its declaration with such truthfulness that not the slightest trace of hypocrisy remains in it. Fifth, cherishing devoted love and heartfelt affection for this Kalimah, and feeling joy in one’s heart because of it. Sixth, showing complete obedience to it and being prepared to fulfill its demands; being willing to perform all actions through which devotion to Allah is proved and His pleasure is attained. And seventh, being prepared with heart and soul to deny and reject everything opposed to it.

You can now clearly understand that just as no one can enter within the bounds of Islam without reciting the Kalimah Tayyibah, likewise no one can become a true Muslim or act like a Muslim merely by repeating it verbally without knowing its meaning. The sole reason why most Muslims in the present world do not follow Islam’s commands and injunctions, and, despite being ‘Muslims,’ act and behave like non-Muslims, is that although they recite the Kalimah and do believe in it, they do not know what they recite or what they believe. As a result, we see that millions upon millions of Muslims live in the world, yet most do not live their lives as true Muslims practicing Islam; rather, they are seen acting against Islam at every step. What could be more grievous than this?

Just as we cannot act like true Muslims because we recite the Kalimah without understanding its meaning, for the same reason we are also unable to receive Allah’s mercy. Consequently, we have fallen into various kinds of sorrow and calamity—we have reached the lowest limit of decline.

Therefore, if we now wish to become true Muslims again, if we wish to prosper in this world by receiving Allah’s mercy once more, and if we wish to appear before Allah in the Hereafter as genuine Muslims, then we must learn and understand the meaning of this Kalimah Tayyibah thoroughly and gradually shape and form our lives accordingly. For this reason, we are attempting here to write the detailed meaning of the Kalimah Tayyibah.

The Meaning of the Kalimah Tayyibah

You all know that the Kalimah Tayyibah is not something long and wide:

لا اله الا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ الله –

‘There is no ma’bud except Allah—Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah’s Messenger.’ This Kalimah has two parts:

The first part لا اله الا اللهُ

The second part مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله

The meaning of the first part: ‘There is no ma’bud—except Allah.’ That is, there is no ma’bud or lord besides Allah Most High whom one may serve or worship.

Allah Most High alone is the only ma’bud, Lord, and Master, worthy of being feared and obeyed. He is the Creator of the entire universe—we are His creation. He is the Lord of all—we are servants subject to Him. He is the Master of the entire universe and our Master as well. He alone must be feared. He alone is the object of worship. We acknowledge servitude only to Him, obey only Him, and follow only His law.

And the meaning of the second part: Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah’s Messenger; that is, Allah Most High sent Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the propagator and establisher of His ideal, and as the leader and guide of humankind.

As I said earlier, this Kalimah is the foundation of Islam. Upon it stands the great edifice of Islam’s many other commands and injunctions. Without it, that ‘edifice’ could neither be built nor stand for even a moment. The identification of Allah given in this Kalimah is Islam’s correct identification of Allah. Islam acknowledges as ‘Allah’ the Being in whom these attributes and qualities are present. Conversely, one in whom all these qualities are not present together can never be Allah; Islam is not prepared to acknowledge him as Allah.

By declaring Muhammad (peace be upon him) to be Allah’s Messenger, it is declared that he is not merely a human being named Muhammad (peace be upon him), but is also Allah’s Messenger, and this is his true identity. Secondly, to believe correctly in Allah, one must also believe correctly and completely in the Messenger named Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Explanation of the First Part

The first part of this Kalimah can be divided into two sections. The first is negative: there is no ma’bud—no lord or creator whatsoever. I fear no one, bow to no one, obey no one’s law, seek no one’s mercy, favor, or help, and acknowledge no one as possessing superior power. I worship and serve no one. If anyone wishes to exercise authority and influence over me in these respects, I reject that person. I am in revolt against everyone. I have no relationship with anyone. The second section is positive: in all these respects, I acknowledge and accept Allah alone.

Whenever a person recites this Kalimah, he thereby acknowledges that this world and all its living creatures and material things could not have come into existence without a Creator; all of it is the Creator’s creation, and that Creator is not many but only One. And that Creator is none other than Allah. The clear declaration of the Qur’an Majid states:

اللهُ الَّذِى خَلَقَ السَّمَوتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ

He is Allah, who created the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between the two in six periods of time. (Surah Sajdah: 4)

وَإِلَٰهُكُمْ إِلَٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ١٦٣45

Your ma’bud is the only ma’bud; there is no other ma’bud besides Him—He is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful. (Surah Baqarah: 163)

Allah Most High did not merely create the entire universe and leave it; rather, He also manages it properly and keeps it and all its living creatures alive and nourished by providing life-force and necessary sustenance, among other things. He has no partner in these matters either—nor does He have any helper.

Allah Most High is the Sustainer, Master, and Lord of the inhabitants of the entire universe. He alone is the owner of everything in the heavens and the earth and between them, and of all wealth, property, and riches.
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وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللهِ رِزْقُهَا –

The responsibility for providing food to all living beings in the world belongs to Allah Most High. (Hud: 6)

ذلِكُمُ الله رَبِّكُمْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَاعْبُدُوهُ ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ

He is your Allah, (the One possessing the qualities mentioned above); there is no other ma’bud besides Him. He is the Creator of every thing; therefore, serve Him alone—worship Him. He is responsible for every thing. (Surah An’am: 102)

The verses cited above clearly prove that there is a Creator of the entire universe, and that He is none other than Allah Most High. He is One and Unique; He alone is the Sustainer, Protector, Provider, and Lord of the entire universe. Therefore, it is the duty of all people to accept servitude to that One Allah alone, acknowledge Him alone as ma’bud and Lord, and not believe that anyone else possesses these qualities. This is the basic point of the Kalimah Tayyibah. The detailed meaning of the Kalimah Tayyibah is stated openly in the following two verses of the Qur’an Majid:

يَٰصَىٰحِبَىِ ٱلسِّجْنِ ءَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ ٣٩
مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَسْمَآءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَٰنٍ إِنِ ٱلْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٤٠

O people! Is it better to acknowledge diverse and multiple ma’buds, or is one truly Powerful and triumphant over all ma’bud better? Know that the things called ma’buds whose worship and service you perform apart from Allah are nothing but some meaningless names. You and your forefathers have devised those names—Allah has sent down no proof concerning them. Yet the right and power to issue commands and make laws belongs to no one except Allah alone. He has commanded everyone: worship and serve no one except Allah. This is the only true and firm din—a flawless and firmly established system of life. But many people do not know it. (Surah Yusuf: 39–40)

The meaning of the Kalimah Tayyibah has been explained very clearly in these two Qur’anic verses. The essence of these two verses may be divided into five parts.

First: the Oneness of Allah. By acknowledging one Allah, it is possible for people to attain happiness and peace in both their worldly and afterlife existence. By acknowledging multiple gods, it is entirely natural for human life to be destroyed by various sorrows and unrest.

Second: The idols and human lords whom the polytheists worship, adore, and serve instead of Allah are wholly baseless and unfounded; they are merely a collection of names. In reality, they have no existence at all, and Allah Most High did not give them those names—the polytheists themselves gave them. They possess not the slightest power to harm or benefit people. And if they lack such power, no one can be acknowledged as worthy of worship or service.

Third: The authority and right to formulate laws and regulations for human life, and to command or prohibit anything, belongs to no one except Allah alone. Those who acknowledge Allah alone can accept nothing except the law and regulations given by that One Allah. In their personal lives, society, and state, and in the use, enjoyment, spending, and distribution of their wealth and property, they will be obliged to follow only the rules and regulations given by Allah. For Allah Most High alone is the absolute owner of sovereignty, that is, supreme power. It cannot be given to anyone else.

Fourth: Allah Most High alone is everyone’s ma’bud; human beings are servants and slaves of Him alone. A person cannot acknowledge subjection to or obedience to anyone except Allah alone—nor can he worship or serve anyone else (perform worship and service).

Fifth and finally: the only everlasting and firm system for human beings is the way of life ordained for them by Allah through the combination of the four fundamental creeds mentioned above. No other religion of any view, principle, ideal, or way of life can be acceptable or everlasting for humanity—nor can it be a religion of peace and happiness. If anyone tries to change even one of its teachings, he is an open enemy of this religion. Needless to say, that firm religion is Islam alone.

Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said, addressing his father and his people:

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمُ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنَّنِى بَرَآءٌ مِّمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ ٢٦
إِلَّا ٱلَّذِى فَطَرَنِى فَإِنَّهُۥ سَيَهْدِينِ ٢٧

I declare myself free of everything that you worship and serve, and I have accepted only that Supreme Being who created me. Surely, He will guide me. (Surah Az-Zukhruf: 26 and 27)

Immediately afterward Allah said:

وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةًۢ بَاقِيَةً فِى عَقِبِهِۦ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ٢٨

He left that Kalimah (declaration) enduring among his descendants, so that those people might return to this way. (Surah Az-Zukhruf: 28)

By his first declaration, Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) rejected every ma’bud besides Allah and upheld only the acknowledgment of servitude to the Great Creator. Through such a declaration, he in fact declared, in different words, ‘La ilaha illallah,’ and made this very Kalimah an enduring declaration for all humanity. Indeed, through this Kalimah, Allah alone is acknowledged with regard to servitude and obedience, fear and awe, hope for mercy, and following the law; at the same time, shirk—acknowledging anyone besides Allah in these respects—is clearly rejected. This is Islam’s pure Tawhidi creed. No one can become a ‘Muslim’ without clearly and unreservedly acknowledging and accepting this creed. Allah Most High has commanded the acceptance of such a creed:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ اللهَ وَلَا أَشْرِكَ بِهِ : اِلَيْهِ ادْعُوا وَالَيْهِ مَابِ

Say, O Prophet! I have been commanded to be wholly a servant—to serve Allah alone; I will in no way associate anyone with Him. I call people toward Him, and in Him is my refuge and final return. (Surah Ra’d: 36)

Just as every person must adopt a personal creed, so he must also invite other people in society to accept the creed he has adopted and regards as the only truth. But this invitation can only be an invitation to accept complete servitude to Allah. Apart from this invitation, no one has the slightest right to issue any other call—to call people to deny Allah or associate partners with Him. The prophets and messengers were sent for this very purpose of giving this call, and throughout their lives they gave this call to the people of the world.

History of the Kalimah Tayyibah

Here ends the meaning and explanation of the first part of the Kalimah Tayyibah. We must now see whether everything stated in the first part of Islam’s Kalimah is something new in the world, or whether it has a history behind it. Its account will be found in the pages of the Qur’an itself.

Turning the pages of the Qur’an Sharif provides proof that the Oneness of Allah Most High is not a new idea in the world; rather, every prophet who came to the people of the world taught this very lesson to his own community and spread this very conception of Allah among them. In the Qur’an, Allah Most High says, addressing Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him):

وَمَا اَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ.

(O Muhammad!) To every prophet We sent before you, We revealed the command that there is no one worthy of worship, or lord, except Me. Therefore, accept the worship and servitude of Me alone. (Surah Al-Anbiya: 25)

From this verse it is undoubtedly clear that every prophet and messenger in the world conveyed the call to Tawhid. As examples, we quote here several historical verses.

1. Hazrat Nuh (peace be upon him) said to his contemporaries:

يقوم اعْبُدُوا اللهَ مَالَكُمْ مِنْ الهِ غَيْره

O people, accept the worship and servitude of Allah Most High alone, for you have no lord or deity except Him. (Surah Al-A’raf: 59)

2. Hazrat Yunus (peace be upon him) conveyed the call to Tawhid to his contemporaries for many days, but the people did not accept his call. At last, despairing, he left the land. On the way, he fell into the river and was compelled to enter the belly of a fish. While inside the fish, Hazrat Yunus (peace be upon him) recited this supplication:

اله الا انت سبحْنَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّلِمِينَ –

O Allah! There is no one worthy of worship except You. I declare only Your holiness and glory. Surely, I am one of the wrongdoers and sinners. (Surah Al-Anbiya: 87)

3. Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him), having conveyed the call to Tawhid to his contemporaries throughout his life, once said:

أغَيْرَ اللهِ آبغِيْكُمْ إِلْهَا وَهُوَ فَضَّلَكُمْ عَلَى الْعَلَمِينَ –

Shall I seek for you another deity besides Allah, although He alone has granted you superiority and honor over all the peoples of the world? (Surah Al-A’raf: 180)

4. Hazrat Salih (peace be upon him) called his people, saying:

يقَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللهَ مَالَكُمْ مِنْ الهِ غَيْره –

O people! Accept the worship and servitude of Allah Most High alone; you have no deity except Him.

5. Hazrat Shu’ayb (peace be upon him) said to his contemporaries:

اله غيره – يقَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللهَ مَالَكُمْ مِنْ

O my people! Worship and serve Allah Most High alone; you have no deity besides Him. (Surah Hud: 84)

When Hazrat Hud (peace be upon him) called them, saying, “O people! Worship and serve only one Allah; no one besides Him is worthy of your worship,” the people said:

وَحدَه وَنَذَرَ مَا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا اجنتنا لِنَعْبُدَ الله

Have you come to tell us that we should serve Allah alone and abandon those whom our forefathers worshipped? (Surah Al-A’raf: 70)

They were polytheists, worshipping others alongside Allah. They were unwilling to worship Allah alone exclusively. Servitude means worship, but it also means fearing and obeying the law.

Here I shall be content with mentioning these few verses.

The Qur’an also contains a general account of the call to Tawhid and the deeds of all the prophets and messengers whose names are mentioned in it. But if we were to mention all of this, the book would become too lengthy. Next, from the Qur’an itself, we shall see what message Allah Most High sent the final Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), to proclaim in the world.

Addressing Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), it was said:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا هُوَالهُ وَاحِدٌ وَاِنَّنِي بَرِى مِمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ –

(O Muhammad!) Say: He alone is the true deity—He is One and Unique—and I do not at all endorse your associating partners with Allah; I am completely free of that. (Surah Al-An’am: 19)

“Your associating partners with Allah” means that I do not accept at all those whom, alongside the One Allah, you regard as deities and worship; rather, my declaration is:

قُلْاهو ربيلاهو عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ مَتَابٍ –

Say: He is my Lord, Master, and Sovereign. There is no deity besides Him. In Him alone I place my complete trust, and to Him I turn. (Surah Ar-Ra’d: 30)

It is said elsewhere:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا يُوحَى إِلَى أَنَّمَا الْهُكُم إِلهُ وَاحِدٌ ، فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

Say (O Prophet!): It has been revealed to me that your deity—the Creator, Sustainer, and Master—is One alone. Will you then remain submissive and obedient to Him? (Surah Al-Anbiya: 108)

This verse explains it in still greater detail:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَى أَنَّمَا الْهُكُمُ الهُ وَاحِدٌ : فَمَنْ كَانَ
احدا يَرْجُوا لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ

Say (O Muhammad!): I am only a human being like you. But revelation comes to me that your deity is One alone. Therefore, whoever hopes to meet and attain the pleasure of that One Deity must do righteous deeds according to His commands and must not associate anyone else with Him in worship and servitude. (Al-Kahf: 110)

This verse gives an account of the complete call of the final Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him). First, he says that the Lord, Creator, Master, and Lawgiver of humanity is One and Unique—Allah.

Second, he says that those who believe in that One Deity have only two means of attaining His pleasure and approval: first, to acknowledge sincerely the One Allah, obey His commands alone, worship and serve Him alone, and associate no one with Him in this matter; and second, to perform righteous and virtuous deeds according to the commands of that One Allah and refrain from sinful and disobedient deeds.

A study of the complete life, deeds, and complete call of the Universal Prophet reveals these three fundamental points. In fact, these three are also the fundamental points of Islam and the Kalema. It is thus proven that the final Prophet did not come to the world with any new message. The call to Tawhid, or to the Oneness of Allah Most High, is not new in the world at all; rather, it is ancient. Tawhid and its call are exactly as old as the creation of humanity. Indeed, from the very day human beings first began living in this world, they were called to believe in the One Almighty Allah, accept His servitude, and live according to His law. No one was ever called to believe in anyone else.

Obstacles to the Propagation of the Kalema Tayyeba

But just as this message of the Kalema and Tawhid is not new in the world, opposition and hostility to it are likewise neither new nor surprising in the history of the world. Rather, whenever, wherever, and from whoever’s lips this “ever-ancient” truth has been newly proclaimed and voiced, mountains of opposition and hostility have immediately risen from every side. All the local forces of evil have tried with all their strength to silence this voice forever; no reader of world history is unaware of this.

But the question is this: “La ilaha illallah”—

What is hidden within this brief Kalema that so many enemies arise everywhere as soon as it is uttered? It is especially worth considering that whenever and wherever the prophets of Allah Most High presented the call of this brief Kalema, most of that society immediately became their bitter enemies. Yet before presenting this call, every prophet had been regarded by all the people of his time as highly respected and beloved for his moral character. Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) was raised and grew up in the household of the then king, Pharaoh. But as soon as he uttered this Kalema, his foster father Pharaoh became his greatest enemy. Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was the son of a royal priest, his father’s beloved child, and therefore especially loved by everyone else. But when he raised the voice of Tawhid, everyone from his parents to the king of that time became his bitter enemy. They even threw him into a blazing furnace to destroy him forever. The birth of Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) itself was a great miracle to all people—something human beings cannot comprehend through ordinary reason. For this reason, everyone considered him extraordinary. But when he too, as a prophet, proclaimed the holiness and Oneness of Allah Most High, his own kinsmen and relatives rose up against him, and eventually the Jewish government of that time ordered his execution. Before proclaiming Tawhid, the final Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), had lived for forty long years among his own clan and the other people of his time. He had received the sincere respect and devotion of everyone, young and old, men and women. Nevertheless, from the very day he first preached this message of Tawhid among people he knew, his own clansmen began openly opposing him. Thereafter, throughout the thirteen long years of his prophethood in Makkah, Hazrat Muhammad had to face a sky-high storm of oppression, persecution, torture, and abuse; ultimately, he was compelled to migrate to Madinah. But why does this happen? What great thing did the noble prophets say that they had to endure such sorrow, oppression, persecution, and exile?

To find the answer to this question, and to understand the underlying reason for such persecution of the noble prophets by their countrymen and relatives, we must first know the true meaning of the word “Ilah.” Once this is understood in detail, it will be easy to see how great a danger gathers before the opponents when Allah is accepted as the “One and Only Ilah.”

The True Ilah (Deity)

Almost every page of the Qur’an presents the identity of the true Allah, and from it the explanation of the Arabic word “Ilah” can be understood. But if we quoted all those Qur’anic verses and wrote out their meanings, the discussion would become very lengthy. Therefore, here we give only the gist of all the verses. What is written here in light of those Qur’anic verses is the true identity of Allah, and it is the real meaning of the word “Ilah.”

Allah, the true Ilah, gives life and gives death. He sustains and provides sustenance for all living beings. He alone hears prayers and establishes peace and order. He alone can restore ruined and decayed things to new life. In the natural world, only His command and law prevail. He alone is the ultimate doer of all affairs. One must rely on Him alone completely. He is the hope of the hopeless; in every hardship and calamity, one may hope only for His mercy. Human gain and loss, harm and benefit, occur solely by His will. He knows perfectly all that is visible and invisible, known and unknown. He is the most powerful and victorious over all. He alone possesses every form of superiority and authority. He is above every defect and shortcoming; He has no error, mistake, sin, or crime. He is the absolute owner of the entire universe; He alone is its true emperor, sovereign, and king of kings. He alone is the true and unrestricted owner of all the wealth, resources, and property of the world. He created the entire universe and governs it Himself according to the natural laws He established. He created human beings and gave them a complete code to govern their individual and collective lives. Therefore, in human affairs, His commands and instructions alone are the laws that must be obeyed. In every sphere and matter of life, His commands and prohibitions must be accepted and followed with submission. He suffers no loss or deterioration; He is imperishable, everlasting, and eternal. He has always been present, is present, and will remain present. Past, future, and present do not exist as separate things for Him; all time is equally present to Him. His word and command never change. No one has the power to deviate from His will or act against His decision. He alone is worthy of fear; no one else has the right to receive servitude or absolute obedience. He has no partner in any of these matters; He is One and Unique. No one can speak against His will. He acts according to His own will and is not obliged in the least to accept anyone’s word, prayer, or intercession. He depends on no one and is not in need of anyone; rather, everything in the entire universe depends solely on Him. Without His mercy, no one could remain alive even for a moment.

The Ignorant Doctrine Concerning the “Ilah” (Deity)

Above, we briefly presented the identity of the Ilah, that is, Allah Most High. This identity is the summary of only a few verses concerning the subject. Otherwise, no human being has the ability to finish writing about the identity of Allah. Yet the true identity of Allah that emerges from what has been written is His real attributes and qualities. But the polytheists of the world, forgetting this true identity and these real attributes of Allah, have invented various baseless notions about Him according to their own whims. We briefly quote from the Qur’an an account of how, failing to know Allah’s true identity, they lost the path of truth and peace and stumbled at every step.

The polytheists forget Allah Most High, the only Helper, and beg help from other powers:

وَاتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ الهَةً لعلهم ينصَرُونَ –

They have taken other powers besides Allah as deities, hoping that perhaps they may receive help from them. (Surah Ya-Sin: 74)

They call upon the dead to achieve their purposes:

وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللّهِ لَا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ – اَمْوَاتٌ غَيْرُ
احياء : وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ * أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ

Those whom they worship besides Allah cannot create anything; rather, they themselves were created by another Creator. They are dead, not living, and they do not even know on what day or at what time they will be resurrected. (Surah An-Nahl: 20–21)

They serve other powers besides Allah in order to attain nearness to Him:

وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَا ، – مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللهِ زُلْفَى

Those who take other powers besides Allah as masters and patrons say, “We worship them only so that they may bring us nearer to Allah.” In other words, they invent false gods in order to reach the true Allah. (Surah Az-Zumar: 3)

They worship other powers in order to obtain their intercession with Allah:

وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَؤُلاء شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ الله

They worship, besides Allah, things that have no power to harm or benefit them, and say, “These are our intercessors with Allah.” (Surah Yunus: 18)

This means that they believe one cannot reach Allah directly. To reach Allah, one must take false deities as intermediaries.

They worship the moon and the sun. They think that day and night, the moon and the sun, are wondrous things and cannot fail to be deities. Yet the moon and the sun were created by Allah and are merely signs of His existence and Oneness. Allah says:

وَمِنْ أَبْتِهِ الَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ط لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ.

The night and the day, the moon and the sun, are signs of Allah’s existence and Oneness. Therefore, prostrate to neither the moon nor the sun, for they are only proofs of the existence and infinite power of the true Allah. Nothing can be gained by prostrating to them. (Surah Ha-Mim As-Sajdah: 37)

They serve scholars, pirs, and religious teachers; whatever these people say, they follow without judging whether it is right or wrong. Blindly obeying such a person and following his commands without discrimination is shirk. For when a person obeys anyone’s command without discrimination, apart from Allah, he grants that person the status of Allah. Allah describes their condition:

اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ –

They took their scholars, pirs, religious teachers, and leaders as their lords instead of Allah Most High. (Surah At-Tawbah: 31)

They call upon people to be delivered from calamity or to have their needs fulfilled. Calling upon people in this manner is forbidden in the sight of Allah Most High, and it too is included in shirk. For such appeals must be made only to Allah. It is said:

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ عِبَادٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ فَٱدْعُوهُمْ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ ١٩٤

Those whom you call upon besides Allah for deliverance from calamity are merely servants like you, powerless like you. So call upon them and let them answer your prayer, if your belief about them is true. (Al-A’raf: 194)

They abandon the law of Allah Most High and act according to their own desires, making no distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, or sin and virtue.

أَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُۥ هَوَىٰهُ أَفَأَنتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وَكِيلًا ٤٣

Have you not seen the one who takes his own desire as his lord? Will you then take responsibility for him? (Surah Al-Furqan: 43)

If we reflect deeply on the meaning of the verses cited here, it becomes very easy to understand that a group of people in the world, instead of acknowledging the One Allah as the Ilah and Rabb—the Creator and Sustainer—have actually made their own desires, powerful people, false pirs and dervishes and religious leaders, the moon and sun, and lifeless idols into “gods” or “lords,” and are serving, enslaving themselves to, worshipping, and obeying them. Yet none of them completely denied the existence, attributes, or qualities of Allah, the One Creator and Sustainer of the universe; none ever said that there is no Creator or that He has no attributes or qualities. In fact, they acknowledged Allah as the greatest in power and the supreme commander, but the fundamental flaw in their creed was that they also regarded angels, jinn, human beings, idols, the moon, the sun, stars, and other created beings as partners of Allah Most High, helpers, or sources of comparable power. In times of danger they sought refuge with them and asked them for power to accomplish difficult tasks. They believed that these beings possessed some degree of power. They served and worshipped them to attain nearness to the true Allah, obtain His forgiveness and mercy, and secure their intercession with Him. They made vows for them and feared them, believing that they too could harm or benefit people. Another major flaw was that, besides Allah’s law, they determined what was lawful and unlawful according to their own desires and the words of their so-called pirs, dervishes, and leaders. They did not consider or ask anyone what Allah Most High’s command was regarding the matter, or whether it was lawful or unlawful before Allah. They wanted to know only whether their false pirs, dervishes, or leaders liked or disliked the desired thing, and whether they called it lawful or considered it unlawful. If they received an indication that pleased them, they immediately acted accordingly.

Although they believed that Allah alone created all wealth and property and bestowed it upon human beings, they considered themselves the absolute owners of it and acquired, spent, and used it according to their own wishes.

The Main Reason for Opposing the Kalema Tayyeba

We have presented side by side two notions concerning Allah. The first is the identity of the true Allah, and the second is an explanation of the notions held about Allah by the ignorant and polytheistic people of the world. Once this explanation is properly understood, no one will find it difficult to understand why, whenever and from whomever the call of “La ilaha illallah” has been raised in the history of the world, the misguided people of that society and its false rulers, capitalists, and religious authorities have mobilized every force against it and tried their utmost to destroy it in its infancy. Why did they burst into flames at the very sound of this Kalema, and why did they rise up to openly oppose people who had long been known as trustworthy and truthful?

The real fact is that whenever and wherever the call of this Kalimah was raised anew, the people of that country immediately heard it and clearly understood its meaning and underlying spirit. They understood what would be affected if they believed and accepted this Kalimah as true, molded their lives according to it, or succeeded in spreading and establishing its teachings—what interests, beliefs, or systems they would have to abandon without hesitation in order to adopt a new teaching, a new belief, and a new system. That is why we find that as soon as this Kalimah was proclaimed and propagated in any society, its people became divided into two groups in principle: one group understood this Kalimah, believed in and accepted it with their hearts, proclaimed and propagated it verbally, and embodied its ideal throughout their entire lives, in every deed they performed, proving its truth.

Another group understood the meaning of this Kalimah and, having understood it, exerted all its strength and spent everything it possessed in trying to destroy it in the bud, so that its call might not reach the ears of any other person. Thus, just as this Kalimah has existed since the beginning of human creation, opposition to it has also existed since that time. For this reason, the two words “Muslim” and “Kafir,” or the two groups of people they denote, have existed equally from the earliest times. The struggle between these two groups is a struggle over principles and ideals, and the history of this struggle is the history of the Kalimah Tayyibah. In Islamic terminology, this struggle is called Jihad.

The Teachings of the Kalimah Tayyibah

In short, the Kalimah Tayyibah is a great revolutionary declaration. Those who accept it cannot worship, serve, or adore anyone besides Allah; nor can they worship, serve, or obey anyone besides Allah in order to attain nearness to Him or in the hope of obtaining intercession from Him. To attain nearness to Allah and be saved from His punishment, they cannot accept anyone—whether a president, a leader, or a pir or spiritual elder—nor any way or method other than Islam, apart from obeying Allah’s commands and injunctions. They believe—indeed, they believe from the depths of their hearts—that the only way to attain Allah’s mercy and pleasure and nearness to Him is to believe in Him with all their hearts, accept Him alone as the One worthy of worship, live according to His commands, and strive in Jihad to establish His law fully upon the earth. Those who propagate any other way or method, who say that to attain nearness to Allah one must become a disciple of a certain dervish or pir and spiritual elder, or visit his shrine to receive spiritual blessings and attention, otherwise one will burn and die from his curse, or who proclaim that merely acting according to the Qur’an and Hadith is not sufficient to attain nearness to Allah, are in effect propagating shirk. For hoping for anything from, or fearing, the spiritual power of the pirs and the righteous elders of the faith is manifest shirk. Those who have believed in the Kalimah Tayyibah are never prepared to listen to such a call. They will say in a clear voice: “To obtain the mercy of Allah Most High, I will call upon Him alone, serve only Him, abandon His forbidden deeds and paths, and strive with all my might to eradicate them from the world.” For the power to grant intercessionقُل لِلّهِ الشَّفَاعَةُ جَمِيعَالَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَوتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ الَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَsay: intercession belongs entirely to Allah. The dominion and authority of the heavens and the earth belong exclusively to Him. Then all will be returned to Him. The power to harm or benefit people belongs to none besides Allah, and we do not believe that any living person or anyone lying in a grave possesses such power. Indeed, this is the declaration of a true monotheist, and this path is the only way of life for one who believes in monotheism.

This is what has been stated in the following Qur’anic verse:

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱبْتَغُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ ٱلْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَٰهِدُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ٣٥-

O believing servants! Fear Allah, seek the means of attaining nearness to Him, and continue striving in Allah’s path for this purpose; perhaps you may thereby achieve success. (Al-Ma’idah: 35) A note: Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote in his commentary on this verse: “Some ignorant Sufis have unsuccessfully attempted to prove from this verse that taking a pir as one’s spiritual guide is obligatory; but this is not true.” Indeed, the audacity of those who wish to prove from this verse that taking a pir is obligatory is unforgivable. Nowhere in the Qur’an does the word wasilah mean pir. Imam Raghib al-Isfahani wrote in his work Mufradat Raghib al-Isfahani that al-wasilah means “reaching a thing.” The complete meaning of the verse is: to continue upon the true and correct path through knowledge, worship, and virtuous deeds.

The meaning of this Kalimah is: There is no one worthy of worship except Allah. Therefore, only Allah possesses lordship and sovereignty; no one else does. Therefore, He alone is the Lawgiver and Legislator.

Therefore, no person who believes in the Kalimah can obey a society or state system that does not acknowledge Allah’s lordship and sovereignty; nor can such a person agree to accept any laws issued by such a state.

In fact, those who believe in the Kalimah Tayyibah cannot acknowledge allegiance to any state other than a purely Islamic government; they cannot accept or support the lordship and sovereignty of anyone besides Allah. Nor can they accept any law made by human beings. They cannot seek judgment from a court where cases are decided on the basis of man-made law, nor can they act as advocates using any man-made law, because each of these acts is shirk; by doing them, a person effectively denies Allah even if he verbally acknowledges Him. The statement of the Noble Qur’an is:

ألَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ أَمَنُوا بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ

يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُتَحَاكَمُو إِلَى الطُّغُوتِ وَقَدْ أَمِرُوا أَنْ يُكْفُرُوايه

وَيُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ يُضِلَّهُمْ ضَلَلًا بَعِيدًا – وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا إِلَى مَا أَنْزَلَ
اللهُ وَالَى الرَّسُول رَاَيْتَ الْمُنْفِقِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنْكَ صُدُودًا –

O Prophet! What do you think of those who claim inwardly that they have believed in the Qur’an and the Books revealed before it, yet seek judgment from rebellious forces, even though they had been commanded to reject those rebellious forces completely? In reality, they are hypocrites. Satan wishes to lead them far astray. Thus, when they are called to Allah’s law and to the Messenger, you will see these hypocrites turning away from you. (Surah al-Nisa: 60–61) A note: Allamah Ibn Jarir al-Tabari wrote in his commentary on this verse: “Seeking nearness to Allah through an act by which His pleasure may be attained.”

In other words, acknowledging the lordship of anyone besides Allah’s lordship and sovereignty, seeking or making judgments according to man-made laws instead of Allah’s law, and advocating those laws are manifest shirk. Therefore, when an anti-Islamic leader or ruling power demands obedience from people, a person who believes in monotheism declares clearly: We can acknowledge the authority of no one except Allah, His Messenger, a state founded upon Islamic law, and a head of state who acknowledges obedience to Allah and follows His law. When man-made laws are imposed upon them and judgments are made according to them, they will announce in a loud voice: We do not accept man-made laws, nor do we seek any judgment according to them. When attempts are made to use and distribute wealth, capital, and the means of production according to people’s own wishes or according to some fabricated ideology or system, they will state plainly that the sole absolute Owner of the entire universe is Allah. He alone is the true Owner of all wealth and the means of production. Therefore, they must be possessed and used only according to Allah’s will and the system He has given.

In this way, a fundamental transformation gradually begins in the life of the person who believes in the Kalimah Tayyibah. In times of danger, he calls upon no one except Allah.

Not any deity, not any pir or spiritual elder, not any supernatural power, king, ruler, or leader. A note: Even if he calls a physician and uses medicine according to the physician’s instructions, he will never believe that the physician or medicine itself will cure his illness; rather, he will remain firmly convinced that, in reality, Allah alone cures the illness. He uses these means only to follow His command. Having recited and believed in this Kalimah, he will examine the contemporary social and political system with a keen eye. Whatever within it proves contrary or opposed to this Kalimah, he will immediately declare rebellion against it, and until he can shatter it and establish principles and a system corresponding to this Kalimah, he will continue striving, exerting himself, and struggling for that purpose without rest.

That is exactly what Ibrahim did. In the words of the Qur’an, his declaration was:

إِنَّا بُرَءُوا مِنْكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ رَ كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا ز
وَبَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةُ وَالْبَغْضَاء اَبَدًا حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ –

We have severed all relations with you and with those objects of worship of yours—which you worship instead of Allah—and have completely freed ourselves from all responsibility toward you. We reject and repudiate all your authority, and from this moment hostility and hatred have clearly begun between us and you, forever. This state will continue until you believe in and submit to Allah alone. (Surah al-Mumtahanah: 8)

This is the declaration of one who believes in monotheism. There can never be any deviation from it. In Islam’s view, the one who makes this declaration is the true “rebel” and “revolutionary”—a monotheist, that is, one who believes in the One Allah.

If necessary for this Kalimah, a monotheist must sacrifice everything he possesses. Before believing in the Kalimah, a person is free and unrestrained: he freely does whatever occurs to him and is able to do so. But after reciting this Kalimah, that freedom no longer remains. Thereafter he must perform every action thoughtfully, and whenever a prohibited act presents itself, he must immediately refrain from it.

In other words, as long as he was free and independent of servitude to Allah, he was in reality a slave—a slave to his desires, to prevailing customs and man-made laws, and to pirs, spiritual guides, and leaders. But as soon as he recited “There is no deity except Allah,” the chains of servitude to all these were severed from his neck, and by accepting servitude exclusively to Allah Most High, he attained true freedom. In Islam, this is what is called genuine freedom.

Now, is it surprising that those whose desires and habits, whose pirship, leadership, and authority, and whose wealth, fanciful economics, state positions, and social systems are directly struck by this Kalimah would become determined to oppose it if they refused to accept it and were not prepared to abandon without hesitation everything opposed to it? Those whose hearts thirsted for truth found the truth and accepted it. Among the others, some began openly opposing this Kalimah out of ignorance, while others began openly enmity toward it under the influence of self-interest and arrogance. This Kalimah is the fundamental reason for all the opposition and enmity directed against the noble prophets throughout human history.

Explanation of the Second Part

مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ الله

The meaning and explanation of the first part of the Kalimah Tayyibah, “There is no deity except Allah,” have been described as briefly as possible. After understanding the first part, there should be no particular difficulty in understanding the meaning of the final part, “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” Its simple meaning is: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah Most High.”

Once we accept the explanation of monotheism given above, it becomes our inescapable duty to conduct every action and proceed at every step of life according to Allah’s guidance and law. Not only that, we can accept and follow nothing besides Allah’s law, and we must spend our entire lives working solely to attain Allah’s pleasure. Worship and devotion, politics and administration of the state, leadership and authority, education and training, transactions and buying and selling, trade and commerce, war and peace, friendship and enmity—in short, every act of individual and social life must be carried out solely according to Allah’s pleasure and law. But the difficulty now is: where will we find Allah’s law, and how will we know which actions please Allah and which displease Him? How will we understand which way and system of life Allah Most High approves and which He disapproves? Until we know and understand this, no matter how strongly we believe in monotheism, we will never be able to act according to it. There is another important matter here. The world has never lacked people who utter grand and valuable principles. But people who themselves follow those principles and show others how to implement them have never been found in abundance. Therefore, those who believe in the first part of the Kalimah have an essential need for a leader or guide: a person of pure character who himself observes Allah’s law and demonstrates to people the practical way of following it. Without such leadership, it is impossible for people to observe Allah’s law; and without it, we can never attain peace and welfare. Our faith in the Kalimah Tayyibah will likewise never be realized in our lives. Consequently, it will bring us an extremely tragic end. This is a very serious matter.

The Need for a Prophet

This matter truly deserves some reflection. If Allah had merely said: “Act only according to My law and pleasure, and do not accept any law made by human beings or any invented way; if you do so, you will become polytheists, and there is no way for polytheists to avoid Hell,” but had not revealed laws and commands at the same time or informed people which actions please Him and which He does not approve, then the misery and misfortune of this helpless human race would have had no end. If you were appointed an airplane pilot and placed in a plane to travel through the sky from Dhaka to Jeddah, yet did not know how to fly the plane or recognize the route to Jeddah, you can easily understand how great your danger would be. People in this world may commit such foolishness, but the Compassionate and Merciful Allah Most High has never done so. From the day He sent human beings into the world, He also sent them a complete code for managing worldly life. He clearly explained how each task in this field of life must be carried out. He also stated that He is pleased with certain actions and displeased with others, and clearly declared that whoever follows one path will gain His pleasure, while whoever follows another will inevitably burn in Hell. Not only that, He also provided capable teachers and guides to show people directly how to implement the code He had given.

For precisely this reason, from the earliest times until today, in every country and every age, the noble prophets have brought Allah’s law to the people. The first prophet was the primordial human being, Adam, and the final prophet was Muhammad. After the death of the final Prophet, in every age a group of his representatives will remain devoted to propagating this Kalimah presented by him and establishing it as the firm foundation of state power.

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ –

We sent a prophet to every entire community of every age with this message: Serve Allah Most High alone and disobey and reject the rebellious forces opposed to Allah. (Surah al-Nahl: 36)

The Work of the Prophet

The prophets come into the world with Allah’s law. Their sole purpose is that those who believe in the first part of the Kalimah Tayyibah—“There is no deity except Allah”—and acknowledge Allah Most High’s exclusive lordship may act in every sphere of life according to the rules and methods demonstrated by the prophets and thereby become Allah’s sincere servants. The prophets themselves act according to Allah’s law and show people how to do so. They know best what Allah’s law is and by which way of life Allah Most High is pleased. No one among humanity can know this apart from the prophets. Therefore, after believing in “There is no deity except Allah,” it is the duty of all people to believe in the prophets, acknowledge their complete obedience, and go a step further by declaring: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”—Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger. For this very reason, every prophet, just as he propagated the message of Allah’s lordship and monotheism in the world, also demanded that people obey him.

انِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أمين – فَاتَّقُوا اللهَ وَأَطِيعُون – أَمِينٌ

I am a trustworthy prophet sent to you by Allah; therefore, fear Allah and obey and follow me. (Surah al-Shu‘ara: 107–108)

A “trustworthy prophet” means that he conveyed to the people exactly the law that Allah Most High had sent through him for humanity and demonstrated it in practice by following and observing it himself. In fulfilling this trust, he committed not the slightest act of betrayal or breach of faith.

Allah Himself has also clearly commanded and authorized complete obedience to every prophet:

أَطِيعُوا اللهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ –

Obey Allah and obey the Messenger.
And

منْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ

Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah. (Surah al-Nisa: 80)

For the prophets do nothing according to their own wishes or anyone else’s command. Whenever a command is revealed from Allah Most High, the prophet is the first to implement it through his own actions.

إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَى إِلَى –

I follow only what is revealed to me; I do nothing else. (Surah al-An‘am: 50)

For this reason, Allah Most High sent the final prophet and messenger, Muhammad, into the world as the finest exemplar and model leader. And He said:

لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللهِ أسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُوا اللهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الأخرَ وَذَكَرَ اللهَ كَثِيرًا –

Indeed, in the person of Allah’s Messenger you have the finest example—for those who hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah frequently. (Surah al-Ahzab: 21)

These verses make it perfectly clear that the path to worshipping Allah sincerely and obeying Him exclusively is to follow the prophets alone in every action of life and openly declare rebellion against the forces in the world that oppose Allah. Indeed, obedience to the prophet is the practical form of obedience to Allah.

The Perfection of the Kalimah

As I said earlier, the succession of prophets that began with Adam came to an end with Muhammad. The final code that came from Allah Most High through this final prophet for the welfare and salvation of all humanity is called the Noble Qur’an. Now, whoever believes in the first part of the Kalimah—“There is no deity except Allah”—must also believe in and accept its final part, “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” For in the present world, the only means for humanity to have a sound and excellent way of life and to attain every kind of happiness and peace in this world and the Hereafter is the Holy Qur’an and the exemplary life of the final prophet, Muhammad. Just as the Noble Qur’an, Allah’s final Book, exists among us in an unchanged form, every aspect of the final prophet Muhammad’s sublime life also remains present, clear, and radiant. Thus the Kalimah Tayyibah attained completion here: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” was joined to “There is no deity except Allah.” As a result, Muhammad became the eternal and everlasting radiant ideal leader for those who believe in the Kalimah. Allah Most High has said:

مَا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِنْ رِجَالِكُمْ وَلكِنْ رَسُولَ اللهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّنَ –

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men; rather, he is the Messenger of Allah and the final prophet. (Surah al-Ahzab: 40)

According to this declaration, Muhammad is the final prophet and messenger. No prophet or messenger will come after him—there is no need for one to come. For the law and code of life humanity needs are present in the form of the Noble Qur’an, and the ideal leadership required remains eternally undimmed in the person of Muhammad—it will remain forever, until the Day of Judgment.

The final prophet, Muhammad, lived according to Allah’s law in the Noble Qur’an and demonstrated how a Muslim must live according to Allah’s law. He explained this Qur’an through his words and practical deeds. Its complete and detailed account has been preserved for the Muslims of the world through Hadith or Sunnah. He also left behind an ideal society of people formed according to the teachings of this Qur’an. That ideal society remains a perfectly clear practical reflection of the model presented by the Messenger for humanity. Therefore, Muhammad’s prophethood and messengership are everlasting and eternal.

Therefore, when we combine the first part of the Kalema with its final part and recite, “La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah,” we declare that we acknowledge no one besides Allah as Lord and Lawgiver, and recognize no one besides Allah as possessing lordship, absolute authority, or the right to make laws. At the same time, we proclaim that we accept and follow only the laws, way of life, and path and method of attaining Allah that the Last Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), preached. We are not prepared to accept anything else, for he is our eternally exemplary leader. Just as we do not accept any principle contrary to his principles, neither are we prepared to accept any leadership contrary to his leadership. We openly declare rebellion against anything opposed to the way and method preached by the Prophet, or anything that is not the way presented by him but is being imposed upon society as though it were his way. After reciting this complete Kalema, if we abandon the way presented by the Prophet and instead follow laws given by any God-defying power or faithless person, or follow any principle or leadership contrary to his principles and leadership, then no one could be a greater liar and traitor than us.

After reciting this complete Kalema and believing in it, the Last Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), is our sole “ideal leader.” In living a sound life in this world, or in fulfilling responsibilities in any area of life—politics, economics, social affairs, or international affairs—we cannot acknowledge anyone besides Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) as our “ideal leader,” nor can we perform any task according to anyone else’s principles. By reciting this Kalema, we loudly proclaim: O great pontiffs seated upon the throne of leadership in the world! You are liars; you are usurpers; you have neither the right nor the qualification to lead. We do not acknowledge you as leaders at all. Our leader is the Last Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him); and in his absence, the one who will organize, direct, and lead us according to the law he presented, guiding us toward the goal he prescribed—that person is our leader. Apart from this, everyone else’s leadership is false and destructive, and we shall wage a merciless struggle until death to eradicate it.

Here, a hadith concerning the Kalema deserves special mention. Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that whoever recites “La ilaha illallah” will continue to receive great “good” from it forever, and every kind of torment and misfortune will remain दूर from him. But if he hesitates to fulfill the rights of the Kalema, he will gain no benefit from it. The Companions asked, “What does it mean to hesitate to fulfill its rights?” Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The rights of the Kalema are violated when one recites it yet openly disobeys Allah; when, despite seeing Allah openly disobeyed, no hatred or hostility toward it arises in one’s heart; and when one does not strive with all one’s strength to stop it.” (Targheeb wa Tarheeb)

This hadith makes it clear that reciting the Kalema (there is no deity besides Allah) does not merely mean acknowledging a supernatural deity and verbally acknowledging Him while performing a small amount of worship; rather, it is in fact closely connected with human beings’ practical lives. Once, by reciting this Kalema, one acknowledges the lordship and authority of the Almighty Allah alone, one must then follow the laws given by that one Allah in one’s practical life. His commands and prohibitions must be obeyed properly. One must strive with all one’s might to establish His laws in this world, and those who seek to establish their own lordship and authority—that is, the rule of laws they have made—in opposition to them must be eliminated. This alone is the purpose of reciting the Kalema Tayyeba. If, after reciting this Kalema, one does not strive to attain its purpose accordingly, no benefit will be gained from reciting it. Then, in reality, there is no difference between reciting or not reciting this Kalema, and believing or not believing in it; indeed, to speak the truth, in such circumstances it would be much better not to insult the Kalema by reciting it.

For a person who recites this Kalema yet thinks that Allah has no police, court, or prison anywhere, and therefore it is easy to violate His law, while the rule of God-defying powers—with their police, soldiers, courts, and prisons—stands all around and therefore it is impossible to oppose it, saying “La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah” is completely meaningless. Such a person never truly believes in his heart that Allah alone is Lord and King and that Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the sole ideal leader. Therefore, his recitation of the Kalema with his tongue is nothing but deception. Allah has stated in clear language:

فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا ٦٥

By your Lord, they can never be believers until they accept you as the sole judge in their disputes with one another and then find no resistance in their hearts to your judgment, accepting it with complete submission. (Surah al-Nisa: 65)

After this explanation of the Kalema Tayyeba, every Muslim who believes in the Kalema can judge himself: what kind of Muslim is he— a complete Muslim or a half-Muslim, a genuine Muslim or a hypocritical Muslim?

It must be clearly understood here that only the person who acts in every matter of life according to the guidance of Allah and His Messenger can truly be regarded as a genuine and real Muslim—no one else.

If you have understood the detailed meaning of this Kalema and have borne witness to it knowingly and with understanding, then from now on your thoughts, beliefs, ideas, preferences, and your entire life will proceed according to the direction of this Kalema. No thought or notion contrary to this Kalema can now enter your mind. You must now decide for all time that whatever statement or principle opposes this Kalema is entirely false—the Kalema alone is true. In every matter of your life, this Kalema will be your guide and director. Having recited this Kalema, you cannot remain free and arbitrary like the unbelievers. You cannot do whatever your desires dictate. Nor can you accept any social, state, or administrative system that is not founded upon and does not follow the lordship, sovereignty, and law of the Almighty Creator, and that forces people to serve human beings instead of making them obedient to Allah. You cannot tolerate any educational or cultural system that does not enrich the young generation with the spirit of obedience to Allah, but instead makes them atheistic, misguided, and immoral. You cannot accept any sinful or unbelieving person as your leader; nor can you become a member of any party, association, or organization formed upon ideals and rules opposed to Islam. You cannot join any group whose movement and efforts primarily aim to establish an un-Islamic law in the world or merely secure material interests. You cannot accept yourself, or anyone else, as the absolute owner of wealth and property. In earning a livelihood, making money, spending it, and using it, you cannot adopt any method forbidden in Allah’s sight. In short, you must live your entire life by following this Kalema. Whatever this Kalema commands you to do, you must do—even if it causes you a loss of a hundred thousand units of currency or exposes your life to grave danger. And whatever this Kalema forbids you to do, you cannot do—even if you must lose much, or even suffer death. In short, your entire life must be bound by the rope of this Kalema. Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) explained this beautifully through an example. He said:

مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَمَثَلُ الْإِيْمَانِ كَمَثَلِ الْفَرَسِ فِى أخِيَّتِهِ يَجُولُ ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ
إلى اجيته

The example of a believer and his faith is like that of a horse tied to a stake with a rope. The horse moves around but is compelled to return toward that stake. The neck of the believer is likewise tied with the rope of faith; he cannot go beyond it. (Bayhaqi)

Only if you can recite the Kalema Tayyeba in this manner, and only if you can shape yourself in this way after reciting it, can you become a genuine Muslim; only then can you attain supremacy in this world, gain Allah’s pleasure in the Hereafter, be saved from the fire of Hell, and enter Paradise.

But it must be remembered that, after adopting such revolutionary convictions, you cannot live a sound life alone anywhere. Therefore, you must also strive to establish a community of people with similar convictions, where it will be possible to live a complete life while fully preserving faith in and obedience to the One Allah. For this Kalema cannot be fully implemented within the narrow sphere of individual life; therefore, a complete society is essential.

Shirk and Muslims Today

From this detailed explanation of the Kalema Tayyeba, you have learned the doctrine of Tawhid. Shirk is the exact opposite of Tawhid. Just as we must avoid Shirk in order to attain Tawhid fully, so, in order to understand the meaning and essence of Tawhid more broadly and openly, we must also learn what Shirk is.

Muslims generally think that all the peoples to whom the prophets of the world gave the call to Tawhid and the Kalema Tayyeba were atheists: they did not acknowledge Allah’s existence, or did not believe in Allah. They worshipped only gods, goddesses, or idols—and for this reason they were polytheists. But we believe in Allah and His Messenger, so we can in no way be polytheists. If we call upon Allah’s beloved servants in times of trouble, hold fairs at their graves to gain their pleasure, make vows, and prostrate before them, or serve our scholars, spiritual guides, leaders, desires, and passions, our belief in Tawhid and our Islam will not be diminished in the slightest—Shirk will find no way into us. We shall remain believers in Tawhid forever.

But a reading of the Quran makes it clear that this notion of Muslims is entirely wrong—it is completely contrary to the Quran. These mistaken notions have arisen among us because we do not know what Islam is. In fact, from the Quran we learn that every unbelieving or polytheistic people in the world believed in Allah. They believed that Allah was the Creator of the heavens, the earth, the moon, the sun, the air, the water, and everything else. They also believed in Allah as the giver of life, provider of sustenance, giver of death, and director of the universe. But along with this, they believed that other powers besides Allah possessed control over or a share in these matters—and this is Shirk. For this reason, despite believing that Allah exists, Allah called them polytheists. Now consider this: if these notions are also found among Muslims, if a Muslim believes that powers besides Allah possess Allah’s attributes and power, and, despite believing in the One Allah, is wholeheartedly willing to follow laws made by human beings instead of Allah’s laws, will that Muslim not also become a polytheist? If Muslims adopt among themselves the beliefs or actions of polytheists, People of the Book, hypocrites, and others that may be called Shirk, and for which they became known as polytheists, why should they not become polytheists? Is there truly any justification for this? In reality, there can be no reason why an act that is a sin for one person should be a virtue, or not a sin, for another. Allah has no such partiality—and it is impossible that He should. All people are His creation and equally His servants; whoever does an act will bear its consequence. It cannot be that if poison is consumed another person dies but a Muslim does not, or that if a person of another religion is burned by fire, he burns but a Muslim does not. Rather, if you reflect, you will also be compelled to admit that if an act or belief makes other peoples of the world polytheists, then if that same act or belief is found among Muslims who claim Tawhid, they deserve to be considered worthy of an even more severe punishment.

If you now assess the condition of Muslims today by the Quranic standard, you will be compelled to admit that countless polytheistic beliefs and practices are found among present-day Muslims. Many Muslims believe that their spiritual guides and dervishes know about the unseen world; that their benevolent glance can benefit people and their curse can cause them great harm. Through their prayers, a childless person may obtain a child and an unemployed person may obtain a job. A person afflicted by misfortune may be freed from it. Yet Allah has stated plainly:

وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ ٱللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُۥٓ إِلَّا هُوَ وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ١٧

O Prophet! If Allah causes you any harm or loss, none can remove it except Him. And if He grants you any benefit, then He is capable of doing that as well; He has power over all things. (Al-An’am: 17)

قُلْ إِنِّى لَآ أَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا رَشَدًا ٢١
قُلْ إِنِّى لَن يُجِيرَنِى مِنَ ٱللَّهِ أَحَدٌ وَلَنْ أَجِدَ مِن دُونِهِۦ مُلْتَحَدًا ٢٢

O Prophet! Say: I have no power over your benefit or loss. Say also: No one can protect me from Allah, nor will I ever find refuge with anyone besides Him. (Surah al-Jinn: 21–22) [Note—Some people think that this verse has been abrogated and therefore cannot be presented as evidence. But this is not correct or conclusive. It is true that abrogation has been reported from some Companions. The real point is that what this verse says describes the actual condition of the Noble Messenger. He truly knew nothing except what Allah informed him through revelation. Great exegetes such as Imam Qurtubi and Mahmud Alusi have said that this verse was not abrogated.]

These two verses clearly prove that no spiritual guide has the power to cause benefit or harm, or good or evil, to people; nor does any attorney, representative, king, ruler, leader, or judge possess such power. In the verse cited above, Allah Himself has made Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) declare that even he does not possess real power. Real power and authority belong exclusively to Allah. Therefore, in hardship, misfortune, and sorrow, one must call upon Him alone. One must seek refuge with Him alone. To seek it from anyone else would be contrary to the Kalema itself.

Another grave notion found among Muslims is the distorted idea of intercession. They believe that great spiritual guides, saints of Allah, or scholars and religious leaders will intercede before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, save them from Hell, and bring them into Paradise. In reality, this notion is entirely baseless and completely contrary to Quranic teaching.

ط وَالْأَمْرُ يَوْمَنذ لله
يَوْمَ لَا تَمْلِكُ نَفْسٌ لِنَفْسٍ شَيْئًا

On the Day of Resurrection, no one will benefit anyone else. On that day, Allah alone will possess all sovereignty and authority.

Let alone the spiritual guides, Allah commanded even the Prophet of the world, the best of humanity, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), to declare:

قُلْ مَا كُنْتُ بِدْعاً مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ وَمَا أَدْرِى مَا يُفْعَلُ بِي وَلَابِكُمْ
بیSay, O Prophet! I am not a new prophet. I do not even know what will be done with me and with you on the Day of Resurrection. (Surah al-Ahqaf: 9)

By spreading this mistaken notion of intercession, a class of self-interested spiritual guides has made ignorant people their blind slaves. They have taught people that if they can please the spiritual guide, Allah will also be pleased. But after knowing this verse of the Quran and the previously mentioned meaning of the Kalema Tayyeba, no Muslim can allow this mistaken notion to take root in the heart.

In reality, this notion has kept ordinary Muslims away from Islamic activities and convictions. Accepting it as true, they have devoted themselves entirely to pleasing the spiritual guide by pledging allegiance to him, offering gifts and tribute, and kissing his feet. As a result, the spirit of Tawhid departed, and the darkness of Shirk completely enveloped their lives. At this stage, the tendency to worship graves has now become especially serious. At the beginning of any personal or national undertaking, people first visit the grave of a particular spiritual guide or a person reputed to be a “martyr.” It is believed that the person lying in the grave will help them succeed or remove their misfortune. At such times they completely forget Allah and make the person lying in the grave the master of good and evil. There is no doubt that this is manifestly Shirk.

Besides this, our Muslim society has become involved in another form of Shirk by blindly accepting and following the present anti-Islamic leadership. If the Kalema Tayyeba is recited with understanding and believed sincerely, this present leadership cannot be tolerated even for a moment. For those who now exercise leadership and authority over the Muslim nation or state do not themselves follow the fundamental principle of Islam—the Kalema—in their personal lives; their own lives are on the verge of collapse beneath the burden of various acts of disobedience. Moreover, they do not govern the Muslim people by Allah’s law, nor organize them according to Islam’s social and organizational ideals; the purpose and objectives of their organization, and their own methods of action, are not compatible with Allah’s law.

Moreover, when they gain governing power over Muslims, they do not administer the state according to the law given by Allah; they do so according to prevailing man-made laws or according to their own wishes. Instead of making people servants of Allah, they turn them into their own degraded slaves; they use force to prevent them from living according to Allah’s law. Nor do they hesitate to crush every effort and struggle to establish Allah’s law. Yet Muslims silently tolerate this system of organization and governance and blindly follow anti-Islamic leadership. In the present age, this is a dangerous form of Shirk. This Shirk is greatly helping to take Muslims’ lives outside the bounds of Islam. But the command of this Kalema to those who accept and believe in the Kalema Tayyeba is that they must never acknowledge any such leadership or authority. An order to follow an unjust principle or commit a sinful act—whether it comes from a spiritual guide, elder, king, ruler, leader, notable, scholar, or religious teacher—must not be obeyed under any circumstances. Indeed, even the parents, whom people are commanded to honor most, must not be obeyed in any wrongful command after acknowledging Tawhid; Allah has prohibited this clearly. In this matter, then, there can be no question of obeying leaders, spiritual guides, or notables. It has been stated:

وَإِنْ جَاهَدَاكَ عَلَى أَنْ تُشْرِكَ بِي مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا

If your parents compel you to associate with Me something of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them at all. (Surah Luqman: 15)

Final Words

After presenting a detailed explanation of Tawhid, we have also placed before our readers an account of the Shirk commonly prevalent in society. I hope that readers have understood these two foundational matters clearly.

We are Muslims; Islam is our religion and our way of life. The foundation of that Islam has been established upon Tawhid. Without Tawhid, Islam has no existence. The sole enemy of Tawhid is Shirk. Therefore, to preserve Tawhid, we must be especially careful to avoid Shirk. If even a speck of Shirk somehow enters amid our thousand Muslim practices and acts of worship, then believe me, all the effort of your righteous deeds will be rendered completely worthless. The Holy Quran has declared:

إِنَّ اللهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يَشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ ، وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ
بالله فقد افْتَرَى انَّما عَظِيمًا

Allah will never forgive Shirk, but He may forgive any other sin if He wills. Therefore, whoever associates partners with Allah takes upon himself, needlessly, the burden of a tremendous sin. (Surah al-Nisa: 48)

And Shirk is such a grave sin that it destroys all of a person’s righteous deeds. It has been said:

وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ –

If they had committed Shirk, all their acts of worship would have become completely fruitless. (Surah al-An’am: 88)

Shirk can spread among people in several ways. Believing that Allah’s essential being is divided into several parts is Shirk. Believing that one of Allah’s special attributes exists in someone besides Allah is also Shirk. Allah alone is the Creator of human beings, and no one besides Him is the Protector or Provider. Therefore, even acknowledging anyone else in the slightest as creator, sustainer, protector, or provider is Shirk. Likewise, believing that anyone else possesses even the slightest authority in lordship, sovereignty, or the making of laws, and then obeying those laws without protest on the basis of that belief, is Shirk. Even willingly following laws made by someone else instead of Allah’s law is manifest Shirk. [Note—Some people become Shirk by acknowledging servitude to or worship of someone besides Allah, but believing that following laws given by someone else is not Shirk is also Shirk. Allah has said:]وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اشْرَكُوا لَوْشَاءَ اللهُ مَا عَبَدْ نَا مِنْ دُونِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ نَحْنُ وَلَا أَبَاؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِنْ دُونِهِThe polytheists say, “If Allah had willed, neither we nor our forefathers would have worshipped anyone besides Him, nor would we have declared anything forbidden without Him.” (Surah al-Nahl: 35) This verse makes it unmistakably clear that just as accepting the servitude and worship of anyone besides Allah is Shirk, so too is it the same kind of Shirk to set up our own laws of what is lawful and unlawful while abandoning Allah’s laws of what is lawful and unlawful.

Indeed, this Kalimah has presented a complete Tawhidi aqidah before the people of the world. It calls upon us to accept Allah Ta’ala as absolutely One and without partner in every respect. He alone is the Creator and Provider; no one else shares with Him in this. He alone is worthy of being feared by human beings and of receiving their worship; no one else shares this with Him. He alone is the Lawgiver and Legislator for humanity; no one else shares this with Him in this matter.

On the basis of this Tawhidi aqidah, Allah Ta’ala has ordained His chosen deen, Islam, as the only complete way of life for all humanity. Only this way of life given by Him may—and must—be accepted. In it He has provided a complete political and state system, as well as a complete social system and economic order. Alongside these, He has established a complete legal system for the administration of justice. It is the duty of those who believe in Tawhid to implement these properly in the various spheres of life. Only when they strive to fulfill this duty will they have fulfilled their responsibility as Muslims. Otherwise, even if they are Muslims by name and lineage, it will not be possible for them to become true Muslims.

Therefore, before all acts of worship and devotion, it is absolutely essential to reconstruct one’s aqidah and beliefs correctly. First, every kind of polytheistic notion, belief, and line of thought must be removed from the mind, which must be made completely free and pure; then Tawhid must be firmly established within it. Just as, to obtain a good harvest, one must first plow away all the forest and jungle, completely clear the land of refuse and debris, and then sow the seeds, exactly the same must be done with the fields of the human brain and mind. Only then will our belief in Tawhid illuminate our minds, hearts, and lives—every aspect and sphere of life—with the brilliant light of Islam. That is why one must first say, “La ilaha”—I have no ilah; I acknowledge no one as an ilah. Then, forever removing from the mind every notion concerning the existence, identity, fear, reverence, devotion, submission, and obedience owed to all false ilahs, one must say: “illallah”—there is no ma’bud except Allah; no one is Allah’s rival or equal. Yet we ordinary Muslims recite this Kalimah verbally day and night, twenty-four hours a day. Many among us are also busy polishing the qalb clean by performing the dhikr of fas-anfas and nafi-isbat through this Kalimah. Another group goes out onto the roads and streets with this Kalimah, wandering through lanes and alleys and from house to house, seizing whomever they meet and telling them: “Recite the Kalimah.” It is not that they fail to tell people something of its meaning. These classes of people think—and inwardly feel somewhat proud—that they have fully discharged the haqq of propagating this Kalimah Tayyibah, the fundamental creed of Islam. Through its polishing, all the dirt of the qalb has supposedly been removed, leaving it clean like a mirror, through which the seven tiers of heaven and the earth can be seen clearly. On the other hand, it is thought that merely reciting the Kalimah has established our Muslim identity. In practical life, especially in the social and political spheres, there is supposedly little need to practice Islam.

It must be said with great sorrow that all these ideas and notions of ours, this method of propagating the Kalimah, and this use of the Kalimah Tayyibah are completely wrong from beginning to end. None of them is Islamic. To those who know the Qur’an and Hadith, Islamic history, the method of action of the Messenger of Allah, and the working method of the Islamic movement, this statement of mine will not seem new in the least. For in reality, at the first level, the Kalimah Tayyibah is a revolutionary aqidah and belief, a way of thinking and an ideology. At the second level, it is the fundamental criterion for forming ideals and character in practical life. At the third level, this Kalimah is the movement’s central call and an instrument for mass organization and social reform. At the fourth level, this Kalimah is a revolution, the foundation of a complete society, the basic principle for determining an independent state system and government policy, and a permanent criterion for establishing relations with different nations and states. The truth of this is incontrovertibly proven by the life and work of the Last Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him). Therefore, it is the duty of those who believe in the Kalimah to preserve this status and conception of the Kalimah properly, to enable it to develop and become established on the basis of this sequential progression, and to strive for that purpose. In general, the Kalimah must be propagated and applied exactly as the Last Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), demonstrated. One more important point must be mentioned here, or the subject will remain incomplete. Just as reciting the Kalimah Tayyibah is necessary for an individual to become a Muslim, the Kalimah must likewise be recited for a community to become Muslim. We Muslims of the world have all recited the Kalimah individually; as a nation too, we must recite the Kalimah by declaring it to be the state ideal. Our constitution and all our laws must be framed according to this Kalimah, and the state must actually be run accordingly. In various countries of the world, declarations have been made in different ways that we, the people of such-and-such a country, recognize the One Allah as the Owner and Lord of all the worlds, and that we shall administer this state, entrusted to us by Him, according to His injunctions. Again, the constitutions of some countries state: “Complete trust and faith in Almighty Allah shall be the basis of all actions.” An explanation has also been added: These principles shall be the fundamental rules for governing the country; the state shall apply them when enacting laws. …… They shall serve as guidance in interpreting other laws and shall be the basis of the actions of the state and its citizens. But just as an individual cannot become a Muslim merely by reciting the Kalimah, neither can the people of a country become completely Muslim as a nation merely through such a preamble or written document, nor can their state become a purely Islamic government. For this reason, those constitutional declarations have become entirely meaningless. It is therefore absolutely necessary to honor these declarations in practice, to carry out all actions accordingly, and, toward that goal, to establish the leadership of people who have conscious faith in the Kalimah, practice it in reality, and possess the ability to run the state according to it. Thus, just as it is the duty of Muslims today to strive to make their personal lives fully Islamic according to the Kalimah, it is equally essential to shape and construct every department of their national life and state in accordance with a fully Islamic ideal in practice. This is the sole task of the Muslims of the world today. There is no doubt that the more a person strives in this work, the more successful and fruitful his recitation of the Kalimah will be in this world and the Hereafter.

Therefore, come, let us once again raise our heads on the earth with this revolutionary Kalimah of Tawhid. Let us shape our personal, family, social, political, and economic lives according to the ideal of this Kalimah; together let us crush every form of shirk, bid’ah, sinful custom, and disorder in society, and first in our own countries and then throughout the world, let us once again make the Tawhidi deen propagated by the Prophet of the world victorious; let us build our constitutions, laws, educational system, culture, and economic system accordingly. For this, an organized, mass-oriented struggle must be waged. Every person must be inspired by the ideal of this Kalimah; every family, society, and community must be formed accordingly. Continuing this struggle is the lifelong task of Muslims. It is a responsibility entrusted to them by Allah. This responsibility must be kept alive in the mind at all times and in every condition—not forgotten even for a moment. Otherwise, on the Day of Judgment, they will be ashamed before Allah and punished. This book is reminding everyone of precisely that.

In Brief

If, after understanding and accepting the meaning of this part of the Kalimah, “La ilaha illallah,” one accepts it, the following duties become absolutely obligatory:

1. I will not acknowledge or believe in anyone besides Allah as a helper, rescuer from affliction, or deliverer.

2. I will not believe that anyone besides Allah can cause harm or benefit; in all matters I will rely solely upon Allah.

3. I will not pray to anyone besides Allah or ask anyone else for help.

4. I will not worship or serve anyone besides Allah, nor make a vow in anyone else’s name.

5. I will not acknowledge anyone besides Allah as lord, lawgiver, legislator, king, or sovereign; I will not obey anyone else’s law (I will not obey any law that has not essentially been formulated on the basis of Allah’s law and within its limits).

6. I will not remain the servant or slave of anyone besides Allah, nor blindly follow the desires of my own self or the customs prevalent in the country.

7. I will accept Allah’s injunctions as the sole basis in every matter of life and perform every action accordingly.

8. I will always keep alive in my heart and mind the belief that I must give an account of every action in life to Allah alone, and I will always strive to do what pleases Allah and refrain from what displeases Him.

If, after uttering and accepting the final part of the Kalimah, “Muhammadur Rasulullah,” one accepts it, one must believe:

1. Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah Ta’ala’s final Prophet and Messenger.

2. The way of life and guidance that came from Allah through him alone are true and eternal.

3. Everything opposed to the ideal he presented and the teachings he gave is wrong and deviation, and must necessarily be abandoned.

4. No person besides him can be humanity’s “independent leader.” He alone is the sole final and supreme leader of those who believe in the Kalimah.

5. Therefore, every action of human life ought to conform to the Book of Allah and the Hadith of the Messenger, that is, the Sunnah.

6. One must strive with all one’s strength to establish a society and state system founded, in accordance with this Kalimah, upon Allah’s sovereignty, in which the fundamental right to formulate laws and regulations is acknowledged and proclaimed as belonging exclusively to Allah.

This is the fundamental belief of every Muslim. This is the code of conduct for every Muslim.

To the Reader

You recite the Kalimah Tayyibah continually. Through this book, you have come to know its detailed meaning and explanation. This has placed a grave responsibility upon you.

Now, first you must consider whether you are able to bring complete and sincere faith in the Kalimah together with this explanation of it. If you cannot, then prepare yourself to acquire sincere faith in it. Shape and form your thoughts, beliefs, and values accordingly.

Second: Examine your own practical life in the light of this detailed explanation of the Kalimah. If you find anything in it contrary to the Kalimah, remove it. Correct yourself completely according to the Kalimah.

Third: If there is anything in your entire family and household contrary to this Kalimah, take the initiative to correct it.

Fourth: Examine your environment, society, state, administration, education and culture, economic transactions, and judicial practices—all things—by the standard of this Kalimah, and devote yourself to striving to shape everything according to it. You cannot make this effort alone; it must be done collectively. Therefore, gather people who share this outlook, unite, and begin making every possible effort to establish the Kalimah as the victorious force over the whole of life. This is the sole dawah of my entire life to all humanity.

(Maulana) Muhammad Abdur Rahim