STATEMENTS BY THE SCHOLARS REGARDING THE TERM ILÂH

[Mudâfa’at’ut Tawhîd]

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Statements by the Scholars Regarding the Term Ilâh

Abâ Butayn an-Najdî Rahimahullâh

Bismillâh'ir Rahmân'ir Rahîm. In his book al-Intisâr, Abâ Butayn Rahimahullâh said regarding the term Ilâh,

The Meaning of the Term Ilâh

Shaykh'ul Islâm Ibnu Taymiyyah Rahimahullâh said, "Ilâh is the obeyed Ma'bûd. So Ilâh is in the meaning of Ma'lûh (the who is taken as an Ilâh)."¹⁹

Ibn'ul Qayyim said, "Ilâh, is the one which the hearts deify with love, respect, penitence, honor, glorification, fear, hope, and reliance."²⁰

Ibnu Rajab said, "Ilâh is the one who is not disobeyed and is obeyed due to veneration, respect, love, fear, hope, and reliance, asking from Him and invoking Him. These can only be directed to Allâh. So, whoever associates a created being in one of these affairs that are specific qualities of Ilâhiyyah, then this will pierce his sincerity in saying Lâ Ilâha Illallâh and will diminish his Tawhîd. His worship of the created being is in accordance with the specific qualities he attributes to it. All of these are from the branches of Shirk."²¹

The Meaning of Lâ Ilâha Illallâh and What It Necessitates

In al-Ifsâh, (the Hanbalî jurist Wazîr Abu'l Mudhaffar) Ibnu Hubayrah (d. 560 H) said,

"His statement (in the Hadîth), "Bearing witness that there is no -true- deity -worthy of worship- except Allâh," necessitates the one who witnesses to know that there is no -true- deity -worthy of worship- except Allâh. Allâhu Taâlâ said,

"So know that there is no -true- deity -worthy of worship- except Allâh." (Muhammad, 47/19)

It is necessary for the one who utters it to bear witness to it. Allâhu Taâlâ has said in a very clear fashion that if the person witnessing to the truth does not know what he witnessed, he does not attain truthfulness in testimony attained by those who bear witness to you with what they know. Allâh has said this in He Taâlâ's statement,

"Only those who testify to the truth and they know." (az-Zukhruf, 43/86)"

Ibnu Hubayrah said, "The noun Allâh is in the nominative case after the word (of exception) Illâ since He is the One for whom Ilâhiyyah is compulsory, thus none other than Allâh Subhânahu deserves it."

Ibnu Hubayrah also said, "Affirming this statement necessitates knowing that everything that has a sign of being new cannot be an Ilâh. Thus, when you say Lâ Ilâha Illallâh, this very utterance of yours includes that everything other than Allâh is not an Ilâh. Therefore, it necessitates you to single out Allâh Subhânahu alone in this regard."

Ibnu Hubayrah said, "Concisely, the benefit in this is that you know that this word comprises of disbelieving in the Tâghût and believing in Allâh. This is because when you have negated Ilâhiyyah and affirmed compliance to Allâh, then you have become from those who have disbelieved in the Tâghût and believed in Allâh." End quote.²²

In his Tafsîr, Abû Abdillâh al-Qurtubî said, "Lâ Ilâha Illâ Huwa (there is no -true- deity -worthy of worship- except Him) meaning, "There is no Ma'bûd (one who deserves to be worshipped) except Him."²³

Az-Zamakhsharî²⁴ said, "The word Ilâh is a generic noun just like the words man and horse. It is a noun referring to everything that is worshipped, regardless of it being true or false. Afterwards, the use of this word for the true Ma'bûd prevailed."²⁵

(The Shâfi'î jurist and exegete) al-Biqâ'î (d. 885H) said,

"Lâ Ilâha Illallâh, meaning; the possibility of there being a true Ma'bûd other than the Magnificent King was banished in a powerful manner. Verily, this knowledge is the greatest reminder that saves one from the horrors of the final hour. This only becomes knowledge when it benefits, and it is only beneficial if it is coupled with submissive obedience and acting in accordance with its requirements, otherwise, it is pure ignorance." End quote.²⁶

The Polytheists Are Aware of the Meaning of Kalimat'ut Tawhîd

All the exegetes explain the term Ilâh as Ma'bûd. The polytheists knew this since they were experts of the Arabic language. So, when the Nabî Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam requested them to say Lâ Ilâha Illallâh, they said,

"Has he made the Âlihah (pl. Ilâh; deities) (all) into One Ilâh? It is a very strange thing indeed!" (Sâd, 38/5)

The polytheists admitted that Allâh is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Disposer of all the affairs, the Lord and King of everything, as Allâhu Taâlâ informed of this regarding them in multiple places in His Book.

The First Obligation Upon the Slave Is Knowing the Meaning of Lâ Ilâha Illallâh

Allâh Subhânahu obligated upon His slaves knowing the meaning of Lâ Ilâha Illallâh and knowing that there is no -true- deity -worthy of worship- except Him. Allâhu Taâlâ said,

"So know that there is no -true- deity -worthy of worship- except Allâh." (Muhammad, 47/19)

Al-Bukhârî interpreted this verse and said,

"Chapter: Knowledge is Before Statement and Action."²⁷

Al-Bukhârî alluded to the fact that knowledge with regards to the meaning of Lâ Ilâha Illallâh is the first obligation. Statements and actions come after its knowledge.

Allâhu Taâlâ said,

"This Qur'ân is a message for the people that they may be warned thereby and that they may know that He is but one Deity." (Ibrâhîm, 14/52)

Allâhu Taâlâ did not say, "So that they say He is but one Deity."

Allâhu Taâlâ said,

"So, if they do not respond to you, then be assured that it has been sent down with the knowledge of Allâh and that there is no -true- deity -worthy of worship- except Him. So, do you submit?" (Hûd, 11/14)

Meaning: Know that there is no -true- deity -worthy of worship- except Him.

Allâhu Taâlâ said,

"And those they invoke besides Him do not possess (power of) intercession; but only those who testify to the truth (can benefit), and they know." (az-Zukhruf, 43/86)

The exegetes said, "Except those who witness to Lâ Ilâha Illallâh while they know in their hearts what they witnessed to with their tongues..."²⁸

The Nabî Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam said,

"Whoever dies while he knows that there is no -true- deity -worthy of worship- except Allâh will enter Paradise."²⁹

The scholars have deducted from these and similar verses that the first obligation upon people is knowing Allâh.

These verses indicate that the firmest of the obligations is knowledge with regards to the meaning of Lâ Ilâha Illallâh and that the greatest ignorance is deficiency regarding its meaning. This is because knowledge of its meaning is the firmest of what is compulsory, then ignorance regarding it is the greatest of ignorance and the ugliest of ignorance. 


^19- With similar wording in Majmû'u Fatâwâ Shaykh'il Islâm Ahmad Ibni Taymiyyah, 13/202; Ibnu Taymiyyah, Iqtidhâ'us Sirât'il Mustaqîm, 2/387.

^20- Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ighâthat'ul Luhafân, Maktabat'ul Ma'ârif, 1/27.

^21- Ibnu Rajab al-Hanbalî, Kalimat'ul Ikhlâs, al-Maktabat'ul Islâmî, p. 23-24.

The statements by these scholars were quoted by Abd'ur Rahmân bin Hasan Rahimahullâh with similar wording. (Abd'ur Rahmân bin Hasan, Fath'ul Majîd, p. 37-38)

^22- Abd'ur Rahmân bin Hasan, Fath'ul Majîd, p. 37.

^23- Al-Qurtubî, al-Jâmi'u li Ahkâm'il Qur'ân, 2/191.

^24- Az-Zamakhsharî is one of the leaders of the innovators from the Mu'tazilah and a philologist. Since he mastered language, the scholars of Ahl'us Sunnah benefitted from his books. He passed away in the year 538 H. For his biography, refer to Ibnu Hajar al-Asqalânî, Lisân'ul Mîzân, 6/4.

^25- Az-Zamakhsharî, al-Kashshâf, 1/6.

^26- Al-Biqâ'î, Nadhm'ud Durar fî Tanâsub'il Âyâti wa's Suwar, 18/230; Abd'ur Rahmân bin Hasan, Fath'ul Majîd, p. 38.

^27- Al-Bukhârî, Sahîh, 10^th chapter of Kitâb'ul Ilm.

^28- For similar explanations, refer to Ibnu Kathîr, at-Tafsîr, Dâru Taybah 7/243; al-Qurtubî, at-Tafsîr, 16/122.

^29- Ahmad, Musnad, 1/509, Hadîth no. 464; with similar wording in Muslim, Sahîh, Hadîth no. 26.