Mana La Ilaha Illa Allah - al-Zarkashi
- Author died
- 794 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Iʿtiṣām
Maʿna La Ilaha Illa Allah ("The Meaning of 'There is No God but Allah'") is a theological and grammatical treatise by the Shafi'i jurist and scholar Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi (745–794 AH / 1345–1392 CE) dedicated to the linguistic meaning, semantic implications, and grammatical analysis of the Islamic testimony of faith (kalimat al-tawhid) .
Subject and Content
The treatise addresses the linguistic derivation and theological meaning of the declaration of faith, La ilaha illa Allah. In his analysis of the vocabulary, al-Zarkashi examines the root of the word ilah (deity), tracing it linguistically to the verb alaha (meaning ʿabada, "to worship"), signifying the one who is worshiped and obeyed, and exploring the linguistic and creedal dimensions of the phrase .
The work forms part of a genre of specialized monographs by classical grammarians and theologians exploring the syntax and parsing (iʿrab) of the phrase, specifically evaluating the negative particle (la), its omitted predicate, and the grammatical position of the divine name (Allah) following the exception particle (illa) .
Transmission and Publication
The work is referenced in historical and bibliographical contexts both as Maʿna La Ilaha Illa Allah and as Risalah fi Iʿrab La Ilaha Illa Allah . It is preserved alongside other classical treatises composed on the grammatical and theological parsing of the testimony of faith, such as those by Ibn Hisham al-Ansari (d. 761 AH), Ali al-Qari (d. 1014 AH), and Ibrahim al-Kurani (d. 1101 AH) . Al-Zarkashi's treatise was edited and published in print under the title Maʿna La Ilaha Illa Allah .
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