Mana La Ilaha Illa Allah wa Muqtadaha wa Atharuha fi al-Fard wa al-Mujtama
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- الجامعة الإسلامية
Mana La Ilaha Illa Allah wa Muqtadaha wa Atharuha fi al-Fard wa al-Mujtama (The Meaning of "There Is No God but Allah," Its Implications, and Its Effects on the Individual and Society) is a concise doctrinal treatise on Islamic monotheism by Salih al-Fawzan . The work examines the core declaration of faith in Islam (kalimat al-tawhid), detailing its theological significance, linguistic construction, conditions, legal implications, and social impact .
Structure and Content
The author arranges the treatise around six core topics outlined in the introduction :
- Status in Life (Makanatuha fi al-Hayah): Explains that the declaration is the purpose of creation, the foundation of the divine messages and scriptures, and the dividing line between faith and disbelief .
- Virtues (Fadluhu): Details the merits of reciting the phrase with sincerity, drawing upon traditions such as the heavy weight of the testimony on the scales on the Day of Judgment and its role as the price of Paradise .
- Grammar, Pillars, and Conditions (I‘rabuha wa Arkanuha wa Shurutuha): Examines the grammatical syntax of the phrase, asserting that the implicit predicate is "true" (haqq) rather than merely "existent" (mawjud) . It identifies its two pillars as negation (al-nafy) of divinity to anything besides God, and affirmation (al-ithbat) of it to God alone . It lists seven essential conditions for the validity of the testimony: knowledge (‘ilm), certainty (yaqin), sincerity (ikhlas), truthfulness (sidq), love (mahabbah), submission (inqiyad), and acceptance (qabul) .
- Meaning and Implications (Ma‘naha wa Muqtadaha): Establishes that the statement means "there is no deity truly worthy of worship except Allah" . It criticizes interpretations that restrict its meaning to acknowledging the existence or creative power of God alone, and emphasizes that its practical requirements include submitting solely to divine law, rejecting polytheistic practices and superstitions, and affirming the Divine Names and Attributes without denial or allegorical interpretation .
- Circumstances of Benefit (Mata Yanfa‘u Qawluha wa Mata La Yanfa‘): Addresses the misconception that mere oral pronunciation guarantees salvation without inner conviction or adherence to its requirements, citing classical statements by Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Rajab, and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab .
- Effects on the Individual and Society (Atharuha): Outlines the practical results of realizing true monotheism, including communal unity, social peace and security, worldly empowerment and stability, psychological serenity, elevated honor, and the inviolability of life, property, and dignity .
Method and Sources
The author relies on scriptural evidence from the Quran and prophetic hadith, structuring arguments around citations of earlier texts such as Ibn al-Qayyim's Zad al-Ma‘ad and Madarij al-Salikin, Ibn Rajab's treatise Kalimat al-Ikhlas, and commentary traditions within the Najdi theological corpus, particularly Sulayman ibn Abdallah's Taysir al-‘Aziz al-Hamid and Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan's Fath al-Majid .
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