Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (5/247)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

say, ‘There is no god but Allah.’ He said, ‘O uncle, say: “There is no god but Allah.”’” (1)

As for rational consideration: if he says it, that is good; and if he does not say it, he is an unbeliever. Thus, if it were assumed that he became distressed by this instruction and did not say it, he would remain as he was, and it would not affect him in any way. Likewise, if he is a Muslim who is able to bear it, instructing him to say it will not affect him. But if he is weak, then instructing him may provoke a reaction: he may become distressed and angry, and then reject it while he is in the very state of departing from this world. Some people, even when healthy, if you tell them, “Say: ‘There is no god but Allah,’” will reply, “I will not say: ‘There is no god but Allah.’” In anger, some people become so angry that they forget themselves and say, “I will not say: ‘There is no god but Allah.’” So what then of this state?

His words, “prompting him to say: ‘There is no god but Allah,’” and not “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” are because this is what is reported in the hadith: “Prompt your dying ones to say: ‘There is no god but Allah.’” (2) The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said: “Whoever’s last words in this world are ‘There is no god but Allah’ will enter Paradise.” (3) The statement of tawhid (affirming Allah’s absolute oneness) is the key to Islam; what follows it consists of its complements and subsidiary matters.

If he combines the two testimonies and says, “There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” this does not prevent “There is no god but Allah” from being his final words in this world, because bearing witness that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is the Messenger is consequential to and completes what came before it,

(1) Narrated by al-Bukhari (1360) and Muslim (24), on the authority of al-Musayyib ibn Hazn. (2) Narrated by Muslim (1916), on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri. (3) Narrated by Abu Dawud (3116) and al-Hakim (1/351), on the authority of Mu'adh ibn Jabal. Al-Hakim graded it authentic, and al-Dhahabi concurred.

يقول: لا إله إلا الله، قال: يا عم قل: لا إله إلا الله» (١). وأما النظر: فلأنه إن قالها فهو خير، وإن لم يقلها فهو كافر، فلو فرض أنه ضاق صدره بهذا الأمر ولم يقلها فهو باق على حاله لم يؤثر عليه شيئاً، وكذا إذا كان مسلماً وهو ممن يتحمل فإن أمرناه بها لا يؤثر عليه، وإن كان ضعيفاً فإن أمرناه بها ربما يحصل به رد فعل بحيث يضيق صدره، ويغضب فينكر وهو في حال فِراق الدنيا، فبعض الناس في حال الصحة إذا قلت له قل: لا إله إلا الله، قال: لن أقول: لا إله إلا الله، فعند الغضب يغضب بعض الناس حتى ينسى، فيقول: لا أقول: لا إله إلا الله، فما بالك بهذه الحال؟ قوله: «تلقينه لا إله إلا الله» ولم يقل: محمداً رسول الله؛ لأن هذا هو الذي ورد فيه الحديث: «لقّنوا موتاكم لا إله إلا الله» (٢)، وقال النبي ﷺ: «من كان آخر كلامه من الدنيا لا إله إلا الله دخل الجنة» (٣). فكلمة التوحيد مفتاح الإِسلام، وما يأتي بعدها فهو من مكملاتها وفروعها. ولو جمع بين الشهادتين؛ فقال: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله، لا يمنع هذا من أن يكون آخر كلامه من الدنيا «لا إله إلا الله»؛ لأن الشهادة للنبي ﷺ بالرسالة تابع لما قبلها ومتممٌ له،

(١) أخرجه البخاري (١٣٦٠)؛ ومسلم (٢٤) عن المسيب بن حزن ﵁. (٢) أخرجه مسلم (١٩١٦) عن أبي سعيد الخدري ﵁. (٣) أخرجه أبو داود (٣١١٦)؛ والحاكم (١/ ٣٥١) عن معاذ بن جبل ﵁ وصححه الحاكم ووافقه الذهبي.