33 / The Conditions of “There Is No Deity Worthy of Worship Except Allah”
We have already discussed some of the virtues of the declaration of monotheism, “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah”—the best, finest, and most sublime of all words—and the generous rewards, immense merits, and beneficial fruits that it yields in this world and the Hereafter. The Muslim must know, however, that this declaration is not accepted from a person merely because he utters it with his tongue. Rather, he must fulfill its due and its obligations and satisfy the conditions established for it in the Quran and Sunnah. Every Muslim knows that no act of obedience by which he seeks nearness to Allah is accepted unless he fulfills its conditions. Prayer is accepted only when its well-known conditions are met; Hajj is accepted only when its conditions are met; and likewise, no act of worship is accepted unless its conditions, as established in the Quran and Sunnah, are fulfilled. The same applies to the declaration, “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah”: it is accepted only when the servant fulfills its conditions as established in the Quran and Sunnah.
Our righteous predecessors—may Allah be pleased with them—emphasized the importance of observing the conditions of this declaration, the obligation to adhere to them, and the fact that it is accepted only thereby. Among the reports concerning this is that al-Hasan al-Basrī—may Allah have mercy on him—was told, “Some people say that whoever says, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,’ will enter Paradise.” He replied, “Whoever says, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,’ and fulfills its due and its obligations will enter Paradise.”
When al-Hasan saw al-Farazdaq burying his wife, he asked him, “What have you prepared for this day?” He replied, “The testimony that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, which I have professed for seventy years.” Al-Hasan said, “An excellent provision indeed! But ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah’ has conditions, so beware of slandering chaste women.”
Wahb ibn Munabbih was asked, “Is not ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah’ the key to Paradise?” He replied, “Indeed it is, but every key has teeth; if you bring a key with teeth—”