He then said:
“As for remembrance using the isolated name, it has never been prescribed in any form, nor is there anything in the scriptural evidence to indicate that it is recommended. Some mistaken worshippers misconstrue the words of the Most High, ‘Say, “Allah.” Then leave them…’ 1, imagining that what is intended is the utterance of this name. This is an obvious error. Had they reflected on what precedes it, the intended meaning of the verse would have become clear. He—glorified is He—said: ‘They did not recognize Allah as He deserves to be recognized when they said, “Allah has not sent down anything to any human being.” Say, “Who sent down the Scripture that Moses brought as a light and guidance for mankind, which you make into separate sheets, revealing some while concealing much? You were taught what neither you nor your forefathers knew.” Say, “Allah.”’ 2 That is: Say, ‘Allah sent down the Scripture that Moses brought.’ This constitutes complete speech: a nominal sentence composed of a subject and predicate, the latter having been omitted because the question makes the answer evident. This is a consistently applied construction in analogous Arabic usage…”
He cited examples of this, until he said—may Allah have mercy on him:
“It has become clear from the scriptural evidence that it is not recommended—that is, remembrance using an isolated name without a complete statement—and the rational and experiential evidence likewise demonstrates this. A name by itself conveys neither faith nor disbelief, neither guidance nor misguidance, and neither knowledge nor ignorance…”
He continued:
“For this reason, scholars of Arabic and all other languages agree that a name by itself cannot properly stand alone and constitutes neither a complete sentence nor meaningful speech. Thus, when an Arab heard a muezzin say, ‘I testify that Muhammad, Allah’s Messenger…,’ he asked, ‘Did what?’ By putting the word ‘Messenger’ in the accusative, the muezzin turned it into an adjective, and an adjective forms part of the noun it describes. His sound linguistic instinct therefore prompted him to seek an informative predicate. But the muezzin intended ‘Messenger’ as the predicate