and fearing Him, placing his hope in Him and relying upon Him, he ceases to love, obey, fear, place his hope in or rely upon anything besides Him. This is the reality of the monotheism with which Allah sent the messengers and revealed the Scriptures. It is the fulfilment of the testimony that none is worthy of worship except Allah. Devotion to anything besides Allah has vanished from his heart, while devotion to Allah alone remains. Love of anything besides Allah, fear of anything besides Allah and reliance upon anything besides Allah have vanished from his heart, while love of Allah, fear of Allah and reliance upon Allah remain.

This annihilation coexists with subsistence: the heart divests itself of worshipping anything besides Allah while adorning itself with worshipping Allah alone. As the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to a man:

“Say: ‘I have submitted to Allah and renounced all else.’”

This is the fulfilment of the testimony that none is worthy of worship except Allah, through negation together with affirmation: denying divinity to anything besides Him while affirming His divinity alone. For there is no deity in existence except Allah; nothing in existence deserves worship except Allah. This must therefore be firmly established in the heart, so that there is none whom the heart adores and worships except Allah alone. Every devotion to anything besides Allah must leave the heart, and devotion to Allah alone must become firmly established within it, since there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone.

This allegiance to Allah is coupled with disavowal of, and enmity towards, every object of worship besides Him and those who worship them. Allah Most High said concerning His intimate friend, peace be upon him:

“And when Abraham said to his father and his people, ‘I am free of what you worship, except the One who created me, for He will surely guide me.’ And he made it an enduring declaration among his descendants, so that they might return.”

And He said:

“Have you considered what you have been worshipping—you and your fathers