to obey him in what he commanded. The opposite of the former is to speak about Allah without knowledge, and the opposite of the latter is to associate with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority. The former is nobler: every believer is a Muslim, but not every Muslim is a believer.

“The Bedouins say, ‘We believe.’ Say, ‘You have not believed; rather, say, “We have submitted.”’”

All groups esteem these two kinds, but what the Messenger brought is the most excellent in both, as Allah says:

“Indeed, this Quran guides to that which is most upright.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would sometimes recite Surah al-Ikhlās and “Say, O disbelievers” in the two rak‘ahs before the dawn prayer. “Say, O disbelievers” concerns worshipping Allah alone, which is the religion of Islam. “Say, He is Allah, One” describes the Most Merciful and concerns speaking of Him and affirming about Him what befits Him, which is faith. This is affirming Allah’s oneness in word, whereas the former is affirming His oneness in practice.

At other times, he would recite in the first of these two rak‘ahs the following words from Surah al-Baqarah:

“Say, ‘We believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to us, and in what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the descendants, and in what Moses and Jesus were given, and in what the prophets were given by their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.’”

And in the second:

“Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you’”

through to His words:

“But if they turn away, then say, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’”