وَالْمُرَادُAnd what is meantبِالنَّفْيِ:by negation:
And what is meant by negation:
نَفْيُthe negationالْإِلٰهِيَّةِof divinityعَمَّاfrom whatسِوَىother thanاللَّهِAllahتَعَالَىMost Highمِنْfromسَائِرِallالْمَخْلُوقَاتِ.creations.
is the negation of divinity from all creations other than Allah Most High.
فَتَنْفِيSo it negatesجَمِيعَallمَاwhatيُعْبَدُis worshippedمِنْfromدُونِbesidesاللَّهِAllah
So it negates all that is worshipped besides Allah,
فَلَاso notيَسْتَحِقُّdeservesأَنْtoيُعْبَدَbe worshippedغَيْرُهُ.other than Him.
so no one else deserves to be worshipped.
وَالْمُرَادُAnd what is meantبِالْإِثْبَاتِ:by affirmation:
And what is meant by affirmation:
إِثْبَاتُthe affirmationالْإِلٰهِيَّةِof divinityلِلَّهِto Allahسُبْحَانَهُ،Exalted is He,
the affirmation of divinity to Allah, Exalted is He,
فَهُوَso Heالْإِلٰهُis the deityالْحَقُّthe trueالْمُسْتَحِقُّthe deservingلِلْعِبَادَةِof worship
so He is the true deity deserving of worship,
وَمَاand whateverسِوَاهُother than Himمِنْfromالْآلِهَةِthe deitiesالَّتِيthatاتَّخَذَهَاtookالْمُشْرِكُونَthe polytheistsفَكُلُّهَاso all of themبَاطِلَةٌare false.
and whatever deities other than Him the polytheists have taken are all false.
ذَلِكَThatبِأَنَّis becauseاللَّهَAllahهُوَHeالْحَقُّis the Truthوَأَنَّand thatمَاwhatيَدْعُونَthey call uponمِنْfromدُونِهِbesides Himهُوَisالْبَاطِلُthe falsehood.
That is because Allah, He is the Truth, and what they call upon besides Him is falsehood.
فَائِدَةٌBenefit
Benefit
قَالَSaidالشَّيْخُthe SheikhابْنُIbnعُثَيْمِينٍUthaymeenرَحِمَهُmay Allah have mercy on himاللَّهُ:Allah:
The Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
جُمْلَةُThe phraseلَاThere isإِلٰهَno deityإِلَّاexceptاللَّهُ"Allah"مُشْتَمِلَةٌcontainsعَلَىonنَفْيٍnegationوَإِثْبَاتٍ،and affirmation.
"The phrase 'La ilaha illa Allah' contains negation and affirmation.
أَمَّاAs forالنَّفْيُthe negation,فَهُوَ:it is:لَاLaإِلٰهَ"ilaha"
As for the negation, it is: 'La ilaha',
وَأَمَّاand as forالْإِثْبَاتُthe affirmation,فَهُوَ:it is:إِلَّاillaاللَّهُ.Allah.
and as for the affirmation, it is: 'illa Allah'.
وَ"اللَّهُ"And Allahلَفْظُis the termالْجَلَالَةِof majestyبَدَلٌa substituteمِنْfromخَبَرِthe predicateلَاof laالْمَحْذُوفِthe omitted,
And 'Allah' is the term of majesty, a substitute for the omitted predicate of 'la',
وَالتَّقْدِيرُ:and the estimation is:لَاThere isإِلٰهَno deityحَقَّtrueإِلَّاexceptاللَّهُ.Allah.
and the estimation is: 'There is no true deity except Allah'.
وَبِتَقْدِيرِنَاAnd by our estimationالْخَبَرَthe predicateبِهَذِهِwith thisالْكَلِمَةِ:word:"حَقٌّ"'true',
And by our estimation of the predicate with this word: 'true',
يَتَبَيَّنُbecomes clearالْجَوَابُthe answerعَنِaboutالْإِشْكَالِthe problemالتَّالِي:the following:
the answer to the following problem becomes clear:
وَهُوَwhich isكَيْفَhowيُقَالُ:it is said:لَاLaإِلٰهَilahaإِلَّاexceptاللَّهُ؛Allah;
which is how it is said: 'La ilaha illa Allah';
أَنَّthat there areهُنَاكَthereآلِهَةًdeitiesتُعْبَدُare worshippedمِنْfromدُونِbesidesاللَّهِ،Allah,
that there are deities worshipped besides Allah,
وَقَدْand indeedسَمَّاهَاHe named themاللَّهُAllahتَعَالَىMost Highآلِهَةًdeities
and indeed Allah Most High has named them deities
وَسَمَّاهَاand named themعَابِدُوهَاtheir worshippersآلِهَةً،deities.
and their worshippers have named them deities.
قَالَSaysاللَّهُAllahتَبَارَكَBlessedوَتَعَالَى:and Exalted:
Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says:
فَمَاSoأَغْنَتْavailedعَنْهُمْthemآلِهَتُهُمُtheir deitiesالَّتِيthatيَدْعُونَthey invokeمِنْfromدُونِbesidesاللَّهِAllahمِنْofشَيْءٍanythingلَمَّاwhenجَاءَcameأَمْرُthe commandرَبِّكَ}of your Lord.
{So, when the command of your Lord came, their deities that they invoked besides Allah availed them nothing.}
وَكَيْفَAnd howيُمْكِنُis it possibleأَنْtoنُثْبِتَaffirmالْأُلُوهِيَّةَdivinityلِغَيْرِto other thanاللَّهِAllahعَزَّMightyوَجَلَّ،and Majestic,
And how is it possible to affirm divinity to other than Allah, Mighty and Majestic,
وَالْرُّسُلُwhile the messengersيَقُولُونَsayلِأَقْوَامِهِمْ:to their people:
while the messengers say to their people:
اعْبُدُواWorshipاللَّهَAllah;مَاyou haveلَكُمْnotمِنْanyإِلَهٍdeityغَيْرُهُ}other than Him.
{Worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him.}
[الْأَعْرَافِ:٧٣].[Al-A'raf: 73].
[Al-A'raf: 73].
وَالْجَوَابُAnd the answerعَلَىtoهَذَاthisالْإِشْكَالِ:problem:
And the answer to this problem
يَتَبَيَّنُbecomes clearبِتَقْدِيرِby estimatingالْخَبَرَthe predicateفِيin"لَاLaإِلٰهَilahaإِلَّاillaاللَّهُ"Allah"
becomes clear by estimating the predicate in 'La ilaha illa Allah'.
فَنَقُولُ:so we say:هَذِهِtheseالْآلِهَةُdeitiesالَّتِيthatتُعْبَدُare worshippedمِنْfromدُونِbesidesاللَّهِAllah
So we say: These deities that are worshipped besides Allah
هِيَareآلِهَةٌdeitiesلَكِنَّهَاbut they areآلِهَةٌdeitiesبَاطِلَةٌfalse
are deities, but they are false deities,
لَيْسَتْnotآلِهَةًdeitiesحَقَّةًtrueوَلَيْسَand notلَهَاto themمِنْanyحَقِّrightالْأُلُوهِيَّةِof divinityشَيْءٌ،anything,
not true deities, and they have no right of divinity whatsoever,
يَدُلُّindicatesلِذَلِكَthisقَوْلُthe sayingتَعَالَى:of Allah, Exalted is He:
as indicated by the saying of Allah, Exalted is He:
ذَلِكَThatبِأَنَّis becauseاللَّهَAllahهُوَHeالْحَقُّis the Truthوَأَنَّand thatمَاwhatيَدْعُونَthey invokeمِنْfromدُونِهِbesides Himالْبَاطِلُis the falsehoodوَأَنَّand thatاللَّهَAllahهُوَHeالْعَلِيُّis the Most Highالْكَبِيرُthe Great.
{That is because Allah, He is the Truth, and what they invoke besides Him is the falsehood, and that Allah is the Most High, the Great.}
إِذَنْTherefore,فَمَعْنَىthe meaning"لَاLaإِلٰهَilahaإِلَّاillaاللَّهُ"Allah"
Therefore, the meaning of 'La ilaha illa Allah'
لَاisمَعْبُودَno one is worshippedحَقَّtrulyإِلَّاexceptاللَّهُAllahعَزَّMightyوَجَلَّ،and Majestic.
is that no one is truly worshipped except Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
فَأَمَّاAs forالْمَعْبُودَاتُthe worshipped onesسِوَاهُother than Himفَإِنَّthen theirأُلُوهِيَّتَهَاdivinityالَّتِيthatيَزْعُمُهَاthey claimعَابِدُوهَاtheir worshippers
As for the worshipped ones other than Him, then their divinity that their worshippers claim
لَيْسَتْis notحَقِيقِيَّةًreal,أَيْi.e.,أُلُوهِيَّةًa divinityبَاطِلَةً"false.
is not real, i.e., a false divinity."
فَتَاوَى(1) FatawaابْنِIbnعُثَيْمِينٍUthaymeen٦/6/٦٧.67.
(1) Fatawa Ibn Uthaymeen 6/67.