The Arkaan (Pillars) of La ilaha illa Allah

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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Al-Baiyyinah

البينة
Issue#2
The Arkaan (Pillars) of La ilaha illa Allah
[ﻻﺍﻟﻪﺍﻻالله]
Firstly inshallah ta’ala we will look at the Arkaan or Pillars of La
ilaha ill Allah. Now the Arabic word arkaan is the plural of rukn which
comes from the verb rakina, meaning to support. Hence the rukn of an
object is what it leans on or what it uses for support in order to keep
it stable. Hence the arkaan of La ilaha ill Allah is what keeps that
kalimah stable. There are two pillars:
1) An Nafy (Negation)
2) Al Ithbaat (Affirmation)
An Nafy means rejecting all beings or objects of worship and
identifying them as false.
Al Ithbaat refers to affirming worship to Allah alone and not to anyone
or anything else. And the evidences to prove these arkaan are plentiful
in the Qur’aan. Amongst these evidences is Ayat 256 in Surah Baqarah,
where Allah says:
لاَ إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ قَد
تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ
فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ
وَيُؤْمِن بِاللّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ
بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىَ لاَ
انفِصَامَ لَهَا وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ
عَلِيمٌ
“There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has
become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and
believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold
that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.”
“Whoever disbelieves in Taghut.” carries the meaning of the first
rukn (An Nafy) and “believes in Allah” carries the meaning of the
second pillar (Al Ithbaat).
And also we have Ayahs 26-27 in Surah Zukhruf where Allah says:
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِأَبِيهِ
وَقَوْمِهِ إِنَّنِي بَرَاء مِّمَّا
تَعْبُدُونَ
“And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) said to his father and his
people: ‘Verily, I am innocent of what you worship,
إِلَّا الَّذِي فَطَرَنِي فَإِنَّهُ
سَيَهْدِينِ
Except Him (i.e. I worship none but Allah Alone) Who did create me, and
verily, He will guide me.’"
Here verse 26 carries the meaning of the first rukn, and Ayat 27
(meaning of) that of the second pillar.
The first part of the Kalimah (La ilaha) denotes the rejection of
anything being worshipped other than Allah. And the second part of the
Kalimah (Ill Allah) asserts that Allah alone and nothing else should be
worshipped. Hence An Nafy, the first pillar is evident in the first
part of the Kalimah (La ilaha) and Ithbaat is evident in the second
part of the Kalimah (Ill Allah).
The Conditions of La ilaha illa Allah
A condition as defined by the scholars of Islam is an order that brings
about the presence of a ruling. For example, cleanliness is a condition
for prayer and the absence of cleanliness means that there is no
prayer, as the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و
سلم) said: “There is no prayer for the one that is impure until he
purifies himself.” [Bukhari & Muslim]
The Conditions of ﻻﺍﻟﻪﺍﻻالله are:
1) Knowledge as opposed to ignorance: Meaning that if a person knows
that Allah is the only one deserving of worship and that worshipping of
other things is false and he acts upon this knowledge. He is
knowledgeable about its meaning. Allah Ta’ala said in Surah Muhammad
verse 19:
فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا
اللَّهُ
“Know that He (Allah) is the only one deserving of worship.”
2) Certainty as opposed to doubt:
Whoever says La ilaha illa Allah has to be certain of it in his heart
and believe what he says. He must also be certain about the erroneous
nature of worshipping other beings. Allah has said about the Muttaqeen
or those who fear Him:
والَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ
إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ
وَبِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ
“Those who believe in what was sent down to you and that which was
sent down before you and they are certain about life after death (The
Hereafter).” [Surah Baqarah Ayah 4]
3) Sincerity and not Associating partners with Allah: That is to direct
all saying and actions towards pleasing Almighty Allah:
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِي وَنُسُكِي
وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلّهِ رَبِّ
الْعَالَمِينَ
“Say: ‘Verily my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and death are for
Allah only’.” [Surah An’aam Ayah 162]
4) Truthfulness as opposed to Untruthfulness: This is to be truthful
in faith, belief, sayings and doings. Allah said in Surah Taubah verse
119:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ
اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ وَكُونُواْ مَعَ
الصَّادِقِينَ
“O ye who believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful”
5) Love as opposed to hate: The Muslims love this kalimah, what it
guides towards and the people who testify to it. The Muslims love Allah
and the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) and put their love
of them above everything else.
6) Submission as opposed to resistance:
Meaning submission to what La ilaha illa Allah guides toward. Allah has
said:
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِّمَّنْ
أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لله
“And who is better in religion than who submits totally to Allah.”
[Surah Nisaa Ayah 125]
7) Acceptance as opposed to Rejection:
This is acceptance of the kalimah and its meaning. Allah has said in
Surah Baqara Ayah 136:
قُولُواْ آمَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَمَا
أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا
“Say: ‘We believe in Allah and what has been sent down to
us.’”
8) Disbelief in what is worshipped other than Allah: In the Qur’an
Allah says:
فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ
وَيُؤْمِن بِاللّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ
بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىَ لاَ
انفِصَامَ لَهَا وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ
عَلِيمٌ
“Whoever disbelieves in Taghuut and worships Allah has held on to a
most trustworthy handhold.” [Surah Baqarah Ayah 256]
To summarise these conditions, a poet said: “Knowledge certainty,
sincerity with love, submission and acceptance of it.” And the
scholars added an eighth one (disbelief in what is worshipped other
than Allah).■