The true meaning of Laa ilaaha illa Allaah is: There is no deity truly worthy of worship except Allah.
All praise is due to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the noblest of messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions, the Tabi‘un (the generation after the Companions), and those who followed them in the best manner until the Day of Resurrection.
I have read the article written by our brother in Islam, the eminent Shaykh `Umar ibn Ahmad Al-
Millibary, on the meaning of Laa ilaaha illa Allah. I carefully studied his explanation of the three perspectives regarding its meaning. These definitions are as follows:1. There is no deity truly worthy of worship except Allah.
2. There is no deity truly worthy of obedience except Allah.
3. There is no god but Allah.
The correct definition, as he stated, is the first one, which is clarified repeatedly in the Book of Allah (may He be Praised). For example, Allah says:
"You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help."
And:
"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him."
He (may He be Praised) also says:
"And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)."
And:
"That is because Allâh — He is the Truth (the only True God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Bâtil (falsehood)."
Many other Qur’anic verses affirm this meaning. Moreover, this is the meaning that the polytheists understood from Laa ilaaha illa Allah when the Prophet (peace be upon him) called them to it, saying:
"O my people, say ‘Laa ilaaha illa Allah’ to succeed."
They denied and arrogantly rejected this because they understood it contradicted their forefathers’ worship of idols, trees, and stones, and their deification. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) mentions in Surah Sad:
"And they (Arab pagans) wonder that a warner (Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) has come to them from among themselves. And the disbelievers say: ‘This (Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) is a sorcerer, a liar. Has he made the âlihah (gods) (all) into One Ilâh (God – Allâh)? Verily, this is a curious thing!’"
In Surah Al-Saffat (verses 35 and 36), Allah states concerning the polytheists:
"Truly, when it was said to them: La ilaha illa Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), they puffed themselves up with pride (i.e., denied it). And (they) said: ‘Are we going to abandon our alihah (gods) for the sake of a mad poet?’"
This indicates that the polytheists understood that Laa ilaaha illa Allah superseded their deities and required dedicating worship to Allah Alone. Thus, when one of them embraced Islam, he abandoned shirk (associating partners with Allah) and dedicated worship solely to Allah.
Had Laa ilaaha illa Allah meant only that there is no god but Allah, or that there is none worthy of obedience but Allah, they would never have rejected it. They already knew Allah is their Lord and Creator, worthy of obedience in the commands they believed came from Him. Rather, they believed that worshipping idols, prophets, angels, righteous people, trees, and the like brought them closer to Allah as intercessors. Allah says in Surah Yunus, verse 18:
"And they worship besides Allah things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’ Say: ‘Do you inform Allâh of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth?’ Glorified and Exalted is He above all that which they associate as partners (with Him)!"
He (Glorified and Exalted be He) also states:
"The revelation of this Book (the Qur’ân) is from Allâh, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. Verily We have sent down the Book to you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) in truth: So worship Allâh (Alone) by doing religious deeds sincerely for Allâh’s sake only. Surely the religion (i.e., the worship and obedience) is for Allâh only. And those who take Auliyâ’ (protectors, helpers, lords, gods) besides Him (say): ‘We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allâh.’"
The pagans admitted they worshipped others only to bring them near to Allah, but Allah (may He be Praised) responded:
"Verily, Allâh will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly, Allâh guides not him who is a liar and a disbeliever."
Allah (may He be Praised) declared that they are both liars in their claim that their deities bring them near to Allah and disbelievers because of this act. Many other verses support this meaning.
All praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions, the Tabi‘un, and those who followed them in the best manner until the Day of Resurrection!
Source: alifta.com – by Shaykh Ibn Baaz
https://abdurrahman.org/2011/06/17/the-correct-meaning-of-laa-ilaaha-illa-allaah-by-shaikh-ibn-baaz/
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