There was a Sheikh who was teaching his students Aqeedah (faith), He taught them 'la ilaha illa Allah' and explained it to them.
The Sheikh loved keeping pets, so he was given a parrot by one of the students as a gift.
And with days the Sheikh started to like the parrot. He used to take it in his lessons, until the parrot knew how to say la ilaha illa Allah, He would utter it day and night.
One day the students found their Sheikh crying and sobbing.
When they asked him the reason, he told them that a cat attacked the parrot and killed it.
They said: Is this the reason you are
crying! If you wish we will bring you another parrot better than that one.
The Sheikh said: I am not crying because of this... But it made me cry when the cat attacked the parrot.
It was shouting and screaming until it died. He used to say la ilaha illa Allah a lot. However, when he was attacked by a cat he forgot to say it. He did nothing but scream! Because he used to say it with his tongue only, and his heart did not learn it, so it didn't feel it!
Then the Sheikh said: I am afraid to be like this parrot, we live our lives repeating la ilaha illa Allah with our tongues, but when death comes we forget it because our hearts did not know it.
When he told his students, they started crying in fear of lack of honesty in saying "La ilaha illa Allah".
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May Allah grant us " ﻻ ﺍﻟﻪ ﺍﻻًﺍﻟﻠﻪ" in our hearts and on our tongues, b4 & @ d time of death.
Aameeen.
- Writeen by a Brother
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"ﻻ ﺍﻟﻪ ﺍﻻًﺍﻟﻠﻪ"
"La ilaha illa Allah".
The first rule before a person to become a Muslim is to believe sincerely with the heart that "La Ilaha Illa Allah", which means, "None has the right to be worshipped except Allah."
Allah's Messenger (salla'llahu 'alayhi wasallam) said, "Allah has forbidden the (Hell) fire for those who say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah' for Allah's sake only." (Bukhari)
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Hadiths:
4. The Messenger (s.a.w.s) preached in Makkah for 13 years inviting the idol-worshippers, saying:
"Testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah."
But their response as reported in the Qur'ân was:
"And they (Arab pagans) wonder that a warner (Prophet Muhammad) has come to them from among themselves! And the disbelievers say: 'This (Prophet Muhammad ) is a sorcerer, a liar. Has he made the âlihâ (gods) (all) into One Ilâh (God - Allah). Verily, this is a curious thing!' And the leaders among them went about (saying): 'Go on, and remain constant to your âlihâ (gods)! Verily, this is a thing designed (against you)! We have not heard (the like) of this among the people of these later days. This is nothing but an invention!'" (V. 38: 4-7)
The Arabs understood its meaning that one who said it (with conviction), would not call upon (invoke, pray, supplicate etc.) anyone other than Allah. So they abstained from it and refused to say it. Allah (swt) said:
"Truly, when it was said to them: 'Lâ 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 âlihâ (gods) for the sake of a mad poet?' Nay! he (Muhammad) has come with the truth (i.e. Allah's religion - Islamic Monotheism and this Qur'ân) and he confirms the Messengers (before him who brought Allah's religion - Islamic Monotheism)." (V. 37: 35-37)
And the Prophet (s.a.w.s) said:
"Whoever says La ilaha illa-Allah and rejects whatever is worshipped besides Allah, his property and blood becomes sacrosanct and his reckoning is [only] with Allah the Mighty and Exalted." (Muslim)
This Hadîth teaches us that the verbal declaration of the testimony of Faith requires the rejection of all worship directed to other than Allah, such as supplication to the dead, etc.
Indeed, it is strange that some Muslims say La ilaha illa-Allah with their tongues and contradict its meaning with their deeds and their supplication to other than Allah.
7. The Prophet (s.a.w.s) said:
"Urge those of you who are on their deathbeds to say La ilaha illa-Allah; for verily, whoever's last words are La ilaha illa-Allah, will eventually enter Paradise even if he has to go through (before that) whatever (punishment) he has to go through." (Reported by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih and declared authentic by Al-Albani in Sahih-ul-Jami').
"Urging" as mentioned in the Hadîth is not the mere repetition of the Shahadah --"La ilaha illa-Allah" in the presence of the dying person, as some people have understood of it, rather it is to instruct him to say it. The proof for that is the Hadîth narrated by Anas bin Malik (r.a.):
Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.s) visited a (dying) man of the Ansâr and said to him, "Uncle, say La ilaha illa-Allah." The Ansâri asked, "Do you consider me a maternal uncle or paternal uncle?" The Prophet (s.a.w.s) said, "A maternal uncle". The man said, "Then it is better for me to say La ilaha illa-Allah." The Prophet (s.a.w.s) said, "Yes." [Reported by Ahmad- 3/152 with authentic chain of narrators according to the criteria of Imam Muslim. See Ahkâm-ul-Janâiz (funeral rulings) by Albani p.11]
8. The word La ilaha illa-Allah will benefit the one who says it if he conforms to its meaning in his life, and doesn't nullify it by associating partners with Allah, such as supplicating to the dead or calling upon the living who are absent. This can be compared to Wudû (i.e. ablution which puts one into a state of purity) which is nullified by urination, defecation,.... etc.
The Prophet (s.a.w.s) said:
"Whoever says La ilaha illa-Allah, it will be his salvation someday, no matter what befalls him before that." (Reported by Baihaqi, declared authentic by Albani in Ahâdith Sahiha -No. 1932).
References:
1. http://www.wisdom.edu.ph/IS202-Pillars-Eeman/Pillars/first_benefits.htm
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