The Meaning of ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’
What does ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’ mean for Muslims?
• “Laa ilaaha illallaah” means “There is no god worthy of worship except Allah ﷻ .
• Worshipping Allah ﷻ means to:
- Pray only to Allah ﷻ
- Ask only of Allah ﷻ .
- Fear Allah’s ﷻ punishment.
- Trust Allah ﷻ .
- Bow and prostrate only to Allah ﷻ .
- ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’ means that Allah ﷻ is the only god, and only He should be worshipped.
- Laa ilaaha illallaah’ means that no one can have any of the attributes and qualities of Allah ﷻ Neither the angels, nor the prophets, nor any other thing or being have the qualities of Allah ﷻ . They are therefore not worthy of worship.
- Muslims believe that Allah ﷻ is the only god. He is the only One worthy of worship, and Muslims perform all acts of worship only for Him.
“Discussion:”
- What does ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’ mean ?
- When Muslims say and believe that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah :
What do they reject ?
What do they affirm ?
‘Muhammad Rasoolullaah’ ﷺ
What does ‘Muhammad Rasoolullaah’ ﷺ mean to Muslims?
• ‘Muhammad Rasoolullaah’ ﷺ means that Muhammad ﷺ is the last messenger of Allah ﷻ .
• It means that no one must be followed but him. No prophets ﷺ or messengers will be sent to the people after him.
• Muslims follow Muhammad ﷺ by carrying out everything that he told them to do and believing in all that he said. They stay away from everything that he warned them against.
Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’aan
“And whatever the Messenger has given you-take; and what he has forbidden you- refrain from.” (Soorah al-Hashr : 7)
Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’aan
“Say (O Muhammad), ‘If you should love Allah then follow me, (so) Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.”” (Soorah Aali ‘Imraan: 31)
“Discussion:”
- What does ‘Muhammad Rasoolullaah’ mean?
- Muslims say, ‘Muhammad ﷺ is the final messenger of Allah ﷻ.’
What does ‘final messenger’ mean ?
Benefits of Reading the Qur’aan
How does reading the Qur’aan benefit a Muslim?
• Muslims who read and reflect on the Qur’aan fulfill an obligation and are rewarded by Allah.
• If a person recites one letter from the Qur’aan, he/she will be rewarded ten fold by Allah.
• Muslims recite the Qur’aan to seek Allah’s pleasure.
• Recitation of the Qur’aan is the best form of dhikr. It is also the best way of bringing a Muslim closer to Allah.
Allah says in the Qur’aan
“So recite what is easy (for you) of the Qur’aan.” (Soorah al-Muzzammil: 20)
Ibn Mas’ood said, “Whoever loves the Qur’aan loves Allah and His Messenger.”
“Discussion:”
- What do Muslims fulfill by reading and reflecting on the Qur’aan ?
