The
most fundamental and the most important teaching of
Prophet Muhammad (blessings of Allah and peace be
upon him) is faith in the unity of God. This is
expressed in the primary Kalimah of Islam as "There
is no deity but Allah" (La ilaha illallah). This
beautiful phrase is the bedrock of Islam, its
foundation and its essence. It is the expression of
this belief which differentiates a true Muslim from
a kafir (unbeliever), mushrik (one who associates
others with God in His Divinity) or dahriyah (an
atheist).
The acceptance or denial of this phrase produces a
world of difference between man and man. The
believers in it become one single community and
those who do not believe in it form an opposing
group. For the believers there is unhampered
progress and success in this world and in the
hereafter, while failure and ignominy are the
ultimate lot of those who refuse to believe in it.
But the difference between the believers and the
unbelievers does not result from the mere chanting
of a few words. Obviously, the mere utterance of a
phrase or two is not in itself important. The real
difference lies in the conscious acceptance of this
doctrine and complete adherence to it in practical
life. Mere repetition of the word 'food' cannot dull
hunger; mere chanting of a medical prescription
cannot heal the disease.
In the same way, if the Kalimah is repeated without
any understanding, it cannot work the revolution
which it is meant to bring about. This can occur
only if a person grasps the full meaning of the
doctrine and accepts and follows it in letter and
spirit. We avoid fire because we know that it burns;
we keep away from poison because we know that it can
kill. Similarly, if the real meanings of Tawhid are
fully grasped, we avoid, in belief as well as in
action, every form of disbelief, atheism and
polytheism. This is the natural consequence of
belief in the Unity of God.
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