The Virtue of Saying “There is No God but Allah”
Numerous hadiths in the prophetic tradition highlight the importance and virtue of proclaiming “There is no god but Allah.” Below are some notable examples:
- According to Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: “When a servant says ‘There is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest’, Allah (glory be to Him) responds: ‘My servant has spoken the truth; there is no god but Me, and I am the Greatest.’ If the servant says ‘There is no god but Allah alone’, He says: ‘My servant has spoken the truth; there is no god but Me alone.’ If he says ‘There is no god but Allah, with no partners to Him’, He responds: ‘My servant has spoken the truth; there is no god but Me, and I have no partners.’ If he states ‘There is no god but Allah, to Him belongs the sovereignty and praise’, He says: ‘My servant has spoken the truth; there is no god but Me; to Me belongs the sovereignty and praise.’ If he declares ‘There is no god but Allah, and there is no might nor power except with Allah’, He then replies: ‘My servant has spoken the truth; there is no god but Me, and there is no might nor power except with Me.’
- Sa’da Al-Miriyah reported: Umar encountered Talha after the passing of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked him why he appeared downcast. Talha replied: “It is not due to the leadership of my cousin, but rather, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: ‘I know a word that no one should utter at the time of death unless it serves as light for his record. His body and spirit will find peace with it at the time of death.’ I refrained from asking him until he passed away. I now know it; it is what his uncle was reminded of, and if he had known anything more beneficial, he would have commanded him to do it.”
- Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “No soul dies while bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), except that it will be forgiven by Allah.”
Hadith on the Virtue of Saying “There is No God but Allah” Before Death
Many hadiths in the prophetic tradition discuss the significance of proclaiming “There is no god but Allah” prior to death. Here are a few examples:
- According to Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with them), he said: “I entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on the day he passed away, and he told me: ‘O Hudhayfah, whoever has it written that he will meet death while sincerely declaring: There is no god but Allah will enter Paradise.’
- Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Teach your dying to say: There is no god but Allah, for whoever has ‘There is no god but Allah’ as his last words will enter Paradise at some point.”
Hadith on the Virtue of Saying “There is No God but Allah” on the Day of Judgment
Many hadiths emphasize the importance of proclaiming “There is no god but Allah” on the Day of Judgment. Below are some instances:
- According to Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: “Those who say: ‘There is no god but Allah’ and whose hearts contain goodness equivalent to a barley grain will be taken out of the Fire. Then, those who say: ‘There is no god but Allah’ and have goodness equivalent to a wheat grain will be taken out. Lastly, those who say: ‘There is no god but Allah’ with goodness equivalent to an atom’s weight will also be taken out of the Fire.”
- “Release from the Fire those who say: ‘There is no god but Allah’, provided their hearts contain goodness equivalent to a worm’s weight.”
Hadith on the Virtue of Saying “There is No God but Allah” in Specific Situations
Numerous hadiths highlight the significance of proclaiming “There is no god but Allah” in specific situations. Here are a few noteworthy mentions:
- According to Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: “Whoever enters the marketplace and says: ‘There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner to Him, to Him belongs the sovereignty and praise, He gives life and causes death, and He is Ever-Living, never dies; in His hand is all good, and He is Omnipotent,’ Allah will record for him one million good deeds, erase one million sins, and elevate him by one million degrees,” although scholars have attributed weakness to this narration.
- Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever recites after the dawn prayer: ‘There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner to Him, to Him belongs the sovereignty, and praise, and He is Omnipotent’, ten times, it will be as if he has freed four slaves, and he will earn ten good deeds, have ten sins erased from him, and his status will be raised by ten degrees, and he will be safeguarded from the devil until evening. The same applies after the maghrib prayer.”
- Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The key phrases for relief are: ‘There is no god but Allah, the Forbearing, the Generous; there is no god but Allah, the Most Exalted, the Most Great; there is no god but Allah, the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the Glorious Throne.’