illallaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar- Rasullullaah" (I testify that
there is no god worthy of worship except Allaah and I testifythat
Muhammad is His Messenger), believing in it and acting upon it, he
experiences a noticeable change in his life.
By understanding who his Lord is as well as the purpose of his
creation, he will be able to achievesuccess in this life and the next.
This success emanates from the following points:
1- A believer in this testimony can never be narrow in outlook. He
believes in Allaah, Who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth,
the Master of the universe and its Sustainer. After this belief, he
does not regard anything in the world as a stranger to himself. He
looks on everything in the universe as belonging to the same Lord he
himself belongs to. Allaah Almighty Says (what means): " Say (O
Muhammad): 'To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth?'
Say: 'To Allaah.'" [Quran 6:12]
His sympathy, love and service are not confined to any particular
sphere or group. His vision is broadened, his intellectual horizon
widens, and his outlook becomes as liberal and asboundless as is the
Kingdom of Allaah . How can this width of vision and breadth of mind
be achieved by an atheist, a polytheist or one who believes in a deity
supposed to possess limited and defective powers like a man ?
2- This belief produces in man the highest degree of self-respect and
self esteem. The believer knows that Allaah Alone is the Possessor of
all power, and that none besides Him can benefit or harm a person, or
provide for his needs, or give and take away life or wield authority
or influence. This convictionmakes him indifferent to,independent on,
and fearless of all powers other than those of Allaah. He never bows
hishead in homage to any of Allaah's creatures, nor does he stretch
out his hand before anyone else.He is not overawed by anybody's
greatness. Thisattitude of mind cannot be produced by any other belief
.
3- Along with self-respect, this belief also generates in man a sense
of modesty and humbleness. It makes himunostentatious and
unpretending. A believer never becomes proud, haughty or arrogant.
Theboisterous pride of power, wealth and worthcan have no room in his
heart, because he knows that whatever he possesses has been given to
him by Allaah, and thatAllaah can take away just as He can give. In
contrast to this, an unbeliever, when he achieves some worldly merit,
becomes proud and conceited because he believes that his merit is due
to his own worth. In the same way, pride and self-conceit are a
necessary outcomes and concomitants of 'Shirk' (association of others
with Allaah in worship), because a polytheist believes that he has a
particular relation with deities, which does not exist between them
and other people .
4- This belief makes man virtuous and upright. He has the conviction
that there is no other means of success and salvation for him except
purity of soul and righteousness ofbehavior. He has perfect faith in
Allaah Who is Above all needs, is related to none and is absolutely
Just. This belief creates in him the consciousness that unlesshe lives
rightly and acts justly, he cannot succeed.No influence or underhand
activity can save him from ruin.
As to those who do not believe that there is any Being having power
overthem, to whom they should be responsible fortheir good or bad
actions; therefore, they consider themselves independent to act in
whatever way they like. Their own fancies become their gods and they
live like slaves of their wishes and desires. Allaah states in the
Quran(what means):
" Have you seen he who has takenas his god his [own] desire, and
Allaah, knowing (him as such), left him astray, and has set a seal
upon his hearing and his heart, and put over his vision a veil? So who
will guide him after Allaah? Will you not then remember?" [Quran
45:23]
5- The believer never becomes despondent. He has a firm faith in
Allaah Who is The Master of all the treasures of the earthand the
heavens, Whose grace and bounty have no limit and Whose power is
infinite. This faith imparts to his heart extraordinary consolation,
fills it with satisfaction and keeps it filled with hope. Although he
may be met with rejection from all sides in this world, faith in and
dependence on Allaah never leave him, and on that strength he goes on
struggling. Such profound confidence canresult from no other belief
than belief in Allaah Alone.
Atheists have small hearts; in the sense that they depend on limited
abilities; therefore, in times of trouble they are soon overwhelmed by
despair and, frequently, they commit suicide .
The testimony of Prof. Joad is also very explicit on this point. He
writes about the West:
" For the first time in history there is coming tomaturity a
generation of men and women who have no religion, and feelno need for
one. They are content to ignore it. Also they are very unhappy, and
the suiciderate is abnormally high." [C. E. M. Joad. The Present and
Future of Religion, quoted by Sir Arnold Lunn., And Yet So New,
London, 1958, p. 228]
As to the world of Islam, let the views of a non-Muslim historian,
notin any way being sympathetic to Islam, be read with profit:
" In this uncompromising monotheism, with its simple and enthusiastic
faith in the supreme rule of a transcendent being, lies the chief
strength of Islam. Its adherents enjoya consciousness of contentment
and resignation unknown among followers of most creeds." [Suicide Is
Rare in Muslim Lands] (Phillip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs, 1951,
p.129)
6- This testimony of faith inspires bravery in man. There are two
things which make a man cowardly: (a) fear of death and love of
safety, and (b) the idea that there is someone else besides Allaah who
can take away life, and that man- by adopting certaindevices- can ward
off death. Belief in 'Laa ilaaha illallaah'' blocks and drives away
both these ideas. The first ideagoes out of his mind because he knows
that his life and his property and everything else reallybelong to
Allaah, and he becomes ready to sacrifice his all for the pleasure of
Allaah. He gets rid of the second idea because he knows that no
weapon, no man or animal has the power of taking away his life; Allaah
alone has the power to do so. A time has been ordained for him, and
all the forces of the world combined cannot take away anyone's life
before that time .
It is for this reason that no one is braver than theone who has faith
in Allaah. Nothing can daunt him: not even the strongest tempest of
adversity and the mightiest of armies .
7- The belief in 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' creates an attitude of peace
and contentment, purges the mind of jealousy, envy and greed, and
keeps away the temptations of resorting to base and unfair means for
achieving success. The believer understands thatwealth is in Allaah's
hands, and He apportionsit out as He Wills; that honor, power,
reputationand authority - everything - is also subjected to His Will,
and He bestows them as He Wills; and that man's dutyis only to
endeavor and to struggle fairly.
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