The Meaning of the Testimony of Faith in the Early Sources of Islam and the Misunderstanding About It
It has already been mentioned that the true meaning of the Islamic testimony of faith la ilaha illa-llah is: “There is no one worthy of worship except Allah.” Contrary to what many people today assume, the Arabic word ilah does not primarily mean “Creator” or something similar. Rather, it can be translated into English as “One who is worthy of worship.”
It was only among the philosophers, who began to regard their own intellect as a source of religion and often placed it above the actual sources, the Qur'an and the Sunnah, that a misunderstanding regarding the testimony of faith gradually emerged. They believed that its meaning was: “There is no Creator, Giver of life, or Sustainer … except Allah.”43
Since this belief is now also held by the majority of those who profess Islam, it is not surprising that translations of the testimony of faith often read: “There is no god but God” or “There is no god but Allah.”
Such translations clearly reveal the assumption that one would thereby merely testify that there is a single Creator.
However, in this understanding and corresponding translation, the aspect of worship and obedience to this Creator is completely omitted.
Through this reasoning, the assumption also arose that the pre-Islamic idolaters among the Makkans and other Arab tribes must have been entirely ignorant of the existence of this Creator, or that they must have believed in multiple creators alongside Him. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why these idolaters were idolaters at all. If they had known that there was only one Creator, they would have automatically fulfilled the testimony of faith and thus been monotheists.
Here, a fundamental problem becomes evident: the early Islamic sources unambiguously demonstrate that these very idolaters were clearly and firmly convinced that Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the Creator of all existence and that there is no other creator besides Him.
If this is the case – as the following texts will clearly show – then it reveals a widespread and serious lack of knowledge. Firstly, this ignorance concerns the early sources of Islam, especially the Qur'an and its early explanations, which convey this understanding in unanimous agreement. Secondly, it also pertains to the Islamic testimony of faith.
This, in turn, signifies a fundamental misunderstanding of the core message of the religion, and such a misunderstanding cannot remain without consequences. As has already been demonstrated, other views and concepts within this religion are built upon this very foundation.
Chapters in this Section
- The Pre-Islamic Idolaters Believed in a Single Creator
- The Claim That Polytheism Is Always Associated with the Idea of a Second Deity
- The Meaning of the Two Terms rabb and ilah
- On the Further Division of tawhid into ar-rububiyyah, al-uluhiyyah, and al-asma'u wa-s-sifat
Notes
Of course, these and other fundamental meanings are undoubtedly also implicitly contained in the testimony of faith and are essential in Islamic core beliefs ('aqidah). That is, every Muslim must, without question, be fully convinced of the existence of Allah as the only Creator, Giver of life, and Sustainer.
However, the point here is that these aspects are not the primary meaning conveyed by the wording and core content of the testimony of faith. Likewise, it should be emphasized that the meaning of the testimony of faith must not be reduced to these beliefs alone.
The significant impact of this differing interpretation will become clearer in the course of this chapter. ↩