The Third Word

اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّهُI bear witness that there is no god except Allah.

That is:

“There is no Creator and Sustainer besides Him. Benefit and harm are in His hands. He is al-HakīmAllah, the All-Wise, Whose wisdom is infinite.; He does nothing without purpose. And He is ar-RahīmAllah, the Most Merciful.; His blessings and mercy are boundless.”

Because he believes this, he finds in everything a door leading to a treasury of mercy, upon which he knocks through supplication. Furthermore, he sees that everything is subject to the command of his Lord, and so he seeks refuge in Him. Through tawakkulTrust in Allah after making the necessary effort and fulfilling one’s responsibilities., he finds protection against every calamity. His īmānFaith; belief in the six articles of faith: Allah, His angels, His revealed scriptures, His prophets, the Hereafter, and divine decree (qadar). grants him complete security.

Indeed, just as īmānFaith; belief in the six articles of faith: Allah, His angels, His revealed scriptures, His prophets, the Hereafter, and divine decree (qadar). and servanthood are the source of every true virtue, so too are they the source of courage and bravery. And just as misguidance is the source of every evil, so too is it the source of cowardice. Truly, if the earth were to explode like a giant bomb, it would most likely not frighten a servant whose heart has been illuminated by īmānFaith; belief in the six articles of faith: Allah, His angels, His revealed scriptures, His prophets, the Hereafter, and divine decree (qadar).. Rather, he would behold the wondrous power of as-SamadAllah, Who is in need of nothing and no one, while everyone and everything is in need of Him. with a pleasant sense of awe. Yet if a heartless unbelieving philosopher, supposedly renowned for his enlightened intellect, were to see a comet in the sky, he would tremble with fear and anxiously wonder: “What if that wandering comet strikes our earth?”^[1]

Indeed, although the human being has endless needs, his resources are utterly insufficient. And although he is exposed to countless calamities, his strength amounts to almost nothing. The sphere of his power and ability extends only as far as his hands can reach. Yet the sphere of his hopes, desires, pains, and afflictions extends as far as his sight and imagination can reach. Since the human soul is so powerless, weak, poor, and needy, anyone who is not completely blind can see and understand what immense profit, happiness, and blessing are contained in worship, tawakkulTrust in Allah after making the necessary effort and fulfilling one’s responsibilities., tawhīdThe oneness and unity of Allah., and taslīmiyyah.

It is well known that a safe road is preferred over a dangerous one, even if the danger exists only as a one-in-ten possibility. Yet the path of servanthood, besides being safe, leads nine times out of ten to a treasure of eternal happiness. The path of sins and unlawful pleasures, on the other hand, brings no benefit whatsoever, a fact even sinners themselves admit. Moreover, it leads nine times out of ten to eternal misery and destruction, a reality established by the unanimous testimony of countless experts and confirmed by the reports of ahl-i kashfSpiritually elevated people who, by Allah’s permission, can perceive certain matters of the unseen..

In short, just as happiness in the hereafter is found in worship, so too is happiness in this world found in worship and in being a soldier of Allah. Therefore, we should always say:

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ عَلَى الطَّاعَةِ وَالتَّوْفٖيقِAll praise is due to Allah for enabling us to obey Him and for the success He has granted us.

and give thanks that we are Muslims.