The origin of allegiance is love, and the root of enmity is hatred, and from them the actions of the hearts and limbs arise that enter into the reality of allegiance and enmity; like help and cooperation, jihad, and immigration. For this reason, loyalty is one of the conditions of the phrase “There is no god but Allah”, The Almighty said: (Let not believers take disbelievers as allies [i.e., supporters or protectors] rather than believers. And whoever [of you] does that has nothing [i.e., no association] with Allah, except when taking precaution against them in prudence. And Allah warns you of Himself, and to Allah is the [final] destination.) [Al-Imran: 28].
And He said {O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you – then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people.} [Al-Maidah:51].
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “The most excellent action is love for God’s sake and hatred for God’s sake.”
The Prophet of Allah, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is a role model in his loyalty to the Lord of the worlds; Where he, peace be upon him, was a leader, and a good example in his loyalty to his Lord, his religion and the faithful servants of Allah, his innocence and his hostility to the enemies of Allah, including his father.
The biography of the Prophet of Allah, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, with his people was like any prophet is a messenger; Where he called them in the best way to worship Allah and monotheism, singling out worship and disbelief in every tyrant who is worshiped besides Allah. Allah says:
{(41)And mention in the Book [the story of] Abraham. Indeed, he was a man of truth and a prophet.
( 42 ) [Mention] when he said to his father, “O my father, why do you worship that which does not hear and does not see and will not benefit you at all?
( 43 ) O my father, indeed there has come to me of knowledge that which has not come to you, so follow me; I will guide you to an even path.
( 44 ) O my father, do not worship Satan. Indeed Satan has ever been, to the Most Merciful, disobedient.
( 45 ) O my father, indeed I fear that there will touch you a punishment from the Most Merciful so you would be to Satan a companion [in Hellfire].”
( 46 ) [His father] said, “Have you no desire for my gods, O Abraham? If you do not desist, I will surely stone you, so avoid me a prolonged time.”
( 47 ) [Abraham] said, “Peace will be upon you. I will ask forgiveness for you of my Lord. Indeed, He is ever gracious to me.
( 48 ) And I will leave you and those you invoke other than Allah and will invoke my Lord. I expect that I will not be in invocation to my Lord unhappy.”
( 49 ) So when he had left them and those they worshipped other than Allah, We gave him Isaac and Jacob, and each [of them] We made a prophet.} Maryam: 41-49
This is the starting point of Ibrahim; peace be upon him calling to Allah. A call to goodness, beginning with the closest of people to him, and if there is no response to this invitation, then withdrawing from this falsehood and its companions, as perhaps there will be criticism and rebuke of this new matter, and to save the one who calls, from participating in the falsehood of these people, if he must mix with them and associate with them without being able to migrate from their land.
Then the Qur’an goes on to show the call of Ibrahim peace be upon him, noting that he used with his people every argument and evidence, He says:
( 69 ) And recite to them the news of Abraham,
( 70 ) When he said to his father and his people, “What do you worship?”
( 71 ) They said, “We worship idols and remain to them devoted.”
( 72 ) He said, “Do they hear you when you supplicate?
( 73 ) Or do they benefit you, or do they harm?”
( 74 ) They said, “But we found our fathers doing thus.”
( 75 ) He said, “Then do you see what you have been worshipping,
( 76 ) You and your ancient forefathers?
( 77 ) Indeed, they are enemies to me, except the Lord of the worlds,
Shu’ara: 69-77
When they did not find the argument, but rather a blind imitation of the act of the forefathers, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, said to them: I am an enemy of these gods, the Almighty said: {There has already been for you an excellent pattern1 in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, “Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and your animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone} [Al-Mumtahinah: 4].
And this belief of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is what our eminent scholars expressed by saying: “There is no allegiance without enmity, and allegiance is not valid without enmity.” And as the Almighty said about Ibrahim, peace be upon him saying to his people: {They are an enemy to me except the Lord of the worlds} [Surat Al-Shu`ara’: 77]. To him, the loyalty towards the gods did not feel right except by this formula: There is no loyalty except to Allah and there is no loyalty except by rejecting every deity besides Him, the Almighty says: {( 26 ) And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham said to his father and his people, “Indeed, I am disassociated from that which you worship( 27 ) Except for He who created me; and indeed, He will guide me.”(28 ) And he made it a word remaining among his descendants that they might return [to it].} [Zukhruf: 26-28].
He turned this Loyalty to Allah, and innocence from every deity other than Him is a word that remains in its wake, which the prophets inherited from one another. It is the word “There is no god but Allah,” and it is the word that the Khalil of Allah passed on to his followers until the Day of Resurrection.
It was as a result of this hostility and this strong rejection of the gods that the tyrants unanimously agreed to kill Ibrahim, as is the case with every tyrant throughout the ages of history in the extermination of the callers to God; only because they invite them to the worship of God alone. Thus, a great fire was gathered for him, but the care and protection of Allah surrounded the prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, as the fire became cool and peaceful. He says: {(97) They said, “Construct for him a furnace and throw him into the burning fire.”(98) And they intended for him a plan, but We made them the most debased.} [Surat As-Saffat: 97-98].
They abandoned argument and debate when they were cut off and defeated, and there was no excuse or suspicion for them to use their power and authority to support what they were upon, of their own foolishness and tyranny. Allah planned against them, and raised his word, religion and signs as He says: {(68) They said, “Burn him and support your gods – if you are to act.”(69) Allah said, “O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham.”(70) And they intended for him harm, but We made them the greatest losers.} (Surah Al-Anbiya: 68-70).
The divine instructions came to the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, to follow the religion of Ibrahim, peace be upon him. The Almighty said: {Then We revealed to you, [O Muhammad], to follow the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth; and he was not of those who associate with Allah.} ([Al-Nahl: 123], and the Almighty said: {the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth; and he was not of the polytheists?} ([Surat Al-Imran: 95].
And the Almighty said: {They say, “Be Jews or Christians [so] you will be guided.” Say, “Rather, [we follow] the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth, and he was not of the polytheists.} Baqarah: 135.
And He, the Most High, said: {Indeed, the worthiest of Abraham among the people are those who followed him [in submission to Allah] and this prophet [i.e., Muhammad (ﷺ)] and those who believe [in his message]. And Allah is the Ally of the believers.} Al-Imran: 68). And the Almighty said: {And who is better in religion than one who submits himself to Allah while being a doer of good and follows the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth?} [An-Nisa’: 125].
He says: {And strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you any difficulty in the religion. [It is] the religion of your father, Abraham. He [i.e., Allah] named you “Muslims” before [in former scriptures] }( [Al-Hajj: 78].
And the Almighty said: {And who would reject the faith of Abraham except a fool!} [Surat Al-Baqarah: 130] This is the news from Allah to the nation of Muhammad, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, about the actions of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, in order to imitate him in sincerity and trust in Allah alone, and the worship of Allah alone, and disavowal from polytheism and its people, and hostility to falsehood and its party.
Examples of loyalty to “there is no god but Allah” are many; Like the story of Noah, peace be upon him, with his wife, and other stories.
“There is no god but Allah” united Suhaib al-Rumi, Bilal al-Habashi, Salman al-Farisi, and Abu Bakr al-Arabi al-Qurashi, such that the discrimination of tribe, race, and land faded, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to them: (Leave it. for it is something disgusting). And he said: (he who summons others to party-spirit does not belong to us; and he who dies upholding party spirit does not belong to us.’).
The biography of the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, and the biography of his good companions, may Allah be pleased with them, remain a beacon of guidance and reform for those who took that path, and were content with that on the right path.
Effects of acknowledging “there is no god but Allah”:
The word “There is no god but Allah” has great effects in the life of the believer. These include:
1- That the believer in this word is not narrow-minded, unlike those who say that there are multiple deities, or those who deny them.
2- Belief in this word creates in the soul a kind of self-esteem that nothing can do without; Because there is no benefit but God, there is no harm except God, He is the Giver of Death, and He is the All-Wise, the Strong, the Owner of the Dominion, and then every fear is removed from the heart except from Him, Glory be to Him. He is only intimidated by his pride and greatness. Because God alone is the pride, greatness and power, and this is in contrast to the polytheist, the disbeliever, and the atheist.
3- From this word arises humbleness without humiliation and elevation without arrogance.
4- The believer in this word knows with certainty that there is no way to salvation and success except by purifying the soul and doing righteous deeds. As for the polytheists and the infidels, they spend their lives in false hopes; Some of them say: The Son of God was killed and crucified as an expiation for our sins with his father, and some of them say: We are God’s children and loved ones, and He will not punish us for our sins, and some of them say: We will intercede with God for our arrogance and our pious ones. And among them are those who make vows and offerings to their gods, claiming that by doing so, they have obtained a license to do whatever they want. As for the atheist who does not believe in God, he believes that he is free in this world and is not restricted by the law of God, but his god is his desires and he is a slave to them.
5- The one who says this word does not fall into despair, nor does he fall into depression. Because he believes that God has the treasures of the heavens and the earth, and therefore he is in peace, tranquility and hope, even if he is expelled and humiliated, and the means of living are narrow for him.
6- Belief in this word raises a person with a great strength of determination, courage, patience, steadfastness and trust, when he raises his excellency in matters seeking the pleasure of God. He feels that behind him is the power of the owner of the heavens and the earth, so his steadfastness, firmness, and solidity that he derives from this conception are like anchoring mountains, so how can polytheism and disbelief have such strength and steadfastness?
7- This word encourages man and fills his heart with boldness; Because what compels a person and weakens his resolve are two things:
His love for self, money and family. And his belief that anyone other than God kills man.
A person’s belief in “there is no god but Allah” takes away from his heart the first, which is “his love for himself, money and family.” It makes him certain that God is the only owner of himself and his money. And also takes away the other: someone other than God brings death upon man, by casting in his horror that no human being, animal, or anyone else is able to take life away from him unless his time has come. For this reason, there is no one braver in this world than he who believes in God Almighty. Hardly anything scares him, not armies, nor drawn swords, nor the rain of bullets, nor the hail of bombs.
8- Belief in “there is no god but God” raises the status of man, creates in him lofty, contentment and self-sufficiency, and purifies his heart from the dirt of greed, evil, envy, meanness, and other ugly qualities.
9- Belief in “there is no god but God” makes a person adhere to God’s law, and preserve it, for the believer believes with certainty that God is all-knowing, and He is closer to Him than the jugular vein, and that if he can escape from the oppression of anyone, he cannot escape from God the Almighty. Thus this belief is firmly established in the mind of a person, he follows the commands of God, upholds his limits, does not dare to commit what God has forbidden, and hastens to good deeds and doing what God has commanded.
Therefore, the slave whose heart God has filled with belief in “there is no god but God” is in fact an obedient slave who is submissive to his Lord Almighty, and this is the origin of Islam. It is the source of its strength, and all other beliefs and rulings of Islam are based on it, and it derives its strength only from Him. And Islam will not have anything left of it if this foundation is removed.
