Kitab ut Tawheed (An Islamic book)

1.4 MERITS OF MONOTHEISM

Aby sa'id al-khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the prophet (salallahu alaihi wasallam) said:

"Moses said, 'O My Lord! Teach me an invocation with which I should remember and invoke You' Almighty Allaah said, 'Say 'There is no diety but Allaah.' Moses said, 'O My Lord! All Your servants say this invocation.' Almighty Allaah replied, 'O Moses! If the seven heavens, their inhabitants, other than Me, and the seven earths were to be in a scale, and the statement 'There is no deity but Allaah' were to be in the other scale, the latter would definitely outweigh them' "

(Related by Ibn Hibban and Al-Hakim, who graded it a sahih (authentic) hadith)

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Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (the narrator):

The full name of the narrator is Abu sa'id ibn sa'd ibn malik ibn sinan al-khazraji al-ansari al-khudri, from Banu khudrah. He was venerable (honorable) companion and a son of a companion. He narrated many hadiths and died in 74 A.H.; may Allaah be pleased with him.

Keywords and Phrases:

Moses: He is musa ibn imran, the messenger of Allaah dispatched to the children of israel, and the one who directly spoke to Allaah.

To remember Allaah: To remember Allaah means to glorify Him repeatedly and render words of homage to Him.

General meaning of the hadith:

Prophet Musa (alaihissalam) asked almighty Allaah to teach him a formula of invocation with which he would praise and invoke Him. Thus, he was recommended to repeat the statement 'There is no deity but Allaah.' Musa (alaihissalam) realized that this statement is often reiterated (repeated) by most people. Therefore, he asked for a peculiar (special) invocation so that he might be distinguished. Allaah explained him the virtues of this statement, which is unmateched by other statements.

Lessons drawn from the hadith:

>> This hadith points out the great virtues of proclaiming that there is no deity but Allaah. This formula implies both monotheism and sincerity of belief.

>> The merit of moses (alaihissalam) and his keenness to draw nearer to Allaah

>> Acts of worship are restricted to what Allaah ordains, and no one is permitted to introduce something innovative in religious ordinances, for musa (alaihissalam) asked Allaah to teach him how to glorify and praise Him.

>> what is more direly needed should be more available to and bearable by most people. As the statement 'There is no deity but Allaah' is indispensable (essential) for the whole world, it is the most available and easiest to remember.

>> Almighty Allaah is above heavens, as He says, ".... and their inhabitants, other than Me..."

>> The statement 'There is no deity but Allaah' is individible, so, it must be pronounced in full.

>> This hadith proves the reality of balance of weighing deeds which will be set (in the hereafter).

>> The prophets need to be directed to the merits of the testification of faith.

>> There are seven earths exactly as there are seven heavens.