Some Hadiths On The Merit Of Saying La Ilaha Illallah


1. The Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — said: “Whoever says: there is no god but Allah enters Paradise.”

2. The Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — said: “Whoever says there is no god but Allah enters Paradise even if he commits adultery and even if he steals (i.e. even if he commits great sins).”

3. The Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — said: “Whoever witnesses that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger, Allah forbids the Fire from touching him.” [3] Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, book of riqaq ch. 14 (1989 ed. 11:324) says that the hadiths of “Allah forbids the Fire from touching him” are even more explicit than those of “Allah will enter him into Paradise” in establishing that the one who declares Allah’s Oneness is saved even if he does not heed the orders and the prohibitions.

4. The Companions were talking about Malik ibn Dukhshum, and they wished that the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — would curse him so that he should die or meet some calamity. The Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — said: “Does Malik ibn Dukhshum not testify to the fact that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah?” They said: “Yes, he no doubt says this but it is not in his heart.” The Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — replied: “No-one ever witnesses that there is no god but Allah and that I am Allah’s Messenger and then enters the Fire nor is consumed by it.” Anas said: “This hadith impressed me so much that I ordered my son to write it down and he did.”

5. The Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — said that Allah will save a man of his community the record of whose sins fills 99 books, each book extending as far as the eye can see. Against all this will be weighed the one good deed that he has, which is his witnessing that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, and it will outweigh all the rest. The Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — then said: “Nothing is of any weight with Allah’s Name.” [The hadith begins: innallaha sayukhallisu rajulan min ummati…]

6. “It was proclaimed among the people that whoever witnesses that there is no god except Allah, alone, without partner, enters Paradise.”

7. “Whoever witnesses that there is no god but Allah alone enters Paradise.” [9]

8. “Announce to the people the tidings that whoever says: No god except Allah alone, without a partner, Paradise is guaranteed for him.”

9. `Uthman ibn `Affan said: I heard Allah’s Messenger say: “Verily, I know a phrase which no servant utters truthfully from his heart except the Fire is made unlawful for him.” `Umar ibn al-Khattab said: “I shall tell you what that phrase is. It is the kalima of sincerity with which Allah has empowered Muhammad and his Companions, the kalima of fear of Allah which Allah’s Prophet enjoined upon his uncle Abu Talib on his deathbed: the witnessing that there is no god but Allah.”

10. Sa`id ibn al-Musayyib relates: When the death of Abu Talib approached, Allah’s Apostle came to him and said: “Say: La ilaha illallah, a word with which I will be able to negotiate or argue (uhajju) for you in Allah’s presence.”

11. Mafatih al-janna shahadatu an La ilaha illallah. “The keys to Paradise are the witnessing that there is no god but Allah.” It is confirmed by the next hadith.

12. Li kulli shay’in miftahun wa miftahu al-jannati shahadatu an La ilaha illallah. “Everything has its key, and the key to Paradise is the witnessing that there is no god but Allah.”

13. Ibn `Abbas narrated in his Commentary that the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — said concerning the meaning of the verse: hal jaza’u al-ihsani illa al-ihsan – “Is the reward of goodness anything other than goodness?” (55:60): “Allah says: Can there be any other reward than Paradise in the Hereafter for one whom I blessed in his worldly life with the recitation of the kalima of La ilaha illallah?” `Ikrima and al-Hasan also said that the reward of La ilaha illallah cannot be anything but Paradise.

14. “If anyone comes on the Day of Resurrection who has said La ilaha illallah sincerely with the intention to win Allah’s pleasure, Allah will make Hellfire forbidden for him.”

15. “No servant is true to his word on the Day of Resurrection, saying: No god but Allah in order to seek Allah’s good pleasure, except Allah will make the Fire unlawful for him.”