The Virtue of (saying) None has the right to be Worshipped but Allah Sunan Ibn Majah 3794

Sunan Ibn Majah 3794
Arabic hadith text
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ حَمْزَةَ الزَّيَّاتِ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الأَغَرِّ أَبِي مُسْلِمٍ، أَنَّهُ شَهِدَ عَلَى أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَأَبِي سَعِيدٍ أَنَّهُمَا شَهِدَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِذَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ ‏.‏ قَالَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ صَدَقَ عَبْدِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا وَأَنَا أَكْبَرُ ‏.‏ وَإِذَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ ‏.‏ قَالَ صَدَقَ عَبْدِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا وَحْدِي ‏.‏ وَإِذَا قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ ‏.‏ قَالَ صَدَقَ عَبْدِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا وَلاَ شَرِيكَ لِي ‏.‏ وَإِذَا قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ ‏.‏ قَالَ صَدَقَ عَبْدِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا لِيَ الْمُلْكُ وَلِيَ الْحَمْدُ ‏.‏ وَإِذَا قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ صَدَقَ عَبْدِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِي ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ ثُمَّ قَالَ الأَغَرُّ شَيْئًا لَمْ أَفْهَمْهُ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مَا قَالَ فَقَالَ مَنْ رُزِقَهُنَّ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ لَمْ تَمَسَّهُ النَّارُ
Translation
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah and Abu Saeed bore witness that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said

"If a person says: 'La ilaha illallahu wa Allahu Akbar (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Allah is the Most Great),'Allah says: 'My slave has spoken the truth; there is none worthy of worship except I, and I am the Most Great.' If a person says: La ilaha Illallah wahdahu (There is none worthy of worship except Allah alone), Allah says: 'My slave has spoken the truth; there is none worthy of worship except I, alone.' If he says, La ilaha illallahu la sharikalahu (There is none worthy of worship except Allah with no partner or associate),' Allah says: 'My slave has spoken the truth; there is none worthy of worship except I, with no partner or associate.' If he says: 'La illah illallah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu (There is none worthy of worship except Allah, all dominion is His and all praise is to Him),' Allah says: 'My slave has spoken the truth; there is none of worthy of worship except I, all dominion Mine and all praise is due to Me.' If he says: ' La illaha illallah, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (There is none worthy of worship and there is no power and no strength except with Allah),' Allah says: 'My slave has spoken then truth; there is none worthy of worship except I, and tehre is no power and no strength except with Me.' One of the narrators Abu Ishaq said: "Then Agharr (another narrator) said something that I did not understand. I said to Abu Jafar: 'What did he say?' He said: 'Whoever is blessed with (the ability to say) them (these words) at the time of death, the Fire will not touch him.'"

Commentary

Overview & Central Theme

This profound hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah (3794) unveils the divine reciprocity embedded in the remembrance of Allah (dhikr). Each declaration of Tawhid—whether affirming Allah's greatness, oneness, sovereignty, or the absolute dependence of creation upon Him—is met with an immediate, personal divine acknowledgment. The central theme is the intimate dialogue between the servant and his Lord, demonstrating that dhikr is not a mere verbal exercise but a transformative spiritual transaction that secures divine pleasure and, ultimately, salvation. The hadith culminates in a powerful promise: whoever is divinely facilitated to utter these words at the moment of death will be shielded from the Fire, highlighting the supreme value of a tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah at life's final juncture.

Context & Linguistic Insights

The hadith is narrated by Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) and recorded by Imam Ibn Majah. The phrase "La ilaha illallahu wa Allahu Akbar" combines the negation of all false deities with the affirmation of Allah's exclusive divinity and His supreme greatness (Akbar). "Wahdahu" emphasizes His absolute oneness, while "la sharikalahu" negates any partner in His essence, attributes, or rights. "Lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu" acknowledges His complete sovereignty (al-Mulk) and that all praise (al-Hamd) is due to Him alone, encompassing both His perfect attributes and His blessings. The final phrase "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" is a declaration of human impotence and total reliance on Allah's power—a cornerstone of Islamic reliance (tawakkul). The narrator's mention that the Prophet (peace be upon him) added a concluding statement about these words protecting the speaker from the Fire at death underscores the hadith's eschatological weight. Linguistically, each divine response mirrors the servant's words with "Sadaqa 'abdi" (My slave has spoken the truth), affirming the sincerity and reality of the servant's declaration.

Key Scholarly Insights & Legal Benefits

  • The hadith establishes the virtue of varying one's formulas of dhikr, each carrying specific divine responses and rewards, encouraging a rich and multifaceted remembrance of Allah.
  • It affirms the attribute of divine speech (Kalam) for Allah in a manner befitting His majesty, as He personally responds to the servant's dhikr—a sign of His nearness and love for those who remember Him.
  • Scholars derive the recommendation to teach these phrases to the dying and to encourage their utterance at death, as the hadith promises protection from the Fire for those blessed with them at that critical moment. This is a form of talqin (prompting) practiced by the companions and early Muslims.
  • The phrase "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" is highlighted as a treasure from the treasures of Paradise (as in other narrations), due to its profound acknowledgment of human limitation and divine omnipotence.
"These words are the essence of Tawhid and the seal of salvation. Whoever is guided to utter them sincerely at the time of death has been granted the best of endings (husn al-khatimah), for the Fire is forbidden for one whose final words affirm the oneness of Allah." — Imam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (as reflected in his works on the heart's journey to Allah)

Daily Life & Spiritual Application

In our daily lives, this hadith invites us to transform our dhikr from a habitual recitation into a conscious, heartfelt dialogue with Allah. We should strive to understand the meaning of each phrase we utter, allowing it to penetrate our hearts and reshape our worldview. When we say "Allahu Akbar," let us feel His greatness overshadowing all our worries. When we affirm "La ilaha illallah," let us renew our commitment to worship Him alone in every action. The phrase "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" should be our refuge in moments of weakness and our strength in facing challenges, acknowledging that all power belongs to Him. Moreover, we are encouraged to visit the sick and remind them of these blessed words, gently prompting them to remember Allah at the most critical moment of their lives. By embedding these phrases into our daily routine—upon waking, during the day, and before sleeping—we prepare ourselves for a death adorned with the remembrance of Allah, thereby securing the ultimate promise of protection from the Fire. This hadith thus calls us to a life of continuous, mindful dhikr, making our tongues and hearts a bridge to eternal success.