La ilaha illa Allah

Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy holds that faith has some sixty branches, the highest of which is the saying "la ilaha illa Allah", and that the nation advances only by understanding what this testimony requires and what it truly is. ^{1 2}

The Sheikh holds that the religion rests on the creed of tawhid, and that "there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God ﷺ" is its foundation, which the Companions understood as it truly is. ³ He holds that the religion stands on the Qur'an and the Sunna, on creed and law, and that it includes the tawhid of worship and the tawhid of lordship. ⁴

The Sheikh holds that the Companions counted trustworthiness, truthfulness and refusing false testimony as part of the meaning of "la ilaha illa Allah", so that for them prayer was not separated from trustworthiness and worship was not separated from dealings. ^{5 6} Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's view (opinion): people today separate worship from dealings, and this separation is a fault in them, since the Companions understood the testimony in full. ⁷

The Sheikh likens "la ilaha illa Allah" to a tree whose leaves and fruit are fresh and whose branches number more than seventy (needs_source: the number is not sourced in the recording). ⁸ He holds that people fixed on minor matters, enlarging them, and left the root of belief, so that they discuss what breaks ablution more than what breaks the testimony. ⁹

The Sheikh says that the first branch of faith is the testimony, and that Abu Jahl understood what it demanded and rejected it; he holds that a Muslim society must return to the branches of faith. ^{10 11}

The Sheikh holds that the Companions understood "la ilaha illa Allah" and for that reason were strong. ¹² He holds that the prophets, the Companions and the righteous predecessors understood best the ethics of this testimony. ¹³

The Sheikh recounts that the Prophet stayed in Mecca for thirteen years and taught people nothing about prayer, zakat, the pilgrimage or jihad, but only the meaning of "la ilaha illa Allah" (needs_source: this is the Sheikh's account and is not sourced in the recording), and that once they understood it each one of them became a whole community. ¹⁴ He says that Muslims in Dar al-Arqam understood the question of tawhid over thirteen years. ¹⁵

Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's view (opinion): everyone who says "la ilaha illa Allah", from the ruler to the farmer, is accountable before God for his work. ¹⁶