In the name of Allāh, the Compassionate, theMerciful

Know that the first duty of one entrusted withresponsibility (taklīf) is that he affirms the Oneness ofAllāh by saying: “There is no god but Allāh Muhammadis His Messenger”.

The meaning of “There is no god but Allāh” among boththe spiritual elite and the spiritual laity is thatthere is no one rightly deserving worship in allcreation except Allāh. Allāh is the One worthy ofworship by the entire creation; just as He is worthyof the attribute of divinity, namely, that of theNecessary Being, Who (alone) bestows profit and harm(in an absolute sense); and, Who is absolutelyindependent of all His creation. He is worthy of theattribute of pre-eternity without beginning (qadm) just as he is worthyof the attribute of permanence without end (baqā). He is completelydistinct from creation (ḥawādith) and Self-Subsistent (al-Qayyūm), not subsistingby virtue of anyone else. He has no creator, neitherany restrictor nor designator, nor does He needspace. He possesses Absolute Oneness (waḥdānīyyah); and has nosecond and He posseses Power (Qudrah), Will (Irādah), Knowledge (‘Ilm), Life (Ḥayāt), Hearing (Sam’), Sight (Baṣr) and Speech (Kalām). When we know this ExaltedProtector of ours is characterised by these lastseven attributes, then it follows that He ispowerful, wiling, knowing, living, hearing, seeingand speaking. Therefore, they are ten altogetherwhich are necessary to Allāh, the Exalted.

For the middle category of people, who belong toneither the spiritual elite nor the rank and file,there is absolutely no one who can benefit or canharm except Allāh because profit and harmpresupposes existence (wujūd). And, essentially, we have noexistence but existence in reality belongs to Allāh.This is the meaning of “there is no god but Allāh”,for people of the middle category, that is, thebelief that only Allāh generates existence.

For the person who loses his existence in Allāh; thatis, one who is lost to all matters, to all his ownattributes, and to own his own self, there is noexistent besides Allāh, the One, Who merits thisexistence. As far as this entire world is concerned,prior to its creation, it was contained within theoneness of Allāh just as the tree is containedwithin its seed.