It is narrated on the authority of Caliph ‘Uthman that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said: He who died knowing fully well that there is no God but Allah entered Paradise. (Sahih Muslim)
Belief without action is almost tantamount to no belief as belief entails action in accordance with the belief. That is why some persons ask whether it is enough for a man that he should recite what we know as kalimah in order to enter Paradise.
A close analysis of the words of the hadīth would reveal that fact that mere expression of these words does not suffice. It implies that he who makes a sincere profession of the fact that there is no God but Allah deserves admittance to Paradise.
And this in turn entails heavy responsibilities; for assertion of a statement demands action in strict accordance with the assertion.
It means that the man is declaring in unequivocal terms that he believes in one God, and does not associate any other deity with Him, whether those made of stone, clay or any other material for that matter or heavenly bodies or human beings. Those who know fully well the taste of the kalimah cannot stand passive.
The man who negates the existence of all false gods and affirms the existence of One True God in fact makes a profession that he would submit to His command alone and nothing else except that which has been vouchsafed to him by the true Messenger of Allah.
Thus the affirmation of this simple truth covers all the responsibilities, obligations and duties which fall upon the shoulders of a man after submitting his will to the Will of the Lord and accepting Him as the sole object of worship.
*This article was published by Times of Oman. Read the original article here.