لا إله إلا الله
la ilaha illa Allah
The English phrase 'la ilaha illallah' is expressed in Arabic as لا إله إلا الله (la ilaha illa Allah).
This phrase is an Islamic declaration of faith which states that there is no deity but God.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase can be broken down as follows: لا (lā) means 'no' or 'there is no', إله (ilāh) means 'deity' or 'god', إلا (illā) means 'except' or 'but' and الله (Allāh) refers to 'God'.
How do you pronounce it?
la ilaha illa Allah
Did you know?
- The word الله is believed by some to be a contraction of الٱِلٰه, which literally means 'the deity'.
Examples in context
- لا إله إلا الله، يشهد عليها قلبي ولسانيThere is no god but Allah, my heart and tongue testify to it.
- أردد دائماً لا إله إلا الله.uraddidu da'iman la ilaha illallah.I always repeat, there is no god but God.
- قل لا إله إلا الله بقلب صادق.qul la ilaha illallah bi qalbin sadiq.Say, there is no god but God, with a sincere heart.
Example conversation
Layla and Ahmed are discussing the basics of their faith.
- ليلى Laylaما هي أهم جملة في الإسلام يا أحمد؟Ma hiya aham jumla fil-Islam ya Ahmed?What is the most important sentence in Islam, Ahmed?
- أحمد Ahmedهي الشهادة: لا إله إلا الله.Hiya ash-shahada: la ilaha illallah.It is the testimony: there is no deity but God.
- ليلى Laylaنعم، هذه أساس الإيمان.Na'am, hadhihi asas al-iman.Yes, this is the foundation of faith.
- أحمد Ahmedبالضبط، لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله.Bi-dhabt, la ilaha illallah Muhammad rasul Allah.Exactly, there is no deity but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries إلا, إله, الله, لا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
