They said: H adī ths have come from the Prophet (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) such as the h adī th: “My intercession is for the people of major sins from my Ummah.”
We say: When a h adī th comes contrary to what the Qur’an has established, it must be set aside; it is not permissible to give it consideration or to act upon it.
And this is despite the fact that the narrator of the hadith is Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As, who was among the enemies of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) and fought against him alongside Muawiyah. It has been authentically reported from the Prophet (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) that he said concerning Ali: “None loves you except a believer, and none hates you except a hypocrite” – narrated by Muslim and others.
And he (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) said to Ali: “Your war is my war, and your peace is my peace.”
And he (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) said in the Hadith of Ghadir concerning Ali: “O Allah, support whoever supports him, and abandon whoever abandons him…”
It is unanimously agreed by all that Ali (peace be upon him) is the rightly-guided caliph, and that Muawiyah and his supporters are rebels; there is no disagreement about this among Ahl al-Sunnah or others. The rebel is deemed to have compromised integrity.
From the Sunnah have also come many h adī ths that oppose this report, including his saying (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace): “The collector of unlawful tax will not enter Paradise, nor the habitual drinker of wine, nor one who believes in sorcery, nor one who severs ties of kinship, nor the one who reminds others of his favors.” and his saying (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace): “The miser will not enter Paradise.”The h adī ths in this chapter are numerous.
They said: Numerous h adī ths have come from the Prophet (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) stating that whoever says, “There is no deity but Allah” will enter Paradise.
We say: “There is no deity but Allah” is the word of sincerity and the banner of righteous deeds. If it is not followed by righteous deeds and accompanied by them, then it is mere mockery and hypocrisy.
The proof of that is His saying Exalted is He: “And if they had believed in Allah and the Prophet and what was revealed to him, they would not have taken them as allies …” [al Māʾidah: 81] And He Exalted is He said: “When the hypocrites come to you, they say, ‘We testify that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah.’ And Allah knows that you are indeed His Messenger, and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars.” [al Munāfiqūn]
As for the h adī th: “Whoever says ‘There is no deity but Allah’ will enter Paradise, even if he commits adultery and even if he steals …” it should not be given consideration because it contradicts the Qur’an. He Exalted is He said: “And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity, nor kill the soul which Allah has forbidden except by right, nor commit adultery and whoever does that will meet a penalty. The punishment will be multiplied for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated
except for one who repents and believes and does righteous deeds …” [alFurqān]
And it also contradicts what is in the authentic collections: “The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer …”
Furthermore, the word of sincerity——“There is no deity but
when it proceeds from a heart filled with awe of Allah and fear of Him, affirming His promise and His threat, and certain that there is no refuge from Allah except with Him then in such a state it constitutes entry into the fortress of Allah and the stronghold of His security, and a return from disobedience to obedience. Accordingly, are interpreted the h adī ths narrated in this chapter, such as his saying (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace): “There is no deity but Allah is My fortress; whoever enters My fortress is safe from My punishment.” and the h adī th: “Whoever’s last words are ‘There is no deity but Allah’ will enter Paradise.” and similar reports.
Thus, “There is no deity but Allah” is an expression of repentance and its translation.
It is necessary that what we have mentioned be realized; otherwise, “There is no deity but Allah” will neither benefit nor be accepted. Hence, Allah Exalted is He rejected the testimony of the hypocrites uttered by their tongues, as you have heard in the previous verse, and said concerning them: “They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts.” [al Fatḥ: 11]
If you say: Why has the phrase “There is no deity but Allah” been singled out with this distinction rather than other remembrances?
I say: Because of what it indicated, at the advent of Islam, of abandoning polytheism and entering the religion of Islam and monotheism. When a man uttered it, his saying it indicated clearly and explicitly his return from the religion of the polytheists and his entrance into the religion of the Muslims. The Muslims, when they saw one entering Islam by testifying that there is no deity but Allah, if they observed uprightness in him, knew that he was truthful in his entry into Islam. But if they saw negligence in obedience to Allah and His Messenger (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace), they suspected hypocrisy in him. Thus, Allah Exalted is He said regarding the Bedouins: “The Bedouins say, ‘We have believed.’ Say, ‘You have not believed; rather say, “We have submitted,” for faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you of anything from your deeds. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. The believers are only those who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and then have not doubted, and have striven with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah. Those they are the truthful.’”[al Ḥujurāt] And He Exalted is He said: “And obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers.” [al Anfāl]