Why should the Kalimah make such a big
difference between man and man? What
is so special about it? After all, it
contains only a few letters like ‘L’,
‘A’, ‘I’, ‘M’, ‘R’ and ‘S’. Joined
together and pronounced, do they
somehow have the power to work magic
so as to radically change a man?
Can
merely saying a few words create such
an enormous difference? Brothers! A
little reasoning will immediately tell
you that merely opening your mouths
and uttering a few syllables can never
have such an impact. Idol worshippers
no doubt believe that by reciting some
formula of holy words mountains can be
moved, earth can be split and
fountains can gush out of it, even
though they do not know its meaning.
This is because they ascribe
supernatural powers to letters, and
believe that only uttering them is
necessary to make their powers work.
This is not so in Islam. The
effectiveness of words lies in their
meaning. If they do not penetrate deep
into your hearts and have an impact
powerful enough to effect a change in
your thoughts, in your morals, and in
your actions, then their utterance is
meaningless and ineffectual. A simple
example will illustrate this point.
Suppose you are shivering in cold
weather and you start shouting,
‘cotton, quilt! Cotton, quilt’ The
effect of cold will not be any less
even if you repeat these words all
night a million times on beads or a
rosary. But if you prepare a quilt
stuffed with cotton and cover your
body with it, the cold will stop. Or
suppose you feel thirsty and shout the
whole day, ‘water, water’; your thirst
will not be quenched. What you need to
do is to get some water and take a
mouthful. Or again, suppose you are
suffering from cold and fever and you
decide the best remedy is to chant the
name of medicines used to cure these
illnesses. You will not get better;
but if you actually take these
medicines, cold and fever will
disappear, insha’allah.
This is
exactly the position of the Kalimah.
Mere utterance of six or seven words
cannot conceivably transform a Kafir
into a Muslim, or an impure person
into a pure one, or a damned person
into a favoured one, nor can it send a
man to Paradise instead of Hell. This
transformation is possible only after
you have understood the meaning of
these words and made it penetrate your
hearts and change your lives. So, when
you recite these words, you should be
conscious what an important commitment
you are making to your God, with the
whole world as your witness, and what
a great responsibility you are taking
on as a result of your commitment.
