Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:35

"Indeed they were, when it was said to them" (by way of invitation and instruction) "There is no god but Allah"—"arrogant" (regarding its acceptance).

Regarding the syntax of this "Good Word" (al-kalimah al-tayyibah), there are several views:

The First: That the Majestic Name (Allah) is in the nominative case (marfu') as a substitute (badal) for the implicit subject of La, considering its original position, which is the nominative case of the initial subject (mubtada'). It is a substitute of a part for the whole, and it suffices from requiring a connecting pronoun. If we say that the substitute in the exception (istithna') is a separate category from other types of substitution, then much of the controversy surrounding this view is dispelled, and this is what flows upon the tongues of the grammarians. According to the majority, the predicate (khabar) is implied; the famous estimation being "exists" (mawjood). The Good Word stands in opposition to the polytheists, for they claim the existence of multiple gods and do not merely speak of the potential for them. Furthermore, denying existence in this context necessitates denying the potential, just as denying the potential for anyone other than Him, the Exalted and Majestic, necessitates the actual proof of existence for Him, the Exalted.

It has also been permitted to estimate the predicate as "worthy of worship," and the negation of being worthy of worship necessitates the negation of plurality. However, this estimation does not hold if "god" (ilah) is interpreted as "the one worthy of worship," as is not hidden.

The Second: Al-Bazali chose to estimate the predicate as coming after "but Allah" (illa Allah), based on the idea that estimating it before would imply that the Majestic Name is a substitute for an omitted pronoun of the predicate, which is not permitted according to the researchers. Others, however, have permitted it.

The Third: It is attributed to the Kufans that "but" (illa) is a conjunction ('atifah), and the Majestic Name is conjoined to "god" (ilah) considering its position. According to them, it is in the position of the conjunctive "not" (la), in that what follows it contradicts what precedes it, except that la is for negating the affirmative, while illa is for affirming the negation.

The Fourth: That the Noble Name is the predicate, and la has no effect upon it, according to the opinion of Sibawayh—that the predicate is raised by what it was raised by before the entry of la. Thus, it does not necessitate its operation on definite nouns according to his view, though it would according to others. This view is weakened by this, as well as by the necessity of the specific being a predicate of the general. The argument that the speech is intended to negate the general and specify it to one of the individuals of the general does not provide benefit, since, for the majority, this la is among the governors (nawasikh) of the subject and predicate.

The Fifth: That illa carries the meaning of "other than" (ghayr), and it—with its name, the Exalted—is an adjective to the name of la in its positional state. That is: "There is no god other than Allah, the Exalted, in existence." There is no flaw in the artifice here; the flaw is only in its meaning, as has been said, because the intention is the negation of divinity from other than Him, the Exalted, and the affirmation of it for Him, the Glorified. Through the exception, both are derived from the explicit text (mantuq). According to this, the explicit text only benefits the negation of divinity from other than Him, the Exalted, and not its affirmation for Him, the Exalted; and considering the implied concept (mafhum) is not subject to consensus, especially the implied concept of the specific name (mafhum al-laqab), for none have held this except al-Daqqaq and some Hanbalis.

The Sixth: It is attributed to al-Zamakhshari that "no god" (la ilah) is in the position of the predicate, and "but Allah" (illa Allah) is in the position of the subject. The original structure is "Allah," and when it was desired to restrict the attribute to the described, the predicate was moved forward and the subject was joined with illa, since the one to whom the restriction is applied is the one that follows illa, and the restricted is that which occurs in the context of negation. When the subject is joined with illa, it is mandatory to move the predicate before it, as established in its place. There is strain in this, for it necessitates that the predicate be indeclinable (mabni) with la, whereas only the subject is made indeclinable with it. If the matter were as mentioned, there would be no reason for the accusative case of the name appearing after it. However, a group has permitted it in this arrangement, and to abandon their words for just one is to ensure you will not find a second for it.

The Seventh: That the Great Name is in the nominative case by "god" (ilah), as is the state of the subject when it is a derivative descriptor (wasf). For ilah is in the meaning of "worshipped" (ma'luh) from alaha when one worships; thus, it stands in the place of the active participle and occupies the place of the predicate, as in "the boy is beaten" (madrubun al-'umran). This is countered by the refusal to accept ilah as a descriptor, for if it were, it would require declension and nunation, and no one says this.

Finally, this Good Word includes the majority of the tenets of faith, but its most important intention is monotheism (Tawhid). That is why the polytheists, when they were instructed in it at first, would grow arrogant and turn away.