Mr. Astrofan you do not have a slightest idea of what you are talking about:
This is the precise reason, why Muslims should study and understand the ARABIC language, when we try to understand Quran. We tend to try to comprehend Quran through customary translations without knowing the essence of different words in Quran and thus are always confused.
For reference remember this that the Arabic word “ilah” meaning god.
The meaning of the statement “La ilaha ill-Allah”
“La ilaha ill-Allah” can be interpreted simply as; “there is no god, there is only ALLAH.”
The “Word of Oneness” begins with “La ilaha” and so, a definite degree is emphasized right in the beginning: “There is no being to be worshipped” (LA ILAHA)
Then, ill-Allah follows as an explanation: “illa” meaning “only,” “ALLAH.” It does not even say “there is ALLAH"; it simply says “only ALLAH.”
Because of interpreting the message “La ilaha ill-Allah” through the application of customary translation methods in the Arabic language, they result in a serious mistake.
For instance, if the statement is “La rajula illa Ali,”, it might be translated as “there is no man but Ali” or, “there is not such a man as Ali” or else, “there is no one as Ali as a man” ("illa” suggesting a comparison between Ali and an existence besides Ali).
However, when used in association with the word “ALLAH,” “illa” can never be interpreted as “there is no god such as ALLAH . . . that which suggests a separate existence besides ALLAH in comparison with ALLAH, as if “there is another god -ilah, but it never matches ALLAH.”
As the word “kana” in Arabic —which means “was"— loses its common meaning when it is associated with the word “ALLAH” and is understood as “IS” in its simple present tense form, the same way the word “illa,” too, exceeds its message in customary usage and is understood as “ONLY.”
For example lets mention the word “kana”:
Since the qualities denoted by the noun “ALLAH” are free from being restricted within the past time passages, we can never translate the statement “kana-ALLAHu Gafur’ur Rahiyma” in the way as “ALLAH WAS Gafur (Forgiving) and Rahiym (Merciful) (in the past).” The same way, the word “illa” in “illa-ALLAH,” must only be interpreted and understood as “ONLY,” but neither as “other” nor “but!”
Because, the qualities of the being denoted by the noun “ALLAH”, not only decline the recognition of an existence apart from ALLAH, but the consideration of any other being beside ALLAH, either!
For these reasons, if such words as “illa”, “kana” and the like, which refer to a conception of time or place, were encountered as in association with the name “ALLAH,” they should be understood connected with the meaning that the name “ALLAH” refers to, and they should not be taken as what is understood form their customary usage.
Unless this is applied properly, the interpreted concept will come out to be a GOD-out-there, that is an ILAH concept beyond us and even beyond the universe.
Thus, taking this fact into consideration, we will see that: “There is no god to be worshipped, only ALLAH is!”
[This message has been edited by Musalman (edited November 21, 2000).]