There Is No God but He

A devotional poem attributed to Rumi by Sufinama; historical authorship has not yet been established.

The Lord of All Dominion

مَالِكُ الْمُلْكِ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ

وَحْدَهُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

Māliku l-mulki lā sharīka lahu Waḥdahu lā ilāha illā huwa

He is the Lord of all dominion; He has no partner. He alone—there is no god but He.

I read the opening as a statement about God, giving مَالِكُ—māliku—the nominative ending. Mulk means dominion, sovereignty, or kingship; waḥdahu emphasizes His absolute uniqueness. The divine title occurs in Qurʾān 3:26, while the refrain appears in Qurʾān 2:255.

An Offering of Heart and Soul

عاشقان جان و دل نثار کنند

بر سرِ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

ʿĀsheqān jān va del nesār konand Bar sar-e lā ilāha illā huwa

Lovers offer their hearts and souls in homage to “There is no god but He.”

جان و دل (jān va del) means “soul and heart,” expressing the whole inward self. نثار کردن (nesār kardan) evokes scattering precious gifts or making a generous offering. Here, the lovers offer themselves in devotion to the truth proclaimed by the refrain. “In homage to” conveys my reading of the figurative بر سرِ (bar sar-e).

The Robe of Honor

مصطفی یافت در شبِ معراج

خِلعتِ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

Mostafā yāft dar shab-e meʿrāj Khelʿat-e lā ilāha illā huwa

On the night of his Ascension, the Chosen One received the robe of honor: “There is no god but He.”

Muṣṭafā, “the Chosen One,” refers to the Prophet Muḥammad. A khilʿat is a robe bestowed as a mark of honor; here, it becomes a poetic image of divine favor and nearness. The linking vowel in خِلعتِ (khelʿat-e) makes the declaration itself the figurative robe. Dehkhodā’s entry for خلعت (khelʿat) records both its ceremonial and figurative senses.

The Eternal Gardener

باغبانِ قدیمِ لم‌یزلی

صِفَتَش لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

Bāghbān-e qadīm-e lam-yazalī Sefatash lā ilāha illā huwa

The Gardener, beginningless and everlasting, is described by these words: “There is no god but He.”

I understand the singular Gardener as an image of God, who brings creation into being and sustains it. قدیم (qadīm) here means “without beginning”; لم‌یزلی (lam-yazalī) reinforces His everlasting existence. صفتش (sefatash) means “His attribute” or “His description.” Dehkhodā defines لم‌یزلی (lam-yazalī) as perpetual or everlasting.

The Tree and Its Fruit

خوش درختی است در میانِ جِنان

میوه‌اش لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

Khosh derakhtī ast dar miyān-e jenān Mīve-ash lā ilāha illā huwa

A lovely tree stands amid the gardens of Paradise; its fruit is “There is no god but He.”

جِنان—jinān, pronounced jenān in modern Persian—means “gardens,” understood here as the gardens of Paradise. The image presents the declaration of God’s oneness as something nourishing and delightful: a truth whose sweetness can be experienced.

Remembrance and Paradise

صوفیان گر بهشت می‌طلبند

ذکرشان لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

Sūfiyān gar behesht mī-talaband Zekreshān lā ilāha illā huwa

If the Sufis seek Paradise, their remembrance is “There is no god but He.”

ذکرشان (zekreshān) means “their remembrance” or “their devotional invocation.” The couplet associates the longing for Paradise with remembering God through the declaration of His oneness. It describes their practice while also encouraging the listener.

The Believers’ Portion

مؤمنان را نعیم شد روزی

بَرَکَتَش لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

Moʾmenān rā naʿīm shod rūzī Barakatash lā ilāha illā huwa

Bliss has become the believers’ allotted share; its blessing is “There is no god but He.”

I read روزی (rūzī) here as “allotted provision” or “one’s portion,” a meaning documented in Dehkhodā. نعیم (naʿīm) means bliss or delightful well-being, with Paradise suggested by the preceding couplets. The second line is compressed: برکتش (barakatash) literally means “its blessing,” most naturally referring back to that bliss.

Seeking God

شمسِ تبریز اگر خدا طلبی

خوش بخوان لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

Shams-e Tabrīz, agar Khodā talabī Khosh bekhān lā ilāha illā huwa

O Shams of Tabriz, if you seek God, chant beautifully: “There is no god but He.”

The closing turns to direct address. خدا طلبی (Khodā talabī) means “you seek God,” and خوش بخوان (khosh bekhān) means “recite or sing beautifully.” In a traditional recitation, the closing is approximately:

Shams-i Tabrīz, agar Khudā ṭalabī, Khush bikhwān: lā ilāha illā Hū.