There is no god but God

“There is no god but God” is the English rendering of the phrase “La ilia ha ill’Allah,” inscribed on the flag that became Abdel Khader Khan’s shroud. In the burial scene, the words join a solemn religious rite to the material circumstances of the mourners: Khader’s own green-and-white standard is gone, and one of the mujaheddin gives his flag in its place.

Inscription and Translation

The phrase appears on a simple white background, first in transliteration as “La ilia ha ill’Allah” and then in English as “There is no god but God.” Its placement on a flag used to cover Khader’s body makes the line part of the funeral’s visible setting, rather than an abstract reflection detached from the scene.

The Burial

Nazeer insists that Khader be buried with strict adherence to ritual. Before eating or drinking, he and Khaled and Mahmoud Melbaaf clean themselves, pray together, and prepare Khader’s body for burial. The borrowed flag supplies the shroud when Khader’s own standard is lost; the inscription is thus carried into the ceremony through an act of practical devotion.

Meaning in the Scene

The phrase accompanies a burial shaped by prayer, care, and loss. Mahmoud’s tenderness during the rites moves Lin, who begins to cherish him as a friend. The words do not erase the mourners’ grief or the harshness of their circumstances; they stand amid both, marking the religious language under which Khader is laid to rest.