The Declaration of Faith [Shahāda]
- What is the importance of the declaration of faith [Shahāda]?
The declaration of faith [Shahāda] is the first pillar of Islam. It is to testify that there is no God but Allah ﷻ jalla jalāluhu:Great is His Majesty] and that Muhammad ﷺ [ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wasallam: May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] is His ﷻ Messenger.
This declaration of faith [Shahāda] has the greatest importance because it is the vital key which enters us into the circle of islam and faith [īmān]. It has two components:
- Firstly we state that there is no god but Allah ﷻ which means that He ﷻ alone is the Creator of the Universe and He ﷻ has no partner. There is no other deity that is worshipped alongside Him ﷻ.
- Secondly we declare that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ meaning that he ﷺ was sent by Allah ﷻ as a mercy to the worlds, to bring good tidings and to warn all of creation (mankind and and Jinn ).
These two parts of the declaration of faith [Shahāda] constitute one pillar of our islamic faith; this pillar is the differentiation between truth and falsehood. Without the declaration of both parts of the shahāda which is to sincerely worship Allah ﷻ alone and to follow the way of His Messenger ﷺ , a person cannot become a Muslim. It is considered to be a great blessing which Allah ﷻ has bestowed upon His ﷻ creation, the righteous religion that has no falsehood or losses [nuqsān].
“Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My blessings upon you, and chosen as your religion Islam: [total devotion to God]; but if any of you is forced by hunger to eat forbidden food, with no intention of doing wrong, then God is most forgiving and merciful.” Qurʾān: The Feast [Al-Māʾidah] 5:3
2.0 What is the meaning of the declaration of faith [Shahāda]?
This foundational pillar of our faith contains the declaration of the oneness of Allah ﷻ [tawhīd] and declaration that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is His ﷻ Messenger.
We testify that there is only one God, Allah ﷻ and that He ﷻ is the only one worthy of worship.
We believe that this noble human being, Muhammad ﷺ (son of Abdullah عليه السلا [ʿalayhi salām; peace be upon him]) received revelations from Allah ﷻ through the angel Gabriel [Jibrīl] عليه السلام. Without this belief in Muhammad ﷺ as the last and final Messenger of Allah ﷻ, a person is not a believer.
“Believers, obey God and the Messenger: do not let your deeds go to waste.” Qurʾān: Muhammad [Muḥammad] 47:3
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Through the declaration of faith [Shahāda], we affirm our belief that Allah ﷻ is One; He ﷻ is not divided and has no partner. We learn about Allah ﷻ through his noble attributes. Allah ﷻ is self-subsisting, and eternal; no slumber nor sleep can seize Him ﷻ. He ﷻ is the Lord and Creator of everything, and He ﷻ has complete power over everything. With His ﷻ all-encompassing knowledge He ﷻ is aware of that which is known and that which is hidden. Allah ﷻ is described as pre-existent and eternally existent meaning that it is impossible for Him ﷻ to have a beginning or an end. Allah ﷻ has no one before Him ﷻand no one after Him ﷻ. He ﷻ is self-sufficient (independent) and free from the need of His ﷻ creation. There is nothing that can prevent Him ﷻ from His ﷻdivine judgement, ruling and orders.
When a person utters the declaration of faith [Shahāda], they must then follow it with deeds and behaviour which reflect its meanings, devoting themselves to Allah’s cause.
“The ‘true’ believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger- never doubting-and strive with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah. They are the ones true in faith” Qurʾān:The Private Rooms [Al-Ḥujurāt] 49:15.
2.1 Rulings of the declaration of faith [Shahāda]
Whoever declares their faith [Shahāda] becomes a Muslim and is then obliged to follow the remaining aspects and rulings of Islam.
2.2 Evidence of the declaration of faith [hahāda]:
On the authority of Abi Abdirahman Abdullah ibn Umar ibn Al-Khattab رضى الله عنه [radiallāhu-ʿanhu] May Allah be pleased with him] who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:Islam has been built on five (pillars): testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing the prayers, paying the Zakah, making pilgrimage to the House, and fasting in Ramadan. [Bukhāri & Muslim]
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3.0 The conditions of saying the declaration of faith [Shahāda]
- Knowledge
A person must know what they are saying and knowledge is the opposite to ignorance. There is no God but Allah ﷻ and He ﷻ has no partner.
“So be assured that there is no God but Allah, and seek forgiveness for your fault, and (the faults of) believing men and believing women. And Allah knows your moving from place to place and your permanent abode.” Qurʾān: Muhammad [Muḥammad] 47:19
“Whoever dies with knowledge that there is no God except Allah will enter Jannah.” Ḥadīth
Saḥīḥ Muslim – Kitāb Al-ʾĪmān pg55
- Certainty [Yaqeen]
A Muslim should believe in this testimony [Shahāda] with complete certainty of faith that is free from any doubt.
“The true believers are the ones who have faith in God and his Messenger and leave all doubt behind, the ones who have struggled with their possessions and their persons in God’s way: they are the ones who are true.” Qurʾān:The Private Rooms [Al-Ḥujurāt] 49:15
It was narrated by Abu Huraira رضى الله عنه : “Go with these slippers of mine and whoever you meet behind this wall who believes that there is no God but Allah, give them good tidings of Jannah.” Saḥīḥ Muslim – Kitāb Al-ʾĪmān
- Acceptance
Allah ﷻ will punish those who disbelieve and do not accept the declaration of faith [Shahāda] .
“Whenever it was said to them, ‘There is no deity but God’, they became arrogant.” Qurʾān: Ranged in Rows [As-Ṣāffāt] 37:35]
- Devotion (In following Allah’s ﷻ rules)
Devotion means that a person will submit himself to Allah ﷻ alone, holding firmly to the path of righteous ways.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “None of you will believe until his whims (desires) follow what I have brought.”Fatḥ al Bārī ibn Ḥajr al ʿAsqalānī pg 103
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- Truthfulness:
Our belief in Allah ﷻ has to be declared by the tongue and accepted by the heart. This agreement of the heart and tongue is the opposite of lying.
“Anybody who declares there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger truthfully from his heart, Allah will make the fire haram [forbidden] for them.” The Sea of Benefits [Baḥr alfuāʾid] Al-Bukhāri page 292
- Sincerity :
Our deeds have to be pure from associating any partner with Allah [shirk] and any other impurities.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The most blessed of people to have my intercession on the Day of Resurrection are those who say there is no God but Allah sincerely from the heart.” Door of Explaining Jahannam and Jannah – Saḥīḥ al-Bukhāri – page 699
- Love :
This committed love will give you comfort in your heart.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his son, his father and all the people.’’ Sunan Adārmī page 307
“There are three things if you have them you will taste the belief of īmān[ faith]:T o love Allah ﷻ and His prophet more than anything else, and to love a person only for Allah ﷻ, and to hate going back to Kufur (disbelief in Allah and His Messenger) like hating to be thrown in the fire.” [Bukhāri & Muslim]
“Even so, there are some who choose to worship others besides God as rivals to Him, loving them with the love due to God, but the believers have greater love for God. If only the idolaters could see – as they will see when they face the torment – that all power belongs to God, and that God punishes severely.” Qurʾān: The Cow [Al Baqarah] 2: 165
Ibrāhīm bin Adham رَحْمَةُ الله عليه [raḥmatullāhi ʿalayhi: May the Mercy of Allah be upon him] said: “if the kings and their sons had knowledge about the happiness and blessing we experience, they would have fought us with swords”.
Only a true believer can experience this ultimate inner happiness which is the taste of believing in Allah ﷻ and coming close to Him ﷻ.
4.0 Virtues of saying the declaration of faith [Shahāda]
By saying and believing that there is no God but Allah ﷻ and that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah [Lā illāha illAllah Muḥammadu Rasuallah] a person can gain great benefits. These are words of piety and sincerity, testifying and calling to the Truth of one God [Allah] ﷻ. This declaration [shahāda] is our salvation from associating partners or other gods with Allah ﷻ and it is because of these noble words, that creation was created.
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“I created Jinn and mankind only to worship Me.” Qurʾān: Scattering [Winds] [Adh-Dhariyāt] 51:56
Because of this declaration, Allah ﷻ sent His ﷻ Messengers and His ﷻ Books.
“We never sent any messenger before you [Muhammad] without revealing to him: ‘There is no god but Me, so worship Me’ ” Qurʾān: The Prophets [Al-ʾAnbiyāʾ] 21:25
It was because of this declaration of faith [Shahāda] that Heaven [jannah], the place of eternal reward, and Hell [jahanam], the place of punishment, were prepared. This declaration is the price of Heaven; because of it, we are forgiven and it is the best of good deeds.
Abu Dar رضى الله عنه said: “I asked Rasuallah ﷺ to teach me a deed that will bring me close to Paradise [jannah]and take me away from the fire. He ﷺ answered me, ‘If you do a bad deed, follow it up with a good deed. For one good deed is like 10 good deeds (or multiplied 10X).’ I said, ‘Ya Rasūlallah, is the declaration that there is no god but Allah [lā illāha illAllah] from the good deeds?’ He ﷺ said, ‘It is the best of the good deeds.’” Kitāb Al-Tawḥīd Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī pg 87
4.1 The sayings of the second generation [al-Tābiʿīn ] regarding the declaration of faith [shahāda]
Al Hassan al Basri رَحْمَةُ الله عليه : said: “People who say there is no God but Allah [lā illāha illAllah] and fulfilled its rights and duties will go to jannah”.
Wahab Bin Munabbih رَحْمَةُ الله عليه as asked, “Is not “there is no god but Allah [lā illāha illAllah]” the key to paradise”? He replied, “yes, but every key has ridges, so if you come with the key that has the right ridges, the door will be opened for you; otherwise it will not.” Kitāb Al-Tawḥīd Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī pg 39
5.0 Conclusion
The declaration of faith [Shahāda] is fundamental to our belief as Muslims, and it is the reason Allah ﷻ created us. Whoever says it with their tongue, tastes the sweetness with their heart and brings it to action with their limbs, would have won the greatest reward. And whoever dies with it will receive the most generous blessing of it in Paradise [Jannah].
When we receive the knowledge of the declaration of faith [Shahāda], its conditions and virtues, it becomes obligatory to convey to others this entrusted knowledge [āmana] and to follow the ways [sunnah] and advice of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. By explaining its meaning, we can help non-Muslims to know the true religion of Allah ﷻ
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Bibliography/ Reference
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Glossary
- Allah: God
- Jahanam: Hell
- Jannah: Heaven
- Jin:
- Nuksan: Losses
- Shahada: declaration of Faith
- Shirk: Associating partners with Allah
- Tabian: Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
- Tawhid: belief in the oneness of Allah
- Yaqeen: Certainty
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Index/Key Words
| Page Number : | Key Words: |
| Page 1 | Shahāda faith, Allah, Messenger, belief, pillar, Islam, Muslim, declaration, tawhid |
| Page 2 | Shahāda,belief, attributes, Allah, declaration,Islam |
| Page 3 | Conditions, faith, knowledge, certainty,acceptance, devotion |
| Page 4 | Conditions, faith, truthfulness, sincerity, love, virtues, shahāda , |
| Page 5 | Virtues, shahāda ,sayings, tabian, rewards, Jannah, heaven, Jahanam, hell |
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