The Nine Conditions of Shahādah
By Jamaluddin Zarabozo
In the name of Allāh, the Most
Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the praise and Thanks is due to
Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālamīn. I testify that there is none worthy of worship
except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger.
What Every Muslim Needs to Know.
There is something very important
for both the new Muslims and those who grew up in Islām, without which a person
may not really be a “Muslim.” It is called the “Shahādah.” The complete
statement of the creed of the Muslim is: “Ash
haduan Lā ilāha illallāh; Wa ashhaduanna Muhammadar Rasūlullāh.” (I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship
except Allāh; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger).
Every Muslim has been taught that
the key to “Jannah” (Paradise) is the statement in Arabic: “Lā ilāha
illallāh.” (There is none worthy of
worship except Allāh). Yet too many
Muslims simply rely upon this statement and believe that as long as they have
made this statement, nothing will harm them. They think they will be
granted Paradise because of this mere verbal statement of the
Shahādah.
There is no question that the mere
saying of the Shahādah: “I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship
except Allāh and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger” is
not sufficient for salvation. In fact, the munafiqeen (hypocrites) used to make
this statement quite often yet Allāh describes them as liars and says that they
shall abide in the lowest abyss of the Hell-fire.
True scholars of Islām tell us that
this testimony of faith is our “Muftah ul Jannah” (Key to Paradise). The
famous follower Wahb ibn Munabbih was once asked;”Isn't the statement of
“Lā ilāha illallāh” the key to Paradise?” He answered;”Yes! But every key
has ridges. If you come with the key that has the right ridges, the door will
open for you. Yet if you do not have the right ridges the door will not open
for you.”
Think about it. If you try to drive
your car with the key to your house will it work? Of course, not. So, we see
that the statement like a key, must meet certain conditions in order to work.
In fact these conditions are what will determine who will benefit from the
statement and who will not benefit from saying it, no matter how many times per
day they say it. We must work hard to learn, understand and practice these
conditions before we run out time and then it would be too late for our
Shahādah to help us at all. This article has value only if we use it to look at
ourselves and make sure we are really meeting these conditions.
Then by Allāh's Mercy, the doors to
Jannah will open for us with our KEY (muftah) of Lā ilāha illallāh”.
“Nine Conditions of
the Shahādah”:
The “Qur'an” and the “Hadīth”
(saying narrated from or about the Prophet Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam
regarding his words, actions, or attributes.) are the ultimate sources for
knowledge in Islām. We find contained in them the reality of the conditions
necessary for the “Shahādah” to work as a “muftah” to the “Jannah” for us. The
number might be understood as seven, eight or even nine depending on how you
would categorize them or combine them together. Regardless of how we would list
them or divide them up, it still remains that we must understand and most
important, apply these conditions of our Shahādah if we are to enter the
Jannah. We listed them here as “nine” in order to give more attention and
detail to each and every aspect. However, the scholars who have listed them as
seven or eight have not left anything out. They have merely combined several
for easier comprehension and memorization.
The nine conditions of the Shahādah
are known as: 1. Knowledge 2. Certainty 3. Acceptance 4. Submission 5. Truth 6.
Sincerity 7. Love 8. Denial of false worship, and 9. Adherence
That is, one must have the basic and
general knowledge of what is meant by the Shahādah. One must understand what
the Shahādah is affirming and what the Shahādah is denying. Allāh says in the
Qur'an, “So
know that there is no God but Allāh, and ask forgiveness for your sin.” (Muhammad, 47: 19).
Similarly, the Allah’s Messenger
(Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever dies knowing that there is no one
worthy of worship except Allāh shall enter Paradise.” (Muslim)
In fact, the Shahādah itself is a
testimony. When one testifies to something, one must know what it is that he is
testifying concerns. Obviously, a testimony about something that one does not
have any knowledge about is absolutely unacceptable.
Allāh says in the Qur'an, “Except him who
bears witness unto the truth knowingly.” (Al-Zukhruf, 43: 86).
Now this condition probably sounds
obvious; if someone said to you, “There is no God except Allāh,” and then said
that what he meant by Allāh was Jesus, you would immediately tell him that this
Shahādah is nonsense. Yet can you imagine that there is a Muslim country in the
world that until recently used to have a yearly weeklong celebration to “the
Gods of the Sea”! All along they call themselves Muslims and they make the
Shahādah numerous times a day.
This clearly shows that they have no
idea what the meaning of their Shahādah is. Do you think that this kind of
Shahādah will open the doors to Paradise for them? Today, there are many
Muslims who wonder why we should not accept secularism. They think that there
is nothing wrong with secularism! Many of these Muslims pray five times a day
and utter the Shahādah repeatedly. Yet they see nothing wrong with accepting a
Lawgiver other than Allāh? What kind of Shahādah are these people making?
All of us do our best to learn at
least the basics of Islāmic beliefs, the basics of what Shahādah means. In this
way, Allāh willing, we will be making the correct Shahādah. We will be
witnessing to the truth as we are supposed to be witnesses to it.
2 - Certainty (Yāqin)
This is the opposite of doubt and
uncertainty. In Islām, in fact, any kind of doubt is equivalent to Kufr or
disbelief. We must, in our hearts, be absolutely certain of the truth of the
Shahādah. Our hearts must not be wavering in any way when we testify to the
truth of, “There is none worthy of worship except Allāh.” Allāh describes the
believers in the Qur'an as those who have belief in Allāh and then their hearts
waver not. Allāh says, “The (true) believers are those only who believe in Allāh and His messenger
and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the
cause of Allāh. Such are the sincere.”
(Al-Hujjarat, 49: 15)
Similarly, the Messenger of Allāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “No one meets Allāh with the testimony that there is none
worthy of worship but Allāh and I am the Messenger of Allāh, and he has no
doubt about that statement, except that he will enter Paradise.” (Muslim)
I ndeed, Allāh describes the
hypocrites as those people whose hearts are wavering. For example, Allāh says, “They alone seek leave of thee
(not to participate in jihad) who believe not in Allāh and the Last Day and
whose hearts feel doubt, so in their doubt they waver.” (Al-Tawbah, 9: 45)
Many scholars have stated that the
diseases of the heart, or the doubt and suspicions that one allows into one's
heart, are more dangerous for a person's faith than lusts and desires. This is
because lusts and desires may be satisfied at some time yet the person still
knows them to be wrong and he may control himself and repent and give up that
evil deed. On the other hand, the doubts and suspicions may linger in the
heart, with no cure, until the person finally leaves Islām entirely or
continues to practice Islām while, in fact, in his heart he does not have the
true faith. The greatest cure for these doubts is seeking knowledge. It is
through sound knowledge of the Qur'an and the Sunnah that most of these doubts
will be removed.
3 - Acceptance (Qabūl)
If a person has knowledge of and
certainty in the Shahādah, this must be followed by acceptance, with the tongue
and heart, of whatever that Shahādah implies. Whoever refuses to accept the
Shahādah and its implications, even if he knows that it is true and certain
about its truth, and then he is a disbeliever? This refusal to accept is
sometimes due to pride, envy or other reasons.
In any case, the Shahādah is not a
true Shahādah without its unconditional acceptance. The scholars all talk about
this condition as a general condition in the way that I have just stated.
However, there is also a more detailed aspect that we must all be aware of. The
believer accepts whatever the implications of the Shahādah are. This also means
that he believes in whatever is stated in the Qur'an or stated by the Prophet
(Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam), without any right to choose what he wants to
believe and what he wants to reject.
Allāh says in the Qur’an, “Do you believe in part of the book and reject part of it? And what is
the reward of those who do so, except humiliation in the life of this world,
and on the Day of Resurrection they will be sent to the most dreadful doom.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 85).
This is one aspect that the Muslims
must be aware of. Although it is not the same as the complete refusal to accept
the truth, by rejecting part of the truth that has come from Allāh, one also
negates his testimony of faith. Unfortunately, many Muslims are doing this
nowadays in various ways. Although not all of these forms may necessarily be
considered apostasy, they are still very dangerous. For example, if they do not
like what is stated in a verse in the Qur'an, they simply reinterpret the verse
according to their liking. If they do not like what is stated in a hadīth, they
simply state that the hadīth must not be authentic although they are not
scholars in that area. This kind of behavior is the antithesis of the behavior
of the true Muslims. Whatever comes from Allāh and His Messenger (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam), the true Muslim believes in as the truth. This goes hand in
hand with their testimony of faith.
4 - Submission and
Compliance (Inqiyād)
This implies the actual physical
enactment with our deeds of our Shahādah. In fact, this is one of the main
meanings of the word Islām itself, “the submission to the will and commands of
Allāh.” This is what Allāh commands in the Qur'an, “Turn unto Him repentant, and
surrender unto Him” (al-Zumar, 39: 54).
Allāh has praised those who submit
to His command by their actions. Allāh says, “Who is better in religion than
he who surrenders his purpose to Allāh while doing good” (al-Nisā’, 4:
125).
Actually, Allāh has clearly made it
a condition of faith that one submits to the command of Allāh and His
messenger. Allāh says, “But
nay, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you [the
Messenger of Allāh] judge of what is in dispute between them and find within
themselves no dislike of which you decide, and submit with full submission”
(al-Nisā’, 4: 65)
Unfortunately, there are many that
claim that there is no relationship between faith and deeds. You can even hear
one Muslim saying about another, “That is the best Muslim I have ever met,” yet
the other person performs scarcely any of the deeds of Islām whatsoever. This
incorrect understanding of faith has spread throughout the Muslim world.
Indeed, our Shahādah or testimony of faith must be implemented or realized in
our hearts, tongues and actions. In our hearts, we must have love for Allāh,
fear Allāh and hope in Him. With our tongues we must testify to the Shahādah.
And with our actions, we must implement what the testimony of faith requires
from us.
Anyone who claims to be a Muslim and
yet does no deeds either does not understand Islām whatsoever or is bearing
testimony against himself that his testimony of faith is not a true and correct
testimony of faith. This does not mean that the true believer never commits a
sin. Indeed, true believers do commit sins, but as long as they recognize that
what they did is not correct and it is inconsistent with their obligation of
submitting to Allāh, then they have not violated the soundness of their
testimony or Shahādah. But do not forget they are still sinners. And what is
the minimum of submission that is required from a person beyond whom there can
be no claim to faith? For those scholars who say that the abandonment of
prayers is infidelity, it is the five daily prayers. Whoever does not perform,
at least, the five daily prayers have gone beyond the limit that is acceptable
for lack of deeds. Allāh knows best.
5-Truthfulness
(As-Siddiq), As Opposed To Hypocrisy and Dishonesty
This means that when we say the
Shahādah, we are saying it honestly. We actually mean it. We are not lying when
it comes to our testimony of faith. The Allah’s Messenger (Sallallāhu `alayhi
wa sallam) said, “No one bears testimony to there
being no one worth of worship save Allāh, sincerely from his heart, except that
Allāh makes the Hell-fire forbidden for him.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
We are all familiar with those who
say the testimony of faith yet they are not saying it honestly. They do not
believe in it but they are simply saying it in order to protect them or to get
some gain from doing so; these are the hypocrites.
Allāh has described them in the
opening of the Qur'an with the following words: “And of mankind are some, who say, 'We believe in
Allāh and the Last Day,' when they believe not. They think to beguile Allāh and
those who believe, and they beguile none save themselves, but they perceive
not. In their hearts is a disease and Allāh increases their disease. A painful
doom is theirs because they lie” (Al-Baqarah: 8-10).
Obviously, the Shahādah of those who
become Muslims simply to benefit from being Muslim and not because they believe
in Islām will be rejected by Allāh in the Hereafter. They will face a painful
punishment due to their lying.
6 - Sincerity
(Al-Ikhlās)
That is, when we make the Shahādah,
we must do so solely for the sake of Allāh. We must not do it for any other
reason. And we must not do it for anyone else's sake. In this manner, the
meaning of sincerity is opposite of Shirk or ascribing partners with Allāh. We
became and remain Muslims solely for Allāh's sake.
Allāh says in the Qur'an, “Worship Allāh, and making
religion pure for him” (al-Zumar, 39: 2).
And Allāh also says, “And they are ordained not else
than to serve Allāh, keeping religion pure for Him, as men by nature upright
and to establish worship and to pay the poor-due. That is true religion”
(al-Baiyinah, 98: 5)
And the Allah’s Messenger
(Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) added, “Allāh has
forbidden for the Hell-fire anyone who says, 'There is no one worthy of worship
except Allāh,' and say so desiring the face [and pleasure] of Allāh.”
(Muslim)
This is something that we should all
think about, especially those of us who grew up in Muslim families and were
born Muslim. We should make it very clear to ourselves that we are Muslims only
for the sake of Allāh. We are not Muslims for the sake of our parents, friends,
family or community. It must be clear in our minds that we are Muslims for the
sake of Allāh first, last and only. One of the signs that we are Muslims for
the sake of Allāh is that we do whatever Allāh asks of us, regardless of what
anybody else desires or wants from us. That is, in the same way that we are
Muslims solely for the sake of Allāh, all of our actions are done for the sake
of Allāh.
However, sometimes one begins to
wonder whether some people meet this condition. Some people from the Muslim
world practice Islām to the extent that it is pleasing to their families. If
there is anything in Islām that their families do not like- although their
families are Muslim and therefore they actually should like all of Islām- then
they do not practice that aspect of Islām. One common example of that nature is
mixing between men and women. Sometimes a brother, will not mix with women and
his wife will remain separate from the men. Yet, when they return to their
homes, because this is not pleasing to their families who want to mix between
men and women, they easily, simply and happily compromise their religion for
the sake of their parents. These people must sincerely ask themselves why they
are Muslims. Are they Muslims for the sake of their parents and therefore
whatever their parents like they will do and whatever their parents do not like
they won't do? Or are they Muslims for the sake of Allāh and therefore whatever
Allāh dislikes they will not do and whatever Allāh is pleased with they do?
7 - Love (Mahabbah)
That is, the believer loves this
Shahādah, he loves in accordance with the Shahādah, he loves the implications
and requirements of the Shahādah and he loves those who act and strive for the
sake of this Shahādah. This is a necessary condition of the Shahādah. If a
person makes the Shahādah but does not love the Shahādah and what it stands
for, then, in fact, his faith is not complete. It is not the faith of a true
believer. And if he loves something more that this Shahādah or if he loves
something more than Allāh, then he has negated his Shahādah. The true believer,
the one meeting the conditions of the Shahādah puts no one whatsoever as an
equal to Allāh in his love.
Allāh says in the Qur'an, “Yet of mankind are some who
take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allāh,
loving them with a love like (that which is due to) Allāh only. However, those who
believe are stauncher in their love of Allāh” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 165).
And elsewhere Allāh says: “Say: If your fathers, or your
sons, or your brethren, or your wives, or your tribe, or the wealth you have
acquired, or merchandise for which you fear that there will be no sale, or
dwellings you desire are dearer to you than Allāh and His Messenger and
striving in His way: then wait till Allāh brings His command to pass. Allāh
guides not wrongdoing folk” (Al-Tawbah, 9: 24)
The Allah’s Messenger (Sallallāhu
`alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever has three characteristics has tasted the
sweetness of faith. [The first of these] is that he loves Allāh and His
Messenger more than he loves anyone else...” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
This is one of the most important
aspects of Islām yet, for some reason, it is missing from the lives of many
Muslims. They act in Islām as if Islām were a chore instead of doing things out
of the love of Allāh. When Allāh orders us to do something, like bear witness
to the faith, we should realize that that thing is pleasing to Allāh and,
therefore, out of our love for Allāh, we should be very pleased to do the acts
that are pleasing to Allāh. But, as I said, this feeling is missing from many,
many Muslims today.
8 - Denial of False
Worship
Although that is clear in the words
of the Testimony of Faith, it does not seem clear to everyone who makes that
testimony. Therefore, I am mentioning it explicitly here. In Surah al-Baqarah,
Allāh clearly reminds us of this important aspect of the Shahādah, the Shahādah
is not merely an affirmation but it is both an affirmation and a negation.
Allāh states,
“And he who
rejects false deities and believes in Allāh has grasped a firm handhold which
will never break” (Al-Baqarah, 2:
256).
Perhaps the Allah’s Messenger
(Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) made this point even clearer when he said: “Whoever says there is no one worthy of worship except
Allāh and denies whatever is worshipped besides Allāh, then his wealth and
blood are protected and his accounting will be with Allāh.” (Muslim)
Although this condition should be
obvious to everyone who says the words of Shahādah, you can still find Muslims
who say the Shahādah and then make acts of worship for beings or things other
than Allāh. You will find them going to the graveyards and worshipping those in
the graves. They will perform acts of worship, not for the sake of Allāh, but
for the sake of the dead “saints” in the grave. What kind of Shahādah have
these people made? Do you really think that their Shahādah will mean anything
on the Day of Judgment as long as they believe that acts of worship may be done
for other than Allāh?
9 - Adherence
(Astaqīm) Until Death
This is must if the Shahādah is to
mean anything for you in the Hereafter. You cannot rest on your laurels of what
you may have done in the past. No, indeed, the Shahādah must be your banner
until your death.
The Allah’s Messenger (Sallallāhu
`alayhi wa sallam) said: “A man spends a long time
doing the deeds of the people of Paradise and then he ends his deeds with the
deeds of the people of the Hell-fire. And a man spends a long time doing the
deeds of the people of the Hell-fire and then he ends his deeds with the deeds
of the people of Paradise.” (Muslim)
In another hadīth, the Allah’s
Messenger (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “By
the One beside whom there is no other God, one of you does the actions of
Paradise until there is just a hand span between him and Paradise and then the
book [preordainment] overtake him and he does the actions of the people of Hell
and he enters into it.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And Allāh says: “O believers, observe your duty to Allāh with right
observance, and die not except as Muslims [in complete state of surrender,
submission, obedience to Allāh]” [in complete state of surrender, submission, obedience
to Allāh]” (Al-Imran, 3: 102).
These are the conditions or aspects
of the Shahādah that each and every one of us should look deep down into our
own hearts and ask ourselves:
·
“Is my Shahādah meeting those requirements?”
·
“Am I saying it sincerely, honestly and out of love for
Allāh?”
·
“Am I saying it based on what it really means?”
·
“Am I denying all other false objects of worship?”
·
“Is there any part of my Shahādah that is weak or missing?”
It is not enough to simply memorize
these conditions and the answers to the questions as though we were on our way
to class to take a “pop quiz.” We might meet Muslims or even the teachers
themselves, who have totally memorized these conditions and their meanings so
much so that they can recite every detail. But if we look to the way they act
and the way they treat others, we know that the conditions are not having the
right effect on them. This is proof that no matter how much a person knows, it
only matters how much they live up to it. In the Next Life their knowledge of
these conditions of Shahādah will not benefit them in the least if they have
not put them into practice. Actually, their knowledge will be proof against
them because they clearly knew the conditions, yet they were not willing to
live up to them in this life.
As Muslims we need to ask ourselves
right now, before we die and go in front of Allāh for His Judgment. We need to
consider our answers carefully to these questions. If we are weak in certain
areas of these important questions, then we should work hard to remove that
weakness. So that in the Next Life our Shahādah will be our “Key to Paradise”
and the gates of the Paradise will open wide for us and we will be able to live
forever in Allāh's Jannah with Him being please with us.
“O Allāh, make us of those who
learn, understand and apply the true meanings of the Shahādah, amīn. Forgive us
were we fall short or make mistakes, ameen. Bring us closer to You by Your
Mercy and enter us into Your Jannah, amīn.” Wal Hamdulillahi Rabbil Alamīn
[Excerpted from the
article entitled “The Conditions of “Lā ilāha illallāh” By Jamaluddin Zarabozo,
published in Al-Basheer Magazine]
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