The Basis of Islam

Description: A detailed explanation of the first part of the testimony of faith “None is rightfully worshipped except God -La ilaha ‘ill-Allah” which is the First Pillar of Islam.

M. Abdulsalam

The basis of the religion of Islam is the attestation to the two phrases:

Firstly: None is rightfully worshipped except God [La ilaha ‘ill-Allah], and Secondly: Muhammad is the Messenger of God [Muhammad-ur-Rasul-ullah].

This phrase is known as the: Shahadah, or Testimony of Faith. Through the belief and attestation of these two phrases one enters the fold of Islam. It is the motto of the believers which they maintain throughout life, and the basis for all their beliefs, worship and existence. This article will discuss the first part of this testimony.

The Importance of the Statement ‘La Ilaha ill-Allah’

As mentioned earlier, this testimony is by far the most important aspect of the religion of Islam, as it asserts the belief in Tawhid, or the Oneness and uniqueness of God, upon which the whole religion is built. For this reason, it is called, “The declaration of Tawhid”. This uniqueness and oneness necessitates God’s sole right to worship and obedience. The religion of Islam is basically a way of life in which a person worships and obeys the orders of God and none else. It is the only true monotheistic religion, stressing that no worship should be directed to any other except God. For this reason, we see that in many narrations, the Prophet SAW, said that whoever says this phrase and practices it will enter Paradise for eternity, and whoever opposes it will doomed to Hellfire for eternity.

This declaration also reiterates the purpose of one’s life, which is the worship of God alone, and obviously, the purpose of one’s existence and being is the most important aspect in one’s life. God says in the Quran:

“And I have not created neither jinn nor humans, except to worship Me Alone.” [ Surah Ad-Dhariyat, 51:56]

The message of Tawhid found in this declaration is not particular to Islam. Due to the importance, reality and truth of this message, it was the message brought by all prophets. Since the dawn of humanity, God sent messengers to every people and nation, commanding them to worship Him Alone, and to reject all false deities. God says:

“And indeed We have raised amongst every nation a messenger, [commanding them] ‘Worship God, and reject all false deities….”[ Surah An-Nahl, 16:36]

It is only when this notion of Tawheed is ingrained in the heart and minds of a person that they will willingly follow the commandments of God and render all worship to Him Alone. For this reason, the Prophet SAW, called his people for thirteen years in Makkah to Tawhid alone, and only a minimal amount of worship was mandated at that time. It was only when this notion became firm in the believers’ hearts and they were willing to sacrifice even their own lives for it that the majority of the other commandments of Islam were revealed. If this base is missing, nothing after it will be of avail.

The Meaning of LA ILAHA ILL-ALLAH

La ilaha ill-Allah, literally means “There is no god [deity] except Allah”. Here, god with a small case ‘g’ is anything which is worshipped. What this declaration implies is that although there might be other gods and deities being worshipped by humans in existence, none of them are rightfully worshipped, meaning that no object considered as a god has any right to that worship, nor does it deserve it, except the One True God. Thus, laa ilaha ill-Allah means, “There is no god rightfully worshipped except Allah.”

LA ILAHA… [There is no god rightfully worshipped…]

These two words deny the right of any created being to worship. Muslims reject the worship of everything besides God. This rejection extends to all superstitions, ideologies, ways of life, or any authority figures who claim divine devotion, love, or absolute obedience. God in the Quran mentions in many places that all things which people take as objects of worship besides Himself do not deserve any worship, nor do they have any right to it, as they themselves are creations and have no power to bring any benefit.

“Yet they have taken besides Him other gods that created nothing but are themselves created, and possess neither [the power to] harm nor benefit for themselves, and possess no power [of causing] death, nor [of giving] life, nor of raising the dead.” [ Surah Al-Furqan, 25:3]

One usually worships another object or being because they believe that it has some special power, such as some control over the universe, some power to benefit or harm, or that it deserves worship in and of itself due to its greatness of being. God negates the notion that these things which people take as objects of worship, whether they be aspects of nature, such as the wind, trees, stones, rain; or conscious beings, such as humans, prophets, saints, angels, kings, have any power in themselves. They are mere creations like the worshippers themselves and have no power to help even their own selves, and thus they are not to be worshipped. They are mere creations with deficiencies, subject to the Will of God, and thus they do not deserve any aspect of worship.

In reality, many believe in the ultimate control and power of God, but they imagine the Divine Kingdom of God to be like earthly kingdoms. Just as a king has many ministers and trusted associates, they imagine ‘saints’ and minor deities to be our intercessors to God. They take them as agents through whom God is approached, by directing some acts of worship and service to them. God says:

“And verily, if you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’

Surely, they will say: ‘God.’

Say: ‘Tell me then, the things that you invoke besides God, if God intended some harm for me, could they remove His harm, or if He intended some mercy for me, could they withhold His Mercy?’

Say : ‘Sufficient for me is God; in Him those who trust [i.e. believers] must put their trust.’” [ Surah Az-Zumur, 39:38]

In truth, there are no intercessors in Islam. No righteous person is to be venerated, nor is any other being to be worshipped. A Muslim directs all worship directly and exclusively to God.

…ILL-ALLAH […Except Allah]

After denying the right of any created being to be worshipped, the shahadah affirms divinity for God alone, with ‘…except God’. In many places in the Quran, after God negates that anything of the creation has power to bring benefit and harm, thus deserving no worship, He states that He Himself is to be worshipped, as He has control over and ownership of the whole universe. It is God Alone who provides for his creation; He is in total control. He is the only one who can bring benefit and harm, and nothing can impede His Will from becoming reality. Thus it is He Himself, through His perfection, through His ultimate powers, due to his total ownership, and due to His greatness, who deserves all worship, service and veneration exclusively.

“Say: ‘Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?’

Say: ‘[It is] God.’

Say: ‘Have you then taken (for worship) deities other than Him, such as have no power either for benefit or for harm to themselves?’

Say: ‘Is the blind equal to the one who sees? Or darkness equal to light? Or do they assign to God partners who created the like of His creation, so that the creation [which they made and His creation] seemed alike to them?’

Say: ‘God is the Creator of all things, He is the One, the Irresistible.’” [Surah Ar-Rad, 13:16]

God also says:

“You worship besides God only idols, and you only invent falsehood. Verily, those whom you worship besides God have no power to give you provision. So seek your provision from God [Alone], and worship Him [Alone], and be grateful to Him. To Him [Alone] you will be brought back.” [ Surah Al-‘Ankabut, 29:17]

And God says:

“Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth and sends down for you water [rain] from the sky, whereby We cause to grow wonderful gardens full of beauty and delight? It is not in your ability to cause the growth of their trees. Is there any ilaah [god] along with Allah? Nay, but they are a people who ascribe equals [to Him]!” [ Surah An-Naml, 27:60]

As God is the only being who is deserving of worship, anything worshipped besides or along with Him is done so wrongfully. All acts of devotion are to be directed towards God alone. All requirements should be sought through Him. All fear of the unknown should be feared from Him, and all hope should be placed in Him. All divine love should be felt for him, and all that one hates should be hated for His sake. All deeds of good should be done to seek His favor and pleasure, and all wrong should be avoided for his sake. In these ways do Muslims worship God alone, and from this, we understand how the whole religion of Islam is based upon this Declaration of Tawhid.

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The First Pillar of Islam

The Muslim's Declaration of Faith

IslamReligion

Description: An introduction to the first pillar of Islam: the Muslim Declaration of Faith, or the Shahadah, that no-one deserves worship except God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and the various meanings they contain. It is the Basis of Islam.

All practicing Muslims accept the belief in the ‘Six Articles of Faith’ and are obliged to follow the ‘Five Pillars of Islam’. The Five Pillars of Islam are as follows:

1. Declaration of Faith or Shahadah.
2. Ritual Prayer or Solah.
3. Obligatory Charity or Zakah.
4. Fasting or Sawm.
5. Pilgrimage or Hajj.

The First Pillar : Declaration of Faith.

The Shahadah is the Muslim Declaration of faith and the first of the ‘Five Pillars’ of Islam. The word Shahadah in Arabic means ‘testimony.’ The shahadah is to testify to two things:

a. Nothing deserves worship except God [Allah].

b. Muhammad is the Messenger of God [Allah].

A Muslim is simply one who bears witness and testifies that “nothing deserves worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” One becomes a Muslim by making this simple declaration.

It must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime with a full understanding of its meaning and with an assent of the heart. Muslims say this when they wake up in the morning, and before they go to sleep at night. It is repeated five times in the call to prayer in every mosque. A person who utters the shahada as their last words in this life has been promised Paradise.

Many people ignorant of Islam have misconceived notions about the Allah, used by Muslims to denote God. Allah is the proper name for God in Arabic, just as "Elah", or often "Elohim", is the proper name for God in Aramaic mentioned in the Old Testament. Allah is also His personal name in Islam, as "YHWH" is His personal name in Judaism. However, rather than the specific Hebrew denotation of "YHWH" as "He Who Is", in Arabic Allah denotes the aspect of being “The One True Deity worthy of all worship”. Arabic speaking Jews and Christians also refer to the Supreme Being as Allah.

a. Nothing deserves worship except God [Allah].

The first part of this testimony states that God has the exclusive right to be worshipped inwardly and outwardly, by one’s heart and limbs. In Islamic doctrine, not only can no one be worshipped apart from Him, absolutely no one else can be worshipped along with Him. He has no partners or associates in worship. Worship, in its comprehensive sense and all its aspects, is for Him alone. God’s right to be worshipped is the essential meaning of Islam’s testimony of faith: Lā ‘ilāha ‘illā llāh. A person becomes Muslim by testifying to the divine right to worship. It is the crux of Islamic belief in God, even all of Islam. It is considered the central message of all prophets and messengers sent by God - the message of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, the Hebrew prophets, Jesus, and Muhammad, may God exalt their mention. For instance, Moses declared:

“Hear, O Israel The Lord our God is one Lord.” [Deuteronomy 6:4]

Jesus repeated the same message 1500 years later when he said:

“The first of all the commandments is, “Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord.” [Mark 12:29]

…and reminded Satan:

“Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” [Matthew 4:10

Finally, the call of Muhammad, some 600 years after Jesus, reverberated across the hills of Mecca, ‘And your God is One God: there is no god but He.’ [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:163]. They all declared clearly:

“Worship God! You have no other god but Him.” [Surah Al-Araf, 7:59, 60, 73, 85; Surah Hud, 11: 50, 61, 84; 23, 32]

But by a mere verbal pronouncement alone, one does not become a complete Muslim. To become a complete Muslim one has to fully carry out in practice the instruction given by Prophet Muhammad as ordained by God. This brings us to the second part of the testimony.

b. Muhammad is the Messenger of God [Allah].

Muhammad was born in Mecca in Arabia in the year 570 CE. His ancestry goes back to Ishmael, a son of Prophet Abraham. The second part of the confession of faith asserts that he is not only a prophet but also a messenger of God, a higher role also played by Moses and Jesus before him. Like all prophets before him, he was a human being, but chosen by God to convey His message to all humanity rather than one tribe or nation from among the many that exist. For Muslims, Muhammad brought the last and final revelation. In accepting Muhammad as the “last of the prophets,” they believe that his prophecy confirms and completes all of the revealed messages, beginning with that of Adam. In addition, Muhammad serves as the preeminent role model through his life example. The believer’s effort to follow Muhammad’s example reflects the emphasis of Islam on practice and action. [ See: Second Pillar Of Islam: Solah]

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The Conditions of the Declaration of Faith. 2.

The Fifth Condition Is Truthfulness, As Opposed To Hypocrisy And Dishonesty.

This means when we say the shahadah, we are saying it honestly. We actually mean it. We are not lying when it comes to our testimony of faith.

The Prophet (peace be upon his) said, "No one bears testimony to there being no one worth of worship save Allah, sincerely from his heart, except that Allah makes the Hell-fire forbidden for him." (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. Allah has described them in the opening of the Quran with the following words, "And of mankind are some who say, 'We believe in Allah and the Last Day,' when they believe not. They think to beguile Allah and those who believe, and they beguile none save themselves, but they perceive not. In their hearts is a disease and Allah increases their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie" (Qur'an, al-Baqarah 8-10).

Obviously, the shahadah of those who become Muslims simply to benefit from being Muslim and not because they believe in Islam will be rejected by Allah in the Hereafter. They will face a painful punishment due to their lying.

The Sixth Condition Is Sincerity (Ikhlas).

That is, when we make the shahadah, we must do so solely for the sake of Allah. 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 Allah. We become and remain Muslims solely for Allah's sake. Allah says in the Quran, "Worship Allah, making religion pure for him" (Qur'an, al-Zumar 2). And Allah also says, "And they are ordained nothing else than to serve Allah, keeping religion pure for Him, as men by nature upright and to establish worship and to pay the poor-due. That is true religion" (Qur'an, al-Bayyinah 5). And the Prophet (peace be upon him) added, "Allah has forbidden for the Hell-fire anyone who says, 'There is no one worthy of worship except Allah,' and say so desiring the face [and pleasure] of Allah." (Muslim).

This is something that we should think about. But 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 Allah. 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 Allah first, last and only.

One of the signs that we are Muslims for the sake of Allah is that we do whatever Allah 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 Allah, all of our actions are done for the sake of Allah. However, sometimes one begins to wonder whether this condition is met by some people. Some people from the Muslim world practice Islam to the extent that it is pleasing to their families. If there is anything in Islam that their families do not like- although their families are Muslim and therefore they actually should like all of Islam- then they do not practice that aspect of Islam.

One common example of that nature is mixing between men and women. Sometimes a brother, here in the U.S., 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 Allah and therefore whatever Allah dislike they will not do and whatever Allah is pleased with they do?

The Seventh Condition Is Love.

That is, the believer loves this shahadah, he loves in accordance with the shahadah, he loves the implications and requirements of the shahadah and he loves those who act and strive for the sake of this shahadah. This is a necessary condition of the shahadah. If a person makes the shahadah but does not love the shahadah 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 than this shahadah or if he loves something more than Allah, then he has negated his shahadah. The true believer, the one meeting the conditions of the shahadah puts no one whatsoever as an equal to Allah in his love.

Allah says in the Quran, "Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is due to) Allah only. However, those who believe are stauncher in their love of Allah" (Qur'an, al-Baqarah 165). And elsewhere Allah 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 Allah and His messenger and striving in His way: then wait till Allah brings His command to pass. Allah guides not wrongdoing folk" (Qur'an, al-Tauba 24).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever has three characteristics has tasted the sweetness of faith. [The first of these] is that he loves Allah and His Messenger more than he loves anyone else..." (Bukhari and Muslim.).

This is one of the most important aspects of Islam yet, for some reason, it is missing from the lives of many Muslims. They act in Islam as if Islam were a chore instead of doing things out of the love of Allah. When Allah orders us to do something, like bear witness to the faith, we should realize that that thing is pleasing to Allah and, therefore, out of our love for Allah, we should be very pleased to do the acts that are pleasing to Allah. But, as I said, this feeling is missing from many, many Muslims today.

The Eighth Condition that Muslim Deny Every Other Object Of Worship.

The person who makes the shahadah must deny every other object of 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, Allah clearly reminds us of this important aspect of the shahadah, the shahadah is not merely an affirmation but it is both and affirmation and a negation. Allah states, "And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allah has grasped a firm handhold which will never break" (Qur'an, al-Baqarah 256). Perhaps the Prophet (peace be upon him) made this point even clearer when he said, "Whoever says there is no one worthy of worship except Allah and denies whatever is worshipped besides Allah, then his wealth and blood are protected and his accounting will be with Allah." (Muslim)

Although this condition should be obvious to everyone who says the words of shahadah, you can still find Muslims who say the shahadah and then make acts of worship for beings or things other than Allah. 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 Allah, but for the sake of the dead "saints" in the grave. What kind of shahadah have these people made? Do you really think that their shahadah will mean anything on the Day of Judgment as long as they believe that acts of worship may be done for other than Allah?

The Ninth Condition That the Muslim Adheres To the Shahadah Until He Dies.

This is must if the shahadah is to mean anything for you in the Hereafter. You can not rest on your laurels of what you may have done in the past. No, indeed, the shahadah must be your banner until your death. The Prophet (peace be upon him) 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 hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "By the One whom there is no other God, one of you does the actions of Paradise until there is just a handspan between him and Paradise and then the book [preordainment] overtakes him and he does the actions of the people of Hell and he enters into it" (Bukhari and Muslim.)

And Allah says in the Quran, "O believers, observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die not save as Muslims [surrendering yourselves to Allah]" (Qur'an, Ali-Imran 102). Dear brothers and sisters, these are the conditions of the shahadah. These are the aspects of the shahadah that each and every one of us should look to in ourselves and ask ourselves, "Is my shahadah meeting those requirements? Am I saying it sincerely, honestly and out of love for Allah? Am I saying it based on what it really means? Am I denying all other false objects of worship?"

These questions we should ask ourselves now before we meet Allah. Allah willing, we shall ask ourselves these questions now and we shall find that we have all the right answers for them. Or, if we find we have some deficiency, we shall work to remove that deficiency. Such that, by Allah's mercy, in the Hereafter, our shahadah will be the key to Paradise for us and the gates of Paradise will swing wide open for us and we will be able to live forever in the bounties of Paradise, with Allah being pleased with us.

Again, it is not simply a matter of knowing these conditions. Indeed, one can meet many Muslims who have these conditions memorized, yet when one looks to their deeds and behavior, one can see that these conditions have no effect on them. This means, in fact, no matter how well he knows and can rattle off these conditions, he, in fact, is not fulfilling them. In the Hereafter, his knowledge of these conditions will be of no avail to him. Indeed, his knowledge will be a proof against him as he clearly knows what the conditions are that he must satisfy yet he has shown that he is not willing to satisfy them in his life.

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See: Concept of Tawhid: Unity Of God.

The Conditions of the Declaration of Faith. 1.

By Jamaluddin Zarabozo

Every Muslim knows that the key to Paradise is the statement, "There is none worthy of worship except Allah." 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 will be granted Paradise because of this mere verbal statement of the Shahadah.

There is no question that the mere saying of," I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger," is not sufficient for salvation. In fact, the hypocrites used to make this statement quite often yet Allah describes them as liars and says that they shall abide in the lowest abyss of the Hell-fire.

As many scholars state, though, this statement or testimony is the key to Paradise. The famous Follower Wahb ibn Munabbih was once asked, "Isn't the statement of la ilaha illa-llah 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." That is, it is saying [while meeting] certain conditions.

These conditions are what will differentiate the person who will benefit from his making of that statement from the one who will not benefit from that statement, no matter how many times a day he may have made that statements.

Before discussing the conditions of the Shahadah, there is one more point that I feel compelled to make. That is, some people have a tendency to take one hadith or one verse and then based on that one text, they will make some conclusion that, for example, whoever simply says, "There is no God except Allah," will enter Paradise. But, actually, we should all realize that all of the Quran and Hadith complement each other and explain one another. To find the correct position on any one question, one must bring together all of the related verses and hadith and see what the true Islamic position is of that question. The same is true for the conditions of the shahadah.

According to the Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) the conditions of the shahadah are seven, eight or nine in number depending on how we look at them. It is important that all of us make sure that we are meeting these conditions in our own lives and in our own testimony of faith. We must do our best to satisfy these conditions before it is too late and our testimony will be no avail whatsoever. It is not simply for the sake of teaching these conditions. Indeed, there is no benefit to that. But it is, instead, for all of us to look to ourselves and to make sure that we are actually meeting these conditions so that, by Allah's mercy, the doors to Paradise will be open for us by our key of la ilaha illa-llah.

The First Of These Conditions Is Knowledge.

That is, one must have the basic and general knowledge of what is meant by the shahadah. One must understand what the shahadah is affirming and what the shahadah is denying. Allah says in the Quran, "So know that there is no God save Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sin" (Qur'an, Muhammad 19). Similarly, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever dies knowing that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah shall enter Paradise." (Recorded by Muslim.)

In fact, the shahadah itself is a testimony. When one testifies to something, one must know what it is that he is testifying concerning. Obviously, a testimony about something that one does not have any knowledge about is absolutely unacceptable. Allah says in the Quran, "Save him who bears witness unto the truth knowingly" (Qur'an, al-Zukhruf 86).

Now this condition probably sounds obvious. If someone said to you, "There is no God except Allah," and then said that what he meant by Allah was Jesus, you would immediately tell him that this shahadah is nonsense. Yet can you imagine that there is a Muslim country in the world that until recently used to have a yearly week-long celebration to "the Gods of the Sea"! All along they call themselves Muslims and they make shahadah numerous times a day. This clearly shows that they have no idea what the meaning of their shahadah is. Do you think that this kind of shahadah 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 shahadah repeatedly. Yet they see nothing wrong with accepting a Lawgiver other than Allah? What kind of shahadah are these people making?

All of us do our best to learn at least the basics of Islamic beliefs. The basics of what shahadah means. In this way, Allah willing, we will be making the correct shahadah. We will be witnessing to the truth as we are supposed to be witnesses to it.

The Second Condition Is Certainty (Or Al-Yaqeen).

This is the opposite of doubt and uncertainty. In Islam, 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 shahadah. Our hearts must not be wavering in any way when we testify to the truth of, "There is none worthy of worship except Allah."

Allah describes the believers in the Quran as those who have belief in Allah and then their hearts waver not. Allah says, "The (true) believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere" (Qur'an, al-Hujurat 15). Similarly, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "No one meets Allah with the testimony that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and I am the Messenger of Allah, and he has no doubt about hat statement, except that he will enter Paradise." (Recorded by Muslim.)

Indeed, Allah describes the hypocrites as those people whose hearts are wavering. For example, Allah says, "They alone seek leave of thee (not to participate in jihad) who believe not in Allah and the Last Day and whose hearts feel doubt, so in their doubt they waver" (Qur'an, al-Tauba 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 Islam entirely or continues to practice Islam 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 Quran and the Sunnah that most of these doubts will be removed. By study and understanding, one will attain certainty. And as one studies and learns more, his certainty will be made firmer and firmer.

I will give you just one example on this point. This is related to all of the doubts, suspicions and misconceptions that are circulating about the authenticity of the hadith literature. For example, some Muslims even claim that hadith were not recorded until at least 200 years after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Indeed, there are Muslims who seem to have a great deal of doubt about hadith and are very quick to reject hadith on that basis. But, in fact, if one actually takes the time to study the history and preservation of hadith, one will immediately recognize that all those claims and charges against the hadith are not based on anything scientific whatsoever. They are nothing but false claims that come from Satan and which Muslims with poor understanding and knowledge have allowed to creep into their hearts.

Let me make one last point about this condition of certainty. As I alluded to earlier, doubts and misconceptions are very dangerous for a person's faith. Doubt and wavering are tantamount to apostasy in Islam, as I mentioned earlier. Hence, every Muslim should do best to safeguard himself from such doubts and remain away from the sources of doubts- especially if they are not well grounded in the Islamic sciences and do not have the the knowledge to refute such doubts and misconceptions. Hence if a person has an associate or friend, even if he be a Muslim friend, who is always making him doubt Allah or the religion, then he should remain away from that person in order to safeguard his own religion.

Many Muslims nowadays study courses on Islam taught by Orientalists and because of their weak backgrounds in Islamic studies, they are influenced by the nonsense that some of these Orientalists are teaching in the name of "science".

Similarly, many brothers and sisters nowadays are spending hours at a time with the computer news groups and bulletin boards. A lot of nonsense and falsehood are posted on those news groups and bulletin boards. Again, the one who is not very knowledgeable of his religion may easily be influenced and affected by the misconceptions and false arguments that he reads in those bulletin boards. He should remain away from those things and get a deeper knowledge of Islam through the authentic sources of the religion.

Again, the greatest counterforce that can defeat doubts and misconceptions, after the bounty and guidance of Allah, is sound knowledge and understanding of the religion. When a person has that, he will not be affected by the weak arguments put out by the enemies of Islam and he will be, Allah willing, from among those described in the Quran, “It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah" (Qur'an, Fatir 28)

The Third Condition Is Acceptance (Or Al-Qabool).

If a person has the knowledge of and certainty in the shahadah, this must be followed by acceptance, with the tongue and heart, of whatever that shahadah implies. Whoever refuses to accept the shahadah and its implications, even if he knows that it is true and certain about its truth, is a disbeliever. This refusal to accept is sometimes due to pride, envy or other reasons. In any case, the shahadah is not a true shahadah 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 shahadah are. This also means that he believes in whatever is stated in the Quran or stated by the Prophet (peace be upon him), without any right to choose what he wants to believe and what he wants to reject. Allah says in the Quran, "Do you believe in part of the book and reject part of it? And what is the reward of those who do so save ignominy in the life of the world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be consigned to the most grievous doom" (Qur'an, al-Baqarah 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 Allah, 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 Quran, they simply reinterpret the verse according to their liking. If they do not like what is stated in a hadith, they simply state that the hadith 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 Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), the true Muslim believes in as the truth. This goes hand in hand with their testimony of faith.

The Fourth Condition Is Submission And Compliance (Or Al-Inqiyad).

This implies the actual physical enactment with our deeds of our shahadah. In fact, this is one of the main meanings of the word Islam itself, "the submission to the will and commands of Allah.” This is what Allah commands in the Quran, "Turn unto Him repentant, and surrender unto Him" (Qur'an, al-Zumar 54).

Allah has praised those who submit to His command by their actions. Allah says, "Who is better in religion than he who surrenders his purpose to Allah while doing good" (Qur'an, al-Nisa 125).

Actually, Allah has clearly made it a condition of faith that one submits to the command of Allah and His messenger. Allah says, "But nay, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you [the Messenger of Allah] judge of what is in dispute between them and find within themselves no dislike of which you decide, and submit with full submission" (Qur'an, al-Nisa 65). Unfortunately, there are many claims 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 Islam whatsoever. This incorrect understanding of faith has spread throughout the Muslim world.

Indeed, our shahadah or testimony of faith must be implemented in our hearts, tongues and actions. In our hearts, we must have love for Allah, fear Allah and hope in Him. With our tongues we must testify to the shahadah. 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 Islam 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 Allah, then they [have not destroyed] their testimony or shahadah. 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 has gone beyond the limit that is acceptable for lack of deeds. Allah knows best.

See: Conditions of the Declaration of Faith. 2.

The Meaning of the Testimony of Faith #2

Allah, Who is far removed from every imperfection, exclusively enjoys the attributes of divinity. This divinity entails: The right of legislating laws.

Allah is the One who legislates laws for His creatures, therefore no one may legislate laws for himself or for others that do not confirm with those of Allah, or those given by His Messengers nor may any one design a mode of worship or a transactional regulation for individual or groups.

Neither is it the right of anyone to deem things lawful or unlawful on his own accord. Whoever gives himself such rights presumptuously sets up himself as god.

Man as part of His creatures, must dedicate all his life worshipping Allah, he must be aware of Allah's rulings, respecting everything he does, thus every lawful thing he does, intending it to be a means of bringing him closer to Allah, turns to be an act of worship. Worship is an inclusive term comprising every utterance and deed, apparent or hidden that Allah loves.

Having read this brief message about the meaning of the testimony of faith, and its requirements, you are probably anxious to profess it and apply its requirements of this testimony that are incumbent upon the person who confesses it to apply?

The Requirements of the Testimony are:

1. The belief that Allah is the true God to Whom worship must be dedicated. He is the One Who possesses all attributes of perfection, and Who is far removed from every imperfection such as taking a spouse or a son.

2. The belief that Allah is the Creator of all existing things, the Sustainer, the Giver of life and death, the Proprietor of the universe, the only Ruler and Legislator.

3. The belief that Allah possesses the attributes of perfection, and is far removed from every imperfection as the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) informed us in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The only two sources from which we know the attributes of Allah.

4. Taking the believers for friends, loving and supporting them.

5. Disavowing the unbelievers and standing aloof from them.

Allah says: "Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people; "Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you hostility and hatred forever, until you believe in Allah Alone, except the saying of Abraham to his father: "Verily, I will ask for forgiveness (from Allah) for you, but I have no power to do anything for you before Allah. Our Lord! In you (Alone) we put our trust and to You Alone we turn in repentance, and to You (Alone) is (our) final Return," (Holy Qur'an, 60:4)

The above are some of the requirements of the testimony of faith, the testimony, which is considered a prelude and access to Islam, rather its base. Whoever confesses it with sincere attestation, and applies its requirements, would ultimately be admitted to the Jannah, the heavenly garden, with the will of Allah. If such a person committed some sins and died before repenting, it is up to Allah, He either forgives him or punishes him, but would the later take him out of it and admits him to Jannah having been purified from his sins.

It is mentioned in the prophetic tradition that Musa (Moses), the Messenger of Allah, (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), asked Allah to assign for him an act of worship and be particularly his to perform. Allah, the Exalted, commanded him: "O Musa, say, "There is no god who deserves to be worshipped but Allah" "Musa said: "My Rabb (Lord)! All your slaves confess this testimony." To indicate the significance of the testimony of faith, Allah then said: "O Musa, were the seven heavens and seven earths, and all what they contain put in one side of the scale, and "There is no god who deserves to be worshipped but Allah" was put on the other side of it would have overweighed them.

The Prophet SAW said: "He who concludes his life with uttering the testimony of faith, which is to be his last words before he dies, he will be admitted to the Jannah".

Pronouncement the testimony of faith must be coupled with fulfilling its conditions:

1. Knowledge: which consists of recognizing Allah as the only true God to whom worship must be dedicated, and denouncing all gods worshipped beside Him as false, and that they can neither extend benefit nor cause harm.

2. Certainty: that the belief in Allah must be unblemished with any doubt.

3. Acceptance: that is to accept all its conditions.

4. Submission: that is to fulfill its conditions submissively and willingly being content with Allah as the Lord, and Muhammad, (SAWS), as His Prophet and Messenger.

5. Truthfulness: that is to fulfill its requirements truthfully.

6. Sincerity: that is to be sincere in worshipping Allah, dedicating all acts of worship to Him alone.

7. The Love of Allah; the Exalted, and the love of His Messenger, Muhammad SAW, and the love of Allah's devotees and the people of His obedience.

Finally, it should be borne in mind that Allah must be obeyed by following His commands and refraining from his prohibitions.

Obedience to Allah must be associated with loving Him, fearing His punishment, and hoping for His reward, seeking His forgiveness, and adhering to the teachings of His Prophet Muhammad SAW.

[Translated by: Mahmoud R. Murad]

See: The Conditions of the Declaration of Faith.1.

The Meaning of the Testimony of Faith #1

The testimony of faith 'LA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH' which means, 'There Is No god Worthy of Being Worshipped Except Allah", is the decisive criterion by which man is judged to be a Muslim or a Kafir (disbeliever).

This testimony is the foundation upon which Islam is based. The concept of life, the universe and man is diffused from it, and upon it is based the message of all Messengers beginning with Noah and ending with Muhammad, (peace be upon them all).

Allah, the Exalted says: "And We did not send any Messenger before you without revealing to him: There is no god worthy of being worshipped except I, therefore worship Me." (Holy Qur'an, 21:25)

Allah has created men and jinn and the rest of creation on account of the testimony of faith, there is no god worthy of being worshipped except Allah. Consequently everything in this universe submits in worship to Allah, to Whom belong the creation and the authority. He is aware of all things.

The Meaning of the Testimony of Faith.

The Testimony comprises two concepts: Denial and Affirmation.

First: The Testimony of Faith denies everyone and everything other than Allah, the Exalted, and the attribute of divinity. All those other than Allah, such as the angels, the Prophets, and the rest of mankind, let alone the idols and the political regimes in the world, are not gods nor do they deserve to be worshipped. Thus denial in this respect is not denial of the existence of the alleged gods, rather the denial of divinity which is attributed to them.

Second: The testimony of faith affirms and restricts divinity to Allah Alone. That is, the slave must believe that Allah is the only true God, and dedicate accordingly no act of worship to other than Allah.

Since worship with all its legitimate acts and rites must be dedicated only to the God who deserves it, therefore, the true God to whom worship must be dedicated is the one who enjoys certain attributes, some of which are:

1. Divinity, the Oneness of Allah Who is singled out as the only true God having no partner to share His divine attributes, nor His domain.

2. Self-sufficiency. Allah stands in need of no one; He needs neither a helper nor a spouse or a son.

3. The Capability of Doing Everything. There is nothing which frustrates His capability. He does anything He wishes without exhaustion or support. If He wills to do a thing, He only says to it, "Be", and it is.

4. The Absolute Life which is unaffected by Perishment. Allah is Everlasting.

5. Alertness: Allah Never Sleeps nor is He Heedless, He is neither Seized by Slumber or Sleep.

6. Inclusive Proprietorship: All existing things belong to Allah alone.

7. Knowledge: Allah's knowledge encompasses the whole universe that even an ant weight does not escape His knowledge.

8. Pride and Grandeur: There is nothing greater that Allah neither in His essence or in his grandeur, nor in his supremacy.

9. Merciful Beneficence: Allah does not wrong a thing or punish unjustly rather He loves His devotees, and forgives the sins of those who repent to Him.

[Translated by: Mahmoud R. Murad]

See: The Meaning of the Testimony of Faith #2