The Shahadataan (The Two Declarations of Faith)

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

The Shahadataan (The Two Declarations of Faith)

Dr. Bilal Philips


The First Pillar of Islam: Laa ilaaha illal-laah Muhammadur rasoolul-laah literally means “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is a Messenger of Allah”.
A.Although the first part of the declaration ‘laa ilaaha illal-laah’ literally means “There is no god but Allah”, there are in the world many other gods being worshipped besides Allah. Each of the many world religions has its own god, but, according to Islamic teachings, they are all false gods. Not merely because they have different names, but because they do not represent the true characteristics of God.
Consequently, the first part of the declaration of faith actually denies the existence of any other true God besides Allah. At the same time, it confirms that the true God is only One God, Allah. Thus, the first declaration of faith would more accurately be translated as “There is nothing worthy of worship besides Allah.”
From an Islamic perspective, this declaration represents the foundation for human salvation, if it is based on knowledge. The Prophet’s companion ‘Uthmaan quoted him as saying, “Whoever dies knowing that there is nothing worthy of worship besides Allah, will enter paradise.”[1] If one makes this declaration in order to get married, or to please one’s superiors, etc., it will be of no benefit in the next life, though one may achieve one’s desires in this life on the basis of it. Marriage based on such a false declaration is invalid in the sight of God. If a woman marries a non-Muslim knowing that he is only declaring his faith in order to marry her, she is committing fornication. On the other hand, if someone declares the faith, they should be accepted as a Muslim until their actions or other statements prove otherwise.
Usaamah ibn Zayd said, “The Messenger of Allah sent us on a raiding party. We raided the Huraqaat clan of the Juhaynah tribe in the morning. I caught hold of a man and he said, ‘There is no god but Allah,’ but I killed him with a spear anyway. Later it occurred to me to talk with Allah’s Messenger about it. He asked me, ‘Did you kill him even though he declared that there is no god but Allah.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, he only made the declaration out of fear of my weapon.’ He replied, ‘Did you tear open his heart to find out whether it had believed it or not? ’ and he went on repeating it to me until I wished I had newly embraced Islam that day.”[2]
B.The second part of the declaration of faith Muhammadur Rasoolul-laah literally means “Muhammad is a Messenger of Allah”.
1. Acceptance of this article of faith means the acceptance of Prophet Muhammad as the only infallible guide in life. It means obeying his instructions, whether the reasons behind them are understood or not. This absolute obedience is only due to Prophet Muhammad’s commands because they were based on revelation and were not a product of his own personal whims and fancies. God stated the following, in this regard: “He does not speak of himself, [whatever he says] is only revelation revealed [to him].” [Surah An-Najm, (55):3-4]
Consequently, obedience to the Prophet is obedience to God, as Allah stated in the Qur’an, “Whoever obeys the messenger has obeyed Allah.” [Surah An-Nisaa (4):80.]
Obedience due to those in authority is qualified. The Prophet was quoted as saying, “No creature deserves obedience [if it involves] disobedience to the Creator.”[3]
2. Acceptance of Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) prophethood also means believing that he was the last messenger of God to humankind.
Allah declared him as such in the Qur’an, “Muhammad is not the father of anyone among you, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets.” [Surah Al-Ahzaab, (33):40.]
Furthermore, the Prophet himself said, “Then my similitude and that of the prophets before me is like that of a person who built an imposing and beautiful house, except that one brick [was missing from] one of its corners. People would circle the building appreciating it, but saying, ‘Why hasn’t the brick been placed there?’ I am that [missing] brick and I am the last of the prophets.”[4]

C.Open Declaration: The declaration should be made publicly, except under circumstances where a person’s life is at stake. For example, the Negus (ruler) of Ethiopia, who sheltered the first group of Muslims migrants from Makkah and later accepted Islam, hid his conversion from the majority of his people.
This declaration is not to inform God Who is already aware of man’s beliefs. Allah neither benefits from the acceptance of belief by human beings nor is He harmed by their disbelief. Thus, the declaration is not for Allah’s benefit, but for human benefit. The converts inform the Muslim community that they have become members in order to avail themselves of community support. Since faith increases and decreases, and the satanic / evil forces usually converge on the believers during their times of low faith, if the new believers are unknown to the community, they will not be able to benefit from their help. Consequently, the Prophet had warned the believers to hold fast to the community of believers. And Allah warned that those who deviate from the way of the community will end up in hell.

The Shahadataan in Cultural Islam
From a cultural Muslim standpoint, a copy of the declaration beautifully written in Arabic calligraphy and elaborately framed is a must to decorate the walls of the living room. Muslim children are traditionally taught to recite the declaration, popularly known as the kalimah, as soon as they are able to speak. Furthermore, it is repeated in every one of the five formal prayers that Muslims are required to pray daily. However, it has no effect on the lives of cultural Muslims, because most have fallen prey to the delusion that being born in a Muslim family and having a ‘Muslim’ name guarantees them paradise, regardless of what they do in this life. This is a false belief, because Prophet Muhammad expressly told his companion, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, to inform the people: “only the true believers would enter paradise.”[5]

The character which the shahadataan builds is:
a) An open personality.
Believers are not secretive. They avoid secret organizations because their effect in society is mostly evil. Allah discouraged secret gatherings saying:
“There is no good in most of their secret meetings except those who gather to encourage charity, righteousness or conciliation between people. I will give a great reward to whom-so-ever does that, seeking Allah’s pleasure.” [Surah An-Nisaa (4):114]
Although most secret organizations, like the Freemasons, Rosicrucians, etc., openly do charitable acts in order to win the confidence of the population, they primarily work in the interest of their members, even at the expense of the rights of others. For example, if a freemason is involved in a court case and he gives the secret mason hand-signal to the judge, who also happens to be a freemason, the judge will try his utmost to rule in favor of his fellow freemason.
In order to further discourage secretiveness and its pitfalls, Prophet Muhammad was reported by Ibn ‘Umar as saying, “When three are present, two should not speak privately to the exclusion of the third.”[6]

b) An honest personality
The believers are honest in their dealings with people. They do not present a smiling face to others while despising them behind their backs. The Prophet said, “The worst of people in Allah’s sight, on the Day of Resurrection, will be the two-faced person, who comes to one group of people with one face and to another group with a different.”[7]

c) A missionary personality
If a person who accepts Islam truly believes that it is the only way of salvation for human beings, he or she would not hesitate to inform others about it. A Muslim could not possibly live and work along with non-Muslim neighbors and co-workers without informing them about Islam. In the Qur’an, Allah commands the believers to convey the message of Islam saying, “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good speech.” [Surah An-Nahl, (16):125]
Prophet Muhammad clarified that this responsibility is not restricted to specialists, scholars or missionaries. It is the duty of anyone who has some knowledge. He was reported by his companion, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, to have said, “Convey whatever you have learned from me, even if it is only a single verse from the Qur’an.”[8]
To hide such vital knowledge is considered a major sin in Islam. Allah cursed those who hide religious knowledge in the following verse, “Verily those who conceal the clear proofs and guidance which I have revealed, after I made it clear for the people in the scripture, those are cursed by Allah and cursed by all who would curse.” [Surah Al-Baqarah, (2):159]
The Prophet also said, “Whoever hides knowledge will be branded with a branding iron from the hellfire.”[9]

[1] Reported by Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, p. 19, no. 39.

[2] Reported by Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, p. 56, no. 176.

[3] Collected by Ahmad and al-Haakim and authenticated in Saheeh al-Jaami‘ as-Sagheer, vol.2, p.1250, no.7520. Another narration of similar wording can also be found in Reported by Sahih Al Bukhari, vol.9, p.271, no.363 and Sahih Muslim, vol.3, p.1022, no. 4535.

[4] Reported by Sahih Al Bukahri, vol.4, p.483, no.735 and Sahih Muslim, vol.4, p.1235, no.5675.

[5] Reported by Sahih Muslim, vol.1, p.65, no.209.

[6] Reported by Sahih Al Bukhari, vol.8, p.203, no.303.

[7] Reported by Sahih Al Bukhari, vol.8, p.53, no.84 and Sahih Muslim, vol.4, p.1342, no.6135 and p.1374, no.6300.

[8] Reported by Sahih Al Bukhari, vol.4, p.442, no.667.

[9] Collected by Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasa’ee and Ibn Maajah and authenticated in Saheeh Jaami‘ as-Sagheer, no.6284, 6517.