بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Shahadah: the Declaration of faith
Shahadah: the Declaration of faith
Shahadah is the declaration of faith in God – Allah, and in the prophetic mission of His messenger – Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him).
Below is the Arabic, a transliteration using English letters, and the translation of meaning in English.
Arabic:
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ
Transliteration:
“Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illaLlaah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhoo wa rasooluh.”
Meaning:
“I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.”
Shahadah consists of two parts:
The first part is the belief in one true God - Allah, the All-Powerful and All-Knowledgeable Creator of all things. He is One and Only, He has no partner and no opposite. Islamic faith is pure monotheism.
The second part of the Shahadah declares the truth of the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the righteous slave of God to whom God’s final message was revealed. We declare the belief in Allah’s messenger and the content of the message, i.e. the Quran and prophetic way, which we try to follow to the best of our ability.
Shahadah is the first pillar of Islam. Declaring the shahadah with full understanding and intent is what makes one a Muslim!
We are then continuously reminded of this foundational belief, in the recital of shahadah during each of the five daily prayers, as well as many more pivotal moments in a Muslim’s life.
After pronouncing the shahadah the person becomes a Muslim and all his/her previous sins are forgiven, it’s like starting from a new page.
It is advisable to take shower to be in the state of purity after saying the shahadah. Then start learning about your religion. The best place to start is to learn about daily Muslim prayer - called Namaz or Salah.