Monday, June 18, 2012

Conditions of the Shahada (La ilaaha illa Allah)

The Shahada is the testimony of faith one says to enter into Islam. The shortest form is as follows:

لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
lā ʾilāha ʾillà Allah, Muḥammadun rasūlu Allah
"There is no god but Allah [The God], Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."

There is a lengthy description on the meaning of this phrase, and what in entails, but that is not the point of discussion here. InshaAllah, that topic will be covered at a later time.

Just uttering this statement isn't enough, because the hypocrites used to say this all the time, and yet Allah described them as liars, and they will abide in the lowest depths of hell.

The shahada is the key to paradise, but every key has ridges. Only the key with the right ridges will open the door for you. This means that the shahada has conditions to it. These conditions are the differentiators between those who will benefit from the statement, and those who will not.

There are 9 conditions of the shahada. We must do our best to learn these conditions and implement them before it is too late.


1.  Knowledge (Ilm)

One must know what is meant by the shahada.  One must know what the shahada is confirming and what it is denying.  Allah says, "So know that there is no God save Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sin" (Muhammad : 19).  Also, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam [peace be upon him], said, "Whoever dies knowing that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah shall enter Paradise." (Muslim).  When one testifies to something, one must know what his testimony concerns.  And obviously, if one testifies regarding something and has no knowledge of what he is testifying for, it is unacceptable as Allah says, "but only those who testify to the truth [can benefit], and they know." (az-Zukhruf : 86).

If someone says the shahada, and testifies that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and by Allah he meant, Jesus, or someone else, then his testimony is useless.  Yet there are Muslims who say the shahada every day and commit acts of shirk [associating partners with Allah], such as calling out for other than Allah and worshipping other than Allah.  There are Muslims who believe there is nothing wrong with secularism.  They pray five times a day and utter the shahada repeatedly, yet they see nothing wrong with a lawgiver other than Allah.  What kind of shahada are they making?

2.  Certainty (Al-Yaqeen)

This is the opposite of doubt and uncertainty.   One must be absolutely certain in the shahada, as doubt can lead to Kufr [disbelief].  Allah describes the believers saying, "... 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" (al-Hujuraat : 15).  Also the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, 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 that statement, except that he will enter Paradise."(Muslim).  Allah described the hypocrites as those people who do not have certainty.  Allah says, "They alone seek leave of thee (not to participate in jihaad) who believe not in Allah and the Last Day and whose hearts feel doubt, so in their doubt they waver" (at-Tauba : 45).

The greatest cure for doubts and misconceptions, after the bounty and guidance from Allah, is sound knowledge and understanding of the religion.  If one achieves this, they will not be affected by the weak arguments put forth by opponents of Islam.  Allah says, "It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah" (Faatir : 28).

3.   Acceptance (Al-Qabool)

If one has knowledge and certainty in the shahada, this must be followed by acceptance, with the heart and tongue, of all the implications of the shahada.  If one rejects the shahada and its implications, even if the person knows it is true and is certain of its truth, than that person is a disbeliever.  This refusal of acceptance of the shahada can be due to pride, arrogance, envy or other reasons.  There is no true shahada without its unconditional acceptance.

For the believer, the implications of the shahada include acceptance of all the statements of Allah (i.e. Quran) and all the statements of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, without any right to choose which statement to believe and which to reject.  Allah says, "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 [public shame or disgrace] in the life of the world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be consigned to the most grievous doom" (al-Baqara : 85).

Although not the same as total rejection, if one rejects part of the truth that has come from Allah, then this will negate one's testimony of faith.  Unfortunately, many Muslims are guilty of this.  If they do not like a verse of the Quran, they re-interpret it according to their liking.  If they do not like a hadith, they state that the Hadith must not be authentic although they are not scholars in that field.  A true believer takes whatever comes from Allah and/or his Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, as the truth.  This affiliates with their testimony of faith.

4.  Submission and Compliance (al-Inqiyad)

This implies the actual physical enactment of our shahada in our deeds.  This is one of the main definitions of Islam - the submission to the will and commands of Allah.  Allah commands us in the Quran to "Turn unto Him repentant, and surrender unto Him" (al-Zumar : 54).  Allah also describes those who submit to His commands in their actions saying, "Who is better in religion than he who surrenders his purpose to Allah while doing good" (an-Nisa : 125).  Allah has also 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" (al-Nisa : 65).  Those who claim that there is no relation between faith and deeds are mistaken.  

5.  Truthfulness (As-Sidq)

As opposed to hypocrisy and dishonesty.  This means that when we say the shahada, we say it with honesty and we actually mean it, and not lie.  The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, 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." (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim).  It is known that there are those who say the shahada, but do not mean it, they simply say it to protect themselves, or to gain some benefit - these are the hypocrites.  Allah describes them saying, "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" (al-Baqara : 8-10).  The shahada of the one who simply says it other than to submit to Allah, will not be accepted from him on the Day of Judgement.

6.  Sincerity (Al-Ikhlas)

That is, when we make the shahada, we do is solely for the sake of Allah, and not for any other reason or anyone else's sake.  In this regard, sincerity is the opposite of shirk [ascribing partners to Allah], and we become Muslims for the sake of Allah, alone.  Allah says,  "Worship Allah, making religion pure for him" (al-Zumar : 2). And Allah also says, "And they are ordained not 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" (al-Bayyinah : 5).

And the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, 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" (Recorded by Muslim).   For Muslims who were born in Muslim families, they need to be extra careful and make their Islam solely for Allah, and not because its the religion of their parents.  This means the commandments of Allah come before anything else.

7. Love (Al-Mahabbah)

This category entails loving the shahada, loving in accordance with it, love its implications and requirements, and love those who love the shahada.  A believer cannot love something more than the shahada and what it stands for, doing so will render his/her faith incomplete.  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" (al-Baqara : 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" (al-Tauba : 24).

The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam 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 ... " (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

A believer must realize that when Allah orders him/her to do something, such as bear witness to faith, then the believer must realize that it is pleasing to Allah, and he/she must fulfill that act out of love of Allah, and be pleased in doing so.

8. Deny every other object of worship

This is evident in the shahada itself, but because of the importance of this issue, Allah states in the Quran, "And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allah has grasped a firm handhold which will never break" (al-Baqara : 256).  Allah reminds us that the shahada is not merely an affirmation, but both, affirmation and negation.  The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam further clarifies the issue stating, "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." (Recorded by Muslim).

9. Adherence to the shahada until death

If the shahada is to hold any weight on the Day of Judgement, the believer must hold on to it until he/she dies.   The Prophet sallallaahu '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." (Recorded by Muslim) In another Hadith, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam 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" (Recorded by al-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]" (al-Imran : 102).

One should ask oneself, "Is my shahadah meeting all those requirements?"  Umar radi Allahu anhu said "Take account of yourselves before you are taken to account [by someone else], weigh your deeds before they are weighed [by someone else]."  And Allah says "So, by your Lord (O Muhammad) We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do." (Surah al Hijr : 92-93)

Source: 
Conditions of La ilaaha illa Allaah
Jamaal ud-Deen az-Zarabozo
From 'The Prerequisites of the Declaration of Faith, AL-BASHEER magazine' (Vol.7, No.5 January-February, 1994)

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