• The shahada is the first Pillar of Islam and the declaration of this pledge that a person makes with God enters him/her into the fold of Islam.
• This is the testimony or profession of faith, involving knowledge, commitment and declaration.

I bear witness that there is No God but Allah

• The first part of the shahada deals with the unity of Allah.
• The shahada starts with the belief in the Oneness of God (tawhid), which is the root of Islam and affirms God’s supremacy.
  • It includes the understanding that Allah is beyond comprehension.
  • Muslims confess with their hearts that He is creator of all things, including the universe, the heaven, the earth and everything in it.
  • Everything is under Allah’s control and He is the sustainer and protector as well as the giver and taker of life.
  • Others might add that only He is worthy of worship and Muslims pray to Him only and seek His help in times of difficulty.
  • He is all powerful, omnipotent and omniscient.
• It makes a Muslim focussed on following the path set by Him which can only be done by following the perfect example of the Prophet (pbuh).

And that Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah

• The second part of the shahada confirms the risala of Prophet Muhammad that he is the rasul, the messenger of Allah and after Allah all Muslims must follow the Prophet Muhammad.
  • He is the last prophet in a long line of prophetic messengers and his message about the unity of god is the same as that of the previous prophets and is universal.
  • And Allah will protect this message from all corruption and change.

Significance of Shahadah

• In Islam only God is worthy of worship and the essence of Islam is bearing witness to the phrase, La Ilaha ill-Allah, there is no god but Allah.
• This testimony to belief is the axis around which Islam revolves and all the other Pillars follow on from it.
• It is a reminder to Muslims that God is One and our day should be spent worshipping Him.
  • It reminds Muslims that none is worthy of worship but God and that He gave humans a life to obey Him.
  • Muslims do this by following the guidance of the Qur’an and the Prophet (pbuh).
• By saying the shahada Muslims become a part of the umma.
• By repeating it in our daily prayers, Muslims become confident and fear no one but God.
• When Muslims say that Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of God, they acknowledge his right to be respected and obeyed, and also followed as a model, knowing that he was the best of creation.