Shahadah

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Shahadah

The Shahada, also spelled shahadah, (Arabic: from the verb "to testify") is the Islam

Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
ic creed

Creed

A creed is a statement of belief ? usually religious belief ? or faith often recited as part of a religious service. The word derives from the for I believe and credimus for we believe. It is sometimes called symbol , signifying a "token" by which persons of like beliefs might recognize each other....
. The Shahada is the Muslim

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
declaration of belief

Profession (religious)

For Profession of faith , see Creed.The term religious profession is defined in the 1983 Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church in relation to members of religious order as follows:...
in the oneness of God

Tawhid

Tawhid is the concept of monotheism in Islam. It holds God is one and unique .The Qur'an asserts the existence of a single and absolute truth that transcends the world; a unique and indivisible being, who is independent of the entire creation....
and acceptance of Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad Patronymic#Arabic Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib , is the founder of the Major religious groups of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as a Rasul and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of prophets....
as his prophet

Prophets of Islam

Muslims regard as prophets of Islam those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as prophets.Each prophet brought the same basic ideas of Islam, including belief in one God and avoidance of idolatry and sin....
. The declaration reads: La ilaha illa al-Lah, Muhammadun rasulu l-Lah “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" in English. This declaration is called the Kalima, which literally means "words." Recitation

Recitation

Recitation means a repetition of what has been said before. It is used in a religious, an oratorical, and an educational sense....
of the Shahadah is the most important of the Five Pillars of Islam

Five Pillars of Islam

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Encyclopedia

The Shahada, also spelled shahadah, (Arabic: from the verb "to testify") is the Islam

Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
ic creed

Creed

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
declaration of belief

Profession (religious)

Tawhid

Muhammad

Prophets of Islam

Recitation

Five Pillars of Islam

In Sunni Islam, the Five Pillars of Islam is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim. These duties are Shahada , Salah , Zakat , Sawm and Hajj ....
for Muslims and is performed daily. Non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam do so by a public recitation of the creed. Technically the Shi'a do not consider the Shahadah to be a separate pillar, but connect it to the beliefs

Aqidah

Aqidah is an Islamic term meaning creed. Any religious belief system, or creed, can be considered an example of aqidah. However this term has taken a significant technical usage in Muslim history and theology, denoting those matters over which Muslims hold conviction....
.

Recitation

Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
text: Romanization

Arabic transliteration

Different approaches and methods for the romanization of Arabic language exist. They vary in the way that they address the inherent problems of rendering written and spoken Arabic in the Latin alphabet; they also use different symbols for Arabic phonemes that do not exist in English language or other European languages....
:

A single honest recitation of the Shahadah in Arabic is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim

Religious conversion

Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion identity, or a change from one religious identity to another. This typically entails the sincere avowal of a new belief system, but may also present itself in other ways, such as adoption into an identity group or spiritual lineage....
according to most traditional schools

Madhhab

Madhhab or in Urdu Mazhab is an Islamic school of law, or fiqh . In the first 150 years of Islam, there were many such "schools" - in fact, several of the Sahaba, or contemporary "companions" of Muhammad, are credited with founding their own....
.

In usage the two occurrences of 'ašhadu 'an (or similar) = "I testify that" are very often omitted.

History

One of the earliest surviving translations of the Shahadah into a foreign language is in Greek

Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
, from the reign of al-Walid I

Al-Walid I

Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik or Al-Walid I was an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 705 - 715. He continued the expansion of the Islamic empire that was sparked by his father, and was an effective ruler....
(86–96 AH, 705–715 CE): (Ouk esti[n theos ei me ho theos monos;] Maame[t apostolos theou]). "There is no god except for God alone; Muhammad is God's apostle"; i.e. "Allah" is translated as and Muhammad is transliterated as .

The Shahada is the first of the Six Kalimas

Six Kalimas

The Six Kalimas are recorded in various books of knowledge, and are recited by Muslims across the globe. These kalimas were compiled together for people to memorize and learn the basic fundamentals of Islam....
. The Six Kalimas are recorded in various books of knowledge, and are recited and remembered by Muslims across the globe. The Kalimas were compiled for people to memorise and learn the basic fundamentals of Islam

Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
.

Conditions of the Shahadah

There are seven critical conditions of the shahadah, without which it is considered to be meaningless:

Al-`Ilm: Knowledge of the meaning of the Shahadah, its negation and affirmation.
Al-Yaqeen: Certainty – perfect knowledge of it that counteracts suspicion and doubt.
Al-Ikhlaas: Sincerity which negates shirk
Shirk (polytheism)

Shirk is the Islamic concept of the sin of polytheism specifically, but in a more general way refers to worshipping other than Allah, associating partners with him, giving his characteristics to others beside him, or not believing in his characteristics....
.
Al-Sidq: Truthfulness that permits neither falsehood nor hypocrisy.
Al-Mahabbah: Love of the Shahadah and its meaning, and being happy with it.
Al-Inqiad: Submission to its rightful requirements, which are the duties that must be performed with sincerity to God (alone) seeking His pleasure.
Al-Qubool: Acceptance that contradicts rejection.

Flags

Several national flags display the Shahadah:

The flag
Flag of Saudi Arabia

File:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svgThe flag of Saudi Arabia is the flag used by the government of Saudi Arabia since March 15, 1973. It is a green flag featuring in white an Arabic language inscription and a sword....
of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
, on a green background.
The unrecognized state of Somaliland
Somaliland

Somaliland is an autonomous region, which is part of the Somalia located in the Horn of Africa. The Republic of Somaliland considers itself to be the successor state of the former British Somaliland protectorate....
.
From 1990 to 1992, the Islamic State of Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
.
From 1997 to 2001, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was the name given to the nation of Afghanistan by the Taliban during their rule, from 1996 to 2001. At the peak of their influence the Taliban never controlled the entire area of Afghanistan, as about 10% of the country in the northeast was held by the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan....
, under the rule of the Taliban.
Per the 2004 draft constitution for Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
, white script centered on a red background.
The flag of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council
Supreme Islamic Courts Council

The Islamic Courts Union was a group of Sharia Courts who united themselves to form a rival administration to the Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia, with Sharif Ahmed as head of the ICU....
of Somalia.

Several other flags display the shahadah, such as the flag of Hamas

Hamas

Hamas is an Islamic Palestine socio-political organization which includes a paramilitary force, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Since June 2007, Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip portion of the Palestinian Territories....
.

Differences

Muslims believe reference to previous prophets

Prophets

Prophets may refer to:*Nevi'im , which is the second of the three major sections in the Tanakh *Prophets of Islam - 124,000 in total, beginning with Adam and Eve and ending with Muhammad....
as Messengers (rasul

Prophets of Islam

Muslims regard as prophets of Islam those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as prophets.Each prophet brought the same basic ideas of Islam, including belief in one God and avoidance of idolatry and sin....
), and a few groups (notably certain Sufi mystics) amend the declaration to mention prior prophets whose names are found in the Qur'an

Qur'an

The Qur?an is the central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe the Qur?an to be the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind, and consider the original Arabic text to be the final revelation of God....
.

Sometimes ???? ?? 'ashhadu ‘an = "I witness that" is prefixed to each half of the Shahadah.

Sometimes ? wa = "and" is prefixed to the first word of the second half of the Shahada.

Some Indonesia

Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
n Muslims pray "Allah il Allah" when appealing for God's help. This is an altered form of the first part of the Shahadah.

Some Shi‘i Muslims add "and Ali

Ali

Ali ibn Abi alib was the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, who ruled over the Rashidun empire from 656 to 661. Sunni Muslims consider Ali as the fourth and final Rashidun while Shia Islam Muslims regard Ali as the first Imamah and consider him and his descendants as the Succession to Muhammad, all of which are me...
is the wali of God" (wa-‘Aliyun waliyu l-Lah), but this is not obligatory.

External links

The Six Kalimas in Arabic, with English translation and transliteration.
Audio

Shahadah

Recitation

History

Conditions of the Shahadah

Flags

Differences

See also

External links