Conditions of shahada By Ausjed Ali

1st condition The first condition of shahada is knowledge. Declaration of faith based on knowledge of Allah The Prophet (saw) said: “Whoever dies knowing that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah will enter paradise”. It is essential that one declaring faith has basic knowledge of Allah in order to have correct belief in Allah If one’s concept Allah is distorted, one may actually believe in many gods while denying that they do so.

Certainty Certainty: A persons faith should not have any doubts about Allah being the one true god and that Allah does not share His power with humans The Prophet (saw) was quoted saying: “Who ever bears witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah, and meets Allah having no doubt in this, then Allah will put him in paradise” Some people pray because they are doing it out precaution incase if Allah is real. These prayers have no value since they are not a product of certainty of faith. These doubts can help shaitan into fooling you. The Prophet (saw) said: “ Satan will come to everyone of you and ask: Who created this and that?- until he questions: Who created your lord.

Sincerity It has been said in many places of the quran Allah said if rites and rituals are not done with sincerity they are not acceptable. Satan has no sincerity even though he knows about the oneness of Allah so his faith is not clear. Sincerity has to be there so la ilaha illallah will affect the individual and will live in accordance with it. The Prophet said, “The person who will be most pleased with my intercession is the one who says ‘none has the right to be worshipped but Allah’ sincerely from his heart.” He also said, “ Indeed Allah has made the Hell-fire prohibited for who says, la ilaha illallah desiring only the pleasure of Allah.”

Truthfulness The Prophet said, “whoever bears witness truthfully from his heart, that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Mohammad is his slave and Messenger ,without fail, Allah will make the Hell-fire forbidden for him.” The condition of truthfulness is related to sincerity. One must be truthfull when one declares the shahada otherwise it will devoid of sincerity and will not be accepted of sincerity and will not be acceptable to Allah. Allah said “Did people honestly think that they would be left alone to say, ‘We believe,’ and not be tested? Indeed I tested those who came before them. Allah will know who are truthful and who are liars.

love Like the condition love is also related to sincerity. For the declaration of faith to be valid, it must be expressed out in love to Allah. Humans love each other but there love to god should be on a much higher level and to a greater extent. This is because of Allah's blessings. If this love is not there people are actually denying Allah's mercy. The prophet said: “ If a person has the following three qualities, he will taste the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His messenger are more beloved to him anything else…”

Submission The natural consequence of true love is submission. Sincerity born of love will lead one who declares his or her belief in Allah to accept and act on divine instructions. When someone in love says “I will do anything for you.” From an Islamic perspective love of that type becomes an act of worship which only belongs to Allah.

Acceptance For the completion of the condition of submission, the additional condition of acceptance must be fulfilled. Acceptance should also be there for submission to be sincere and not just a ritual. Complete acceptance is essential for the spirit of the law to be preserved while the letter of law is being preserved.

Disbelief One must disbeleive in all that is worshipped besides Allah as a condition for the acceptance of the declaration of faith. The prophet is quoted as saying, “ Allah has made inviolable the wealth and blood of whoever says, La ilaha illallah and disbelieves in anything worshipped besides Allah; and his reckoning will be with Allah.”

Second part of shahada The second part of declaration confirms the belief Allah revealed his will to mankind through messengers chosen from among them. It also confirms Mohammed the son of Abdullah is the messenger of Allah.

Allah knows best Why didn’t Allah place Mohammed in Europe or any other part of thye world. Know one knows why but Allah knows best as it is stated in 6:124 “Allah knows best with whom to place his message…” Allah chose Mohammed because he was the most suitable of all humankind to receive the final message.

Infalibility Testifying to ones belief in Muhammad prophet hood is meaningless id the one testifying does not accept that he was free from error. The belief that he did not make any mistakes in conveying the message of Islam is essential to belief in his prophet hood. This condition means that he like other humans made mistakes that were both mentioned in the quran and the sunnah. When he made a mistake because he was a prophet Allah would correct him and use his error as a means of educating is followers.

UNIVERSALITY It is necessary condition that one believe Allah gave the prophet a message that was for all humankind. The final message conveyed by the Prophet Mohammed (saw) was for all mankind. The final message conveyed by Prophet Mohammed (saw) was for all of humankind till the end of time. The prophet was not a prophet to the Arabs, as some claim he was a prophet to all humankind.

Completeness Since the prophet sonveyed the complete message which was revealed to him. Since he was free from error with regard to his message, it was conveyed in its entirety and nothing was left out. Allah instructed the prophet to relay everything that was revealed to him, otherwise his mission would be unsuccessful. Aisha (R.A) is reported to have said: “Whoever claims that Prophet Mohammed did not convey the whole message is a liar.”

Finality Belief in the second part of declaration includes the belief that Muhammad (saw) was the seal of the prophet hood. Allah will not send another prophet or messenger after him. Prophet himself confirmed in recording statements that he was the last prophet: “No prophet will come after me.” Allah chose to preserve the quran because it was the final message of the final messenger.