V1:16- The necessity of stating the Shahadah when embracing Islam
- 3 years ago
16- The necessity of stating the Shahadah when embracing Islam
Q: How much effective is the enunciation of Shahadah (testimony of faith)? May Allah grant you success.
A: First of all, it is necessary for a person to declare the Shahadah in order to be called a Muslim. A person will remain a Kafir (disbeliever) until they declare the Shahadah. However, the Shahadah alone is not enough, as it is necessary to believe sincerely that the phrase 'there is no god but Allah 1 means that no one ever has the right to be worshipped except Allah (Exalted be He). If a person pronounces this phrase and yet associates other deities along with Allah in worship, they will be behaving like hypocrites whose practice is no more than lip service. In such a case, their declaration of Shahadah will avail them naught. Allah (Glorified be He) states, "Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them. Allah (Exalted be He) also says, 'And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: "We believe in Allah and the Last Day" while in fact they believe not.' 'They (think to) deceive Allah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!' Thus, a person must have a firm belief that there is no true deity worthy of worship except Allah (Exalted be He), to Whom sincere worship and devotion must be offered. One must also declare the Oneness of Allah and hate Kufr (disbelief). They must also act upon and surrender themselves to the laws enacted by Allah (Exalted be He). They will be committing an act of Kufr if they arrogantly refuse to comply with the laws of Shariah. We ask Allah to protect us from this. The negation in the phrase 'there is no god' indicates that no deity whatsoever has the right to be worshipped besides Allah. This means that all deities worshipped along with Allah are but false deities. The other part of the phrase 'except Allah 1 means attributing the right of worship to Allah alone and acknowledging that He is worthy of it. In Surah Al-Hajj, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says, "That is because Allah - He is the Truth (the only True God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Batil (falsehood). And verily, Allah - He is the Most High, the Most Great."
[Vol. 1, Page No. 57]
Q: How much effective is the enunciation of Shahadah (testimony of faith)? May Allah grant you success.
A: First of all, it is necessary for a person to declare the Shahadah in order to be called a Muslim. A person will remain a Kafir (disbeliever) until they declare the Shahadah. However, the Shahadah alone is not enough, as it is necessary to believe sincerely that the phrase 'there is no god but Allah 1 means that no one ever has the right to be worshipped except Allah (Exalted be He). If a person pronounces this phrase and yet associates other deities along with Allah in worship, they will be behaving like hypocrites whose practice is no more than lip service. In such a case, their declaration of Shahadah will avail them naught. Allah (Glorified be He) states, "Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them. Allah (Exalted be He) also says, 'And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: "We believe in Allah and the Last Day" while in fact they believe not.' 'They (think to) deceive Allah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!' Thus, a person must have a firm belief that there is no true deity worthy of worship except Allah (Exalted be He), to Whom sincere worship and devotion must be offered. One must also declare the Oneness of Allah and hate Kufr (disbelief). They must also act upon and surrender themselves to the laws enacted by Allah (Exalted be He). They will be committing an act of Kufr if they arrogantly refuse to comply with the laws of Shariah. We ask Allah to protect us from this. The negation in the phrase 'there is no god' indicates that no deity whatsoever has the right to be worshipped besides Allah. This means that all deities worshipped along with Allah are but false deities. The other part of the phrase 'except Allah 1 means attributing the right of worship to Allah alone and acknowledging that He is worthy of it. In Surah Al-Hajj, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says, "That is because Allah - He is the Truth (the only True God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Batil (falsehood). And verily, Allah - He is the Most High, the Most Great."
[Vol. 1, Page No. 57]