'Shahada': First Pillar of Islam
لا إله إلا الله Ù…Øمد رسول الله
Laa-Ilaaha Illallah Muhammadur
Rassoolullah
“There is no other God
but God [Allah] and Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger.”
It is by accepting this confession that one becomes a Muslim. This is the first pillar of Islam. It is the profession of faith of every Muslim. It proclaims the oneness of God and totally refutes the idea that He could have been begotten (like human beings) or created.
The Shahada
therefore leads us to submit to God and become His servants. By reciting it, we
affirm to our Creator that we will follow His recommendations and refrain from
His prohibitions. Our goal is to try to correct ourselves, by leading our life
according to the commands of our Master.
To this end, the Holy
Prophet (pbuh) said: “He who recites the Shahada with sincerity will enter
paradise”. He was then asked: “What is the sign of sincerity?” The
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) replied, “It prevents him from doing things
forbidden by Allah.”
We must therefore
strive to obey Allah in all circumstances, whether in the way we eat, drink, dress
or behave with others. It is not appropriate to be satisfied with what suits
us, by conforming ourselves, for example, to the customs and behaviours of
other people, foreign to Islam, by abandoning the Sunnah and all that
Allah has prescribed to us in His Holy Book.