Understanding 'Shahada'

 

'Shahada': First Pillar of Islam

لا إله إلا الله محمد 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.

The Larger Meaning of 'Kalima'

On the occasion of the 9th Jalsa Salana of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in Kerala (India) at the historic Noor'ul Islam Masjid, Mathra (South Kerala) on 22-23 December 2019, Imam-e-Jamaat Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) of Mauritius addressed the gathering of spiritual seekers, elucidating on the purpose of faith. True faith in, and worship of, the Lord Almighty, the Unique creator and sustainer of the universe, requires more than mere verbal declarations. When the heart truly recognizes the Majesty and All-encompassing Power of the Lord over all affairs, it becomes capable of ignoring all selfish desires  and worldly diversions. Such a heart  inspires righteous action, carrying out tasks in service of our common humanity. Hence, true belief in 'Tawheed' is a great blessing: it removes inner vices and transforms our negative emotions, sorrows and worries; thereby creating a veritable state of paradise on earth for the believer, notes Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) in the special message. 

Read the Text of the Sermon Below:        

'My dearest disciples,

Assalamoualaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakaatuhu.

It gives me great pleasure to know that the Kerala Jamaat is holding its Jalsa Salana on the 22^nd & 23^rd December 2019. Masha-Allah. May Allah (swt) bless your efforts and reward you immensely in this life and the hereafter for all your sacrifices and works for the cause of Allah. I pray to Allah (swt) that this Jalsa Salana may prove to be a step forward towards realizing the aims and objects for which the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam has been founded. Like I keep saying, the banner of Islam has to be raised high; higher than all other banners, and the message of the Holy Quran has to be conveyed to every human being, of every colour, race and culture, etc. We are witnessing a dark era wherein there is a sense of frustration all round. Despite all worldly comforts there is unrest and uneasiness in every heart. This is because people have abandoned the worship of the One True God.

Alhamdulillah, in this darkened era, Allah has manifested His light of guidance through the advent of His Chosen One, i.e. this humble self, the Khalifatullah (Caliph of Allah). I have often made it clear that you should not be happy just with the fact that you are called Muslims and that you believe in the Shahada – Laa Ilaaha Illallah, i.e. There is no god but Allah. Those who read the Holy Quran know well that God Almighty is not pleased with mere verbal statements nor does mere talk develop any inner goodness in a person. Unless the nature of one’s deeds and actions undergoes correction, nothing can be achieved. 

Meanings of 'Laa Ilaaha Illallah'

Laa Ilaaha Illallah - There is no god but Allah. This statement (of faith) has two pillars.

Ø  The first: “There is no god” is to deny that the true divinity (the right of worship) belongs to other than Allah.

Ø  The second: To affirm that Allah alone is worthy of 

being worshipped.

Allah (swt) said: 

 

“And when Abraham said to his father and his people: ‘I totally disown what you worship’.” (43: 27).

It is not enough to only worship Allah, but this worship must be reserved exclusively to Him. The Unicity (Tawheed) is only valid when we proclaim that Allah is unique while disavowing polytheism and its followers.

It is reported that “The key to paradise” is: “There is no god but Allah.” However, do all people who pronounce it deserve that all the gates of Paradise are opened for them? Is the statement “There is no god but Allah” not the key to paradise? This is definitely the case, but each key has teeth. So if you bring a key that has teeth (with the correct teeth), that door shall be opened to you, otherwise it will not be opened for you.

Muhammad- the Universal Prophet

The Holy prophet (pbuh) was born on 12^th Rabi’ul Awwal. His father was Abdullah son of Abdul-Muttalib and his mother was Amina daughter of Wahab. It was in the year of Elephant, the year when Abraha an Abyssinian at the head of an army marched towards Mecca mounted on elephants in order to attack Mecca and demolish the Ka’aba. The march of elephants frightened the Arabs but Allah sent down a swarm of flying creatures which threw stones on the Abyssinian army. This event marked history for Allah after nominating the Muhammad (pbuh) as prophet, later revealed to him about what occurred to Abraha and his army in the year of his birth. This Surah is none other than Surah Al-Fil (The Elephant: Chapter 105). Allah relates therein how He crushed them and their evil plans.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came to change the course of human history. His birth was like a spring of light which illuminated the Arabian Peninsula and the whole world.

According to various Qur’anic verses and prophetic traditions, we see the magnificence of the Prophet, whether in his physical features, and in his character. His physical beauty is comparable to the beauty of the fourteenth moon; and much more! Several of his companions have given details of his physical traits and his character. The Prophet (pbuh) had a beautiful constitution. He had a white complexion; a splendid white. His forehead was wide, and the place between his eyebrows was bright like pure silver and his eyes were beautiful, and the pupils of his eyes were black. His cilia were abundant. As for his nose, it was thin, and he had a sweet face. His beard was thick, and his neck was beautiful, being neither long nor short, to the point that if the sun hit him, it seemed like a cup of silver mixed with gold. In addition, the space between the shoulders of the Prophet (pbuh) was wide and his hair, which was neither thin nor curly, almost touched his shoulders. Aisha, his beloved wife reported that “the blessed hair of the Messenger of God (pbuh) were longer than those reaching the earlobes and shorter than those that reach the shoulders.” He was neither tall nor short. (Inset:  Hazratbal Mosque in Srinagar, Kashmir. It houses a hair of the prophet Muhammad. The "Moi-e-Muqqadas", arrived in Kashmir in 1699 during the time of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, is displayed on various occasions related with the life of the Holy Prophet ).