Shahada – First Pillar of Islam

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله

There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.

Muslims believe in the One, Unique, Uncomparable, Merciful Allah – the sole creator, sustainer and cherisher of the Universe. In the angels created by Him, in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to humankind: in the day of judgement and in individual accountability for actions: in Allah’s complete authority over destiny, be it good or bad; and in life after death.

Muslims believe that Allah sent his messengers and prophets to all people beginning with Adamand including Noah(Nuh), Abraham(Ibrahim), Lot(Lut), Ishmael (Ismail), Isaac(Ishaq), Jacob(Yaqub), Joseph(Yusuf), Job(Ayyub), Moses(Musa), Aaron(Harun), David(Dawud), Solomon(Sulayman), Elias (Ilyas), Jonah(Yunus), John the Baptist(Yahya) and Jesus(Isa) peace be upon them all.

One becomes a Muslim by believing and proclaiming that “There is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all Allah’s messengers and the scriptures (in their pristine original norm) that these messenger’s brought.

Shahada is composed of two parts لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله and مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله. In Quran, the first shahada takes the form لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله twice [q:37:35, q:47:19].

The first part of shahada reflects that, declaring belief in the oneness of Allah and that he is the only entity truly worthy of worship. This identifies Islam as a monotheistic religion.

In Islamic doctrine, not only can no one be worshipped apart from Him, absolutely no one else can be worshipped along with Him. He has no partners or associates in worship. Worship, in its comprehensive sense and all its aspects, is for Him alone. God’s right to be worshipped is the essential meaning of Islam’s testimony of faith: Lā ‘ilāha ‘illā llāh.

A person becomes Muslim by testifying to the divine right to worship. It is the crux of Islamic belief in God, even all of Islam. It is considered the central message of all prophets and messengers sent by God – the message of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, the Hebrew prophets, Jesus, and Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon them.

The second part of shahada indicates the means through which Allah has offered guidance to humans. Mohammad (pbuh) is the prophet of Allah. Muhammad (pbuh) was born in Mecca in Arabia in the year 570 CE. His ancestry goes back to Ishmael, a son of Prophet Abraham. The second part of the confession of faith asserts that he is not only a prophet but also a messenger of God.

For Muslims, Muhammad brought the last and final revelation. In accepting Muhammad as the “last of the prophets,” they believe that his prophecy confirms and completes all of the revealed messages, beginning with that of Adam. In addition, Muhammad serves as the preeminent role model through his life example. The believer’s effort to follow Muhammad’s example reflects the emphasis of Islam on practice and action.

Shahada, must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime with a full understanding of its meaning and with an assent of the heart. Muslims say this when they wake up in the morning, and before they go to sleep at night. It is repeated five times in the call to prayer in every mosque. A person who utters the shahada as their last words in this life has been promised Paradise.

Recitation of Shahada

  • When a life comes to this world, Shahada is whispered into the ear of a newborn child.
  • Last words one should hear or say before the life leaves the body.
  • A person recites it in front of two people when converting to Islam.
  • The five daily prayers include recitation of Shahada.
  • Part of the

To be a Muslim, one should believe in the oneoness of Allah and Mohammad (pbuh) his prophet.