What is shahada in islam? What does shahada means in islam?
Shahada is an Arabic word which means, ‘to testify’ or ‘to witness’. The Shahada is the first act of worship whereby the believer believes with his or her heart and declares with his or her tongue, the testimony of faith. The shahada consists of these words, “I testify that there is no deity except God, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God”. The first statement of shahada manifests that, “there is no deity except Allah.” It is necessary to declare or accept the shahada at least once in a lifetime to be a Muslim. It is the statement that every person utters when he or she becomes a Muslim; it is further stated numerous times through various rituals of worship, such as, the formal prayers. The first part of this statement is known as ‘tawḥīd’, which lexically means, unification or causing to become one, technically, it refers to the acceptance of Allah as the only exalted authority. Allah is the only One, the Absolute and the Almighty; Who is the Owner and Creator of everything and Who cannot be compared to anyone. Allah is the only One Who is worthy of being worshipped; there is no one that is equal, similar, or partner to Allah. The second part of the shahada is a proclamation of accepting Muhammad as the Messenger of God and it is simultaneously an acceptance of the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the guide of humanity –the final and complete guide for all of humanity- and that the person stating the shahada intends to faithfully follow his guidance.
Source: Islam For New Muslims An Educational Guide,Assoc. Prof. Amjad M. Hussain, Erkam Publications
