"9 CONDITIONS OF THE SHAHADA
There is something very important for both the new
Muslims and those who grew up in Islam, without which a person may not really
be a "Muslim." It is called the "Shahadah."
عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ
الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ
عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَقُولُ: "
بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ
وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ
الزَّكَاةِ، وَحَجِّ الْبَيْتِ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ". [رَوَاهُ
الْبُخَارِيُّ] ، [وَمُسْلِمٌ].
The complete statement of the creed of the Muslim is:
شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ
وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
"Ash-shadu
anna Laa elaha illa lah. Ash-shadu anna Muhammadar Rasoolulah."
(I
bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and I bear
witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger).
Every Muslim has been taught that the key to
"Jannah" (Paradise) is the statement in Arabic:
"Laa
illaha illa lah." (There is none worthy of worship except Allah.)
The Qur'an and the "Hadeeth" (teachings of
Muhammad, ﷺ) are the ultimate sources for knowledge in Islam. We find
contained in them the reality of the conditions necessary for the
"shahadah" to work as a "muftah" to the "Jannah"
for us.
The number might be understood as seven, eight or
even nine depending on how you would categorize them or combine them together.
Regardless of how we would list them or divide them up, it still remains that
we must understand and most important, apply these conditions of our shahadah
if we are to enter the Jannah.
We listed them here as "nine" in order to
give more attention and detail to each and every aspect. However, the scholars
who have listed them as seven or eight have not left anything out. They have
merely combined several for easier comprehension and memorization.
1 KNOWLEDGE:
('ilm)
That is, one must have the basic and general
knowledge of what is meant by the shahadah. One must understand what the
shahadah is affirming and what the shahadah is denying.
Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) says in
the Qur'an,
So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except
Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin (Muhammad 47:19) Sahih International
Qur’an
Similarly, the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكُ بْنُ عَبْدِ
الْوَاحِدِ الْمِسْمَعِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الضَّحَّاكُ بْنُ مَخْلَدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا
عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنِي صَالِحُ بْنُ أَبِي عَرِيبٍ، عَنْ
كَثِيرِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى
الله عليه وسلم " مَنْ كَانَ آخِرُ كَلاَمِهِ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ دَخَلَ
الْجَنَّةَ "
Muadh Ibn Jabal (RA) narrated the Messenger of Allah
(ﷺ) said: "He whose last words (in life) were 'La ilaha-ill
Allah' (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah)
shall enter Paradise” [Sunan Abu Dawud (2/207) No. 3116, Musnad al-Bazzar
(7/77) No. 2626, Tabarani in ‘al-Mu’jam al-Kabir’ (20/112) No. 221, Mustadrak
al-Hakim (1/503) No. 1299]
In fact, the shahadah itself is a testimony. When one
testifies to something, one must know what it is that he is testifying
concerns. Obviously, a testimony about something that one does not have any
knowledge about is absolutely unacceptable.
Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) says in
the Qur'an,
وَلَا يَمْلِكُ ٱلَّذِينَ
يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ ٱلشَّفَـٰعَةَ إِلَّا مَن شَهِدَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَهُمْ
يَعْلَمُونَ ٨٦
And those they invoke besides Him do not possess [power
of] intercession; but only those who testify to the truth [can benefit], and
they know. (Az-Zukhruf 43:86) Sahih International Qur’an
Now this condition probably sounds obvious; if
someone said to you, "There is no God except Allah," and then said that
what he meant by Allah was Jesus, you would immediately tell him that this
shahadah is nonsense. Yet can you imagine that there is a Muslim country in the
world that until recently used to have a yearly weeklong celebration to
"the Gods of the Sea"! All along they call themselves Muslims and
they make the shahadah numerous times a day.
This clearly shows that they have no idea what the
meaning of their shahadah is. Do you think that this kind of shahadah will open
the doors to Paradise for them?
Today, there are many Muslims who wonder why we
should not accept secularism. They think that there is nothing wrong with
secularism! Many of these Muslims pray five times a day and utter the shahadah
repeatedly. Yet they see nothing wrong with accepting a Lawgiver other than
Allah? What kind of shahadah are these people making?
All of us do our best to learn at least the basics of
Islamic beliefs, the basics of what shahadah means. In this way, Allah willing,
we will be making the correct shahadah. We will be witnessing to the truth as
we are supposed to be witnesses to it.
2- CERTAINTY
(yaqeen):
This is the opposite of doubt and uncertainty. In
Islam, in fact, any kind of doubt is equivalent to Kufr or disbelief. We must,
in our hearts, be absolutely certain of the truth of the shahadah.
Our hearts must not be wavering in any way when we
testify to the truth of, "There is none worthy of worship except
Allah." Allah describes the believers in the Qur'an as those who have
belief in Allah and then their hearts waver not.
Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) says,
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا۟ وَجَـٰهَدُوا۟
بِأَمْوَٰلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلصَّـٰدِقُونَ
١٥
The believers are only the ones who have believed in
Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not but strive with their properties and
their lives in the cause of Allah. It is those who are the truthful. (Al-Hujurat
49:15) Sahih International Qur’an
Similarly, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,
"No one meets Allah with the testimony that there is none worthy of
worship but Allah and I am the Messenger of Allah, and he has no doubt about
that statement, except that he will enter Paradise." (Recorded by Muslim.)
Indeed, Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) describes
the hypocrites as those people whose hearts are wavering.
For example, Allah (الله
سبحانه وتعالى) says,
إِنَّمَا يَسْتَـْٔذِنُكَ ٱلَّذِينَ
لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَٱرْتَابَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ فَهُمْ
فِى رَيْبِهِمْ يَتَرَدَّدُونَ ٤٥
Only those would ask permission of you who do not
believe in Allah and the Last Day and whose hearts have doubted, and they, in
their doubt, are hesitating. (At-Taubah 9:45) Sahih International Qur’an
Many scholars have stated that the diseases of the
heart, or the doubt and suspicions that one allows into one's heart, are more
dangerous for a person's faith than lusts and desires. This is because lusts
and desires may be satisfied at some time yet the person still knows them to be
wrong and he may control himself and repent and give up that evil deed.
On the other hand, the doubts and suspicions may
linger in the heart, with no cure, until the person finally leaves Islam
entirely or continues to practice Islam while, in fact, in his heart he does
not have the true faith. The greatest cure for these doubts is seeking knowledge.
It is through sound knowledge of the Qur'an and the Sunnah that most of these
doubts will be removed.
3- ACCEPTANCE
(qabool):
If a person has knowledge of and certainty in the
shahadah, this must be followed by acceptance, with the tongue and heart, of
whatever that shahadah implies. Whoever refuses to accept the shahadah and its
implications, even if he knows that it is true and certain about its truth,
then he is a disbeliever. This refusal to accept is sometimes due to pride,
envy or other reasons.
In any case, the shahadah is not a true shahadah
without its unconditional acceptance. The scholars all talk about this
condition as a general condition in the way that I have just stated. However,
there is also a more detailed aspect that we must all be aware of.
The believer accepts whatever the implications of the
shahadah are. This also means that he believes in whatever is stated in the
Qur'an or stated by the Prophet (peace be upon him), without any right to
choose what he wants to believe and what he wants to reject.
Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) says in
the Qur'an,
وَإِذَآ
أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ أَنْ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟ مَعَ رَسُولِهِ ٱسْتَـْٔذَنَكَ
أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلطَّوْلِ مِنْهُمْ وَقَالُوا۟ ذَرْنَا نَكُن مَّعَ ٱلْقَـٰعِدِينَ ٨٦
So do you believe in part of the Scripture and
disbelieve in part? Then what is the recompense for those who do that among you
except disgrace in worldly life; and on the Day of Resurrection they will be
sent back to the severest of punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you
do. (Al-Baqarah 2:85) Sahih International Qur’an
This is one aspect that the Muslims must be aware of.
Although it is not the same as the complete refusal to accept the truth, by
rejecting part of the truth that has come from Allah, one also negates his
testimony of faith.
Unfortunately, many Muslims are doing this nowadays
in various ways. Although not all of these forms may necessarily be considered
apostasy, they are still very dangerous. For example, if they do not like what
is stated in a verse in the Qur'an, they simply reinterpret the verse according
to their liking. If they do not like what is stated in a hadeeth, they simply
state that the hadeeth must not be authentic although they are not scholars in
that area. This kind of behavior is the antithesis of the behaviour of the true
Muslims.
Whatever comes from Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), the true
Muslim believes in as the truth. This goes hand in hand with their testimony of
faith
4- SUBMISSION and COMPLIANCE
(Inqiyad):
This implies the actual physical enactment with our
deeds of our shahadah. In fact, this is one of the main meanings of the word
Islam itself, "the submission to the will and commands of Allah."
This is what Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى) commands in the Qur'an,
وَأَنِيبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ
وَأَسْلِمُوا۟ لَهُۥ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ
٥٤
And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to
Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.
(Az-Zumar 39:54) Sahih International Qur’an
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًۭا مِّمَّنْ
أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُۥ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌۭ وَٱتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ
حَنِيفًۭا ۗ وَٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ خَلِيلًۭا ١٢٥
And who is better in religion than one who submits
himself to Allah while being a doer of good and follows the religion of
Abraham, inclining toward truth? And Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend.
(An-Nisa 4:125) Sahih International Qur’an
Actually, Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) has
clearly made it a condition of faith that one submits to the command of Allah
and His messenger.
Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) says,
فَلَا
وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ
لَا يَجِدُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًۭا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا۟
تَسْلِيمًۭا ٦٥
But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe
until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they
dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from
what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission. (An-Nisa 4:65)
Sahih International Qur’an
Unfortunately, there are many that claim that there
is no relationship between faith and deeds. You can even hear one Muslim saying
about another, "That is the best Muslim I have ever met," yet the
other person performs scarcely any of the deeds of Islam whatsoever.
This incorrect understanding of faith has spread
throughout the Muslim world. Indeed, our shahadah or testimony of faith must be
implemented or realized in our hearts, tongues and actions. In our hearts, we
must have love for Allah, fear Allah and hope in Him. With our tongues we must
testify to the shahadah. And with our actions, we must implement what the
testimony of faith requires from us.
Anyone who claims to be a Muslim and yet does no
deeds, either does not understand Islam whatsoever or is bearing testimony
against himself that his testimony of faith is not a true and correct testimony
of faith.
This does not mean that the true believer never
commits a sin. Indeed, true believers do commit sins, but as long as they
recognize that what they did is not correct and it is inconsistent with their
obligation of submitting to Allah, then they have not violated the soundness of
their testimony or shahadah.
But do not forget they are still sinners. And what is
the minimum of submission that is required from a person beyond whom there can
be no claim to faith? For those scholars who say that the abandonment of
prayers is infidelity, it is the five daily prayers. Whoever does not perform,
at least, the five daily prayers have gone beyond the limit that is acceptable
for lack of deeds.
Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) knows
best.
5-TRUTHFULNESS (as-sidq),
as opposed to hypocrisy and dishonesty:
This means that when we say the shahadah, we are
saying it honestly. We actually mean it. We are not lying when it comes to our
testimony of faith.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No one bears
testimony to there being no one worth of worship save Allah, sincerely from his
heart, except that Allah makes the Hell-fire forbidden for him."
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
Narrated By Abu Huraira: I said, "O Allah's
Apostle (ﷺ)! Who will be the luckiest person who will gain your
intercession on the Day of Resurrection?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
"O Abu Huraira! I have thought that none will ask me about this Hadith
before you, as I know your longing for the (learning of) Hadiths. The luckiest
person who will have my intercession on the Day of Resurrection will be the one
who said, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' sincerely from the
bottom of his heart." [Sahih Bukhari, Vol 8, Book 76, Hadith #574]
We are all familiar with those who say the testimony
of faith yet they are not saying it honestly. They do not believe in it but
they are simply saying it in order to protect themselves or to get some gain
from doing so; these are the hypocrites. Allah (الله
سبحانه وتعالى) has described them in the opening of the Qur'an with the
following words,
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ
ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ٨
يُخَـٰدِعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُوا۟ وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّآ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ ٩
فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌۭ
فَزَادَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مَرَضًۭا ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟
يَكْذِبُونَ
١٠
And of the people are some who say, "We believe
in Allah and the Last Day," but they are not believers. They [think to]
deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and
perceive [it] not. In their hearts is disease, so Allah has increased their
disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to
lie. (Al-Baqarah 2:8-10) Sahih International Qur’an
Obviously, the shahadah of those who become Muslims
simply to benefit from being Muslim and not because they believe in Islam will
be rejected by Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى) in the Hereafter. They will
face a painful punishment due to their lying
6- SINCERITY
(or al-ikhlass):
That is, when we make the shahadah, we must do so
solely for the sake of Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى). We must
not do it for any other reason. And we must not do it for anyone else's sake.
In this manner, the meaning of sincerity is opposite of Shirk or ascribing
partners with Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى). We became and remain Muslims
solely for Allah's sake.
Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) says in
the Qur'an,
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ
فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ٢
Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, [O
Muhammad], in truth. So worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion.
(Az-Zumar 39:2)Sahih International Qur’an
And Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) also says,
ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَـٰهُ أَسْفَلَ
سَـٰفِلِينَ ٥
And they were not commanded except to worship Allah,
[being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer
and to give zakah. And that is the correct religion.(Al-Bayyinah 98:5) Sahih
International Qur’an
And the Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Allah has
forbidden for the Hell-fire anyone who says, 'There is no one worthy of worship
except Allah,' and say so desiring the face [and pleasure] of Allah."
(Recorded by Muslim).
This is something that we should all think about,
especially those of us who grew up in Muslim families and were born Muslim. We
should make it very clear to ourselves that we are Muslims only for the sake of
Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى). We are not Muslims for the sake of our parents, friends,
family or community.
It must be clear in our minds that we are Muslims for
the sake of Allah first, last and only. One of the signs that we are Muslims
for the sake of Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى) is that we do whatever Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى) asks of us, regardless of what anybody else desires or wants
from us. That is, in the same way that we are Muslims solely for the sake of
Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى), all of our actions are done for the sake of Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى).
However, sometimes one begins to wonder whether some
people meet this condition. Some people from the Muslim world practice Islam to
the extent that it is pleasing to their families. If there is anything in Islam
that their families do not like- although their families are Muslim and
therefore they actually should like all of Islam- then they do not practice
that aspect of Islam.
One common example of that nature is mixing between
men and women. Sometimes a brother, here in the U.S., will not mix with women
and his wife will remain separate from the men. Yet, when they return to their
homes, because this is not pleasing to their families who want to mix between
men and women, they easily, simply and happily compromise their religion for
the sake of their parents.
These people must sincerely ask themselves why they
are Muslims. Are they Muslims for the sake of their parents and therefore
whatever their parents like they will do and whatever their parents do not like
they won't do? Or are they Muslims for the sake of Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى) and therefore whatever Allah (الله
سبحانه وتعالى) dislikes they will not do and whatever Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى) is pleased with they do?
7- LOVE (Mahabbah):
That is, the believer loves this shahadah, he loves
in accordance with the shahadah, he loves the implications and requirements of
the shahadah and he loves those who act and strive for the sake of this
shahadah. This is a necessary condition of the shahadah. If a person makes the
shahadah but does not love the shahadah and what it stands for, then, in fact,
his faith is not complete. It is not the faith of a true believer.
And if he loves something more that this shahadah or
if he loves something more than Allah, then he has negated his shahadah. The
true believer, the one meeting the conditions of the shahadah puts no one
whatsoever as an equal to Allah (Subhana wa ta'ala) in his love.
Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) says in
the Qur'an,
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَتَّخِذُ
مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَندَادًۭا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَشَدُّ حُبًّۭا لِّلَّهِ ۗ وَلَوْ يَرَى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ إِذْ
يَرَوْنَ ٱلْعَذَابَ أَنَّ ٱلْقُوَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعَذَابِ
١٦٥
And [yet], among the people are those who take other
than Allah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they [should] love Allah. But
those who believe are stronger in love for Allah. And if only they who have
wronged would consider [that] when they see the punishment, [they will be
certain] that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment
(Al-Baqarah 2:165) Sahih International Qur’an
And elsewhere Allah (الله
سبحانه وتعالى) says:
قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ
وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلٌ ٱقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا
وَتِجَـٰرَةٌۭ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ أَحَبَّ
إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَجِهَادٍۢ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟
حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ
٢٤
Say, [O Muhammad], "If your fathers, your sons,
your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained,
commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are
more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then
wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly
disobedient people."(At-Taubah 9:24) Sahih International Qur’an
Anas bin Malik (RA) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
"There are three qualities whoever has them, will taste the sweetness of
Iman (faith): To love Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) more than anyone else; to love
a slave (of Allah) only for (the sake of) Allah; and to abhor returning to
infidelity after Allah has saved him from it as he would abhor to be thrown
into the fire (of Hell)." [Al-Bukhari (21) and Muslim (43)]
This is one of the most important aspects of Islam
yet, for some reason, it is missing from the lives of many Muslims. They act in
Islam as if Islam were a chore instead of doing things out of the love of Allah
(الله سبحانه وتعالى).
When Allah orders us to do something, like bear
witness to the faith, we should realize that that thing is pleasing to Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى) and, therefore, out of our love for Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى), we should be very pleased to do the acts that are pleasing to
Allah. But, as I said, this feeling is missing from many, many Muslims today.
8: DENIAL OF FALSE WORSHIP:
Although that is clear in the words of the testimony
of faith, it does not seem clear to everyone who makes that testimony.
Therefore, I am mentioning it explicitly here.
In Surah al-Baqarah, Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى) clearly reminds us of this important aspect of the shahadah,
the shahadah is not merely an affirmation but it is both an affirmation and a
negation.
Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) states,
مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ
بِٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ
لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ٢٥٦
Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah,
then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And
Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. (Al-Baqarah 2:256) Muhsin Khan Translations
Perhaps the Prophet (ﷺ) made this point even clearer
when he said, "Whoever says there is no one worthy of worship except Allah
and denies whatever is worshipped besides Allah, then his wealth and blood are
protected and his accounting will be with Allah." (Recorded by Muslim)
Although this condition should be obvious to everyone
who says the words of shahadah, you can still find Muslims who say the shahadah
and then make acts of worship for beings or things other than Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى). You will find them going to the graveyards and worshipping
those in the graves.
They will perform acts of worship, not for the sake
of Allah (الله سبحانه وتعالى), but for the sake of the dead "saints" in the grave.
What kind of shahadah have these people made? Do you really think that their
shahadah will mean anything on the Day of Judgment as long as they believe that
acts of worship may be done for other than Allah?
9- ADHERENCE (astaqeem) until death:
This is must if the shahadah is to mean anything for
you in the Hereafter. You cannot rest on your laurels of what you may have done
in the past. No, indeed, the shahadah must be your banner until your death.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, " A man spends a
long time doing the deeds of the people of Paradise and then he ends his deeds
with the deeds of the people of the Hell-fire. And a man spends a long time
doing the deeds of the people of the Hell-fire and then he ends his deeds with
the deeds of the people of Paradise." (Recorded by Muslim)
In another hadeeth, the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
"By the One beside whom there is no other God,
one of you does the actions of Paradise until there is just a hand span between
him and Paradise and then the book [preordainment] overtakes him and he does
the actions of the people of Hell and he enters into it." (Al-Bukhari and
Muslim.)
And Allah (الله سبحانه
وتعالى) says in
the Qur'an,
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم
مُّسْلِمُونَ ١٠٢
"O believers, observe your duty to Allah with
right observance, and die not except as Muslims "O believers, observe your
duty to Allah with right observance, and die not except as Muslims [in complete
state of surrender, submission, obedience to Allah]" [in complete state of
surrender, submission, obedience to Allah]" (Al-Imran 3:102) Muhsin Khan
translation
Dear brothers and sisters, these are the conditions of the
shahadah.
These are the aspects of the
shahadah that each and every one of us should look deep down into our own
hearts and ask ourselves:
"Is my shahadah meeting those
requirements?"
"Am I saying it sincerely, honestly and out of
love for Allah?"
"Am I saying it based on what it really
means?"
"Am I denying all other false objects of
worship?"
"Is there any part of my shahadah that is weak
or missing?"
It is not enough to simply memorize these conditions
and the answers to the questions as though we were on our way to class to take
a "pop quiz." We might meet Muslims or even the teachers themselves,
who have totally memorized these conditions and their meanings so much so that
they can recite every detail. But if we look to the way they act and the way
they treat others, we know that the conditions are not having the right effect
on them.
This is proof that no matter how much a person knows,
it only matters how much they live up to it. In the Next Life their knowledge
of these conditions of shahadah will not benefit them in the least if they have
not put them into practice.
Actually, their knowledge will be proof against them
because they clearly knew the conditions, yet they were not willing to live up
to them in this life.
As Muslims we need to ask ourselves right now, before
we die and go in front of Allah for His Judgment. We need to consider our
answers carefully to these questions. If we are weak in certain areas of these
important questions, then we should work hard to remove that weakness. So that
in the Next Life our shahadah will be our "Key to Paradise" and the
gates of the Paradise will open wide for us and we will be able to live forever
in Allah's Jannah with Him being please with us.
"O Allah, make us of those who learn, understand
and apply the true meanings of the shahadah,
ameen.
Forgive us were we fall short or
make mistakes, ameen. Bring us closer to you by Your Mercy and enter us into
Your Jannah, ameen."
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