Shahadah

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(Tagged October 2005)

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See Shahada (India) for the Indian town called Shahada (in Maharashtra state).

The shahādah (الشهادة), or the Islamic creed, is the declaration of belief in the unity of God (Allah in Arabic) and the prophethood of Muhammad. Its recitation is considered one of the Five Pillars of Islam by Sunni Muslims. When sincerely stated aloud, one is considered to have officially declared oneself a convert to Islam.

Arabic text:
- لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
Romanization:
- Lā 'ilāha 'illā llāhu Muhammadur rasūlu llāhi.
English translations:
- There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God.
- There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.
- There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Some Shia Muslims add `Alīyun wali Allah (Ali is the vicegerent of God) at the end of the shahahda. This is not compulsory for Shi'a; it is a matter of personal choice, although most Ayatollahs say it is preferable to add it.

Honest recitation of the shahādah once, in Arabic, in front of two Muslim witnesses, is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim according to most traditional schools.

It is considered correct to refer to previous figures, such as Jesus (in Arabic, Isa) as Messengers (rasul), and some groups (notably certain Sufi mystics) will amend the declaration to mention prior prophets whose names are found in the Qur'an.^{[citation needed]}

Sometimes أشهد أن 'ašhadu 'an = "I assert that" is prefixed to each half of the Shahada.

Some of the relatively small minority, labelled the "Quran Alone Muslims" consider the second part of the Shahadah incorrect and say it should not include Muhammad's name.

Some Indonesian Muslims pray "Allah il Allah" when appealing for God's help. This is an altered form of the first part of the Shahada.

1 History
2 Flags
3 See also
4 External links

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History

One of the earliest surviving translations of the Shahadah into a foreign language is in Greek, from the reign of al-Walid I (86-96 AH, 705-715 AD): Ouk estin theos ei mē ho theos monos; Maamet apostolos theou.[1] "There is no god if not the single god; Muhammad is god's apostle", i.e. Allah is being translated as "the single god".

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Flags

Several country flags display the Shahadah:

the flag of Saudi Arabia, on a green background
the unrecognized state of Somaliland
from 1990 to 1992, the Islamic State of Afghanistan
from 1997 to 2001, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, under the rule of the Taliban
per the 2004 draft constitution for Afghanistan, white script centered on a red background

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