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The Syahadah
The verses below are called the syahadah.
لا إله إلا الله
Transliterarion: La ila ha illal lah
Translation: There is no other ila but Allah
محمد رسول الله
محمد رسول الله
Transliteration: Muhammadur Rasullullah
Translation: Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
It is fairly easy to embrace Islam; by testifying these verses with sincerity and conviction, even a life-long heathen or polytheist can become a Muslim. The condition is, however, that the person testifying the syahadah should have accepted concientiously and with full understanding the declaration of the Oneness of Allah and the Apostleship of the prophet Muhammad s.a.w. contained in it (Nomani, 1979). It is important to study the meaning and implications of the syahadah.
The Meaning and Implications of the Syahadah
The syahadah can be divided into two parts; لا إله إلا الله Transliteration: La ila ha illal lah Translation: There is no other ila but Allah. An ila is God or Godship, something which one regards as supernatural to submit to. In the first verse or kalimah, Muslims admit and submit that all other gods or godships are non-existent, the only God and Godship is Allah. The implications of this kalimah are many. The foremost is that it is the affirmation of the Unity or Oneness of God which is Allah. The kalimah begins with la ( لا ) which seals the existence of other gods or godships, and therefore in Islam if there exist other gods besides Allah, then it is a departure of its true teaching. This kalimah also implies that no one except Allah the Almighty is worthy of worship and obedience. Muslims are therefore not allowed to worship any other being except Allah and to offer their servitude only to Allah. By this it is also implied that all His commands and injunctions are strictly obeyed and faithfully caried out. By this kalimah it also means all other systems of life which do not conform and submit to Allah must be discarded and replaced by the deen of Allah. Therefore when one testify to the first kalimah of the syahadah, one agrees and submits to the unity of Allah, servitude to Allah, obeys and carries ou His injunctions, lives by the deen of Allah.
The second kalimah is محمد رسول اللهTransliteration: Muhammadur Rasullullah Translation: Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
...............to be continued
