What does the Shahaadah mean?
Posted by islamicbasics on July 11, 2007
Ash-hadu an la ilaaha illal-laah
Wa Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullaah
I Testify That There is No Deity Worthy of Worship Except Allaah
& That Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah
It is not correct to say that Laa ilaaha illallaah means “There is no god but Allaah” or “There is no creator but Allaah” or “no existing diety except Allaah”. These are all incorrect regarding the meaning of Laa ilaaha illallaah.
The pagan Arabs in the time of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alayhi was-sallam) worshipped idols, but they did not deny or reject the fact that Allaah existed and was the sole Creator, and the one who provides, and that He was the one who originates and controls affairs.
As Allaah informs us in the Quran in Souratu Luqman(31) verse 25]
And if you (O Muhammad) ask them: “Who has created the heavens and the earth,” they will certainly say: “Allâh.”
What they refused to accept was that all acts of worship should be for Allaah alone. They knew and understood that accepting Laa ilaaha illallaah (none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah) meant that they would have to stop worshipping their false gods and make all worship sincerely for Allaah only. This is why they said when the Prophet called them to the statement Laa ilaaha illallaah:
“Has he made the âlihah (gods) (all) into One Ilâh (God – Allâh). Verily, this is a curious thing!” [Saad:5]
So they were amazed and surprised with the idea of combining all the worship they devoted to their countless gods into one God, Allaah. The fact is that there are many deities that people take as gods for worship, whether they are idols, saints, prophets, angels, statues, animals, or trees. However, these are false gods that do not deserve to be worshipped. If we say that Laa ilaaha illallaah means “there is no god but Allaah” it does not negate the fact that worshiping other gods is false. There is only one TRUE God and He is Allaah (the one free from all imperfections, the Most High), and all other deities are false and thus have no right to be worshiped. As Allaah (the Mighty, the Majestic) said in His noble Book, what means::
That is because Allâh, He is the Truth, and that which they invoke besides Him is Al-Bâtil (falsehood, Satan and all other false deities); and that Allâh, He is the Most High, the Most Great. [Luqman:30]
tawheedfirst said
Wonderful beginning, mashaa’Allaah; may we strive to not only state the shahadah often and much but implement it by fulfilling its conditions.
May Allaah ta’ala make your blog a means of benefit for all those who visit it. Aameeen.
JazaakiAllaahu Khayr
Wa Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatu
Ibn Shahid said
Indeed, with posts dealing with the fundamentals of the religion, you will be able to benefit a larger audience inshaAllah, than if you were to post very specific detailed fiqh related topics. Those posts will benefit a very small number of individuals, those who have already grasped the fundamentals and the principles for understanding that detailed issue. As for most of the common people, the detailed issue will probably fly over their head or they might take that issue and understand it incorrectly because they have not yet grasped the fundamentals and principles of the religion.
We ask Allah to make your blog a means for people to be guided to Islaam first and foremost, and then to the correct understanding of the religion as understood and practiced by our pious predecessors (salaf us-saalih).