Shahadah (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

Meaning & Importance of Shahadah for Muslims

Importance of Shahadah

• Shahadah is the first of the Five Pillars for Sunni Muslims

• It is the Muslim declaration of faith. It is a statement of faith in Allah as the only God and in Muhammad (pbuh) as Allah’s prophet

• It is the foundation of Islamic faith

• The declaration is, ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Islam’

  • In Arabic it is ‘La ilaha illa Allah wa- Muhammad rasul Allah’

• These exact words are not in the Qur’an but come from verses such as, ‘Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him’ (Qur’an 3: 18)

• The first part of Shahadah entails the rejection of shirk and the acceptance of tawhid

• It is recited in Arabic on a daily basis during prayer, reminding a Muslim to submit to God, avoid shirk and develop taqwa

• There are many times within the life of a Muslim where the Shahadah is recited

  • Muslims recite this in front of Muslim witnesses to join the Muslim community

  • It is said when a baby is born, so the first thing they hear is the basic belief of the faith they are born into

  • It is included in the daily prayers

  • If possible, it becomes the last words of a Muslim before they die, so that it is the first and the last thing a person hears

• The Shahadah is the only obligatory act that isn't accompanied by an action

• It is the foundation for the other Four pillars for Sunni Muslims

  • The other pillars are the Shahadah put into practice

  • This also applies to the additional five Obligatory acts found in Shi’a Islam

Shahada for Shi’a and Sunni Muslims

• Although Shahadah is extremely important for both Shi’a and Sunni Muslims there are some distinct differences

  • In Shi’a Islam the Shahadah is not a separate Pillar

  • The declaration of faith for Shi’a Muslims has two additional statements relating to Ali as beloved of Allah and the rightful trustee and successor of Muhammad (pbuh)

  • Shi’a Muslims add ‘…and Ali is a friend of Allah’ to recognise his importance

  • This shows the Shi’a belief that Ali is the true successor of Muhammad (pbuh)