Section 2 Shahādah Declaration of Faith (الشَّهَادَة)

 

Section 1
Shahādah Declaration of Faith (الشَّهَادَة)

2.1 Meaning and Linguistic Origins of Shahādah

The term "Shahādah" (الشَّهَادَة) originates from the Arabic root sh-h-d (ش-ه-د), which means to witness, to testify, or to bear witness. In Islamic theology, it refers to bearing witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allāh and that Muḥammad ﷺ is His Messenger.

Arabic Formulation:

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ

Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan Rasūlullāh.

This declaration is both a verbal statement of belief and an entrance into Islam. Without it, no other pillar of Islam holds value. All schools of Islamic jurisprudence, including the Mālikī madhhab, unanimously agree on this foundation.

2.2 Qur’anic Foundations of Shahādah

The Shahādah is rooted in many verses of the Qur’ān. Among the most significant are:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ

“There is no deity but Him. He gives life and causes death.”

(Qur’ān, Al-A‘rāf 7:158)

شَهِدَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ قَآئِمًۭا بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ

“Allāh bears witness that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge upholding justice…”

(Qur’ān, Āl ʿImrān 3:18)

These verses affirm Tawḥīd (Oneness of God), the central belief of Islam. According to Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, a Mālikī scholar, belief in Tawḥīd is not merely verbal; it must be followed by action (Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Tamhīd, vol. 7, p. 147).

2.3 The Components of Shahādah

The Shahādah comprises two essential parts:

1. Lā ilāha illā Allāh (لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ)

   • Negation and Affirmation: First denies divinity to all except Allāh.

   • Emphasizes Tawḥīd al-Ulūhiyyah (Oneness of Worship)

2. Muḥammadur Rasūlullāh (مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ)

   • Affirmation of Muḥammad ﷺ as the final Messenger

   • Tied to obedience, love, and following the Sunnah

The Mālikī position, as expressed by Imām Mālik, emphasized that recognizing the prophethood of Muḥammad ﷺ includes full acceptance of his teachings and practices (al-Mudawwanah, vol. 1, p. 49).

2.4 Conditions of Shahādah in Mālikī Jurisprudence

Scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah, including the Mālikiyyah, have detailed the Shurūṭ al-Shahādah (conditions of the testimony) that make it valid and transformative:

1. ʿIlm (Knowledge) – Awareness of what the statement means

2. Yaqīn (Certainty) – No doubt in its truth

3. Iqān (Acceptance) – Willing submission to it

4. Inqiyād (Compliance) – Obedience in action

5. Ṣidq (Truthfulness) – Saying it with sincerity

6. Ikhlāṣ (Sincerity) – Doing it solely for Allāh

7. Maḥabbah (Love) – Love for the declaration and its implications

Imām Mālik said:

"Knowledge is a light that Allāh places in the heart, not just memorization."

(Quoted in Al-Dhahabī’s Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalā’, vol. 8)

2.5 Shahādah vs. Nifāq (Hypocrisy)

The Shahādah separates believers from non-believers. However, someone who utters it but denies its implications or refuses obedience may fall into hypocrisy (نفاق), which the Mālikīs classify as dangerous.

Qur’ān warns:

إِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقُونَ قَالُوا۟ نَشْهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُهُۥ ۙ وَٱللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ

“When the hypocrites come to you, they say: ‘We testify that you are indeed the Messenger of Allāh.’ But Allāh knows that you are His Messenger, and Allāh bears witness that the hypocrites are liars.”

(Qur’ān, Al-Munāfiqūn 63:1)

According to Mālikī commentators like Al-Qarāfī, mere speech is not enough; belief and internal submission are essential (al-Furūq, vol. 4, p. 23).

2.6 Takfīr and the Mālikī Restraint

One of the distinguishing characteristics of Mālikī thought is caution in takfīr (declaring someone as non-Muslim). Imām Mālik warned against quick judgments and emphasized public rejection of fundamentals before declaring disbelief.

Imām Mālik:

"If someone says something that has many meanings, and one is disbelief, do not declare him a disbeliever unless you investigate."

(al-Iʿtiṣām, al-Shāṭibī, vol. 2)

This principle reinforces that mere error in understanding does not invalidate the Shahādah unless clearly and intentionally manifest.

2.7 Mālikī View on Renewing the Shahādah

According to Mālikī scholars, although the Shahādah is sufficient once for entry into Islam, renewing it regularly is meritorious and a form of dhikr (remembrance of Allāh).

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"أَفْضَلُ الذِّكْرِ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ"

“The best remembrance is: Lā ilāha illā Allāh.”

(Tirmidhī, 3383; ḥasan)

Mālikīs hold that saying it often purifies the heart, reaffirms faith, and protects from forgetfulness (al-Risālah, Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī).

2.8 Spiritual and Social Implications

The Shahādah is not just creed it transforms life, law, and society.

• Spiritually: Connects one to divine Oneness

• Morally: Guides ethical behavior

• Legally: Foundation of worship, marriage, inheritance

• Socially: Unites Muslims under common purpose

The Mālikī legal tradition incorporates this principle in its Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (objectives of the law), where belief in Allāh and His Messenger is central to societal harmony.

📚 Reference

• Al-Dhahabī, M. (2001). Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalā’. Mu’assasat al-Risālah.

• Al-Qarāfī, A. (2001). Al-Furūq. Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah.

• Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, Y. (1995). Al-Tamhīd. Dār al-Fikr.

• Mālik ibn Anas. (1994). Al-Mudawwanah al-Kubrā. Dār al-Fikr.

• Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī. (2003). Al-Risālah. Dār al-Minhāj.

• Al-Shāṭibī, I. (1997). Al-Iʿtiṣām. Dār Ibn ʿAffān.