Shahada
The testimony of faith — the first pillar of Islam
The Shahada
"Faith has over seventy branches … the most excellent of which is the declaration that there is no god but Allah, and the humblest of which is the removal of what is injurious from the path." — Sahih Muslim 35
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illa-llāh, wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan ʻabduhu wa rasūluh.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and Messenger. (Bukhari 8 — the five pillars; Muslim 26)
The two testimonies
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ
Lā ilāha illa-llāh
First testimony · Tawḥīd — A denial and an affirmation: it rejects every false object of worship — wealth, desire, idols, the ego — and affirms that worship belongs to Allah alone. "So know … that there is no deity except Allah." (Qur'an · Muhammad 47:19)
مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ
Muḥammadun rasūlu-llāh
Second testimony · Risālah — A pledge: to believe what he ﷺ conveyed, obey what he commanded, keep away from what he forbade, and worship Allah only in the way he taught. "He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah." (Qur'an · An-Nisa 4:80)
The seven conditions
- ◆Knowledge (ʻilm)Say it understanding its meaning — what it affirms and what it denies. Words on the tongue without understanding in the heart are a locked door. "So know … that there is no deity except Allah." (Qur'an · Muhammad 47:19)
- ◆Certainty (yaqīn)Say it with a heart free of doubt. "The believers are only the ones who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not." Certainty, not mere opinion, is what opens Paradise. (Qur'an · Al-Hujurat 49:15)
- ◆Acceptance (qabūl)Accept everything it requires with heart and tongue, rejecting no part of it. Of an arrogant people Allah said: "…when it was said to them, 'There is no deity but Allah,' were arrogant." (Qur'an · As-Saffat 37:35)
- ◆Submission (inqiyād)Surrender to it in action, not only in claim. "And whoever submits his face to Allah while he is a doer of good – then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold." (Qur'an · Luqman 31:22)
- ◆Truthfulness (ṣidq)Say it truthfully from within, never as a hypocrite. "There is none who testifies sincerely that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is his Apostle, except that Allah will save him from the Hell-fire." (Sahih al-Bukhari 128)
- ◆Sincerity (ikhlāṣ)Say it for Allah alone, cleansed of showing off and worldly gain. "The luckiest person who will have my intercession on the Day of Resurrection will be the one who said sincerely from the bottom of his heart 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.'" (Sahih al-Bukhari 99)
- ◆Love (maḥabbah)Love this word, what it means, and those who live by it. "But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah." Love is what turns duty into delight. (Qur'an · Al-Baqarah 2:165)
Declarations of faith
آمَنْتُ بِاللهِ كَمَا هُوَ بِأَسْمَائِهِ وَصِفَاتِهِ وَقَبِلْتُ جَمِيعَ أَحْكَامِهِ وَأَرْكَانِهِ
Āmantu billāhi kamā huwa bi-asmā'ihi wa ṣifātihi wa qabiltu jamīʻa aḥkāmihi wa arkānih.
Iman-e-Mujmal — faith in summary: I believe in Allah as He is, with His names and attributes, and I accept all His commands and pillars.
آمَنْتُ بِاللهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْقَدْرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ مِنَ اللهِ تَعَالَىٰ وَالْبَعْثِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ
Āmantu billāhi wa malā'ikatihi wa kutubihi wa rusulihi wal-yawmil-ākhiri wal-qadri khairihi wa sharrihi minallāhi taʻālā wal-baʻthi baʻdal-mawt.
Iman-e-Mufassal — faith in detail: I believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, destiny — its good and its bad being from Allah — and resurrection after death. These are the articles of faith the Prophet ﷺ named in the hadith of Jibril. (Sahih Muslim 8)
The six articles of Iman
"Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, the meeting with Him, His messengers, and to believe in the Resurrection" — and, in Muslim's wording, "in the Decree, its good and its evil." These are the six Jibril asked about. (Sahih al-Bukhari 50)
What every Muslim believes — the creed the Shahada opens onto.
- ◆1 · Belief in AllahTawhid — that Allah alone is the Lord and the only One worthy of worship, unique in His names and attributes, with no partner, no equal and no likeness. "Say: He is Allah, One." (Qur'an · Al-Ikhlas 112:1)
- ◆2 · Belief in the AngelsThat Allah created angels from light who never disobey Him — Jibril who brought the revelation, the guardians who record our deeds, and the rest. "All of them have believed in Allah and His angels." (Qur'an · Al-Baqarah 2:285)
- ◆3 · Belief in the BooksThat Allah revealed scriptures to guide mankind — the Scrolls of Ibrahim, the Tawrah, the Zabur, the Injil, and finally the Qur'an, which confirms and completes them all. Believe in "the Book He sent down and the Scripture before." (Qur'an · An-Nisa 4:136)
- ◆4 · Belief in the MessengersThat Allah sent prophets to every people — from Adam through Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa and Isa — sealed by Muhammad ﷺ. "We make no distinction between any of them," yet Muhammad ﷺ is the final Messenger. (Qur'an · Al-Baqarah 2:136)
- ◆5 · Belief in the Last DayThat this life ends, the dead are raised, and all are judged — Paradise for the believers, the Fire for those who rejected the truth. "The Hour is coming — no doubt about it — and Allah will resurrect those in the graves." (Qur'an · Al-Hajj 22:7)
- ◆6 · Belief in the Decree (Qadar)That Allah knows, has written, wills and creates all that comes to pass — its good and its hardship — with perfect wisdom. "Indeed, We created all things with predestination." Trust in Him replaces anxiety. (Qur'an · Al-Qamar 54:49)
The six kalimas
Each kalima with its transliteration, meaning and source.
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ
Lā ilāha illa-llāhu Muḥammadur rasūlu-llāh.
Kalima 1 · Ṭayyibah — the pure word: There is no god but Allah; Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah.
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illa-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan ʻabduhu wa rasūluh.
Kalima 2 · Shahādat — the testimony: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and Messenger. (Sahih Muslim 234)
سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ
Subḥāna-llāhi wal-ḥamdu lillāhi wa lā ilāha illa-llāhu wallāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāhil-ʻaliyyil-ʻaẓīm.
Kalima 3 · Tamjīd — the glorification: Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is Greatest; there is no power nor might except with Allah, the Most High, the Magnificent. Of "lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh" the Prophet ﷺ said: "it is one of the treasures of Paradise." (Sahih al-Bukhari 6384)
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Lā ilāha illa-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʻalā kulli shay'in qadīr.
Kalima 4 · Tawḥīd — the oneness: There is no god but Allah, alone without partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise; He gives life and death, and He has power over all things. Whoever says it a hundred times a day earns the reward of freeing ten slaves. (Sahih al-Bukhari 6403)
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ رَبِّي مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ أَذْنَبْتُهُ عَمْدًا أَوْ خَطَأً سِرًّا أَوْ عَلَانِيَةً وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ
Astaghfiru-llāha rabbī min kulli dhanbin adhnabtuhu ʻamdan aw khaṭa'an sirran aw ʻalāniyatan wa atūbu ilayh.
Kalima 5 · Astaghfār — seeking forgiveness: I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, for every sin I committed knowingly or unknowingly, secretly or openly, and I turn to Him in repentance.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ شَيْئًا وَأَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِهِ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لَا أَعْلَمُ بِهِ
Allāhumma innī aʻūdhu bika min an ushrika bika shay'an wa ana aʻlamu bih, wa astaghfiruka limā lā aʻlamu bih.
Kalima 6 · Radd-e-Kufr — rejecting disbelief: O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowingly associating anything with You, and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do not know. (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 716)
Virtues of the kalima
What a single word of truth weighs.
- ◆The card that outweighs the recordsNinety-nine scrolls of sins, each as far as the eye can see, are set against a single card that reads: "I testify to lā ilāha illallāh, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger." The card outweighs them all — "nothing is heavier than the Name of Allah." (Jamiʻ at-Tirmidhi 2639)
- ◆The last words"If anyone's last words are 'There is no god but Allah' he will enter Paradise." Live by it so it rests on your tongue when it matters most. (Sunan Abi Dawud 3116)
- ◆Dying upon it"He who died knowing (fully well) that there is no god but Allah entered Paradise." The knowledge of the heart, carried to the last breath. (Sahih Muslim 26)
- ◆A hundred times a dayWhoever says "lā ilāha illa-llāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamd, wa huwa ʻalā kulli shay'in qadīr" a hundred times has the reward of freeing ten slaves, a hundred good deeds recorded, a hundred sins erased, and a shield from Shaytan for that day. (Sahih al-Bukhari 6403)
- ◆The best remembrance"The best remembrance is: there is none worthy of worship except Allah (lā ilāha illallāh), and the best supplication is: all praise is due to Allah (al-ḥamdu lillāh)." The word that renews faith each time it is said. (Jamiʻ at-Tirmidhi 3383)
- ◆A clean slateWhen ʻAmr ibn al-ʻĀṣ was about to accept Islam he asked to be forgiven; the Prophet ﷺ told him: "Are you not aware of the fact that Islam wipes out all the previous (misdeeds)?" The shahada erases a lifetime of sin. (Sahih Muslim 121)
Becoming Muslim — taking the shahada
If your heart has found the truth, entering Islam is simple and immediate:
- ◆BelieveThat Allah alone deserves worship and Muhammad ﷺ is His final Messenger.
- ◆TestifySay it aloud: Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illa-llāh, wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu-llāh.
- ◆PurifyA full bath (ghusl) is recommended as a fresh start.
- ◆PrayLearn the salah step by step — Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.
Duas for a firm heart
The testimony asks to be guarded — ask the Turner of hearts.
يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَىٰ دِينِكَ
Yā muqalliba-l-qulūbi thabbit qalbī ʻalā dīnik
To keep the heart firm — O Turner of hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your religion. (Jamiʻ at-Tirmidhi 2140)
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً
Rabbanā lā tuzigh qulūbanā baʻda idh hadaytanā wa hab lanā min ladunka raḥmah
Against the heart swerving — Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. (Qur'an · Al ʻImran 3:8)
اللَّهُمَّ مُصَرِّفَ الْقُلُوبِ صَرِّفْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَىٰ طَاعَتِكَ
Allāhumma muṣarrifa-l-qulūbi ṣarrif qulūbanā ʻalā ṭāʻatik
Turn our hearts to obedience — O Allah, Turner of the hearts, turn our hearts to Your obedience. (Sahih Muslim 2654)