Shahada

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The Shahada (Template:Langx Script error: No such module "lang".; Script error: No such module "IPA"., 'the testimony'),[note 1] also transliterated as Shahadah, is an Islamic oath and creed, and one of the Five Pillars of Islam and part of the adhan. It reads: "I bear witness that there is no god but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." The Shahada declares belief in the oneness (Script error: No such module "lang".) of God and the acceptance of Muhammad as God's messenger. Some Shia Muslims also include a statement of belief in the Script error: No such module "lang". of Ali,[1] but they do not consider it as an obligatory part for converting to Islam.[2]

A single honest recitation of the Shahada is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim according to most traditional schools.[3]

Testimonies

The declaration reads:[4][5][6][7]

Template:Verse translation

Template:Verse translation

The above two statements are commonly prefaced by the phrase Script error: No such module "lang". (lit.Template:Thinsp'I bear witness that'), yielding the full form:

Template:Verse translation

Translation and significance

The Shahada is translated into English as: "There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God."[8] In English, capitalization of a word's initial letter indicates that it is a proper noun; that is, the name of a unique entity. If it is a noun with a lower case initial letter it is a "common noun"; that is a name which is not unique to an entity, but, instead, could apply to a number of members of a set.[9] The orthography of the translation therefore replicates the original Arabic meaning so that god is a common noun and God is a unique proper name.[10]

The noun Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".), from the verb Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "Lang".), from the root Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) meaning "to observe, witness, testify", translates as "testimony" in both the everyday and the legal senses.[11][note 2] The Islamic creed is also called, in the dual form, Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang"., literally "two testimonies"). The expression Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang"., "the Witness") is used in the Quran as one of the "titles of God".Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.

In Sunni Islam, the Shahada has two parts: Script error: No such module "lang". ("There is no deity except God"), and Script error: No such module "lang". ("Muhammad is the Messenger of God"),Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. which are sometimes referred to as the first Shahada and the second Shahada.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. The first statement of the Shahada is also known as the Script error: No such module "lang"..[15]

In Shia Islam, the Shahada also has an optional third part, a phrase concerning Ali, the first Shia imam and the fourth Rashidun caliph of Sunni Islam: Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "lang". Script error: No such module "IPA".), which translates to "Ali is the Script error: No such module "lang". of God".[1]

In the Quran, the first statement of the Shahada takes the form lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh twice (37:35, 47:19), and ʾallāhu lā ʾilāha ʾillā huwa (God, there is no deity but Him) much more often.[16] It appears in the shorter form lā ʾilāha ʾillā huwa (There is no deity but Him) in many places.[17] It appears in these forms about 30 times in the Quran. It is never attached with the second part, and any mention of Ali, who is particularly important to Shia Muslims, is absent from the Quran.[18]

Islam's monotheistic nature is reflected in the first sentence of the Shahada, which declares belief in the oneness of God and that he is the only entity truly worthy of worship.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. The second sentence of the Shahada indicates the means by which God has offered guidance to human beings.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. The verse reminds Muslims that they accept not only the prophecy of Muhammad but also the long line of prophets who preceded him.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. While the first part is seen as a cosmic truth, the second is specific to Islam, as it is understood that members of the older Abrahamic religions do not view Muhammad as one of their prophets.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.

The Shahada is a statement of both ritual and worship. In a well-known hadith, Muhammad defines Islam as witnessing that there is no deity but God and that Muhammad is God's Messenger, giving of alms (zakat), performing the ritual prayer (salah), fasting during the month of Ramadan (sawm), and making a pilgrimage to the Kaaba; the Five Pillars of Islam are inherent in this declaration of faith.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.

Recitation

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Sidebar/configuration' not found. Recitation of the Shahada is the most common statement of faith for Muslims. Sunnis,Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. Shia Twelvers, as well as Isma'ilis[19] consider it as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It is whispered by the father into the ear of a newborn child,Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. and it is whispered into the ear of a dying person.[20] The five canonical daily prayers each include a recitation of the Shahada.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. Recitation of the Shahada is also the only formal step in conversion to Islam.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.

This occasion often attracts witnesses and sometimes includes a celebration to welcome the converts into their new faith.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. In accordance with the central importance played by the notion of intention (Template:Langx, niyyah) in Islamic doctrine, the recitation of the Shahada must reflect understanding of its import and heartfelt sincerity.[21][22] Intention is what differentiates acts of devotion from mundane acts and a simple reading of the Shahada from invoking it as a ritual activity.[21][22]

Origin

Though the two statements of the Shahada are both present in the Quran (for instance, 37:35 and 48:29), they are not found there side by side as in the Shahada formula,Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. but are present in the hadiths.[23][24][25][26] Versions of both phrases began to appear on coins and in monumental architecture in the late seventh century, which suggests that it had not been officially established as a ritual statement of faith until then.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. An inscription in the Dome of the Rock (est. 692) in Jerusalem reads: "There is no deity but God alone; He has no partner with him; Muhammad is the Messenger of God".Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. Another variant appears on coins minted after the reign of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, the fifth Umayyad caliph: "Muhammad is the Servant of God and His messenger".Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.

Material evidence from the 690s documents the existence of differing versions of the Shahada in different regions as opposed to what would standardize into a uniform version in later periods.[27] Although it is not clear when the Shahada first came into common use among Muslims, it is clear that the sentiments it expresses were part of the Quran and Islamic doctrine from the earliest period.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.

In sects

Sufism

The Shahada has been traditionally recited in the Sufi ceremony of dhikr (Template:Langx, "remembrance"), a ritual that resembles mantras found in many other religious traditions.[28] During the ceremony, the Shahada may be repeated thousands of times, sometimes in the shortened form of the first phrase where the word Allah ("God") is replaced by huwa ("Him").[28] The chanting of the Shahada sometimes provides a rhythmic background for singing.[29]

Alawism

Due to the fact that the Alawites, an ethnoreligious sect of Islam, believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib, the "first Imam" in the Twelver school, as the physical manifestation of God and due to this, they don't take the shahada as other groups within Islam.[30][need quotation to verify][failed verification] Instead, they state the shahada as "there is no God but Ali" in accordance to their belief.[31][failed verification] Due to this and their belief in Ali as the physical manifestation of God, they weren't thought of as Muslims as it was considered idolatrous, this changed in 1932 when the Grand Mufti of Palestine, Amin al-Husseini: "issued a fatwa seeking to undermine the foundations of French colonialism" in French Syria by offering the Alawites "equal treatment in an independent Syria", according to Fabrice Balanche.[32][undue weight? – discuss]

In architecture and art

The Shahada appears as an architectural element in Islamic buildings around the world, such as those in Jerusalem, Cairo, and Istanbul.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.[33][34]

Late-medieval and Renaissance European art displays a fascination with Middle Eastern motifs in general and the Arabic script in particular, as indicated by its use, without concern for its content, in painting, architecture and book illustrations.[35][36]

Use on flags

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File:Hellenic War Museum Banners (27977335343).jpg
Ottoman Turkish regimental standards with Ottoman Turkish national flag

The Shahada is found on some Islamic flags. For example, Wahhabis have used the Shahada on their flags since the 18th century.[37] The Ottoman army often used verses from the Quran and Shahada on their flags. This tradition continued during the First World War. When Ottoman Turkey joined the war on the side of the Central Powers in 1914, it declared a jihad against the Entente States. The modern Ottoman Turkish army used the Ottoman state coat of arms on one side of their standard regimental flags and Shahada on the other. The Ottoman regimental flags consisted of gold writings and the state emblem on a red background. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, this practice continued for a while in modern Turkey.[38]

In 1902, Ibn Saud, leader of the House of Saud and the future founder of Saudi Arabia, added a sword to this flag.[37] The modern flag of Saudi Arabia was introduced in 1973.[39] The flag of Somaliland has a horizontal strip of green, white, and red with the Shahada inscribed in white on the green strip.[40]

The flag of Afghanistan under the Taliban is a white flag with the Shahada inscribed in black. The various jihadist black flags used by Islamic insurgents since the 2000s have often followed this example. The Shahada written on a green background has been used by supporters of Hamas since about 2000.[citation needed] The 2004 draft constitution of Afghanistan proposed a flag featuring the Shahada in white script centered on a red background. In 2006, the Islamic State of Iraq designed its flag using the Shahada phrase written in white on black background. The font used is supposedly similar to the font used as seal on the original letters written on Muhammad's behalf.[41]

Military flags with the Shahada

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National flags with the Shahada

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File:Offa king of Mercia 757 793 gold dinar copy of dinar of the Abassid Caliphate 774.jpg
 A mancus gold dinar of king Offa of Mercia, copied from the dinars of the Abbasid Caliphate (774); it includes the Arabic text: "Muhammad is the Messenger of God".
File:Kalema-tut-shahadat.jpg
 The Qibla of the Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir Billah in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo, showing the Shia shahada that ends with the phrase: Aliyyan Waliyyullah ("Ali is the vicegerent of God").
File:MIK - Schriftfliese.jpg
 The first phrase of the Shahada in kufic calligraphy (1309), Kashan, Iran.
File:The Mausoleum of Attar.jpg
 The Shia Shahada on the mausoleum of Attar of Nishapur, Iran. The first phrase is in white, the rest in blue.
File:Arabic Calligraphy at Wazir Khan Mosque2.jpg
 Tile panel in the Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan. The Shahada is on the top half of the panel.
File:Glaubenbekenntnis.jpg
 Shahada written in the style of a Mamluk tughra on the bottom right and in mirror image on bottom left.
File:Shahada.svg
 The Shahada written in square kufic script, shown as buildings topped with domes and minarets, with its mirror image on the left.
File:Kalema at Bab al Nasr, Fatimid Cairo.jpg
 Shia Shahadah at Bab al-Futuh/Bab al-Nasr, Fatimid Cairo, with the phrase: ʿAlīy walīy Allāh ("Ali is the vicegerent of God") at the end.

See also

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Terms

References

Notes

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  1. ^ Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang"., "the two testimonials"); also Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang"., "the testimonial word")
  2. ^ The related noun Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "Lang".), which is used in the Quran mainly in the sense "witness", has paralleled in its development the Greek Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) in that it may mean both "witness" and "martyr".[12][13] Similarly, Script error: No such module "lang". may also mean "martyrdom" although in modern Arabic the more commonly used word for "martyrdom" is another derivative of the same root, Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".).[14]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b The Later Mughals by William Irvine p. 130
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."When becoming a Muslim, is it essential to include 'Aliyyun waliullah' in the Kalima?". al-islam.org. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Illustrated Dictionary of the Muslim World. Marshall Cavendish. 2011. ISBN 978-0-7614-7929-1.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Malise Ruthven (January 2004). Historical Atlas of Islam. Harvard University Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-674-01385-8. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Richard C. Martín. Encyclopedia of Islam & the Muslim World. Granite Hill Publishers. p. 723. ISBN 978-0-02-865603-8.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Frederick Mathewson Denny (2006). An Introduction to Islam. Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 409. ISBN 978-0-13-183563-4. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mohammad, Noor (1985). "The Doctrine of Jihad: An Introduction". Journal of Law and Religion. 3 (2): 381–397. doi:10.2307/1051182. JSTOR 1051182. S2CID 159793899.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rippin, Andrew (2005). Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Routledge. p. 259. ISBN 978-0-415-34882-9.
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  12. ^ David Cook, Martyrdom (Shahada) Oxford Bibliographies . Template:Isbn.
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  16. ^ Nasr et al (2015). The Study Quran. HarperOne. p. 110. (Footnote 255)
  17. ^ Nasr et al (2015). The Study Quran. HarperOne. p. 1356. (Footnote 22)
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  23. ^ Sahih al-Bukhari 8
  24. ^ Sahih Muslim 8a
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  26. ^ Sahih Muslim 16c
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Sources

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