Copyright

1his article was originally taken rom Al-Basheer magazine, January-lebruary, 1994.
Adapted rom the Islamic Network - www.islaam.net. 1his book is not copyrighted. Any or all
parts o this book may be used or educational purposes as long as the inormation used is not in
any way quoted out o context or used or proit.
1his material has been reiewed and orwarded or publishing and distribution by the Lnglish
language section o the Department o Islamic Resources.
lorm 4: 3015
Date: 9,1,1425
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2
1he Conditions
o
Laa Ilaaha ill-
Allah
by
Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo
3
Introduction
Lery Muslim knows that the key to Paradise is the statement,
1here is none worthy o worship except Allah.` \et too many
Muslims simply rely upon this statement and beliee that as long
as they hae made this statement, nothing will harm them. 1hey
think will be granted Paradise because o this mere erbal state-
ment o the Shahaadah.
1here is no question that the mere saying o, I bear witness that
there is none worthy o worship except Allah and I bear witness
that Muhammad is lis serant and messenger,` is not suicient
or salation. In act, the hypocrites used to make this statement
quite oten yet Allah describes them as liars and says that they
shall abide in the lowest abyss o the lell-ire.
As many scholars state, though, this statement or testimony is the
key to Paradise. 1he amous 1aabi'i
1
\ahb ibn Munabbih was
once asked,
Isn't the statement o laa ilaaha ill-Allah the key to Paradise` le
answered, \es, but eery key has ridges. I you come with the
key that has the right ridges, the door will open or you. \et i
you do not hae the right ridges the door will not open or you.`
1hat is, it is saying |while meeting| certain conditions. 1hese con-
ditions are what will dierentiate the person who will beneit
rom his making o that statement rom the one who will not
beneit rom that statement, no matter how many times a day he
may hae made that statements.
Beore discussing the conditions o the Shahaadah, there is one
more point that I eel compelled to make. 1hat is, some people
hae a tendency to take one hadeeth or one erse and then based
1
1aabi'I, pl. 1aabi'oon: Literally, ollower. 1he generation who succeeded
the Sahaabah, or Companions o the Prophet ,,.
4
on that one text, they will make some conclusion that, or exam-
ple, whoeer simply says, 1here is no God except Allah,` will
enter Paradise. But, actually, we should all realize that all o the
Qur'aan and ladeeth complement each other and explain one
another. 1o ind the correct position on any one question, one
must bring together all o the related erses and hadeeth and see
what the true Islamic position is o that question. 1he same is
true or the conditions o the shahaadah.
I we study the erses o the Qur'aan and the ladeeth o the
Prophet ,,, we will ind that the conditions o the shahaadah are
seen, eight or nine in number, depending on how we look at
them. It is important that all o us make sure that we are meeting
these conditions in our own lies and in our own testimony o
aith. \e must do our best to satisy these conditions beore it is
too late and our testimony will be no aail whatsoeer. It is not
simply or the sake o teaching these conditions. Indeed, there is
no beneit to that. But it is, instead, or all o us to look to our-
seles and to make sure that we are actually meeting these condi-
tions so that, by Allah's mercy, the doors to Paradise will be open
or us by our key o laa ilaaha ill-Allah.
5
1he Iirst Condition: Knowledge
1he first of these conditions is knowledge. 1hat is, one must
hae the basic and general knowledge o what is meant by the
shahaadah. One must understand what the shahaadah is airming
and what the shahaadah is denying. Allah says in the Qur'aan,
So know that there is no God save Allah, and ask for-
giveness for your sin.
|Surah Muhammad ,4,:19|
Similarly, the Prophet ,peace be upon him, said,
Whoever dies knowing that there is no one worthy of
worship except Allah shall enter Paradise. ,Recorded by
Muslim,
In act, the shahaadah itsel is a testimony. \hen one testiies to
something, one must know what it is that he is testiying concern-
ing. Obiously, a testimony about something that one does not
hae any knowledge about is absolutely unacceptable. Allah says
in the Qur'aan,
Save him who bears witness unto the truth knowingly.
|Surah az-Zukhru ,43,:86|
Now this condition probably sounds obious. I someone said to
you, 1here is no God except Allah,` and then said that what he
meant by Allah was Jesus, you would immediately tell him that
6
this shahaadah is nonsense. \et can you imagine that there is a
Muslim country in the world that until recently used to hae a
yearly week-long celebration to the Gods o the Sea`! All along
they call themseles Muslims and they make shahaadah numerous
times a day. 1his clearly shows that they hae no idea what the
meaning o their shahaadah is. Do you think that this kind o
shahaadah will open the doors to Paradise or them
1oday, there are many Muslims who wonder why we should not
accept secularism. 1hey think that there is nothing wrong with
secularism! Many o these Muslims pray ie times a day and utter
the shahaadah repeatedly. \et they see nothing wrong with ac-
cepting a Lawgier other than Allah \hat kind o shahaadah are
these people making
All o us do our best to learn at least the basics o Islamic belies.
1he basics o what shahaadah means. In this way, Allah willing,
we will be making the correct shahaadah. \e will be witnessing
to the truth as we are supposed to be witnesses to it.
7
1he Second Condition: Certainty
1he second condition of the shahaadah is certainty (or al-
yaqeen). 1his is the opposite o doubt and uncertainty. In Islam,
in act, any kind o doubt is equialent to Kur or disbelie. \e
must, in our hearts, be absolutely certain o the truth o the sha-
haadah. Our hearts must not be waering in any way when we
testiy to the truth o, 1here is none worthy o worship except
Allah.`
Allah describes the belieers in the Qur'aan as those who hae
belie in Allah and then their hearts waer not. Allah says,
1he (true) believers are those only who believe in Allah
and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive
with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah.
Such are the sincere.
|Surah al-lujurat ,49,:15|
Similarly, the Messenger o Allah ,, said,
No one meets Allah with the testimony that there is
none worthy of worship but Allah and I am the Messen-
ger of Allah, and he has no doubt about hat statement,
except that he will enter Paradise. ,Recorded by Muslim,
8
Indeed, Allah describes the hypocrites as those people whose
hearts are waering. lor example, Allah says,
1hey alone seek leave of thee (not to participate in ji-
had
2
) who believe not in Allah and the Last Day and
whose hearts feel doubt, so in their doubt they waver.
|Surah at-1awbah ,9,:45|
Many scholars hae stated that the diseases o the heart, or the
doubt and suspicions that one allows into one's heart, are more
dangerous or a person's aith than lusts and desires. 1his is be-
cause lusts and desires may be satisied at some time yet the per-
son still knows them to be wrong and he may control himsel and
repent and gie up that eil deed. On the other hand, the doubts
and suspicions may linger in the heart, with no cure, until the per-
son inally leaes Islam entirely or continues to practice Islam
while, in act, in his heart he does not hae the true aith.
1he greatest cure or these doubts is seeking knowledge. It is
through sound knowledge o the Qur'aan and the Sunnah that
most o these doubts will be remoed. By study and understand-
ing, one will attain certainty. And as one studies and learns more,
his certainty will be made irmer and irmer.
I will gie you just one example on this point. 1his is related to all
o the doubts, suspicions and misconceptions that are circulating
about the authenticity o the hadeeth literature. lor example,
some Muslims een claim that hadeeth were not recorded until at
least 200 years ater the death o the Prophet ,,. Indeed, there
2
Jihaad: lighting the disbelieers to raise the \ord o Allaah.
9
are Muslims who seem to hae a great deal o doubt about
hadeeth and are ery quick to reject hadeeth on that basis. But, in
act, i one actually takes the time to study the history and preser-
ation o hadeeth, one will immediately recognize that all those
claims and charges against the hadeeth are not based on anything
scientiic whatsoeer. 1hey are nothing but alse claims that come
rom Satan and which Muslims with poor understanding and
knowledge hae allowed to creep into their hearts.
Let me make one last point about this condition o certainty. As I
alluded to earlier, doubts and misconceptions are ery dangerous
or a person's aith. Doubt and waering are tantamount to apos-
tasy in Islam, as I mentioned earlier. lence, eery Muslim should
do best to saeguard himsel rom such doubts and remain away
rom the sources o doubts- especially i they are not well
grounded in the Islamic sciences and do not hae the knowledge
to reute such doubts and misconceptions. lence i a person has
an associate or riend, een i he be a Muslim riend, who is al-
ways making him doubt Allah or the religion, then he should re-
main away rom that person in order to saeguard his own relig-
ion. Many Muslims nowadays study courses on Islam taught by
Orientalists, and because o their weak background in Islamic
studies, they are inluenced by the nonsense that some o these
Orientalists are teaching in the name o science`.
Similarly, many brothers and sisters nowadays are spending hours
at a time with the computer news groups and bulletin boards. A
lot o nonsense and alsehood are posted on those news groups
and bulletin boards. Again, the one who is not ery knowledge-
able o his religion may easily be inluenced and aected by the
misconceptions and alse arguments that he reads in those bulle-
tin boards. le should remain away rom those things and get a
deeper knowledge o Islam through the authentic sources o the
religion.
10
Again, the greatest counterorce that can deeat doubts and mis-
conceptions, ater the bounty and guidance o Allah, is sound
knowledge and understanding o the religion. \hen a person has
that, he will not be aected by the weak arguments put out by the
enemies o Islam and he will be, Allah willing, rom among those
described in the Qur'aan,
It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves
that fear Allah.
|Surah al-laatir ,35,:28|
11
1he 1hird Condition: Acceptance
1he third condition of the shahaadah is acceptance (or al-
qabool). I a person has the knowledge o and certainty in the
shahaadah, this must be ollowed by acceptance, with the tongue
and heart, o whateer that shahaadah implies. \hoeer reuses
to accept the shahaadah and its implications, een i he knows
that it is true and certain about its truth, is a disbelieer. 1his re-
usal to accept is sometimes due to pride, eny or other reasons.
In any case, the shahaadah is not a true shahaadah without its un-
conditional acceptance.
1he scholars all talk about this condition as a general condition in
the way that I hae just stated. loweer, there is also a more de-
tailed aspect that we must all be aware o. 1he belieer accepts
whateer the implications o the shahaadah are. 1his also means
that he beliees in whateer is stated in the Qur'aan or stated by
the Prophet ,,, without any right to choose what he wants to
beliee and what he wants to reject. Allah says in the Qur'aan,
Do you believe in part of the book and reject part of it?
And what is the reward of those who do so save ignominy
in the life of the world, and on the Day of Resurrection
they will be consigned to the most grievous doom.
|Surah al-Baqarah ,2,:85|
12
1his is one aspect that the Muslims must be aware o. Although it
is not the same as the complete reusal to accept the truth, by re-
jecting part o the truth that has come rom Allah, one also ne-
gates his testimony o aith.
Unortunately, many Muslims are doing this nowadays in arious
ways. Although not all o these orms may necessarily be consid-
ered apostasy, they are still ery dangerous. lor example, i they
do not like what is stated in a erse in the Qur'aan, they simply
reinterpret the erse according to their liking. I they do not like
what is stated in a hadeeth, they simply state that the hadeeth
must not be authentic although they are not scholars in that area.
1his kind o behaior is the antithesis o the behaior o the true
Muslims. \hateer comes rom Allah and lis Messenger ,,,
the true Muslim beliees in as the truth. 1his goes hand in hand
with their testimony o aith.
13
1he Iourth Condition:
Submission and Compliance
1he fourth condition of shahaadah is submission and com-
pliance (or al-inqiyad). 1his implies the actual physical enact-
ment with our deeds o our shahaadah. In act, this is one o the
main meanings o the word Islam itsel, the submission to the
will and commands o Allah.` 1his is what Allah commands in
the Qur'aan,
1urn unto Him repentant, and surrender unto Him
|Surah az-Zumar ,39,:54|
Allah has praised those who submit to lis command by their ac-
tions. Allah says,
Who is better in religion than he who surrenders his
purpose to Allah while doing good.
|Surah an-Nisaa' ,4,:125,
Actually, Allah has clearly made it a condition o aith that one
submits to the command o Allah and lis Messenger. Allah says,
14
But nay, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until
they make you the Messenger of Allah judge of what is
in dispute between them and find within themselves no
dislike of which you decide, and submit with full submis-
sion.
|Surah an-Nisaa ,4,:65|
Unortunately, there are many claims that there is no relationship
between aith and deeds. \ou can een hear one Muslim saying
about another, 1hat is the best Muslim I hae eer met.` \et the
other person perorms scarcely any o the deeds o Islam whatso-
eer. 1his incorrect understanding o aith has spread throughout
the Muslim world.
Indeed, our shahaadah or testimony o aith must be imple-
mented in our hearts, tongues and actions. In our hearts, we must
hae loe or Allah, ear Allah and hope in lim. \ith our
tongues we must testiy to the shahaadah. And with our actions,
we must implement what the testimony o aith requires rom us.
Anyone who claims to be a Muslim and yet does no deeds, either
does not understand Islam whatsoeer or is bearing testimony
against himsel that his testimony o aith is not a true and correct
testimony o aith.
1his does not mean that the true belieer neer commits a sin.
Indeed, true belieers do commit sins. But as long as they recog-
nize that what they did is not correct and it is inconsistent with
their obligation o submitting to Allah, then they |hae not de-
15
stroyed| their testimony or shahaadah. But, do not orget, they
are still sinners.
And what is the minimum o submission that is required rom a
person beyond which there can be no claim to aith lor those
scholars who say that the abandonment o prayers is kur ,inidel-
ity,, it is the ie daily prayers. \hoeer does not perorm, at
least, the ie daily prayers has gone beyond the limit that is ac-
ceptable or lack o deeds. Allah knows best.
16
1he Iifth Condition: 1ruthfulness
1he fifth condition is truthfulness, as opposed to hypocrisy
and dishonesty. 1his means that when we say the shahaadah, we
are saying it honestly. \e actually mean it. \e are not lying when
it comes to our testimony o aith.
1he Prophet ,, said,
No one bears testimony to there being no one worth of
worship save Allah, sincerely from his heart, except that
Allah makes the Hell-fire forbidden for him. ,Recorded
by al-Bukhari and Muslim,
\e are all amiliar with those who say the testimony o aith yet
they are not saying it honestly. 1hey do not beliee in it but they
are simply saying it in order to protect themseles or to get some
gain rom doing so. 1hese are the hypocrites. Allah has described
them in the opening o the Qur'aan with the ollowing words,
And of mankind are some who say, We believe in Allah
and the Last Day,' when they believe not. 1hey think to
beguile Allah and those who believe, and they beguile
none save themselves, but they perceive not. In their
17
hearts is a disease, and Allah increases their disease. A
painful doom is theirs because they lie.
|Surah al-Baqarah ,2,:8-10|
Obiously, the shahaadah o those who become Muslim simply
to beneit rom being Muslim and not because they beliee in Is-
lam will be rejected by Allah in the lereater. 1hey will ace a
painul punishment due to their lying.
18
1he Sixth Condition: Sincerity
1he sixth condition is sincerity (or ikhlaas). 1hat is, when we
make the shahaadah, we must do so solely or the sake o Allah.
\e must not do it or any other reason. And we must not do it
or anyone else's sake. In this manner, the meaning o sincerity is
opposite o Shirk or ascribing partners with Allah. \e become
and remain Muslims solely or Allah's sake. Allah says in the
Qur'aan,
Worship Allah, making religion pure for him.
|Surah az-Zumar ,39,:2|
And Allah also says,
And they are ordained nothing else than to serve Allah,
keeping religion pure for Him, as men by nature upright
and to establish worship and to pay the poor-due. 1hat is
true religion.
|Surah al-Bayyinah ,98,:5|
And the Prophet ,, added,
Allah has forbidden for the Hell-fire anyone who says,
1here is no one worthy of worship except Allah,' and say
19
so desiring the face and pleasure of Allah. ,Recorded by
Muslim,
1his is something that we should |all| think about, but especially
those o us who grew up in Muslim amilies and were born Mus-
lim. \e should make it ery clear to ourseles that we are Mus-
lims only or the sake o Allah. \e are not Muslims or the sake
o our parents, riends, amily or community. It must be clear in
our minds that we are Muslims or the sake o Allah irst, last and
only.
One o the signs that we are Muslims or the sake o Allah is that
we do whateer Allah asks o us, regardless o what anybody else
desires or wants rom us. 1hat is, in the same way that we are
Muslims solely or the sake o Allah, all o our actions are done
or the sake o Allah.
loweer, sometimes one begins to wonder whether this condi-
tion is met by some people. Some people rom the Muslim world
practice Islam to the extent that it is pleasing to their amilies. I
there is anything in Islam that their amilies do not like- although
their amilies are Muslim and thereore they actually should like
all o Islam- then they do not practice that aspect o Islam. One
common example o that nature is mixing between men and
women. Sometimes a brother, here in the U.S., will not mix with
women and his wie will remain separate rom the men. \et,
when they return to their homes, because this is not pleasing to
their amilies who want to mix between men and women, they
easily, simply and happily compromise their religion or the sake
o their parents. 1hese people must sincerely ask themseles why
they are Muslims. Are they Muslims or the sake o their parents
and thereore whateer their parents like they will do and what-
eer their parents do not like they won't do Or are they Muslims
or the sake o Allah and thereore whateer Allah dislike they
will not do and whateer Allah is pleased with they do
20
1he Seventh Condition: Love
1he seventh condition is love. 1hat is, the belieer loes this
shahaadah, he loes in accordance with the shahaadah, he loes
the implications and requirements o the shahaadah and he loes
those who act and strie or the sake o this shahaadah. 1his is a
necessary condition o the shahaadah. I a person makes the sha-
haadah but does not loe the shahaadah and what it stands or,
then, in act, his aith is not complete. It is not the aith o a true
belieer. And i he loes something more than this shahaadah or
i he loes something more than Allah, then he has negated his
shahaadah. 1he true belieer, the one meeting the conditions o
the shahaadah puts no one whatsoeer as an equal to Allah in his
loe.
Allah says in the Qur'aan,
Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (ob-
jects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving
them with a love like (that which is due to) Allah only.
However, those who believe are stauncher in their love of
Allah.
|Surah al-Baqarah ,2,:165|
And elsewhere Allah says,
21
Say: If your fathers, or your sons, or your brethren, or
your wives, or your tribe, or the wealth you have ac-
quired, or merchandise for which you fear that there will
be no sale, or dwellings you desire are dearer to you than
Allah and His messenger and striving in His way: then
wait till Allah brings His command to pass. Allah guides
not wrongdoing folk.
|Surah at-1awbah ,9,:24|
1he Prophet ,, said,
Whoever has three characteristics has tasted the sweet-
ness of faith. 1he first of these is that he loves Allah and
His Messenger more than he loves anyone else... ,Re-
corded by al-Bukhari and Muslim,
1his is one o the most important aspects o Islam yet, or some
reason, it is missing rom the lies o many Muslims. 1hey act in
Islam as i Islam were a chore instead o doing things out o the
loe o Allah. \hen Allah orders us to do something, like bear
witness to the aith, we should realize that that thing is pleasing to
Allah and, thereore, out o our loe or Allah, we should be ery
pleased to do the acts that are pleasing to Allah. But, as I said,
this eeling is missing rom many, many Muslims today.
22
1he Lighth Condition:
Denial of All Other Deities
1he eighth condition of the shahaadah is that the person
who makes the shahaadah must deny every other object of
worship. Although that is clear in the words o the testimony o
aith, it does not seem clear to eeryone who makes that testi-
mony. 1hereore, I am mentioning it explicitly here.
In Surah al-Baqarah, Allah clearly reminds us o this important
aspect o the shahaadah, the shahaadah is not merely an airma-
tion but it is both and airmation and a negation. Allah states,
And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allah
has grasped a firm handhold which will never break.
|Surah al-Baqarah ,2,:256|
Perhaps the Prophet ,, made this point een clearer when he
said,
Whoever says there is no one worthy of worship except
Allah and denies whatever is worshipped besides Allah,
then his wealth and blood are protected and his account-
ing will be with Allah. ,Recorded by Muslim,
Although this condition should be obious to eeryone who says
the words o shahaadah, you can still ind Muslims who say the
shahaadah and then make acts o worship or beings or things
other than Allah. \ou will ind them going to the graeyards and
23
worshipping those in the graes. 1hey will perorm acts o wor-
ship, not or the sake o Allah, but or the sake o the dead
saints` in the grae. \hat kind o shahaadah hae these people
made Do you really think that their shahaadah will mean any-
thing on the Day o Judgment as long as they beliee that acts o
worship may be done or other than Allah
24
1he Ninth Condition:
Adherence to the Shahaadah until Death.
1he ninth condition of the shahaadah is that the Muslim
adheres to the shahaadah until he dies. 1his is must i the
shahaadah is to mean anything or you in the lereater. \ou can
not rest on your laurels o what you may hae done in the past.
No, indeed, the shahaadah must be your banner until your death.
1he Prophet ,, said,
A man spends a long time doing the deeds of the people
of Paradise and then he ends his deeds with the deeds of
the people of the Hell-fire. And a man spends a long time
doing the deeds of the people of the Hell-fire and then he
ends his deeds with the deeds of the people of Paradise.
,Recorded by Muslim,
In another hadeeth, the Prophet ,, said,
By the One whom there is no other God, one of you
does the actions of Paradise until there is just a handspan
between him and Paradise and then the book preor-
dainment overtakes him and he does the actions of the
people of Hell and he enters into it. ,Recorded by al-
Bukhari and Muslim,
And Allah says in the Qur'aan,
25
O believers, observe your duty to Allah with right obser-
vance, and die not save as Muslims surrendering your-
selves to Allah
|Surah Aali-'Imran ,3,102 |
26
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters, these are the conditions o the sha-
haadah. 1hese are the aspects o the shahaadah that each and
eery one o us should look to in ourseles and ask ourseles, Is
my shahaadah meeting those requirements Am I saying it sin-
cerely, honestly and out o loe or Allah Am I saying it based
on what it really means Am I denying all other alse objects o
worship...`
1hese questions we should ask ourseles now beore we meet
Allah. Allah willing, we shall ask ourseles these questions now
and we shall ind that we hae all the right answers or them. Or,
i we ind we hae some deiciency, we shall work to remoe that
deiciency. Such that, by Allah's mercy, in the lereater, our sha-
haadah will be the key to Paradise or us and the gates o Paradise
will swing wide open or us and we will be able to lie oreer in
the bounties o Paradise, with Allah being pleased with us.
Again, it is not simply a matter o knowing these conditions. In-
deed, one can meet many Muslims who hae these conditions
memorized, yet when one looks to their deeds and behaior, one
can see that these conditions hae no eect on them. 1his means,
in act, no matter how well he knows and can rattle o these
conditions, he, in act, is not ulilling them. In the lereater, his
knowledge o these conditions will be o no aail to him. Indeed,
his knowledge will be a proo against him as he clearly knows
what the conditions are that he must satisy yet he has shown that
he is not willing to satisy them in his lie.