Shahada

 ( Five Pillars Of Islam ) 

The Shahada ( ; , 'the testimony'), also transliterated as Shahadah, is an 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 Ilah but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." The Shahada declares belief in the oneness () of God and the acceptance of Muhammad as God's messenger. Some Shia Islam also include a statement of belief in the of Ali, The Later Mughals by William Irvine p. 130 but they do not consider it as an obligatory part for converting to Islam. A single honest recitation of the Shahada is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim according to most traditional schools.

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The testimonies The declaration reads:

Malise Ruthven (2004). 9780674013858, Harvard University Press. . ISBN 9780674013858

Richard C. Martín9780028656038, Granite Hill Publishers. . ISBN 9780028656038

Frederick Mathewson Denny (2025). 9780131835634, Pearson Prentice Hall. . ISBN 9780131835634

The above two statements are commonly prefaced by the phrase (), yielding the full form:

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Translation and significance The Shahada can be translated into English as "There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God."

Andrew Rippin (2025). 9780415348829, Routledge. . ISBN 9780415348829

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.

Louise Cummings (2025). 9781108415774, Cambridge University Press. . ISBN 9781108415774

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.

Franklin D. Lewis (2025). 9780470674208, Wiley. . ISBN 9780470674208

The noun (شَهَادَة), from the verb ( شَهِدَ), from the root (ش-ه-د) meaning "to observe, witness, testify", translates as "testimony" in both the everyday and the legal senses. The Islamic creed is also called, in the dual form, (شَهَادَتَان, literally "two testimonies"). The expression (ٱلْشَّهِيد, "the Witness") is used in the Quran as one of the "titles of God".

In Sunni Islam, the Shahada has two parts: ("There is no deity except God"), and ("Muhammad is the Messenger of God"), which are sometimes referred to as the first Shahada and the second Shahada. The first statement of the Shahada is also known as the .

In Shia Islam, the Shahada also has an optional third part, a phrase concerning Ali, the first Shia imam and the fourth Rashidun of Sunni Islam: وَعَلِيٌّ وَلِيُّ ٱللَّٰهِ ( ), which translates to "Ali is the of God".

In the Quran, the first statement of the Shahadah takes the form lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh twice (, ), and ʾallāhu lā ʾilāha ʾillā huwa (God, there is no deity but Him) much more often.Nasr et al (2015). The Study Quran. HarperOne. p. 110. (Footnote 255) It appears in the shorter form lā ʾilāha ʾillā huwa (There is no deity but Him) in many places.Nasr et al (2015). The Study Quran. HarperOne. p. 1356. (Footnote 22) 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.Edip Yuksel, et al (2007). Quran: A Reformist Translation. Brainbrow Press. Footnote 3:18.

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. The second sentence of the Shahada indicates the means by which God has offered guidance to human beings. The verse reminds Muslims that they accept not only the prophecy of Muhammad but also the long line of prophets who preceded him. 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.

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 Salah, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and making a hajj to the Kaaba: the Five Pillars of Islam are inherent in this declaration of faith.

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Recitation Recitation of the Shahadah is the most common statement of faith for Muslims. Sunnis, Shia , as well as Isma'ilis consider it as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It is whispered by the father into the ear of a newborn child, and it is whispered into the ear of a dying person.

Azim Nanji (2025). 9780141920863, Penguin UK. . ISBN 9780141920863

The five canonical daily prayers each include a recitation of the Shahada. Recitation of the Shahada is also the only formal step in conversion to Islam. This occasion often attracts witnesses and sometimes includes a celebration to welcome the converts into their new faith. In accordance with the central importance played by the notion of intention (, niyyah) in Islamic doctrine, the recitation of the Shahada must reflect understanding of its import and heartfelt sincerity.

Andrew Rippin (2025). 9780415348881, Psychology Press. . ISBN 9780415348881

Ignác Goldziher (1981). 9780691100999, Princeton University Press. . ISBN 9780691100999

Intention is what differentiates acts of devotion from mundane acts and a simple reading of the Shahada from invoking it as a ritual activity.

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Origin

Though the two statements of the Shahada are both present in the Quran (for instance, and ), they are not found there side by side as in the Shahada formula, but are present in the Hadiths.Sahih al-Bukhari 8Sahih Muslim 8aJami` at-Tirmidhi 2609Sahih Muslim 16c 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. 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". 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". 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. 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.

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In Sufism

The Shahada has been traditionally recited in the Sufism ceremony of dhikr (, "remembrance"), a ritual that resembles mantras found in many other religious traditions.

Ian Richard Netton (2013). 9781135179601, Routledge. . ISBN 9781135179601

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"). The chanting of the Shahada sometimes provides a rhythmic background for singing.

Jonathan Holt Shannon (2025). 9780819567987, Wesleyan University Press. . ISBN 9780819567987

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In Alawism

Due to the fact that the Alawites, an ethnoreligious sect of Islam, believe that Ali, 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.

Mordechai Nisan (2025). 9780786413751, McFarland & Company, Inc.. ISBN 9780786413751

Instead, they state the shahada as "there is no God but Ali" in accordance to their belief.

(2025). 9781438109077, Infobase Publishing. ISBN 9781438109077

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 Idolatry, 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.

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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.

Doris Behrens-Abouseif (1989). 9789004096264, Brill. . ISBN 9789004096264

(1985). 9789004076112, Brill. . ISBN 9789004076112

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.

Eva Baer (2025). 9781472409911, Ashgate Publishing. . ISBN 9781472409911

Anna Contadini, Claire Norton (1989). 9789004089624, Brill. . ISBN 9789004089624

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Usage on flags

The Shahada is found on some Islamic flags. For an example Wahhabism have used the Shahada on their flags since the 18th century.

Firefly Books (2025). 9781552978139, Firefly Books. . ISBN 9781552978139

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 empire was abolished in 1922, this practice continued for a while in modern Turkey.

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

(2002). 9780313076961, Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313076961

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. 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.

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Military flags with the Shahada

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National flags with the Shahada

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Gallery

	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".
	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")
	The first phrase of the Shahada in kufic calligraphy (1309), Kashan, Iran
	The Shia Shahada on the mausoleum of Attar of Nishapur, Iran. The first phrase is in white, the rest in blue.
	Tile panel in the Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan. The Shahada is on the top half of the panel.
	Shahadas written in the style of a Mamluk tughra on the bottom right and in mirror image on bottom left
	The Shahada written in square Kufic script, shown as buildings topped with and , with its mirror image on the left
	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

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See also

• Adhan
• Aqidah
• Bismala
• Dhikr
• Glossary of Islam
• Iqama
• Peace be upon him
• Salawat
• Shema Yisrael
• Six Kalimas
• Takbir
• Tashahhud

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Notes

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Citations

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Sources

• Vincent J. Cornell (2025). 9780275987336, Greenwood Publishing Group. . ISBN 9780275987336
• James E. Lindsay (2025). 9780313322709, Greenwood Publishing Group. . ISBN 9780313322709
• Arthur J. Magida (2006). 9780520941717, University of California Press. . ISBN 9780520941717

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External links

• "The Shahadah as Truth and as Way". .

Categories: Five Pillars Of Islam, Islamic Creed, Shibboleths, Islamic Belief And Doctrine, Arabic Words And Phrases, Islamic Terminology, Religious Formulas, Dhikr, National Symbols Of Afghanistan, National Symbols Of Saudi Arabia, National Symbols Of Somaliland

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