Shahadah (Declaration of Faith)
The first pillar of Islam: the testimony that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger.
Shahadah (Declaration of Faith) is the first and most fundamental pillar of Islam. It reads: "Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah" (I testify that there is no god except Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah). To utter this declaration with conviction is the entrance to Islam.
Shahadah is deeply connected to prayer. It is recited in the adhan (call to prayer), in the iqamah, and in the tashahhud (the declaration during the seated position in prayer). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Islam is built upon five pillars" and mentioned the shahadah as the first (Sahih al-Bukhari).
In Sunni theology, the shahadah is not merely a verbal utterance but a deep recognition that must be accompanied by knowledge ('ilm), conviction (yaqin), sincerity (ikhlas), truthfulness (sidq), love (mahabbah), submission (inqiyad), and acceptance (qabul). Imam al-Nawawi and other scholars have described these conditions in detail in their theological works.
Related terms
Ziyarah (Visitation Prayer)
Visitation and greeting to the Prophet, the Imams, and holy persons at their graves.
Salat al-Istisqa (Rain Prayer)
A special congregational prayer performed to ask Allah for rain during drought.
Salat al-Tasbih (The Prayer of Glorification)
A special voluntary prayer with 300 tasbih recitations, recommended for forgiveness of sins.
Jam' bayn al-Salatayn (Combining Prayers)
The Shia practice of praying Dhuhr and Asr together, and Maghrib and Isha together.
Ziyarat al-Jami'ah al-Kabirah
A comprehensive visitation prayer to all twelve Imams, taught by Imam Ali al-Hadi.
Muharram (The Sacred Month)
The first and one of the four sacred months in the Islamic calendar.