Shahadah: The Muslim Testimony of Belief

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamualaikum Welcome to

the topic, shall we? Which, okay, I'm seeing as normal civilians here. So I guess you know, you know what it means but we'll we'll just iterate and clarify this is the interesting aspects to the understanding of the even the word what Shahada means. Now, the Shahada or shorthead, means you know, test vacation or testimony and we mean it in the in this time to be a testimony to the truth or justification to the truth. Interestingly, the Arabic word more controversially, perhaps, in this day and age, the Arabic word for Mata

also is related to the word Shahada. And it means basically to, to die testifying the truth, the English word martyr comes from the Greek word which also means exactly the same thing, which means testifying. So when you die, if you die as a martyr, under Christian traditional or under as a English word connotes, it means you die testifying to the truth of your beliefs and your ideas. So it was probably a term which came from the Bible and was adopted and the Bible being a Semitic book, Arabic being a Semitic language, there is a there is a connection.

So the what is the Islamic testimony or to the true for testimony of belief, and that is the law Muhammad Rasul Allah, which translates as, and depending on a number of translations as to what Illa could be translated as to give it for meaning. It can mean there is no God, except Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger, or is the messenger of God. It could also mean there is none worthy of worship, except Allah, Allah being the Arabic word for God. And again, if Muhammad is His Messenger,

the full Shahada

is actually called the Shahada 10, because it has two statements, not just a one. So Shahada would mean that either in the law and the second, the second testimony or second statement would be Mohammed or sola, so be the Shahada, 10 Shahada 10 means jewel in Arabic. So adding nine at the the end is from what if men have an Arabic language, so it means a jewel.

So, according to the Persian Arabic Marian soboba,

the what Allah means something that is worthy of worship comes from a root domain site that is a web of worship or something, which is,

is that the source to direct our reverence to an iteration to there is made discussions as to what the law means there are different discussions Some people say comes from the same word, such as will R, which means something that is protective over you or something, which is

Guardian over you, and so on. So there are different discussions, but the most

the most well known and the most widely accepted is that that means the one worthy of worship. And if we look at as an English translation now, so what does the worship? What would worship mean? Well, obviously we have in Arabic, the word

that we'll do, which is the root for for worship, which means basically, I think that is a good translation for the for the English, but in the English translation with worship means a feeling or expression of reverence, and adoration for a God, or to show reverence and adoration for God to worship. But worship doesn't mean just praying, or just having an emotion towards God, or holding God to be important

in Arabic Now, but it's very, it's a very interesting kind of a word because it's very similar to an avatar, you know, a bit, you know, to serve, to submit to and of course, with the Islam itself, comes from somebody who say comes from Islam, which means submission, and other say can also mean Salaam which means peace at the same time, but I would say that there's no reason why it couldn't have both those covenants associated with it. To submit is the basis of worship in in Islam. Why why submission is because we have freewill. That's why submission is important to us. Because if you did not have freewill then

submission is not is not really the most important concept because you don't have a choice whether to submit or not, it's not going to be the most important idea. So a rock doesn't have doesn't decide to submit to the natural laws of physics and chemistry wherever is made up of. It just simply is submit to the matter of course, is the most important thing for a rock. Obviously, rock doesn't really have things as authorities, but would be submitted naturally. But for us the message which is for us as human beings, which have the capacity for free will, is submission. And it's very important because our purpose in life is to submit to the will of the Creator who, who ordained for

us a natural law behind our creation errific in the universe submits all our spine to either so then, and follows a law full of certain regularity as anyone who study physics or chemistry or any of the physical sciences. No, no, no physical size, June's here.

If I said engineering or medical science, everyone put their hand up. No, yeah. Okay. All right, fine.

It was it was rough with those two references, and business management, not with us the third one, okay. So in the physical sciences, what you study is the regular

observations of things in the universe and the regular characteristics they behave the regular things they do, we call laws. That's how we get the the terms of law. So we did we did we say that the law of gravity is a law because we observe that between two masses in the universe, they will always and with regularity, attract towards each other anywhere in the universe. And so we call it a law. So everything in this universe follows follows a law. And as the Quran says, you know, that we not submit to God, when they are thinking universe submits to him everything in creation. So what is our law? What is the law again for us, and when we are given this law, will we submit to that and

when we submit to the law, when we have when we can do otherwise, because we have free will, and hence submission is the most key important aspect, for Muslim and for for humans, because that's our very purpose in life. If we didn't have any free world, then we would just be the aspect of creation that we see inanimate object or one of the animal objects, like a plant and so on, but we have freewill. And so this is this is fundamental to our importance to the to the fundamental to our purpose of life and why it's important, and so that the Shahada is the most important statement, a Muslim can make with belief and with sincerity. Now, before I get bit more into the significance

behind the statement, I want to break down a bit more about what the statement actually is saying. So when he says there is nothing worthy of worship, except Allah that Allah is the Arabic word for God, Arabic Christians and

Jews who speak Arabic will say Allah as well, with regards to God, if you even look at the Semitic languages, like Aramaic, which is a dialect of Hebrew, which people say was was popular around the time of Esau lace and amo Jesus is the Word for God is Allaha. On Hebrew, it's a law, but it's spelled exactly the same way which is a Hebrew characters lF, lamb lF, and ha, same, same spelling minus an extra L. The reason why there's not an extra L is because in the Arabic in Hebrew, they don't necessarily put two L's when you say l is this, you said you intone the L twice. In Arabic language. The word Allah came from a time before Arabic language had developed, what we call the

shutter, which you put up with the Arabic word which makes gives a letter double the sound. So you say it twice Allah. So before that was developed and that came after the Prophet came after the time, the prophet Mohammed Suleiman also them so during his time before that, when the word Allah obviously was used by the Arabs, they instead of to get the double l sound, they would put an extra L which is why Allah is some people say it's what I love is different, spelt differently, has an extra l than the, the other Semitic languages. I think in Syriac, it's Allaha, as well, is the same word for God. So it's just a common word for God used by all the people in the area which have

similar languages

now, so there is nothing worthy of worship except God. And Muhammad is His Messenger. Now, what do we mean by worship? As I said, it doesn't just refer to praying, it refers to submitting to your natural law and the purpose of your life. And that includes your characters, your behavior, the ideas you hold to be true, and the values you hold to be good and bad. All these aspects are incorporated. But there's something interesting because it begins with a negation in the gates or the Ilaha or the things which are worshipped except God. So then the question

Actually is what are the things could be worshipped except God? Well, obviously there are no other. There are no other gods except God, because God being infinite and unlimited. If there was another god, he would limit each other. And hence both of them wouldn't be God because the definition of God is son, which is infinite and unlimited in power and capability. So if there was two, they would fight with each other. And they would, and they befriend each other to be limited. And of course, the question would raise Why was there two? Or three or four? Why was there a number of them? So who created that number? You see, but if there's only one God, there's no requirement to ask the

question, why that particular number one, because one just means it exists. Whereas more than one means it's a figure to number, a plurality of them. And then you see a plurality of something of the same kind, you say, what was their common origin? So that's why they can only be one God. So then what are the things do humans worship? Well, it will only and can only be created things, things which are limited or finite, both conceptually whether they are real or imagined. So we know that the traditional week false idols we would say would be things like stone statues of particular deities, or gods which have a animal representation or human representation. So we know that the the

pagan Arabs, they believe that

they would deal with these free goddesses as Eilat, Manhattan alausa hope all as well was another pagan god. If we look at Hinduism, they have Vishnu, they have Krishna, they have

Brahma, not to be confused with Brahman, who they believe is at the transcendent origin, God who is infinite. But he apparently According to Hindu mythology, he made all these other sub gods who were all created. And Hindus will admit that in sub gods were created by a man who had no aspect and Brahman is not represented by any figure or deity. And so Hindus who want to worship Brahman, they can't do directly, I don't know why. And so they will use intercession intercessors, those who will intercede and dedicate to certain subjects such as fertility, or good health, or good or Good luck, or someone who is a protector against demons, or a whole number of other reasons or subject areas.

So humans will worship beings, they consider to be almost considered to be more than human or superhuman,

but are creative things and they have shaped form and physicalities. Now why is this wrong? it we can only be wrong, because the eternal God who is infinite, infinite means not finite? If something has a shape, and a form, this form and shape is a finite thing it can that's what shape is, it's a limiting, it's a limiting form, you have to mean two eyes or two ears. The question would be would raise the nose? Or why does Why does God need eyes, and ears or the organs or even particular shape? I mean, what point in his eternal existence, did he have a shape, and if and if he created a shape, the shape itself would be created, and it wouldn't be him.

And when we, when we use the word him, we don't mean that God is, is a male, it's just that in the Arabic language, you can't, you don't can't use the word it, it is an impersonal thing. And yet there's, there's no such thing as a third gender, you know, like a third, gender, gender. So he's just used as a to indicate that God has a will and is not a inanimate thing. But but but all Muslims understand that God is not male or female, male, female, only aspects of human reproduction, and have created things.

Now, all the other things people worship, they worship, within the realm of the superhuman category of things they believe, which are

not infinite in power, necessarily, but but more powerful than humans. So it would be angels, it would be saints who've attained some kind of spiritual derive power from God, and hence can be become intercessors in many mythologies, and so sub gods, sons of gods, sons of Zeus sons that you know, Hercules was the son of Zeus. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We asked the foreigners believe that Haile Selassie is a God and God incarnate or Son of God, and depending on how you want to interpret that

they worship humans who then say that they are God in the flesh, as avatars, or as incarnations of God. Of course, many of these humans they point to, in all the stories show typical human weaknesses such as ignorance, ability to die, and many other strings. I'll give you an example. So we see that even it was generated about Jesus in the New Testament in the Christian Bible,

that he said that no one knows the last hour so the last the last hour, no one knows the last hour, not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.

alone.

So Jesus admits that he's ignorant about when the last hour is. So the question we have to ask ourselves is, if Jesus God, how could he be ignorant on anything? is a very simple question. This isn't the New Testament. So, you know, a Christian wouldn't dispute the text.

So humans worship, and they make the and they pray to, or they obey the will, of what they believe to be the superhuman get created and finite creatures. And we would we not only consider this to be irrational, but also to be false idols. And in Islam, the concept we have a concept called shook, which most people would know what it means it means to associate partners.

There was that and it comes from the root just to make partners. So for example, in Arabic, we have a bit a type of competence, structure masataka is mean you can make sure to get God, it means that you just come into partnership with with someone to do business. So now putting partners to God. Obviously, humans can't physically or actually create a partner to God. But what they can do is they can treat something like it's a partner to God. And and treat it in derogation to God, or they treat this other thing and give it the same reverence, or believe it to be have the same power as, as God. And so they make pie even if they don't believe in God. But to say that something is is,

is basically equal to equal to what what should be God is to put partners to God.

And humans have Unfortunately, this tendency, that because human beings we strive I mean, the enlightened human being strive to get close to God.

But the ignorant human brings God close to himself.

And so they can't, so we can't see God. And so one of the the aims to strive as Muslims is to get close to God, not in actual power of physicality, but in submitting to him, and fulfilling our purpose as a creative being, that he which he made us, but yet others want to bring God close to them in order to have a relation, our relationship with God, it's not just one of submission, but one of love. One where we know that when we pray, God listens to us intimately, or the Quran says that God is closer to us, and I don't get a vain, very well known verse in the Quran. We don't need to see God to have a personal relationship with God. But there are some human beings who that's not

sufficient for them. Or maybe their understanding is so superficial about God that they don't feel satisfied with that kind of relationship. And they want to see God here. And then, of course, because God doesn't have an image. And of course, you can't see God in this life. They will make one and they will make one and it will come only from their own imagination. And this is where idol idol worship begins. In fact, I would dare argue, even from a anthropological basis, that all religions are most religions that we can see started off as monotheistic and my evidence I will I will pose it in that regard is that one we have by religions that we know were monotheistic and then became

corrupted we know for certainly a monotheistic stuff, we know that the the the Arab pagan Arabs, they were the descendants of Abraham, they used they themselves admitted that they were the sons of Abraham friar, by Ishmael. they retain the what Allah as the head, God of their of their Pantheon. And Allah was never represented by any statue or image in the Kaaba, which was considered to be

a temple to go to one of the first temples to God,

built by men, so they didn't represent me image. But over time, they added images made images made statues out of according to one, some assignment, narrations, states, there were certain saints are very pious and holy men who became revered, then they passed away, and people would make intercession to them. And but of course, they couldn't see the saints. And so they start to make stone statues of them in order to have something that they could see and say, this is just a representation, like artwork, just an artwork of the saint can image like, like we'd have a photo today in this day and age. And it just helps us in visualize the person while we make intercession

to them. And we pray to that person. Because that person we know is close to God because he was so pious, that he that he will grow will ask God to grant us our supplication of prayer. And over and over many times over time, then they just started to pray directly to the person and miss out the bit about asking us God on our behalf. And then it just became asking that I do itself directly to to to grant the wish. Now we that's where that's what was said about the pagan Arabs and how their religion which site that monotheistic became

polytheistic but I could also pose it Catholicism, which we know we have much better historical records for. Catholicism started out with no stone statues, no idols at all whatsoever. And over time, there were many Catholic saints came about, they passed away, they were venerated by the Catholic Church, and then soon, including Marissa and and Esau Islam, with reference to these figures, they make statues of these religious figures, and then people still would pray directly to the statues, as if these statues were the living the people that they meant to be representing. And over time, people made supplications, to these statues of saints, or Mary, or Jesus, and to the to

the point now that now they just pray directly to them, and to ask if you listen to their prayers, and please, you know, find this out for yourself, because I'm just making an assertion here. But but to find out yourself, if you just study the actual supplications, they don't say, ask God on your, on my behalf to grant me this, they will, they will say this, St. Thomas, St. Peter,

St. JOHN of songs off of Grammy, Grammy x, y and Zed Grammy victory of my name is Grant me good business, let me hold number of things, that they would pray straight to me every now. And now. We even called Mary Mary olive tree in some by some other Christian sects who are against that, or who criticize the Catholic Church. But look how the catholic church started from a point where they had no statues or not have anything they would pray to then start out with Jesus, then Mary, and now a whole pantheon of saints over time, and just last century, I think, under pope john paul the second, it would there was decreed that, because Mary had what they consider to be the Holy Spirit, who they

say is also an aspect of God, we would say the Holy Spirit was referring to Angel Gabriel, but they say it's an aspect of God, that because that Mary had the Holy Spirit coming to her and give her life of which is Jesus, she and the Holy Spirit's will, are one. And so she can be prayed to as the same as the Holy Spirit. And so quite literally, it would be that it would be the God,

Jesus and his mother. And just last century, it was the Cree interesting in the Quran talks about saying, our partner Mary and her son were set up as partners towards God, now it's become even more true, the Quran has become even more true. Now, just last century, this is this actual official declaration. So humans, unfortunately, we weren't that we'd like to worship artworks. And literally, it would seem to make God close to us, instead of us getting closer to God in terms of piety and righteousness.

So anything prophets, of course, who have done miracles are included in in the superhuman category, they say these miracles become attributes of the Prophet themselves, become the superhuman power, and they are worshipped along alongside of angels, alongside saints, alongside a great many others. And of course, you just have ones which are made up from from fiction, such as monkey gods, or dog headed gods or Cerebus, the three headed dog of Hades, and so on, so forth, which obviously comes from creatures that we humans cnsa, get God put the creatures head on it, that's another god. So that's a propensity of some humans, but there are other as there are other kinds of elf. There are

other kinds of idols that are worshipped, that can also cross include leaders, political leaders, some people, they show reverence to a leader so much, that they will do what the leader says over what their, what their moral conscience says, according to Islam, this is making them your Illa you're making them Europe, in Arabic. For those who don't speak it. It means obviously Illa one that's really worship, and Rob, which means a master, or something that you submit to and follow as you as his servant.

And we see this from the discourses of the Prophet Mohammed salaam, salaam. And he, he, he recited a verse of Quran, where it said that there were people amongst the Jews and amongst the Christians before, who made their priests and rabbis, Masters over them and I think I believe it was a Sahaba Haider Rumi, who was Roman and we used to be a Christian who said yes Allah we didn't used to I mean, how can this be we didn't worship them. And if it didn't they make the halal haram and haram holiday they make what was what was commanded by God forbidden, what was forbidden by God allowed and you follow them said yes, then you have made them the Masters, you've made them proper. You've

made them in essence, you've made them like gods, because only God is the arbiter of right and wrong. And if anyone says something, which is against what God says then he has made himself the sovereign and ultimate, a rival arbitrarily

what is right and wrong and this is also a false ILA, or we call it a toehold. Maybe it is a bit of it means false either in one word.

People might make an idol out of their country, out of their, out of the love of their country, and it behaves, nationalism or patriotism behaves just like a religion. It has symbols, the flag, it has hymns, national anthem, which people show reverence to, even by themselves, like someone's watching.

They, they, they say, I have to be grateful for my country. It gave me It gave birth to me, it fed me, it nurtured me, it protected me, it it guided me.

These are all descriptions of how I lost bonds, other deals of his creation, and we are now scribing it to a country so people say my eternal country eternal, a country that turtle I only heard of one of one that is a turn on isn't the country. So we see that. And certainly, when a country says that something's in national interest of that country, and people will follow it against what they know is right, they've made their country or national interest or that nation, erupt in derogation and to God. And this is this is National, of course, like any religion, they are the high priests of, of the nation, our politicians, and the politicians always telling people what is right and wrong, what

is the British thing to do? What is a French thing to do? What is the American thing to do, and when they say that you have to hold our values higher than your own religious values or you have to adapt your religion to fit our country, they are then asking you to make them the Illa in derogation to God as and so on. So, when. So at the time the solar system when he was seeing the worship of idols, when he was seeing that the prophet of previous revelation Jesus la Salaam is worshipped as a God, when you when you saw that the Persian Emperor, which was a very powerful statement of bordering the most of the Arab lands, declared himself to be an incarnation of God or a or a god Emperor, when we

see that they were tyrannical kings who were doing things against the teachings of scriptures, even though they were Christian, they're going against the teachings of God. In the scriptures, there was many Illa at that time, at the end. So Islam came to this world filled with idols, filled with fake false deities. It came with a simple message, there is all these things are false, there is no other deity no Illa, except Allah. It was a reminder to mankind, set them back upon the religion of Abraham and the religion of Adam alayhis salam, the first man.

And of course, the second, the second statement in the Shahada, 10, which is Mohammed Rasul Allah, is that once you accept that Allah is the basis the center of your existence, your purpose of life, then how, how are you going to know his will? How are you going to know what he says? Well, he command and you can only know this via messengers, via message. We're not all inspired with with, with revelation, we were born, we have to be educated. We, if no one even taught us language, we wouldn't develop it ourselves. So everything about humans has to be taught to them every item of knowledge, every atom of knowledge about humans has to be taught, or they have to discover it from

observing the world around them. When humans are not born of innate knowledge, by answering to what to do.

Bees seem to know what to do, but we don't seem to know what to do. So then we need we are deficient. We are in need of guidance and Revelation. And people say that, well, I don't need to be told that that say murder is bad. I just know it. Why don't need to be told a whole lot of people are bad. I just know it. So is that really innate? If I if I had a time machine and went back to the childhood, anyone ever says that, there'd be a point in their childhood, they they hit another child, and we're completely remorseless. And their parents came up to them and said, That's bad. shouldn't do that. How should I give you someone hit you, and or give them a slap? And then they

would then associate that in their brain with saying that was bad. And then they would remember the association. So that when the into adolescence, for them, it would be like it was innate, it felt like it was innate, even though when they were young, they had to be taught not to punch their brother or sister, and not to slap them or or pinch them and so on. So

so as humans, it's not necessarily innate. And if it wasn't, then how do we see so many people doing so many bad things, and they say it was necessary. Whereas Revelation tells us that you do good and hope in Allah because Allah has promised us that he will

Give us the success by sticking to doing good. I'll give you an example, an example. So people say that was the CIA torture report. And they said, they did a poll of Americans, most Americans actually supported doing torture to save lives, they said, and the only people who argue against it, and the argument says, do you want to say that it was wrong to torture, because we don't know if it will be successful doing so we don't know if it will lead to the results we want it to. So really, so torture is okay. If I could show you that it actually leads to successful results, that it would it would stop killing. So we see that morality is based on what isn't necessary, or what you think,

will get you the results you need. People will do bad deeds all the time. And this is why you see walls, why you see a whole bunch of many more actions. And everyone says, we did it because it was necessary. Revelation is actually counterintuitive. It tells you to do something that actually gives you this advantage. I mean, to go out in life and not lie on your CV, do you think you'll have an advantage against those who do lie on their CV? No, you won't, you'll be at a disadvantage. Right? But Allah, Allah tells us to be to be truthful. And maybe also, it will encourage you to excel even more than other people to actually derive what is true in your CV, that equals other people's lies,

you know, as in, they have to lie about something, but you actually did it. And that maybe encouraged us to excel actually, which is, initially it's counterintuitive, because why go through the effort of achieving and you can just lie about it. And if no one can check, then it will save you energy and effort. I mean, rationally, if you save your energy and effort, then you know, instead of wasting time just lie about it. If they can't, if you're a new employee won't be able to find out then you might as well. However, Islam says that's wrong, it's counterintuitive. You say no, you have to take that time to do good. And then you can show it on your CV, for example, that

was just one of many, many examples, but I'm going to show you one that's more personal to you, students, because soon you'll be applying for work.

So the the second part of the Shahada 10. To accept the Rasulullah as a messenger of God, is very important. Because once we accept that we need messengers from God need us give us guidance. And some sometimes we can do bad things, even with good intentions. Some of my thing that interest banking is is a good system to encourage investment. And yet we see it creates concentration of wealth, yet there's no alternative. They don't know a better alternative. And yet Islam for the crown says forbids interest and permits trading as

the Quran. And there's a whole economic system that gives us guidance of how actually to achieve justice. People will blame the recession in the economic system, the recurring recessions and economic system as on evil bankers, but most of the bankers, I don't think they're evil. I don't think they wake up in the morning saying, Yes, let's go and, you know, you know, kind of take money from the system and to have a detriment. No, they don't think that for them. They just think, look, I have what's permitted in this culture, what's not permitted. So as long as I stay within the law, and I make as much money as I can, within the law, that's fine. They just do what they're meant to

be what they're meant to be doing as what they think they're meant to be doing. And get the system itself is the one that causes the injustice, not actually people's bad intentions, or people's being evil. Most people think they were there was a Christian saying, which is the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Obviously, we don't we don't believe that good intentions get into hell. But it but I think what it means to show is that a lot of evil actions, which are evil, are done by people who actually just thought they were doing good. And as the Quran says that shaytan makes the actions were people pleasing to themselves, as well. So many people think what they're doing is

fine, is good, and it's been is pleasing, and yet it is bad. So what do we need a messenger from God. And in order to get a message we have to accept when that when a messenger does come from God. And, you know, if you don't accept a message that comes from God, once he's showing you his credentials, which would it could be

God's signature, in essence, which is miracles, miracles are God's signature, because it miracles in Arabic, it just means something that can't be imitated. imitate by creative beings, or limited being, of course, so if something can be done, which can't be imitated, like bringing the dead back to life, or parting of the Red Sea, or you know, making a steak actually turn into a snake, a real living snake, or with the solar system, obviously healing and I'd have been shot with an arrow by just a touch of splitting the moon but the more potent miracle is creating a book in sorry, revealing and showing people a book, in Arabic language of which has produced more meaning than per

unit text than any other text in human history can ever produce. And more than you can rationally think possible with a book that can only come from God and is a signature of God and a central show the credentials that messenger if you don't accept them,

And john, you have rejected God as well. Because if someone if you if you're working politics and an ambassador from another country comes to you, and you reject the ambassador, you don't you don't listen to that person where you from out the country you have rejected the country which sent him or sent her. So if you reject any profit and even not just the Prophet Mohammed but any Prophet Jesus, Moses, Noah and so on and so forth, then you have rejected God.

Now,

the message of La ilaha illa Allah

is not a new message. The first part the second part of the which is that Mohammed Rasul Allah, obviously is new

from the outcome of the Prophet Mohammed before that it would be Jesus and before that, obviously, ultimately Moses, Abraham and so on so forth. So prophet the we believe God has said many prophets of which Mohammed Mohammed Salaam Salaam is the latest and the last of them. But the message of La ilaha illAllah, has been an internal and constant message, which has been centered too many too many profits, or profits throughout history, all messengers, we see the Quran says, God's saying, and we have we said, not before you any messenger, except me revealed to him that there is no

god worthy of worship, except me. So worship Me, says, This is what God has said, we believe in the Quran.

So this is the Shahada 10. And it's not just as simple. As I said, when you look at Illa, the idea of the law, and the concept that election means anything in your life, it could be your coach that you've made your god it could be your your family, it could be your father or your mother, depending on if you follow them over and above your moral conscience. For example, it could be your nation, it could be statues, it could be a whole number of anthropomorphic deities, which have been imagined in the minds of man, anything can be made Illa. So once you have removed all these things in your life, then what you will find that you'll find that how do you live, and this question can only be

answered by what is left, which is our last part, Allah, which will guide every single aspect of your life, not just how you will, how you pray, or when you pray, if it's a Christian, you know, once once every week or so, or Muslim five times a day, but rather what you do in between the prayers, how you relate to your family, how you relate to your fellow human beings, how you, you do your business, how you feed yourself, how you treat your kids and your wife or your husband. So we see that your entire life, of course, we have to revolve around your purpose of life, your purpose of life has a complete and total effect on your understanding of the affairs of life, purpose, and

the affairs of that there's going to have to be a link there. Now, many people say that your faith is just a personal thing only for your heart. Your faith is only individual to you. This is actually a very modern Western understanding. It's a very secular and liberal understanding. And it's very recent as well. And it's actually incorrect is based on Western individualism, where everyone's an individual should keep with your beliefs about yourself. But it's very interesting because in Islam, the Shahada obligation can only be satisfied by open testimony

by testifying, Shahada to testify, you go to court, you don't say someone asked you Did you see the defendant in question on my mentioned, I keep it to myself, it's just I have I

have not I have to keep to myself, no, you have to testify otherwise you're not coming to the court to testify. And this is the obligation why is because even those who reject for those who reject faith, not to reject faith, you have to know it is true. And even then we what we believe is that the demons devils are what we call shake hands with us deep Shia teen in Arabic, even they know that God exists on the show, he believes or Lucifer would probably be the best translation if you want to find someone in the Bible to be to explain his concept nary. A Blitz knows God exists.

So then any please know that there's no one word of worship except God. And he believes knows that. Mohammed Solanas is the rasulillah. So why is he a renegade? Why is he a disbeliever? Why? Because he has chosen to profess otherwise and chosen to do otherwise. So faith isn't only in the heart, it must be manifested by actions. Well, the very minimum, the bare minimum is your testimony. Of course there is an exemption to that because Allah is merciful. If you're in a society, whereby people will put a gun to your head and say if you're Muslim, or if you testified, this we will kill you.

You can choose to still testify and die Shaheed die testifying to the truth, or because God knows that human hearts are weak in that particular scenario. God has given us a merciful exemption. The Quran says that he knows what's in your hearts, he knows that you were prevented from testifying, because because of obviously of, of fear of death. So only in that only in that situation is, is there an exemption but

Unless you're not in a obviously homicidally intolerant society, you have the obligation to testify in order to complete your Shahada. just believing in it is not sufficient, you have to testify it.

Now, just kind of, to round up, that Shahada doesn't just end your obligations in Islam, it begins them, it starts then you make the testimony, this is a statement of intent. It's like if you form a if you write a contract, you read the contract, you sign it, which means you testify that you're going to oblige by the contract, the contract is a promise, all contracts are promises, that's what they are, in essence, a promise of what you what you believe, or what you want to you believe you're going to undertake, or what you desire to undertake what you will undertake. So the Shahada is your your I would say it's your second signing of the contract, because according to the Quran, we were

all presented before our last month, Allah before the world was, Allah asked us whether we will explain what voluntarily accept the test of this life, and the commitment of the freedom to make the choice, but also the test and the repercussions and we accepted it. Nothing in creation would do that. But we accepted it. So we saw it so often, Allah didn't just make us without, and gave us a test of our choice. He actually asked us, we affirmed it at the beginning. And I would say this Shahada is your second affirmation of this? And is you signed that contract again, and saying, Yes, I declare this. Now that will generally as as the basic minimum, once you testify, and you truly

believe it with sincerity in your heart, this will ultimately save you on the Day of Judgment, from punishment, because this is the first thing you've done, you've accepted God's God, you have submitted to him by in your statement of intent. And now the rest is a matter of degrees, how much you submit to God, whether you submit to God fully, whether you have aspects in yourself, which you have to work on, however, if any, but however, just saying that is not in itself sufficient if you reject anything else, which So for example, if you accept part of the Quran, you reject other parts of the Quran, or you don't like what it says, then you have actually invalidated your Shahada. So

then you should have said, false falsely or insincerely. So really, as Muslims, the object of our life, is to validate our Shahada. That is the purpose and objective of our life is to validate to show that we meant it and we shall we say every single day. There was a statement by

a being Timmy if you said that

he renews his Islam he says he Shahada every day because till you know till that point, he never ever considered himself to be a good Muslim. Right now doesn't mean he was he was a person that not horrible things are nasty things per se. But because of the sinful nature inside human beings must a sinful nature. I don't mean that we're actually sorry. I don't mean by the Christian understanding of that irredeemably I mean, I mean that we are this, we're not perfect. And there'll be aspects in our heart, which will motivate us to do sometimes bad things against what we know better. As long as we affirm that these were wrong, we are saved. But we did that wrong.

We are going to be held accountable for the things that we've done. And if you go if you go to your deathbed, unrepentant of of the bad deeds you have done, then God can hold you to account for those bad deeds and make you pay. Pay for those bad deeds for the sake of justice against other people or against him. If you have disregarded what Allah said, if you've lied, cheated stone you've murdered and you haven't truly, truly repented. And God can forgive all sins, depending on your the actual sincerity of your repentance, not like saying, I can do a bad thing just after getting some let off, I can do it again. No, because that's not sincere repentance, you have to sincerely repent. However,

if you do not repent, then Allah Subhana Allah will hold you accountable for that. So as Muslims, we have to validate spend our life validating the Shahada. And, of course, we have to enter the Shahada, from that springs for all the obligations, you say that the Prophet is the result of law, then show it, listen to his message, follow them, as you say, there's not the law, show it, reject the other law and make it your only alarm in your life. And that is the Shahada. And why do we say that the shot is one of the five pillars of Islam? Because the five pillars of Islam obviously, it's the is the Shahada, it's the prayer or that the salon Arabic obviously is the is the card, which is

the charity, we pay all the rich tax now it will look like that. The fasting, as well as, of course to have the pilgrimage. Why do we say these along with the sun has five pillars? Where does it come from? And the reason why we say someone's five pillars, even though we know it

Islam is bigger than those five pillars, it's much more than those five years. Why is because although that Islam commands things like being juphal, to your wife, or your husband or to your father, to your mother, being a good parent to your son or your daughter, being a good neighbor, helping the poor to do a number of things, although these other things are there, these are all contingent based on your situation. Maybe if you don't, you know, if you don't have a parents anymore, then that obligation, it can be fun if you live out if you're better when you don't have any neighbors there was a better one that came to prefer Mohammed That's awesome. Ask would you come

on we do. And, and the five pillars will narrate to that person, that person and the better one said, I don't have to do more or less than these things. And the Prophet said, Well, if this person fulfills, is true to what he said, then he will be saved.

The breadwinner lives as a nomad out and does it by himself. No society, no one around, there's no obligation to neighbor or obligation to your parents or any of these other aspects. But wherever you are, you have to testify the Shahada, or live by the Shahada, you have to pray, if you can, you will have to pay this guy, if that had been in his wealth, he has to go back and pay it somewhere, and so on the fasting that wherever the better one is, the better one has to fast and of course, the Hajj once that person in a Bedouins lifetime, he has to go and do pilgrimage. So the five pillars are because these are five permanent and constant context independent obligations that Muslim has to has

to fall. That's why they the five pillars, but Islam is greater on many of the scholars have said that actually, all of Islam derives from the five pillars and is built around it. So the entire economic system of Islam is built on the Shahada. And there's a cut, which is the distribution of wealth being the purpose of it, or the Salah is and the congregational prayers and the Juma and all that all this is built around, obviously the base, the base of the salon, which is the daily reminder, it is the console, it is the code for us a reminder, five times a day, during our day, we take a stop to remember, and that is guidance, and of course, the Shahada from that emanates all of

Islam, just from the Shahada alone, from the basis of having a salmon society and Islamic State, with the Sharia, which protects from the bad which encouragement to do to do the good. All this is a testament fact. Many of the classical scholars have said that the the Shahada also the example the philosopher is the is one of the ultimate manifestations of the testimony of Lady Allah. Mohammed was always one of the ultimate test testimonies of it. And of course, according to his Hadith, the prophets flag had La ilaha illAllah on it on the flag, and which is why, unfortunately, some groups these days, some of them, there are, there are some good Islamic groups and some bad because we use

that logo because they know that Muslims it has reverence for Muslims, and it was based on some of the profit and they tried to get legitimacy, and they make they make Muslims and unfortunately, the media now they make Muslims feel ashamed of these flags. And look how, look, these are the people who waive it. You shouldn't wait this flag because look what they're doing. As they look, the cute, cute, Ku Klux Klan had cross symbol as their symbol, should we now get Christians to not show their crosses, because there was a crew called Ku Klux Klan use cross is no, likewise, we shouldn't be ashamed of the flag of the Prophet Mohammed is lost on them. And so we don't agree with any groups

which doing justice is from the Islamic perspective, but at the same time, we will not be ashamed of, of a flag, which actually has a testimony of our very purpose of life, and of what of what truly exists was our last bond Allah and I think this is just a summary of the Shahada, an introduction and in a nutshell, it's just scratching the surface. But of course, there are so much connected to it, though, you can do a series of lectures on this, but inshallah this was this will suffice for today. Yeah, you know, you hear about you know, combat suffering, saying that the, the view there was one God before coming to Islam, but they didn't actually take the Shahada. What would you say

for a person that, you know, died on that belief? They knew there was one God, maybe they pray to that guy? No, all the time, but we knew there was one guy died without proclaiming the Shahada, actually.

Sure, well, I take the case of, you know, they'd been nerfed. They've been the fail Wilds person who was around before the time of the Prophet Mohammed, what the prophet of the Prophet Mohammed Somalia has done. And he was from the Mecca.

He was called Hanif and the intercept went for obviously, Hanif the trunk, the translation of this word would mean a sincere one, someone who's sincere.

Why because he met Christians, he met us, and he questioned the religion of his own people. He had no prophetic guidance, but he still did.

With deficiencies amongst the practice of Christianity amongst the Christians at that time, and deficiencies amongst the practice of Judaism amongst people who were following it at that time, and so he didn't become a Christian or become a Jew. But he believed that there was only one God.

And when now, I mean, there was no Shahada for him to know. I didn't know anything about Shahada per se, a testament effect. But he did. He did. He did proclaim His people that there was only one God what they were doing was wrong. I was against was betraying the, the Miller of Abraham, the religion of Abraham. And I think he was there was he was exiled perhaps by by the college because he was he was causing some trouble. There were people I think, the prophets wife Khadija, two of her cousins also believe in only one God, but they didn't say anything about they didn't

say anything about so they were tolerated by the coronation. But he proclaimed that was one God before the Prophet Mohammed salaam, salaam. And when the Prophet Mohammed, obviously, this person has narrated to have said that this person isn't on more of one, he's a he is his, his own people, in a way,

saved people, save people, why he'll be raised, as a neat as his own nation element, there is a resurrection, because he sees being part of the nation of the Quraysh by speaking out against them. Right. And so he'll be his own nation, which is actually quite fascinating concept. You think about it, because it means that even if you're from a people, but if you reject the basis of how they live or their or their their beliefs, if you have a conscientious objection, then you will be a separate nation from them, even though you come from them. Right? In this day and age is there's a big drive to make Muslims be nationalistic to whichever country they happen to be in, you know, and even say,

British Islam and French Islam and American Islam. And yet,

on the day of judgment, Allah Spano, Allah will make if you criticize the in Justices of the way of life, or your job, or the site you're in, you will be a separate nation to them alongside you separate nation from them, and they have judgment. Now this person is saved. Why? Because he testified the truth even though he didn't even know about the Prophet Mohammed Hassan, he didn't even become a Christian or a Jew, you know, which were the revelate people's revelations before the Prophet Mohammed Hassan. So being sincere, is sufficient in the eyes of our last bond Allah as long as your question, but there'll be people in their judgment, who say, I just follow my parents were

following. And this is a denial of God's gift to us of our intellect or aka, to question to challenge to find proof for so if a person dies without saying the Shahada, but they were sincere, then

Allah will, will reward them commensurate with their sincerity. And there are people we have an array of the Prophet Mohammed, it's awesome. So that people that that just want to say, I wasn't following the guidance, but had I known it, I would have fallen followed it. And there might be a test for them in the Hereafter, or they might be tested in with what they knew was true from what they had, what remnants of the revolution they had available to them at that time. So maybe an ad there's an Aztec my guy in, in amongst the Aztecs before, who, you know, Islam, shortly before South American Yuba Islam, of course, maybe he wasn't saying maybe he decried that some of the traditions

that people is following, maybe he points out the convictions, and he'll be saved by being sincere. He'd be tested, I heard of a story. I don't know if it's true or not. But apparently, there was an A person actually in the Amazon, who was a tribesmen who used to pray to some wood spirit or something. And as he was praying to a dog came by and urinated on it. And he just realized, like, Well, why am I praying to this if they kind of stop a dog from urinating on it? And why am I praying to this particular object and sync with his power or secret? And then he believed that that whatever is God, it can't be. It can be any, any anything. He sees that and throughout history, there have

been many people in different civilizations. We know because there are a lot many of them are philosophers who came to the idea that there are not everyday widgets or the different gods of them that people and they believe in a in a higher God. There was one case of in ancient Egypt. I believe it was not in my memories, but I got a comic I remember exactly, I think was Akhenaten who he became the leader of Egypt. And he rejected the idolatry of the Egyptians. Some description say that he said that you shouldn't worship no other gods except the sun god, but we don't know exactly what's been preserved from that time or not. But he sought to reject it or other gods or fight or false

except it's claimed it was the sun god, he was telling everyone to do worship, but some people say that this must must have come later, maybe just said, God that this beyond maybe he was a monotheist. Maybe Zarathustra of the of the Western religion, who rejected all the pagan gods of his time. Maybe he was a Hanif, maybe he because he argued, according to some of old accounts, you know,

The belief in one God against all the pagan gods, and then later on, the western ism became corrupt with other ideas that came later to the Persian religion. So who knows Allah? We don't know for sure. So it sounds to your question, if you're sincere to the truth as much as you can, then you'll save their judgment.

You know, the questions, queries, all that sort of, you know, how you think about a lot of people, the people that got through certain things, because I think a lot of Muslims do that, when they say, we all this one certain scholar won't listen to any other scholar at all. And so how to make them realize,

if you say, oh, you're making a scholar gone.

What are you talking about? Yeah, the thing is, is that we have to, we have to be careful, lest we be less I suppose people become takfiri people that will just jump to say you're non Muslim. I know the Quran says that people who say we believe all on the last day, but they actually are disbelievers by the Quran says that some people will say, I read on the last day, but they actually have disbelievers in that belief.

In essence, what we were saying is that as long as people say the Shahada, we accept them as Muslim. But we should remind them, yes, you don't? Yeah.

Yeah, no. So we should remind them that what that they're in danger of doing what the people previous revelation did, which is they made their rabbis and priests Lords bigger, because you have to ask the question, that if if being a person of knowledge,

it makes you muscle more synonyms for all, without faults, which there's no connection necessarily me, I would say the places where the most knowledgeable people about God are talking it doesn't doesn't really help him. So knowledge isn't doesn't save you per se. In fact, it actually makes you more accountable, actually printed on the site. Now, you just remind them that there was there were people that who blindly follow the priest and Robin at that time and said, I will follow no one except this Rabbi or this priest? What are tell them what would you say to that person, make them think

that didn't those people fought the same as they fought by their scholar didn't know people think the same about their Rabbi or their priest that they looked up to Didn't they think the same. And then the Prophet Muhammad SAW some warn us, there'll be people in the oma or his alma, which will make the same mistakes as the people population, there are many ways to wake people people up, including to show the mistakes that scholar as well. But I know that sometimes Muslims become very defensive, or very clicky or sectarian thing, and this is my faction, I'm gonna get your order. The first one you asked is which Muslims? Do you follow? Which score Do you follow as the first because

the first point, and and so on? So you just have to actually make them think about it? And look, Do you admit that only the Prophet Mohammed Hassan is perfect? And sinless? And you know, you can rely? 100%? What he says Yes. Is this person a prophet? No, then you can't, you can't give him that reference. Like that. And if he says things, and you follow it blindly,

knowing I could be seen as against Islam against what Allah says, then you could be making him your up. And do you really want to go in front of all on the adjustment duty, or should you really want to do that? You know, did you want to roll the dice in that one? You know, so that's perhaps a way we could approach it.

I just like to say just like clockwork, come in, may Allah bless the heart doing what you had to say today. And you know, thank you. We appreciate it.

Thank you for this beneficial talk. Shalom. You