Abdullah Oduro – 5 Pillars Made Plain – Why Do We Make the Shahadah, Testimony of Faith

			Salam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all. I'm
Abdullah oduro. And welcome back. You know, before I embraced Islam, I used to say to myself that,
you know, I don't want to be in any organized religion, I don't want to be confined to a certain
group of people, you know, I don't want to be controlled or hypnotized or brainwashed with a certain
religion. But at the same time, I knew that there was a higher power over me that there was a
greater power that had control over everything that there was a deity, and that I had to show some
type of acknowledgement of him. I also knew that I needed organization and structure. And if it was
		

			up to me, it wouldn't be consistent, it wouldn't be solid. But what happened is, when I took the
religion word out of the equation, during my journey, and during my questioning, that is when I
embraced Islam, you see, when we look at religion, we have to look at those foundational elements in
which if those elements were not present, their religion wouldn't exist. When we look at Islam, we
see that Islam starts and ends with the Shahada, meaning that Islam revolves around the oneness of
God, that God is unique in every element, that he is unique in all of his characteristics. And we
what in what we say and what we do, shows respect in light of that. So when looking at Why should
		

			one embrace Islam, it's initially to show that reverence to God, and having structure when
performing that reverence and recognition of God. Allah says in chapter number 16, verse 36, and
Verily, We have sent to every nation, a messenger proclaiming, worship Allah, and avoid all false
deities. You know, the word false deities in this verse is the Hoot in Arabic boat. And that means
that which goes beyond the bounds, whether it's the individual or creation, asking or demanding to
be worshipped, or an individual that gives their reverence which should only be confined to God, to
this form of creation, that is the thought or the false deity. So when we look at this, why one
		

			should take the Shahada is if they want to establish a foundation to be enriched by this knowledge
of God, and his uniqueness. So when you obtain this knowledge of God and take this Shahada, your
heart is enriched with this oneness of God, and the messenger ship of the Prophet peace and
blessings be upon him, which gives you a foundation, a foundation, which will further make you a
principled person of conviction. And this is paramount for establishing that relationship. So when
we see the question of why someone should embrace Islam, or why do you pray five times a day? Why do
you go to the desert 1000 miles away? Why do you fast 30 days out of the year? Why do you make it an
		

			obligation for yourself to get married, in order to establish a relationship with the opposite
gender, because we have that foundation, we do this with ease, and we do this understanding that
that is a manifestation of worship and gratitude towards God. Secondly, it is a means of
fortification. Once you've established that relationship based on the knowledge of God, you've
enriched your heart, you fortify your heart by remembering the greatness of God, remembering his
rights, remembering your rights, doing the best that you can, which strengthens that relationship.
So the remembrance of that pillar of that foundation will strengthen you to further serve as an
		

			anchor. And that is where the process of conviction starts. So when we ask the question, why should
someone embrace Islam, it's to establish that relationship of the knowledge of the oneness of God,
and to strengthen that relationship through continuously attempting and trying to maintain that
foundation. We ask Allah subhana wa Taala through this declaration of faith that you've made, and
through this strengthening of the faith through your actions to keep you consistent on that, a
Salaam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh Thank you