Knowledge card

The Two Testimonies (Shahādatān)

Tawḥīd (Uṣūl al-Dīn)Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah

The twin testimony — that there is no deity worthy of worship except God, and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of God — the first pillar of Islam and the gateway to the faith.

Also known as:الشهادتانThe Two Shahadahs

ʿAqīdah (Creed) Theology Foundational

Essence
S1A negation (no deity) and an affirmation (except God), joined to acceptance of the one God sent to convey His way. [2.1]

Dimension I

Definition

What it is — and what it is not

What it is: S2In language (lughatan) — Shahādah means to witness, to testify, and to affirm with certainty a truth one knows.
S3In the Sacred Law (sharʿan) — The testimony that none is worshipped in truth except God, and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of God — affirmed by the heart, spoken by the tongue, and borne out by the limbs.
What it is not: S4Not a phrase emptied of meaning; a tongue that testifies while the heart denies is hypocrisy, not faith.
Wisdoms: S5Hikmah — the key of all deeds — It is the key of Paradise and the foundation upon which every accepted deed is built.
S6Hikmah — liberation — It frees the heart from servitude to creation, from fear of other than God, and from the tyranny of desire.
Boundary of meaning: S7What nullifies it (nawāqiḍ) — It is broken by whatever contradicts its meaning — associating partners with God, rejecting the Messenger, or mocking the religion.
Necessary conditions: S8Conditions of validity (shurūṭ) — Seven conditions: knowledge, certainty, acceptance, submission, truthfulness, sincerity, and love.
Attributes: S9What it comprises — Two testimonies — the oneness of God (tawḥīd) and the messengership of Muḥammad (risālah) — inseparable halves of one creed. [1.1]
Common misconceptions: S10That saying it once secures salvation regardless of belief or of deeds that openly contradict it.

Dimension II

In practice

How to deal with it

How to deal with it: S11Treat it as the lifelong foundation to be understood and renewed, not a one-time formula.
What to do: S12Direct every act of worship — prayer, hope, fear, reliance, sacrifice — to God alone.
S13Accept the Messenger as the authorised conveyor of revelation and follow his guidance.
What to avoid: S14Avoid everything that nullifies it: shirk, denial of what is necessarily known of the religion, and mockery of the faith.
Consequences: S15Consequence of its absence — Without a sound testimony no deed is accepted; it is the precondition of all worship and of salvation itself.
Examples: S16The Prophet ordered Muʿādh to call the people of Yemen to this testimony first, before any other obligation.

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Encyclopedia

The Two Testimonies (Shahādatān)