Shahadah
| This article forms part of the seriesIslam |
| Vocabulary of Islam |
| Five Pillars |
| Profession of faith |
| Prayer – Alms |
| Fasting |
| Pilgrimage to Mecca |
| Holy Cities |
| Mecca – Medina |
| Jerusalem |
| Najaf – Karbala – Kufa |
| Events |
| Hijra – Islamic calendar – Eid ul-Fitr |
| Eid ul-Adha – Aashura – Arba'in |
| Buildings |
| Mosque – Minaret |
| Mihrab – Kaaba |
| Islamic architecture |
| Functional Religious Roles |
| Muezzin – Imam – Mullah |
| Ayatollah – Mufti |
| Interpretive Texts & Practices |
| Qur'an – Hadith – Sunnah |
| Fiqh – Fatwa – Sharia |
| Sects |
| Sunni: Hanafi – Hanbali Maliki – Shafi'i |
| Shi'a: Ithna Asharia Ismailiyah – Zaiddiyah |
| Others: Mu'tazili – Kharijite |
| Movements |
| Sufism |
| Wahhabism – Salafism |
| Non-Mainstream Sects/Movements |
| Ahmadiyyah – Nation of Islam |
| Related Faiths |
| Druze – Bahá'í Faith |
- Also, there is a town called Shāhāda, which is now in Nandurbār district in the northwest corner of Maharashtra state in India.
The shahādah, or the Islamic creed, is a declaration of belief in the unity of God and the prophethood of Muhammad. Its recitation is considered one of the Five Pillars of Islam. When stated aloud, one is considered to have officially declared oneself a convert to Islam.
The Arabic words are: :لا إلاه إلالله محمد رسول الله
which are romanized:
- Lā ilāha il-Allāh Muhammadan rasūl Allāh.
In English, the credo goes:
- There is no god worthy of worship except God [and] Muhammad is the messenger [or prophet] of God.
Honest recitation of the shahādah once, in Arabic, in front of two Muslim witnesses, is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim.
It is considered correct to refer to previous figures, such as Jesus (in Arabic, Isa) as prophets (rasul), and some groups (notably certain Sufi mystics) will amend the declaration to mention prior prophets whose names are found in the Qur'an.
External links
- Shahadah, Confession of a Muslim (http://isgkc.org/shahadah.htm) (from the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City)
- How to become a Muslim (http://www.islamworld.net/become.html)
et:Šahada fr:Chahadah nl:Shahadah ja:シャハーダ pl:Szahada