Linguistically, word ‘Muslim’ means: the one who has surrendered / submitted ‘himself and his will’ to God by his own volition and free-will, and has become obedient to follow Gods’ Commands i.e. Qur’an and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (عليه السلام).
In order to be a true believer, one must believe in the ‘Absolute Oneness’ of God, as the only Creator, Preserver and Nourisher of everything. However, this is not the sole condition of true faith; one must also acknowledge that God is the Only One who deserves to be obeyed, revered and worshipped. His commands and guidelines for how to live one’s life should always take precedence over the commands of anything He created. Indeed, He guides humanity to what is best for them in this life and the hereafter and He is All-Knowing and All-Wise.
Having embraced this understanding of God, one should constantly have faith in Him, and should remain steadfast on the truth. When true faith enters a person’s heart, it positively impacts their outlook and behavior. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Faith is that which resides firmly in the heart and which is proved by actions.”
One of the striking effects of faith is a feeling of gratitude towards God. Believers love God and are grateful to Him for the blessings He gives them. They are aware of the fact that their good deeds will never be equal to His divine favors upon them, so they are always striving to please Him. Furthermore, sincere believers in God accept that any hardships they face are part of the greater ‘test of life.’ They are patient through times of difficulty and turn to God for assistance. A beautiful characteristic of the believers is that they accept everything God wills and continuously remember Him in all aspects of life.
Anyone who denies the basic truth of the existence of God is considered ungrateful and a disbeliever. On many occasions in the Qur’an, God reminds humanity of the disbelievers’ clear misguidance and His complete power over everything:
“Behold! Verily to Allah belong all creatures, in the heavens and on earth. What do they follow who worship as His “partners” other than Allah? They follow nothing but fancy, and they do nothing but lie.” [Qur’an: 10:66]
“It is God who has given you the night in which to rest and the day in which to see. God is truly bountiful to people, but most people do not give thanks. Such is God your Lord, the Creator of all things: there is no god but Him. How can you be so deluded? [Qur’an: 40:61-62]
In the end, we must understand that our belief or disbelief in God does not affect Him in any way. Believing in Him, obeying Him, and following His commands will only benefit us because we are in need of His blessings, favors and mercy. On the other hand, He does not need us because He is Self-Sufficient Creator. However, it is never too late for a person to turn back to God, seeking His guidance and forgiveness by submitting to Him.
“Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped. And follow the best of (the courses) revealed to you from your Lord, before the Penalty comes on you – of a sudden while ye perceive not!” [Quran: 39:53-55]
(Adapted from www.WhyIslam.org)
Testimony of Faith – Shahadah
Shahadah is an Arabic word that literally means Testimony. It is termed as “Testimony of Faith” in Islam, which is the very first step of entering the fold of Islam – submission and obedience to God. In the context of Islam, it means “bearing a witness or testimony” about the existence of “The One God” and bearing witness that “Muhammad” ﷺ is the Last and Final of His Messengers.
It is customary to pronounce this in the language one understands and also in the Arabic (the language of the Prophet, عليه السلام), as given below:
Arabic: “Ash-hadu alla ilaaha illa Allah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasoolu Allah.”
English: “I bear witness/testimony that there is no God but Allah (God), and I do bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God”.
It its extended form it would mean: “I bear witness that there is no true god (deity) worthy of worshipping other than God (Allah), and that Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God (Allah).” Once a person says the Testimony of Faith (Shahaadah) with conviction and understanding of its meaning, he/she becomes a Muslim.
It is important that the person accepting Islam, declares the Shahadah openly (under normal circumstances), and shows his commitment and loyalty to his faith by confirmation from heart, by tongue (i.e. speaking out testimony), and by actions (first sign of it is establishing compulsory prayer).