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'ENGLiSH TRANSLATiON: I bear witness there is no God but ALLAH
and I bear witness that Muhammad is HIS Messenger.
This is the oath that brings a person into the fold of Islam and
unites the person with the over 1 billion Muslims in the world
today. It is a simple phrase, with enormous meaning.
First, one must testify, bear witness, take the oath, and
believe, that there is only one God, whose proper name is ALLAH
(Subhanahu wa ta'ala). ALLAH (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) is the
Creator, the First and the Last, the All-Seeing, the
All-Knowing, the All-Encompassing being that created the Heavens
and the Earth, the Just, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Guardian
of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the
Irresistible, the Supreme, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms,
the Forgiving.
ALLAH (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) has no partners and ascribing
partners to ALLAH (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) is the only sin which
will not be forgiven.
Next, one must testify, bear witness, take the oath and believe
that Prophet Muhammad (salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam) is the
Messenger of ALLAH (Subhanahu wa ta'ala), sent as a mercy for
all creatures. Muslims believe in all the Prophets and
Messengers (alaihim assalaam). That includes the ones whose
names have been revealed; i.e., Adam, Idris, Nuh (Noah), Hud,
Salih, Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma'eel (Ishmael), Is-haaq (Isaac),
Ya'qoub (Jacob), Lut (Lot), Yusuf (Joseph), Ayoub (Job),
Thil-Kifl, Yunus (Jonah), Musa (Moses), Haroon (Aaron), Ilyas-sa'
(Elisha), Ilyas (Elijah), Dawoud (David), Sulaiman (Solomon),
Zakaria, Yahya (John), Issa (Jesus), alaihim assalaam, and
Muhammad (salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam), as well as the over
124,000 others whose names have not been revealed. Muhammad (salla
ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam) is the seal of the Prophets and
Messengers (alaihim assalaam). There will be no more Prophets
sent to mankind, as the final Message has been delivered in the
form of the Quran.
To be a Muslim, one must utter this simple phrase, believe in
it, and hold true to its meaning. That brings one into the fold
of Islam. This is the most important pillar of Islam. The belief
in One God, ALLAH (Subhanahu wa ta'ala), is referred to as
Tawheed and is the basis of Islamic belief. All acts of worship
are based on this.
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