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The Meaning of the Shahada

The word shahadah actually means to testify or to bear witness. There are actually two parts to
the shahada which when taken together is often called the Shahadatayn, meaning “two
testimonies.” The full shahadatayn requires a statement testifying to Allah’s monotheistic
qualities and another statement testifying that Prophet Mohammad is the messenger of Allah.

Here are both parts of the shahada in English and Arabic.

Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah

“I bear witness that there is no god except Allah”

Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah

“And I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”


There is No God Except Allah? True, But...

The first part of the shahada deals with our relationship with Allah, may He be Glorified and
Praised. Even though the literal translation of “laa ilaaha illallah” means “no god but Allah,” the
actual meaning is much deeper than that.

that exists. That is most certainly true. But to really understand the essence of Islamic monotheism


There are many other faiths that use intermediaries, or “go-betweens”, when worshipping Allah.
Sometimes these “go-betweens” may be a prophet, or a saint, or an idol. But whatever the
intermediary is, the person focuses their worship towards them first, instead of towards Allah only.
Whatever that intermediary is, it is a created being and not the creator. Therefore, it does not
deserve any portion of worship.

The more accurate meaning of “laa ilaaha illallah” would be “There is no deity worthy of worship
except Allah.” Using this phrase, we make it perfectly clear that we are not going to worship
anything else besides Allah. We are not only declaring that Allah is the one and only true God of
all, we are also stating we will only worship Him and reject everything that even remotely
compromises that worship.


Muhammad is Not Just a Prophet of Allah

The second part of the shahadah deals with our understanding of the status of Prophet
Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him. The phrase “Muhammadan rasulullah”
does not mean “Muhammad is the prophet of Allah,” even though he certainly was. This phrase
actually means “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” While this may seem insignificant to
some, it is actually very important.

Allah has sent several men to mankind to remind them of their duty towards Him. Muslims believe
that all of these men were prophets. These prophets include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ismail, Isaac,
Jacob, Jonah, Moses, Joseph, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace be upon them all. However, some of
these prophets actually came with a message from Allah for mankind.

The prophets that came with a message are also called “Messengers of Allah.” Prophet Moses
(Musa in Arabic) was a messenger as he came with the Torah. Prophet Jesus (Isa in Arabic) was
a messenger as he came with the Gospel. And Prophet Mohammed was also a messenger as
he came with the Quran.


In order for a person to be Muslim, they must accept the second shahada along with the first
shahada. A person cannot be Muslim if they only believe in the oneness of Allah, but do not
accept that Muhammad was the Messenger of Allah. When a person testifies that Muhammad was
also Allah’s messenger, they are also accepting the message he came with, that being the Quran.

So how can anyone worship Allah as the only God, but not accept Prophet Muhammad who
taught us how to worship Him, and the Quran that was His message to mankind? It’s impossible
and implausible.

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