1. Musallah at-Taqwa
Saturday
June 20,
2009
Islamic College of Canberra
‫ﺑﺴﻢ ﺍﷲ ﺍﻟﺮﲪﻦ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ‬
Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles
Class Notes – Term 2, Week 5
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This week we will Inshallah continue our discussion on the important topic of tawheed. As the
Sheikh (ra) said in his treatise:
‫... ﻭﻣﻌﻨﻰ َﻳﻌﺒﺪﻭﻥ ُﻳﻮ ﱢﺪﻭﻥ. ﻭﹶﺃﻋﻈﻢ ﻣﺎ ﹶﺃﻣﺮ ﺍﷲ ﹺﺑﻪ ﺍﻟﱠﻮﺣﻴﺪ ﻭﻫﻮ ﹺﺇﻓﺮﺍﺩ ﺍﷲ ﹺﺑﺎﻟﻌﺒﺎﺩﺓ‬
ِ َ َِ ِ ُ َ ‫َ َ َْ ُْ ُ ِ َﺣ ُ ِ َ ْ ﹶ ُ َ َ َ ُ ِ ﺘ ْ ِ ُ َ ُ َ ﹾ‬
... and the meaning of worship (‘ibaadah) here is to single Allah out with all worship
(tawheed). And the greatest of all that Allah has commanded is tawheed which is to single out
Allah with all worship.
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In our previous lesson we discussed the three categories of tawheed and the two fundamental
pillars of the shahadah. This week we will Inshallah discuss the conditions of ‘la illaha illa‐Allah’.
Conditions of the Shahadah
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Every Muslim knows that the key to Paradise and the first of the five pillars of Islam and the first
of the six pillars of Iman is the statement of faith or shahadah. Yet many people have the
misconception that as long as they simply make the shahadah they will be granted Paradise.
The famous taabi’i Wahb Ibn Munabbih was asked: “Isn’t the key to Paradise la illaha illa‐Allah?”
He answered: “Yes, but every key has ridges. If you come with the key that has the right ridges
the door will open for you, but it will not open for you if it has the wrong ridges”.
In other words saying it while meeting its conditions will enter you into Paradise.
We do not learn these conditions simple for the sake of learning them. This is of no benefit at all.
Rather we must make sure that we self‐reflect and make sure we are meeting these conditions,
and if not, strive hard to make sure we are before it is too late.
First Condition: KNOWLEDGE
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‫ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻢ‬
ُ ‫ِﹾ‬
That is, one must have the basic and general knowledge of what is meant by the shahadah. One
must understand what the shahadah is affirming and what it is denying. Allah (swt) says:
ÏM≈oΨÏΒ÷σßϑø9$#uρ t⎦⎫ÏΖÏΒ÷σßϑù=Ï9uρ šÎ7/Ρs%Î! öÏøótGó™$#uρ ª!$# ωÎ) tμ≈s9Î) Iω …çμ¯Ρr& óΟn=÷æ$$sù
So know (O Muhammad) that Lâ ilâha ill‐Allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), and ask
forgiveness for your sin, and also for believing men and believing women ... [Muhammad; 47:19]

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Similarly the Prophet (saw) says in the authentic Hadith:
‫ ﻣﻦ ﻣَﺎﺕ ﻭ ُﻮ َﻳﻌﻠ ُ ﹶﺃﱠﻪ ﻻ ﹺﺇﹶﻟﻪ ﺇﹺﻻ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺩﺧﻞ ﺍﹾﻟﺠﱠﻨﺔ‬
‫َ ْ َ َﻫ َ ْﹶﻢ ﻧ ُ َ ﱠ ُ َ َ ﹶ َ ﹶ‬
Whoever dies knowing that there is none worthy of worship except Allah shall enter Paradise [Muslim]
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The shahadah is a testimony, and when you testify to something you must know to what you are
testifying, otherwise it is ridiculous and unacceptable.
For example many Muslims who pray five times a day and utter the shahadah think that there is
nothing wrong with secularism. They see nothing wrong with accepting a lawgiver other than
Allah (swt). This shows they have no idea of the shahadah they are giving!
We must strive to learn at the very least the basics (or what is obligatory upon us) of our Islamic
belief. The basics of what the shahadah means.
Second Condition: CERTAINTY
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ُ ‫ ﺍﻟﻴﻘ‬
‫َ ِﲔ‬
This is the opposite of doubt and uncertainty. In Islam, any kind of doubt in matters of Aqeedah
may be equivalent to kufr or disbelief.
We must be in our hearts absolutely certain of the truth of the shahadah. Our hearts must not be
wavering when we give the testification of faith.
Allah (swt) describes the believers as those who believe in Allah (swt) and their hearts do not
waver:
(#θç/$s?ötƒ öΝs9 §ΝèO ⎯Ï&Î!θß™u‘uρ «!$$Î/ (#θãΖtΒ#u™ t⎦⎪Ï%©!$# šχθãΨÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# $yϑ¯ΡÎ)
The true believers are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and afterwards
doubt not ... [Al‐Hujuraat; 49:15]
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The greatest cure for doubts and uncertainties and the obtainment of certainty is by actively
seeking knowledge. It is with sound knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah that a person will
Inshallah attain certainty in belief. As you study and learn more, your certainty will become firmer
and firmer.
Learning Islam from the incorrect sources will only give a person more doubts, especially when
they fall into the shubuhaat (misconceptions based on correct evidences). A deeper
understanding is only obtained through the authentic sources of Islam.
Third Condition: ACCEPTANCE
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‫ ﺍﻟﻘُﻮﻝ‬
‫ﹶﺒ ﹸ‬
If a person has the knowledge of and certainty in the shahadah, this must be followed by
acceptance with the heart and tongue and whatever the shahadah implies. It is the opposite of
refusal, rejection and denial.
Whoever refuses to accept the shahadah and its implications even if they know it is the truth with
certainty (e.g. Iblees) is a disbeliever.
Refusal to accept may be attributed to pride, envy or other reason. Allah (swt) says:

3. ∩⊂∈∪ tβρçÉ9õ3tGó¡o„ ª!$# ωÎ) tμ≈s9Î) Iω öΝçλm; Ÿ≅‹Ï% #sŒÎ) (#þθçΡ%x. öΝåκ¨ΞÎ)
When it was said to them: Lâ ilâha ill‐Allâh (none has the Right to be worshipped but Allâh), they
puffed themselves up with pride (i.e. refused its acceptance). [As‐Saffat; 37:35]
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This is the explanation of acceptance in its general sense. There is more detailed aspect that we
must be aware of and that is a person must believe and accept what is in the Quran and Sunnah
without any right to choose what he wants to believe and what he wants to reject (i.e. it is a
package deal). Allah (swt) says:
4 <Ù÷èt7Î/ šχρãàõ3s?uρ É=≈tGÅ3ø9$# ÇÙ÷èt7Î/ tβθãΨÏΒ÷σçGsùr&
... do you believe in part of the book and reject part of it? ... [Al‐Baqarah; 2:85]
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By rejecting part of the truth that has come from Allah (swt), a person may negate their shahadah. Not all
of these rejections may be considered apostasy, but they are still very dangerous. Whatever
comes from Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) the Muslim believes in it as the truth. This goes
hand‐in‐hand with the shahadah.
Fourth Condition: SUBMISSION & COMPLIANCE
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ُ ‫ ﺍ ِﻧﻘﻴَﺎ‬
‫ﻹِ ﺩ‬
This condition implies the actual physical enactment of the shahadah with our deeds.
This is one of the main meanings of Islam, i.e. “total submission to the will and command of
Allah”.
Submission and compliance is contrary to the abandonment and the leaving of the statement of
faith. Allah (swt) says:
∩⊄⊄∪ Í‘θãΒW{$# èπt7É)≈tã «!$# ’n<Î)uρ 3 4’s+øOâθø9$# Íοuρöãèø9$$Î/ y7|¡ôϑtGó™$# ωs)sù Ö⎯Å¡øtèΧ uθèδuρ «!$# ’n<Î) ÿ…çμyγô_uρ öΝÎ=ó¡ç„ ⎯tΒuρ
And whoever submits his face (himself) to Allah while he is a Muhsin then he has grasped the Most
Trustworthy Hand‐hold [lâ ilâha ill‐Allâh] and to Allah return all matters for decision. [Luqman; 31:22]
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The meaning of ‘submits his face’ is submission and obedience. The meaning of ‘Muhsin’ is that
he is a muwahid (monotheist), and the meaning of the most trustworthy handhold is ‘la illaha
illah‐Allah’.
Our shahadah must be implemented in our hearts, on our tongues and in our actions. In our
hearts we must have love for Allah, fear Allah and hope in Him. With our tongues we testify to the
shahadah, and with our actions we implement what the shahadah requires of us.
Anyone who claims to be a Muslim but does no deeds, either does not understand Islam or is
bearing testimony against himself that his shahadah is corrupted!
This condition does not mean that the believer does not commit sins. They do. But as long as they
realise that what they did is inconsistent with their obligation to Allah (swt), they have not
destroyed their shahadah (provided their sin does not constitute apostasy). Do not forget, that
they are still sinners and need to seek forgiveness from Allah (swt).

4. Fifth Condition: TRUTHFULLNESS
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‫ ﺍﻟ ﱢﺪﻕ‬
ُ ْ‫ﺼ‬
Truthfulness which is the opposite of hypocrisy and dishonesty.
This means that when we say the shahadah we are saying it honestly, we actually mean it and we
are not lying.
Those who say the shahadah only by tongue to protect themselves or to get some gain from it are
the hypocrites. Allah (swt) describes them in the Quran as follows:
∩∇∪ t⎦⎫ÏΨÏΒ÷σßϑÎ/ Νèδ $tΒuρ ÌÅzFψ$# ÏΘöθu‹ø9$$Î/uρ «!$$Î/ $¨ΨtΒ#u™ ãΑθà)tƒ ⎯tΒ Ä¨$¨Ψ9$# z⎯ÏΒuρ
And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: "We believe In Allah and the Last Day" while In
fact they do not believe. [Al‐Baqarah; 2:8]
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The hypocrites are more hazardous upon the believers because they are amongst them, yet they
are untruthful to them and have hidden agendas.
Obviously the shahadah of those who become Muslim simply to gain worldly benefit and not
because they believe in Islam will be rejected by Allah (swt). They will face the worst of
punishment on the day of Judgement (the lowest level of the Hellfire).
Sixth Condition: SINCERITY
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‫ ﺍﻹﺧﻼﺹ‬
ُ ِْ
That is, when we make the shahadah, we must do it purely for the sake of Allah (swt). In this
manner the meaning of sincerity is the opposite of shirk or ascribing partners to Allah (swt). Allah
(swt) says:
∩⊄∪ š⎥⎪Ïe$!$# çμ©9 $TÁÎ=øƒèΧ ©!$# ωç7ôã$$sù Èd,ysø9$$Î/ |=≈tFÅ6ø9$# šø‹s9Î) !$uΖø9t“Ρr& !$¯ΡÎ)
Verily, we have sent down the Book to you (O Muhammad) In truth: so Worship Allah (alone) by
doing religious deeds sincerely for Allah's sake only, (and not to show‐off, and not to set up rivals
with Him In worship). [Az‐Zumar; 39:2]
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We must make it clear to ourselves that we are Muslims only for the sake of Allah (swt). We are
not Muslims for the sake of our parents, family or community. We must make the conscious
decision sometime in our life that we are Muslim.
One of the signs of ikhlaas in our shahadah is that we do what Allah (swt) has asked of us
regardless of what anybody else desires or wants of us.
An example which is widespread in our society, is the free mixing between men and women. We
uphold this ruling in our mosques, yet when we return to our homes mixing between the sexes is
normal because it is ‘socially’ or ‘culturally’ acceptable and we do not want to tread on anyone’s
toes or be considered as strange! If we had true ikhlaas this principle would be upheld in all
situations.
The purification of the shahadah from shirk, riya’a and sum’ah is only through sincerity to Allah
(swt). We have covered this topic in previous lessons.

5. Seventh Condition: LOVE
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‫ ﺍﹾﻟﻤﺤﱠ ﹸ‬
‫َ َﺒﺔ‬
That is, that the believer loves this shahadah, loves in accordance with the shahadah and loves
those who act and strive for the sake of this shahadah and to hate whatever contradicts (negates)
it. Its opposite is hate for this shahadah and hate for whoever strives for it.
If a person makes the shahadah but does not love the shahadah and what it stands for then his
Iman is not complete.
It is not true faith from a believer that he loves something more than Allah and this shahadah.
The true believer does not put any equal to Allah (swt) in his love. Allah (swt) says:
°! ${6ãm ‘‰x©r& (#þθãΖtΒ#u™ t⎦⎪É‹©9$#uρ ( «!$# Éb=ßsx. öΝåκtΞθ™6Ïtä† #YŠ#y‰Ρr& «!$# Èβρߊ ⎯ÏΒ ä‹Ï‚−Gtƒ ⎯tΒ Ä¨$¨Ζ9$# š∅ÏΒuρ
And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah), they
love them with a love which is due to Allah only, but those who believe love Allah more (than
anything else ... [Al‐Baqarah; 2:165]
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This important aspect of Islam appears to be missing from many people’s lives. They act in Islam
as if it were a chore instead of doing it for the love of Allah (swt).
When Allah (swt) orders us to do something like the shahadah we should realise that this is a
thing which is pleasing to Allah (swt) and therefore, out of our love for Allah (swt), we should be
pleased to do the acts that please Him.
Eighth Condition: DISBELIEF
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‫ﺍﻟ ﹸﻔﺮﺍﻥ‬
‫ﻜ ﹸ‬
This is the disbelief and denial of all other objects of worship (tawagheet).
This condition is explicitly stated in the shahadah itself (i.e. nafy).
As mentioned previously the shahadah is both negation and affirmation. Allah (swt) says:
$oλm; tΠ$|ÁÏΡ$# Ÿω 4’s+øOâθø9$# Íοuρóãèø9$$Î/ y7|¡ôϑtGó™$# ωs)sù «!$$Î/ -∅ÏΒ÷σãƒuρ ÏNθäó≈©Ü9$$Î/ öàõ3tƒ ⎯yϑsù
... whoever disbelieves In Tâghût and believes In Allâh, then He has grasped the Most Trustworthy
Handhold that will never break ... [Al‐Baqarah; 2:256]
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This condition should be obvious to everyone that makes the shahadah but you will still find
people who make the shahadah then make acts of worship for things other than Allah (swt), such
as grave worshipping.
These are the conditions of the shahadah. After learning or revising them we must ask ourselves
“Is my shahadah meeting these conditions?” If not we must strive hard to implement them in our
lives.
Review question
Please repeat what we did at the end of the class and go through each of the conditions, writing
down your understanding of each condition. Give Quranic evidence wherever possible. There is

6. nothing better than understanding a concept based on a verse from the Quran or from a Hadith
of the Prophet (saw).
We will Inshallah repeat this same exercise at the beginning of the next lesson.