what the testimony of faith 'there is no true god worthy of being worshipped except allah and muhammad is the messenger of allah' entails:

1. to believe in the message of the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, and that he was sent to mankind at large; thus the message of islam is not restricted to a certain group of people or a period of time. allah, the exalted, says:

(blessed is he who sent down the criterion to his slave that he may be a warner to mankind.)  (25:1)

2. to believe that the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, is infallible in matters pertaining to the deen. allah, the exalted, says:

(nor does he speak of his own desire. it is only a revelation revealed.)  (27:3-4)

as for worldly affairs, the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, was only human and would make ijtihaad (i.e. exert his effort to reach a ruling) in that matter.

the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, said:

"you present your cases to me - some of you may be more eloquent and persuasive in presenting arguments than others. so, if i give someone's right to another (wrongly) because of the latter's (tricky) presentation of the case; i am giving him a piece of fire; so he should not take it."  (agreed upon)[1]

he also said, in another narration:

"i am only human; opponents come to me to settle their problems. it may be that some of you can present his case more eloquently than the other - and i may consider him to be the rightful person and give a verdict in his favor. so, if i give the right of a muslim to another by mistake, then it is only a portion of hell-fire, he has the option to take or give up before the day of resurrection."  (agreed upon)

3. to believe that the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, was sent as a mercy to mankind. allah, the exalted, says:

(and we have sent you not but as a mercy for mankind.)  (21:107)

allah has certainly told the truth (and who is truer in statement than allah) the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, was a mercy to mankind. he delivered man from worshipping creatures, and guided them to worship the creator of all creatures. he delivered man from the tyranny and injustices of (false and altered) religions to the justice and fairness of islam. he delivered man from living a materialistic life to living a life wherein he works for the hereafter.

4. to firmly believe that the messenger of allah, may allah exalt his mention, is the most honorable prophet and messenger, as well as the final prophet and messenger. no prophet or messenger will come after him. allah, the exalted, says:

(muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the messenger of allah, and the last of the prophets: and allah has full knowledge of all things.)  (33:40)

the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, said:

"i have been favored over all prophets with six things: i have been given jawami al-kalim,[2] fear is instilled in the hearts of the enemy, booty and spoils of war have been made lawful for me, the whole earth is considered a place of prayer, and means of purification, and i was sent to mankind at large, and i am the final prophet." 

(muslim & tirmidthi)

5. to firmly believe that the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, conveyed to us the deen of islam, which is complete in all aspects. one cannot add something to the deen nor can he omit something from it.

allah, the exalted, says:

(this day, i have perfected your deen for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you islam as your deen.)  (5:3)

islam is a complete way of life; it includes the social, political, economical and ethical aspects of life. it would lead one to live a prosperous life in this world and in the hereafter.

thomas carlyle said: 'the mahometans regard their koran with a reverence which few christians pay even to their bible. it is admitted every where as the standard of all law and all practice; the thing to be gone upon in speculation and life; the message sent direct out of heaven, which this earth has to conform to, and walk by; the thing to be read. their judges decide by it; all moslem are bound to study it, seek in it for the light of their life. they have mosques where it is all read daily; thirty relays of priests take it up in succession, get through the whole each day. there, for twelve hundred years, has the voice of this book, at all moments, kept sounding through the ears and the hearts of so many men. we hear of mahometan doctors that had read it seventy thousand times!'[3]

6. to firmly believe that the messenger of allah, may allah exalt his mention, conveyed the message and gave sincere counseling to the ummah (nation). there is no good except that he guided his ummah to it, and there is no sinful act except that he warned people from it. the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, said in the farewell pilgrimage:

"haven't i conveyed the message of allah to you?' they said, 'yes (you have).' he said: 'o allah! bear witness!" 

(agreed upon)

7. to believe that the shari'ah (jurisprudential law) of muhammad, may allah exalt his mention, is the only acceptable shari'ah. mankind would be judged in light of this shari'ah. allah says:

(and whoever seeks a deen other than islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the hereafter he will be one of the losers.)  (3:85)

8. to obey the prophet, may allah exalt his mention. allah, the exalted, says:

(and whoever obeys allah and the messenger, these are with those upon whom allah has bestowed favors from among the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the good, and a goodly company they are!)  (4:69)

one obeys the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, by obeying him and abstaining from what he prohibits.

allah, the exalted, says:

(ِand whatsoever the messenger gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you abstain from it.)  (3:85)

allah, the exalted, clarified the punishment of him who does not refrain from what the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, prohibited. he said:

(and whosoever disobeys allah and his messenger, and transgresses his limits, he will cast him into the fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a disgraceful torment.)  (4:14)

9. to be content with the judgment of the messenger of allah, may allah exalt his mention, and to not demur what the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, has legalized and made lawful. allah, the exalted, says:

(nay by your rubb, they can have no faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept with full submission.)  (4:65)

furthermore, one should not give precedence to anything over the shari'ah. allah says:

(do they then seek the judgment of the days of ignorance? and who is better in judgment than allah for a people who have firm faith.)  (5:50)

10. to adhere to the sunnah of the prophet, may allah exalt his mention. allah says:

(say, 'if you really love allah, then follow me, allah will love you and forgive you your sins. and allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful'.)  (3:31)

one should emulate the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, and take him as a supreme example. allah says:

(indeed in the messenger of allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for allah and the last day, and remembers allah much.)  (33:21)

in order for one to emulate the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, he has to learn and study the biography of the prophet, may allah exalt his mention.

zain al-aabideen, may allah have mercy on him, said: 'we were taught about the battles of the messenger of allah, may allah exalt his mention, as we were taught a verse from the qur'an.'[4]

11. to hold the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, in high esteem and to revere him. the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, said:

'do not over-adulate me for i was a slave of allah before he commissioned me as a messenger.'  (at-tabrani)

12. to ask allah to exalt the mention of the prophet, may allah exalt his mention. allah says:

(indeed, allah sends his salah on the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, and also his angels ask allah to exalt his mention. o you who believe! ask allah to exalt the mention of the prophet, and ask allah to render the prophet safe and secure from every derogatory thing.)  (33:56)

the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, said:

'the miserly is him who upon hearing my name being mentioned does not ask allah to exalt my mention.' 

(tirmidthi)

13. to love the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, revere and respect him as he should be revered and respected; for humanity was guided to islam through him. he should be revered and held more beloved to a person than his own self, for the one who accepts islam would be prosperous in this life and in the hereafter. allah, the exalted, says:

(say if your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than allah and his messenger, and striving hard and fighting in his cause, then wait until allah brings about his decision. and allah guides not the people who are disobedient to allah.)  (9:24)

the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, clarified the result of loving him; in his answer to the man who asked him: 'when is the day of resurrection?' the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, said:

'what have you prepared for it?' the man did not answer immediately, and then said: 'o messenger of allah, i have not observed numerous (supererogatory) prayers, or fasts, or given charitable gifts, but i love allah and his messenger.' the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, said: 'you will be summoned on the day of resurrection with whom you love!'  (bukhari & muslim)

the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, said:

'if man conceives three things, he will taste the sweetness and beauty of iman (faith); (the first thing) that allah and his messenger are dearer to him than anything else, (the second thing) to love a person only for the sake of allah, (the third thing) and to hate to return to kufr (disbelief) after allah delivers man from it, just as he hates to be cast into the fire.'  (muslim)

reverence and love of the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, requires that a person love and revere whom he loved; such as his household, his companions, with whom allah is pleased. it also requires that a person abhor whom he abhorred, for the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, loved and hated only for the sake of allah.

14. to disseminate and invite people to islam; and to revive the deen of allah, using wisdom and a good method. this is done by teaching the ignorant and reminding the one who is unaware, or has forgotten. allah, the exalted, says: 

(invite mankind to the way of your rubb with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better.)  (16:125)

the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, said:

'convey from me, even one verse from the qur'an.' 

(muslim)

15. to defend the prophet, may allah exalt his mention, and his sunnah, by refuting all fabricated narrations people have forged against him and clarifying all doubtful and dubious points raised by the enemies of islam, and to spread the pure teachings of islam to those who are ignorant of them.

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