“La Ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasul Allah”-There is no God except ALLAH, Muhammad is the messenger of ALLAH
This is the Islamic declaration of faith which has to be recited by anyone who has to enter into the religion. In other words this is the key to enter into a lifelong experience of ALLAH (swt)’s limitless blessings and immense love.
The words may apparently seem as if they are ‘just’ a few Arabic words joined together to form a sentence but literally speaking, if we try to delve into this sentence and ponder upon the words we would surely conclude that they contain a deep sea of endless bounds.
To recite these words so as to enter into the folds of Islam is an easy formality but to believe and implement upon the words is what’s lacking today. A believing Muslim is the one whose heart has been penetrated completely with this declaration.
The proclamation (Kalma) has two parts:
There is no God except ALLAH: This forms the basis of Islam as it explicitly negates all kinds of gods that were prayed upon by people before Islam was revealed to perish any such gods and invited the people to declare that ALLAH (swt) alone is our God. The words also negate any desires and commands of the inner self (our nafs) and the devils (Shayateen) that may be acted upon by an individual against a command of ALLAH (swt). As ALLAH(swt) says in the Quran:
“Have you ever seen the one who has taken his own desires as his god?” (Surah Al-Furqan, Ayah 25)
These words, when recited with full intent and belief, automatically mark that a believer has to submit to whatever ALLAH commands and to refrain from whatever He commands us to refrain from. The words provide a foundation for a complete system of life for an individual so much so that there is no place on the face of the earth where a believer is free from the promise concealed in these words. As ALLAH (swt) says in the Holy Quran:
“The command belongs to God alone. He commands you not to worship anyone except Him. This is the right way of life.” (12:40)
The injunctions that are then made compulsory upon the individual include the five pillars namely Salah (5 times a day), Sawm (Fasting in the month of Ramazan), Zakah (2.5% of a fixed amount of accumulated wealth) and Haj (once in the lifetime). Apart from these, firm intentions to abstain from all the sins which are declared as sins by ALLAH (swt) and his Messenger (sallalahu alaiyhi wasallam) also is what is implied here. To sum up, a believer has to put his steps cautiously in this life and act upon the commandments of his Lord that are compulsory over him at every moment of his life.
This proclamation also brings a change in our thoughts, a cleansing of our soul and a strengthening of faith. This is due to many reasons. Firstly by saying (and believing in our heart) that ALLAH (swt) alone is our Lord and Sustainer we are implying that whatever good we do is for him alone and no one else. This shuns the very path of Riya which is a serious spiritual illness where a believer does all his deeds to be called pious in the society or to gain respect. For this reason ALLAH (swt) says in the Quran:
“Say, my Salat (prayers), my acts of devotion, my life and my death, are for the Sustainer of the Worlds; He has no associate. I have been commanded this, and I am the foremost to be among the submitters. “[Qur’an 6:163]
Secondly, the first part of our proclamation also demands from a believer a change of mindset. Today, we are thriving in a materialistic world where virtually everyone from any strata and any background either believes that having more money is what is ‘real’ success. The priorities have changed. A child from an age of 12 and above is told to become a rich man with hafty amount of money and fame to live a happy life. Our priorities today have changed. We think that money and fame is what will make us content and only these things will grant us success and alas we feel proud possessing them.
The first part of the Kalma negates all such false deities that we have made namely money, fame and status. As we proclaim in it that everything is made by ALLAH (swt) alone and whatever He wishes happens and that our money, fame and status can do nothing for us if ALLAH (swt)’s wish is against us. We also proclaim that ALLAH (swt) made all these that is money, fame and status as a blessing for us and if He wishes He can always take them away from us.
To sum it all up, the first part of the proclamation is not just a few words we recite just to fulfill a formality but they are a promise. A promise not just to any of our friends or our close aides but it is a promise to The All-mighty, The Lord of the worlds and what is within them – ALLAH (swt). Thus I do believe that this promise should be kept in mind at every step in our course of life and should be our top priorities! May ALLAH (swt) give us the courage to implement the Kalma (proclamation) in our lives to its purest essence.Ameen
