The First Pillar of Islam- The Two Testimonies
The two testimonies (Shahada) are the foundation of everything for a Muslim, as they are the first pillar of Islam. Without them, no action is valid; prayers and fasting are not valid! The two testimonies are inseparable, one cannot substitute for the other; both are necessary together.
As Allah says in Quran:
"The believers are only the ones who have believed in Allah and His Messenger"
Verse 15 from Surah Al-Hujurat
It's transliteration: “Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah, Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulu-Allah.”
Conditions of Testimony
The testimony that "there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah " does not benefit its speaker except through seven conditions:
1. Knowledge of its meaning, both in negation and affirmation.
2. Certainty in the heart, free from doubt.
3. Sincerity, which opposes associating partners with Allah.
4. Truthfulness from the depths of the heart, not just on the tongue.
5. Submission, both outwardly and inwardly.
6. Acceptance without rejecting any of its implications or requirements.
7. Love this statement and what it implies, and find joy in it.
Now you might wonder now, how can we testify to the statement of monotheism when we haven't seen Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with our own eyes?
The concept of testimony is to inform others of what one knows, and it's not specifically about informing them of what one sees with their own eyes. It's general.
And Allah says in Quran:
"And those they invoke other than Him do not possess [power of] intercession; but only those who testify to the truth [can benefit], and they know"
Verse 86 from Surah Az-Zukhruf
The subject Allah mentions in this verse (testimony) is not something seen with the eyes; rather, it is a matter related to conveyed information.
Undoubtedly, the Oneness of Allah and the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) are established by intellectual and transmitted evidence, and we have knowledge of them resulting from this evidence. Our informing others based on this knowledge is testimony without doubt.