THE MEANING OF “LA ILAAHA ILLA ALLAH , MUHAMMAD RASOOLULLAH”
AND CONDITIONS OF “LA ILAAHA ILLA ALLAH .” THE MEANING OF THE TESTIMONY OF FAITH

The testimony (LA ILAAHA ILLA ALLAH ) comprises two concepts: Denial and Affirmation.

FIRST:
The testimony of faith denies the attribute of divinity to anyone and anything other than Allah - the Exalted. All those other than
Allah, such as the angels, the Prophets, and the rest of Mankind, let alone the idols and the political regimes in the world, are not gods and thus don’t deserve to be worshipped. Therefore, denial in this respect is not denial of the existence of the alleged gods, rather the denial of divinity which is attributed to them.

SECOND:
The testimony of faith affirms and restricts divinity to Allah alone. That is, the slave must believe that Allah is the only true God,
and accordingly dedicate no act of worship to any, other than Allah.

THE MEANING OF MUHAMMAD RASOOLULLAH
A confession with your tongue but a heartfelt belief, “O Allah! I testify that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is Your
Messenger.” That means that none has the right to be followed after Allah, but the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as
he is the Last of His Messengers. As Allah said: “Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is not the father on any man
amongst you but he is the Messenger of Allah and the last (end) of the Prophets and Allah is Ever All Aware of everything.”
(V.33:40) “And whatsoever the Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him) gives you, take it and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain from it.” (V.59:7)

And Allah said: “Say (O Muhammad) (to mankind) ‘if you (really) love Allah, then follow me’.” (V.3:31)

As for the others than Muhammad (Peace be upon him) their statements are to be taken or rejected as to whether these are in
accordance with Allah’s Book (i.e. the Quran) or with the Sunnah (legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements etc.,) of the
Prophet (Peace be upon him), or not.

CONDITIONS OF “LA ILAAHA ILLA ALLAH”

1. Knowledge, which consists of recognizing Allah as the only true God to Whom worship must be dedicated, and
denouncing all gods worshipped beside Allah as false, and that they can neither extend benefit nor cause harm.

2. Certainty that the belief in Allah must be unblemished with any doubt.

3. Acceptance: That is, to accept all the conditions of the declaration.

4. Submission: That is, to fulfill its conditions submissively and willingly being content with Allah as the Rabb (only
Lord) and Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as His last Prophet and Messenger.

5. Truthfulness: That is, to fulfill its requirements truthfully.

6. Sincerity: That is, to be sincere in worshipping Allah, dedicating all acts of worship to Him alone.

7. The love of Allah - the Exalted, and the love of His Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him), and the love
of Allah’s devotees and the people of His obedience, which means love of all Muslims Finally it should be borne in mind that Allah must be obeyed, by following His commands and refraining from His prohibitions. Obedience to Allah must be associated with loving Him, fearing His punishment, and hoping for His r eward, seeking His forgiveness and adhering to the teachings of His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) - the last of Allah’s Messengers. The Shari’ah (the laws and religious rites) of Muhammad (PBUH) abrogates all other preceding laws and religious rites and this comprises the best of every preceding Shari’ah.

THE 5 PILLARS OF ISLAM
According to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Islam is based on the following five pillars:

1. To testify that there is no true God but Allah and that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His last Messenger and
the seal (last) of prophets.

2. To perform prayers (5 times a day)

3. To pay zakat (Charity-poor due once a year).

4. To fast during the month of Ramadhan.

5. To perform hajj (Pilgrimage - Once in a lifetime, if one capable).

THE FUNDAMENTAL ARTICLES OF IMAN (FAITH)
To believe in:
1. Allah
2. His Angels
3. His revealed Books
4. His Messengers
5. The Day of Resurrection
6. Al-Qadr; Whatever Allah has ordained must come to pass (In other words, fate and destiny).

TAUHEED (ISLAMIC MONOTHEISM)

Tauheed (Islamic Monotheism) has three aspects:

1. Oneness of the Lordship of Allah- “Tauheed ar-Rububiyya”. To believe that, there is only one Lord for all the universe, its
Creator, Organizer, Planner, Sustainer and Giver of Security etc., and that is Allah.

2. Oneness of the worship of Allah - “Tauheed al-Uluhiyya”. To believe that none has the right to be worshipped {e.g. by
praying, invoking, asking for help (from the unseen), swearing, slaughtering sacrifices, giving charity, Fasting, and Pilgrimage etc.,} but Allah.

3. Oneness of the Names and the Qualities of Allah, “TauheeduI-Asma-was-sifaat”. To believe that:
i. We must not name or qualify Allah except with what He or His Messenger (Peace be upon him) has named or qualified Him.
ii. None deserve to be named or qualified with the definitive Names or Attributes of Allah; e.g. Al-Karim (Most Generous).
iii. We must confirm all of Allah’s Attributes which Allah has stated in His Book (the Quran) or mentioned through His Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him), without changing them or ignoring them completely or twisting the meanings or giving resemblance to any of the created things. {e.g. Allah is present over His Throne, as mentioned in the Quran Ch.20:V5:

The Most Beneficent (Allah) “Istawa” (rose over) the (Mighty) Throne, over the seventh Heaven; and He only comes down over the first (nearest) Heaven to us on the Day of ‘Arafat’ (i.e. the 9th of Dhul Hijjah), and also during the last third part of the night as mentioned by the Prophet (Peace be upon him), but He is with us by His Knowledge only, not by His Personal-Self (Bi-
Dhaatihi).

There is nothing like unto Him and He is All-Hearer, the All-Seer. (Ch.42:V.11) This Holy verse confirms the quality of hearing and the quality of the sight of Allah without any resemblance to others. Likewise He (Azza Wa Jalla) also said, “ To one whom I have created with Both My Hands”. (Ch.38:V75) And He also Said, “The Hand of Allah is over their hands”. (Ch.48: V10)
This confirms two Hands for Allah, but there is no resemblance to them. This is the faith of all true believers, and was the faith of all the Prophets of Allah, from Noah, Abraham Moses and Jesus till the last of the Prophets Muhammad (Peace be upon him). It is not like as some people think that Allah is present here, there and everywhere. This is not true. Allah tells us that He is
above the heavens, over His Throne.

These three aspects of Tauheed are included in the meaning of “LA ILAAHA ILLA ALLAH ” (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah). It is essential to follow Allah’s Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him): “Wujub-Al- Ittiba” and it is part of Tauheed al Uluhiyya.

This is included in the meaning, “I testify that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is Allah’s Messenger, and this means, “None has the right to be followed after Allah’s Book (the Quran), but Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him). See Quran Ch.59:V.7 and Ch.3:V.31.

ZAKAT

This is a very important pillar of Islam and possesses enormous advantages like the following.

1. It meets the needs of the poor in the society.

2. It strengthens, fosters good relations between the rich and the poor, as everyone is naturally inclined towards the one
who does good to him.

3. It purifies one’s self and sanctifies it, and it purges one’s morals of covetousness and miserliness that are natural in
human beings.

4. It promotes generosity and sympathy in a Muslim towards needy persons.

5. It draws Allah’s Blessings; It causes increase in wealth and replenishes it.


Zakat is obligatory on following four types of properties:

1. The produce of earth such as grains and fruits.

2. The grazing animals.

3. Gold and Silver.

4. Commercial Commodities. For all types of properties, Nisab is fixed, which is the minimum amount or quantity liable to the payment of Zakat, below which no Zakat is payable.

The produce of Earth:
The minimum quantity for produce i.e. grains, fruits, wheat, rice, dates, grapes, barley, etc. is 5 (five) wasq, or approx. 675 kgs.
(six hundred and seventy five) If in cultivation, irrigation was made through rains or canal or fountain etc., without any effort by the farmer, one-tenth of total produce is to be paid as Zakat. If the field was irrigated by waterwheels and other devices for
irrigation, which involved labor; 5% of the total produce is to be paid as Zakat. And regarding the Zakat of animals, a detailed study of it may be had from the authentic AHadeeth of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) or from scholars of AHadeeth, as we intend in this booklet only a brief account of the subject.

Gold, Silver and Cash etc.
The minimum amount (Nisab) of silver for the Zakat to become due on it, is 140 (one hundred forty) Mithqal, which is equivalent
to 595 (five hundred and ninety five) grams. And the Nisab of gold is 20 (twenty) Mithqal which is equivalent to about 92 (ninety two) grams. The Zakat due on either gold or silver is one fortieth (1/40 or 2.5%) of the total quantity, provided one is in possession of the minimum amount of Nisab mentioned above, of any one of them, and one year has passed. The same ruling as in gold, true goods in the case of currency notes, coins or bills as well, be it dirhams, dinars, Dollars or others, provided its value reaches the minimum amount (Nisab) of gold at current market value, and one year has passed over it. When the above conditions are fulfilled, one-fortieth part (1/40 or 2.5%) of the total value would be given out as Zakat. But as regards Zakat on the benefit derived from the capital (i.e. Original amount), the condition of the passing one year, does not apply. The benefit would be included in the capital (original amount) at the same time of calculation for payment of Zakat. Likewise the new births in grazing animals will be added to the original number of animals for the payment of Zakat, if the original number reaches the Nisab and completes a year, without due consideration of the time transpired over new births. The same rulings applies to the adornments of women, made from gold or silver for personal use or lending as loan, when these reach the Nisab and one year has passed over them, in line with the opinions of the authentic scholars in the light of Prophet’s saying: “If any owner of gold or silver does not pay the Zakat due on him, when the Day of Resurrection would come, plates of fire would be beaten out for him; these would then be heated in the fire of Hell and his sides, his forehead and his back would be cauterized with them. Whenever these cool down, (the process is) repeated during a day the extent of which would be fifty thousand years, until judgment is pronounced among slaves, and he sees whether his path is to take him to Paradise or to Hell.”

It is narrated by Amr bin Shu’aib that once the Prophet (Peace be upon him) on seeing a woman with two bracelets of gold in the hands of her daughter, asked her whether she gave out the Zakat of it. When she replied in the negative, he (Peace be upon him) said, “Would you be pleased if Allah puts on you two bracelets made of fire in their place?” On hearing this she put them off. (Reported by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) Also narrated by Umm Salamah (r.a.): while she was wearing an anklet of gold, she asked the Prophet (Peace be upon him), “O Messenger of Allah! Is it a Kanz (a hoarded wealth?.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied, “If it has been purified (by paying Zakat of it), it is not a Kanz (hoarded wealth).” This command is also supported by other AHadeeth.

Type of wealth Nisab level Zakat rate Remarks

Gold 92 Grams 2.5% personal use

Silver 595 Grams 2.5% personal use

Cash Notes, Coins equivalent to gold 2.5% present value

Produce of earth 675 Kilo grams 5% Manual irrigation -do- 675 Kg. 10% natural irrigation – rain canal etc.,

Commercial Commodities gold equivalent value 2.5% presents value

Some scholars are of differing opinions that “the gold for personal use or lending are exempt from Zakat” and they have based such assumptions the following evidences:

_ The Hadeeth says that, “there is no Zakat on the jewelry“ (for women). This is a weak Hadeeth because one of the narrators is considered weak;

_ There are sayings of some of the companions such as Anas, Jabir, Ibn Omar, Aisha, and Asma (r.a.) that there is no Zakat on personal jewelry;

_ Narrated by Abu Huraira “ No sadaqa is due from a Muslim on his slave or horse,” reported by Al-Bukhari. Based on this hadeeth some of the scholars arrive at the opinion that the slave or horse of a man is equivalent to the jewelry of a woman and as such the verdict should apply. With respect to such opinions, our position is that Zakat is payable on personal jewelry because we believe it is more in accordance with the ruling of Quran and Sunnah as explained above.

Commercial commodities and Land:

As regards the Zakat on commercial commodities, the owner should calculate its value at the end of every year and onefortieth (1/40 or 2.5%) part of the present value would be given out as Zakat. Whether its present value is equal to the purchase value or more or less does not matter here.

In accordance with the Hadeeth narrated by Samurah (r.a.): “Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) enjoined us to give out Sadaqa (Zakat) from whatever we prepare for sale.” (Abu Daud) This includes lands for resale, buildings, cars, machinery for deriving water or any other article obtained for resale. As for buildings constructed for rent but not for sale, Zakat should be paid on the rent after one year transpires over the amount; but the building itself is not liable for Zakat as it is not an item for sale. Likewise, personal cars for hire are liable for Zakat since they are not meant for sale as the owner has
purchased it for his use. And if the owner of the rental cars accumulates the returns up to the amount that is liable for Zakat, then he should pay Zakat if one year passes over such money, whether he had kept it for personal expenses, or for expenses in marriage, or for such as settling debts or buying real estate or for any other purpose; this is in accordance with the evidence of Shari’ah (Islamic laws) on the obligation of Zakat. According to the authentic views of scholars, debt cannot be an excuse for non-payment of Zakat.

The same is true with the wealth or money of orphans and mentally retarded people; when it reaches the Nisab and one year had passed the Zakat must be paid, and the guardians should give out Zakat on their behalf when a year passes over the goods. Allah categorizes those who deserve Zakat in His Noble Qur’an: “As-Sadaqa (here it means Zakat) are only for the Fuqara (poor), and Al-Masakin (the poor) and those employed to collect (the funds) and to attract the hearts of those who have been inclined (towards Islam); and to free captives; and for those in debts; and for Allah’s cause (i.e. Mujahidun - those fighting in the holy battles) and for the wayfarer (a traveler who is cut off from everything); a duty imposed by Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” Ch.9: V.60). Nobody has the authority to change, add or remove any of these above eight categories of people defined by Allah, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.



Sources: and References to all above posts

INTERPRETATION OF THE MEANINGS OF THE NOBLE
QUR’AN. Translated by: Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Muhammad Taqi-Ud-din Al-Hilali.
THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON FOR EVERY MUSLIM (in Arabic) By: Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz.
THE BOOK OF PRAYER Compiled by : Nathif Adam SALAT according to the Manners of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) By : Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz.
ISLAM IN FOCUS By : Hammudah Abdulati
THE MEANING OF THE TESTIMONY OF FAITH “LA ILAHA ILLALLAH” By : Sheikh Hamoud Al-Lahima
KITAB AT-TAUHID By: Sheikh-ul-Islam, Muhammad bin Abdallah Abdul-Wahab
PILLARS OF ISLAM AND IMAN By: Sheikh Muhammad Bin Jameel Zino