Shahada

The Shahada (Arabic: الشهادة‎ aš-šahādah  audio , "the testimony"; aš-šahādatān (الشَهادَتانْ, "the two testimonials"); also Kalima Shahadat [كلمة الشهادة, "the testimonial word"]), is an Islamic creed declaring belief in the oneness of God and the acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet. The declaration, in its shortest form, reads:

Terminology and significance

The noun šahāda (شَهادة), from the verbal root šahida (شَهِدَ) meaning "to observe, witness, testify", translates as "testimony", in both the everyday and the legal senses. The Islamic creed is also called, in the dual form, šahādatān (شَهادَتانْ, literally "two testimonials"). The expression al-šahāda (the Witnessed) is used in Quran as one of the "titles of God".

The statement has two parts: la ilaha illa'llah (there is no god but God), and Muhammadun rasul Allah (Muhammad is the messenger of God), which are sometimes referred to as the first shahada and the second shahada. The first statement of the shahada is also known as the tahlīl.