Chapter 11 — Shahadah: Negation, Affirmation and Witnessing

Shahadah is witnessing.

Witnessing must contain:

NEGATION + AFFIRMATION

Without negation, it is not clear what is being rejected.

Without affirmation, it is not clear what is being established.

That is why the two declarations of the Shahadah must be understood together as one unified witnessing.

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THE FIRST DECLARATION

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ

WHAT IS NEGATED?

What is negated is:

إِلٰهَ — ILAH

A category of divinity that can be:

counted,
compared,
separated,
given a rival,
divided,
turned into a figure.

The Shahadah does not begin by choosing one “God” from among many gods.

It begins with:

لَا إِلٰهَ

Negate Ilah.

First, break away from the entire framework of divinity that can produce:

This God.

That God.

The first God.

The second God.

God over there.

Creation over here.

Because once divinity is placed within a category, it can be compared with another category.

And when there is comparison, separation emerges.

When there is separation, two emerge.

Whereas Tawhid is unification.

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NEGATION ALSO CLOSES THE DOOR TO IMAGINING A FIGURE

Allah cannot be placed within the category of:

a thing,
a form,
a body,
a place,
a direction,
a number,
a figure.

The Quran closes the door to comparison:

لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ

“There is nothing whatsoever like Him.”

— Ash-Shura 42:11

And:

لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ

“Vision cannot encompass Him.”

— Al-An‘am 6:103

Therefore, do not search for Allah as a figure to be seen by the eyes.

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WHAT IS AFFIRMED?

After:

لَا إِلٰهَ

comes:

إِلَّا اللهُ

Affirm Allah.

This is not merely replacing one name for God with the name Allah.

Rather, after the category of Ilah has been negated, Allah is affirmed.

And Allah cannot be separated into Essence, Attributes and Actions as three entities.

It is one body of description:

ESSENCE

ATTRIBUTES

ACTIONS

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DO NOT TURN THE DESCRIPTIONS INTO THREE

Allah states:

وَلَا تَقُولُوا ثَلَاثَةٌ

“And do not say: Three.”

— An-Nisa’ 4:171

Therefore, do not turn Essence, Attributes and Actions into three figures or three independently existing entities.

Such as:

First ↔️ Last

Manifest ↔️ Hidden

Attributes that appear to be opposites are still gathered together.

هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ

“He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden.”

— Al-Hadid 57:3

All of them describe Allah.

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THE SECOND DECLARATION

Then comes:

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ

Notice:

وَ

AND.

The second declaration is joined to the first declaration.

Do not break that WAW in your understanding.

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WHAT IS NEGATED?

What is negated is stopping at Muhammad ﷺ merely as:

بَشَر — BASHAR

a man like any other human being.

The Quran itself records:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ

“Say: Indeed, I am only a bashar like you; revelation is given to me…”

— Al-Kahfi 18:110

The verse does not stop at:

بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ

It continues with:

يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ

“revelation is given to me.”

This is where the distinction lies.

Witnessing does not stop at the physical body of the bashar.

It moves towards:

رَسُولُ اللهِ

The Bearer of Allah’s Risalah.

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WHAT IS AFFIRMED?

What is affirmed is:

مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ

Muhammad ﷺ is the Bearer of Allah’s Risalah.

The Risalah is the body of descriptions concerning:

ESSENCE

ATTRIBUTES

ACTIONS

Therefore, when human beings seek to know Allah, do not search for an unseen figure.

WANT TO SEE ALLAH?

LOOK AT THE BEARER OF ALLAH’S RISALAH.

Because it is through the Bearer of the Risalah that the descriptions of Allah are carried, manifested and witnessed.

The Quran itself connects obedience to the Messenger with obedience to Allah:

مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللهَ

“Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah.”

— An-Nisa’ 4:80

And:

إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللهُ

“If you love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you.”

— Ali ‘Imran 3:31

Want to journey towards Allah?

Follow the Bearer of the Risalah.

Want to know the Risalah?

Look at the Bearer of the Risalah.

Want to see how the Risalah lives?

Look at his character.

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HIS CHARACTER IS THE LIVING RISALAH

Allah states:

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

“And indeed, you are truly upon an عظیم character.”

— Al-Qalam 68:4

And:

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ

“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example.”

— Al-Ahzab 33:21

He did not carry the Risalah as one carries a file.

He did not carry the Risalah as one carries a USB drive.

The Risalah lived through his:

character,
words,
actions,
choices,
conduct.

That is why the Bearer of the Risalah cannot be separated from the Risalah that he carries.

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UMMIYY — THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Muhammad ﷺ is:

النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ

— Al-A‘raf 7:157

Within this reading, Ummiyy = the original source.

He is the original source of the pattern of the Risalah’s character.

Therefore, human beings do not need to invent another model to understand how Allah’s Risalah is manifested.

Look at its Bearer.

Follow its Bearer.

Witness his character.

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ANOTHER VERY SHARP TEXT

Allah states:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللهَ

“Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are actually pledging allegiance to Allah.”

— Al-Fath 48:10

Notice.

The pledge is made to you.

But the Reading states:

they are pledging allegiance to Allah.

This opens the key to witnessing.

Do not rush into creating two entities simply because the text mentions Allah and the Messenger.

Look at the relationship between the Risalah and its Bearer.

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AND EVEN SHARPER

Allah states:

وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللهَ رَمَىٰ

“And you did not throw when you threw, but Allah threw.”

— Al-Anfal 8:17

This verse is extremely important for understanding:

ESSENCE

ATTRIBUTES

ACTIONS

BEARER OF THE RISALAH

Outwardly:

you threw.

But the Reading states:

Allah threw.

Therefore, do not stop at what the physical eyes see.

Witnessing requires human beings to read the Actions manifested through the Bearer of the Risalah as a description deeper than the physical body that is seen.

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THIS IS THE MEANING OF WITNESSING

Witnessing does not stop at:

“I see a man named Muhammad.”

That is merely seeing the bashar.

Witnessing goes further:

I recognise the Bearer of Allah’s Risalah.

I see his character.

I see his Actions.

I see the Risalah that he carries.

I recognise the descriptions of Essence, Attributes and Actions through that Bearer.

Therefore:

WANT TO SEE ALLAH?

LOOK AT THE BEARER OF ALLAH’S RISALAH.

Not by searching for a form.

Not by searching for a figure.

Not by searching for an unseen entity.

But by witnessing Allah’s Risalah through its Bearer.

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JUDGEMENT: NEGATION AND AFFIRMATION

Shahadah has a structure similar to a court judgement.

There is a claim.

There is a witness.

There is something that is negated.

There is something that is affirmed.

Only then can judgement be made.

A judgement does not stand upon accusation alone.

Likewise, Shahadah does not stand upon memorisation alone.

It requires:

NEGATION → AFFIRMATION → WITNESSING → JUDGEMENT

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THE FOUR PILLARS OF WITNESSING

Witnessing must encompass:

1. ESSENCE

2. ATTRIBUTES

3. ACTIONS

4. MUHAMMAD ﷺ — THE BEARER OF THE RISALAH

These four must not be separated until each becomes a world of its own.

All of them are encompassed within the witnessing.

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TWO DECLARATIONS — ONE WITNESSING

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ

Negate Ilah.

Affirm Allah.

Then:

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ

Negate stopping at the bashar.

Affirm the Bearer of the Risalah.

Both are joined by:

وَ

WAW.

Do not separate what has been joined.

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RETURN TO THE FOUNDATION

Do not only ask:

“Have I recited the Shahadah?”

Ask:

What am I negating?

What am I affirming?

What am I witnessing?

Am I still searching for Allah as a figure?

Have I recognised the Bearer of Allah’s Risalah?

Because Shahadah is not a competition over who can most fluently memorise its words.

Shahadah is:

WITNESSING.

And witnessing takes human beings from:

NEGATION OF ILAH

to:

AFFIRMATION OF ALLAH

then to:

THE BEARER OF THE RISALAH

until the descriptions of:

ESSENCE — ATTRIBUTES — ACTIONS

become something that can be witnessed.

WANT TO SEE ALLAH?

LOOK AT THE BEARER OF ALLAH’S RISALAH.

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CLOSING — WITNESSING MUST BE WITNESSED

The two declarations of the Shahadah are two declarations of witnessing.

Therefore, they are not mere words.

Not mere memorisation.

Not merely something inherited by the tongue.

Because when we say:

WITNESSING

then it must be:

WITNESSED.

What is witnessed?

ESSENCE

ATTRIBUTES

ACTIONS

of Allah.

And that witnessing takes place through:

THE BEARER OF ALLAH’S RISALAH

Because it is through the Bearer of the Risalah that the descriptions of Allah are carried, manifested and made visible to be witnessed.

Therefore, the two declarations of the Shahadah do not end with the utterance:

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ

and:

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ

They must reach witnessing:

WITNESSING THE ESSENCE, ATTRIBUTES AND ACTIONS OF ALLAH THROUGH THE BEARER OF HIS RISALAH.

This is where the Shahadah becomes alive.

This is where negation and affirmation meet.

This is where the two declarations unite into one witnessing.

And this is where a person returns to the foundation:

NOT ONLY RECITING.

BUT WITNESSING.