There is no god beside God
Cont’d from page 1
God Himself, angels and the people with knowledge, uphold the same correct shahadah.
[3:18] GOD bears witness that there is no god except He, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge. Truthfully and equitably, He is the absolute god; there is no god but He, the Almighty, Most Wise.
The following story confirms that God taught Moses the same correct shahadah.
[20:11] When he came to it, he was called, "O, Moses.
[20:12] "I am your Lord; remove your sandals. You are in the sacred valley, Tuwaa.
[20:13] "I have chosen you, so listen to what is being revealed.
[20:14] "I am GOD; there is no other god beside Me. You shall worship Me alone, and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) to remember Me.
Even the tyrant Pharaoh pronounced the same correct shahadah when he realized the approaching death!
[10:90] We delivered the Children of Israel across the sea. Pharaoh and his troops pursued them, aggressively and sinfully. When drowning became a reality for him, he said, "I believe that there is no god except the One in whom the Children of Israel have believed; I am a submitter."
Also, the Prophet Muhammad taught his contemporaries the same correct shahadah.
[37:35] When they were told, "Laa Elaaha Ella Allah [There is no other god beside GOD]," they turned arrogant.
[37:36] They said, "Shall we leave our gods for the sake of a crazy poet?"
The important phrases "There is no god but God" and "No god except He" occur in the Quran at least thirty times without associating anyone beside God!
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According to the Quran, we are required to believe in God, the last day, angels, scriptures, and messengers. However, God never commands us to testify to any of these except God.
[2:177] Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east or the west. Righteous are those who believe in GOD, the Last Day, the angels, the scripture, and the prophets; and they give the money, cheerfully, to the relatives, the orphans, the needy, the traveling alien, the beggars, and to free the slaves; and they observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat); and they keep their word whenever they make a promise; and they steadfastly persevere in the face of persecution, hardship, and war. These are the truthful; these are the righteous.
God and His messenger explain to us why it is not necessary to testify that Muhammad is the messenger.
[4:79] Anything good that happens to you is from GOD, and anything bad that happens to you is from you. We have sent you as a messenger to the people, and GOD suffices as witness.
[4:166] But GOD bears witness concerning what He has revealed to you; He has revealed it with His knowledge. And the angels bear witness as well, but GOD suffices as witness.
[13:43] Those who disbelieved will say, "You are not a messenger!" Say, "GOD suffices as a witness between me and you, and those who possess knowledge of the scripture."
[17:96] Say, "GOD suffices as a witness between me and you. He is fully Cognizant of His worshipers, Seer."
[46:8] When they say, "He fabricated this," say, "If I fabricated this, then you cannot protect me from GOD. He is fully aware of everything you scheme. He suffices as a witness between me and you. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful."
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Even in Sura Muhammad, God reminds us very clearly what should be our correct shahadah.
[47:19] You shall know that: "There is no other god beside GOD," and ask forgiveness of your sins and the sins of all believing men and women. GOD is fully aware of your decisions and your ultimate destiny.
God and His messenger give us clear understanding that only hypocrites testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
[63:1] When the hypocrites come to you they say, "We bear witness that you are the messenger of GOD." GOD knows that you are His messenger, and GOD bears witness that the hypocrites are liars.
The Corruption of Shahadah
The farewell sermon of the prophet was a significant historical event witnessed by thousands of people. Even though the hadith books reported at least three versions of the same sermon, all these versions tell us the same correct shahadah which is "La Elaha Ella Allah."
Sadly, after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the hypocrite ulamah (religious scholars) ignored the teaching of God and His messenger and corrupted the correct shahadah by adding the name of the prophet next to God! They derived the corrupt shahadah from one of Abu Hurairah's bizarre hadith (Mishkat-ul-Masabih - translated by Moulana Fazlul Karim, Vol. 1, Chapter 1, no 27, published by the Book House, Lahore, Pakistan.)
According to this hadith, when the second caliph Omar heard the corrupt shahadah, he promptly punched Abu Hurairah in the chest and knocked him to the ground. Then Omar put his foot on Abu Hurairah's neck and asked him how could he dare to utter such blasphemy. Abu Hurairah cried out and named the messenger as his authority.
Cont'd on page 3
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