RECITING THE SHAHADA
Some Christians would have a problem with the creedal formula known as the Shahada that is integral to becoming a Mulsim and which defines the faithful adherence of all true Muslims. It states, Ashadu an la ilaha illa illa-ilah, wa ashadu anna muhammadan rasul ullah. or “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” This defining creed bears witness to the One True God, and that Muhammad has been given a revelation for the Arab people that they did not previously have.
According to the Qur’an, Musa (Moses) was given the Tawrat (the Torah/Old Testament) and Isa (Jesus) was given the Injil (Gospel/New Testament). So between the two of them this is a reference to the whole Bible, or more importantly to the two great monotheistic faiths that each represents. Now both Moses and Jesus were Jews. The Qur’an states that they were both Muslims, meaning that they were surrendered to the One God. Now wouldn’t it make sense that somewhere within their practice of Judaism they must have said the Shahada to be true Muslims? Since they both lived prior to Muhammad it does not make sense for him to be included in the Shahada, thus revealing the true heart of the Shahada to be surrender to the One God since they were pre-Islamic “Muslims.”
What does it say in the Tawrat?
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is known as “The Shema,” it says,
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
So recorded in the Books of Moses in the Tawrat we see that Moses would have given testimony to the oneness of God. The Shema even feels very similar in form to the Shahada.
What does it say in the Injil?
Mark 12:29-31 is known as “The Greatest Commandment,” where Jesus says:
“’The most important [commandment],’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’”
So recorded in the Gospel of Jesus in the Injil we hear Jesus affirm the oneness of God, but he does more than that. He takes the Shema and explains what it means to love God; it means to surrender before God your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor. Jesus not only testifies that there is only One God, but he defines true submission (Islam) before God by wrapping these tenets of belief into one commandment and calling it the greatest.
What does it say in the Qur’an?
The Qur’an speaks of the characteristic of the oneness of God from beginning to end. There are many verses that could be given to point to this testimony so our focus will only be on the second part of the creed. Muhammad (pbuh) is not called a prophet in the creed (as some have supposed); rather, he is called a messenger. The creed is written in the Arabic such that the first part of the creed referring to the One God is written the strongest way it could possibly be written; whereas, the second part of the creed could have been stated more strongly (ie: Muhammad is the [only] messenger of God), but that is not the case. The exact wording of this creed is not found in the Qur’an. The Qur’an bears witness to the One God and affirms Muhammad’s special role for his people, but the creedal formula itself is not in the Qur’an.
The three Arabic words that make up the second half of the creed occur only once in the Qur’an.
Fatah 48:29 says:
“Muhammad is the messenger of God, and those who are with him are strong against the disbelievers, merciful among them. You see them kneeling and prostrating, seeking grace and pleasure from God. Their signs are on their faces because of the marks of prostration. That is their example in the Tawrat and their example in the Injeel, as a seed which sends forth its sprout and stem, and then it gets thicker and straight on its stalk so it pleases the farmers to enrage the disbelievers. God has promised those of them who believe and do good works forgiveness and a great reward.”
There are; however, two occurrences in the Qur’an where Jesus is called the messenger of God:
Nisa 4:157 says:
“And for their (the Jews’) saying, ‘We killed the Messiah Issa son of Mariam, the messenger of God. They did not kill him nor crucify him, but it seemed so to them. Truly those who differed about him are in doubt about him. They have no knowledge, but only follow suppositions. They truly did not kill him.”
Nisa 4: 171 says:
"People of the Book, don’t exaggerate in your religion, and only say the truth about Allah. The Messiah Isa son of Mariam is truly the messenger of God and his word which he sent down on Mariam, and a spirit from him. So believe in God and His Messenger (Isa) and do not say three. Stop it. It is better for you. Allah is one God. Far be it from him to have a boy. He has everything in the heavens and the earth. God is enough of a protector.”
Conclusion
The Shahada as it has come to us today was formalized in 795C.E., more than 160 years after the death of Muhammad (pbuh). In Arabic, the word rasul means delegate, emissary, messenger, envoy, or apostle (sent one). Given the verses from the Qur’an it is just as valid to say: “There is only One God, and Christ Jesus son of Mary is the messenger of God.” Though Isa is highly esteemed in the Qur’an and his uniqueness begs Muslims to consider who he is, it was Muhammad that brought the message of surrender to his people. He proclaimed the unity of God to an idolatrous people, and by the end of his life he had seen a whole country embrace belief in monotheism. He also through the Qur’an pointed his followers to take a closer look at Jesus and the Bible.
So when we look at the Shahada, the Shema and the Greatest Commandment we see a common affirmation of surrender to the One God. So if Moses, Jesus and Muhammad at the core were all saying the same thing, “There is only One True God,” and this is the necessary belief to be a true Muslim, then it would seem that the followers of the three great monotheistic faiths have much more in common than previously thought. And more importantly, it is impossible for true followers of Moses or Jesus to be infidels or kafirs (unbelievers) according to the true beliefs of Islam.