- Kalma Tayyaba ... The Correct way of Life -
LA ILAHA ILLALLAH MUHAMMAD-UR- RASULULLAH "
There is no god except Allah" - is the first part of the Islamic declaration of faith, meaning that there is no one to be worshipped except God; "Muhammad Rasul Allah" - "Muhammad is the Messenger of God"- is the second part, meaning that this worship is to be carried out according to the teachings of the Prophet - peace be upon him.A believing Muslim is one whose heart has been penetrated completely with this declaration, as the other pillars of Islam and articles of faith are derivatives of it.Thus, belief in angels, God's Books, God's Messengers, the life hereafter, al-Qadr (the measurement of good and evil), praying (al-Salat), fasting (al-Siyam), almsgiving (al-Zakat) and pilgrimage (al-Hajj), and the limits set by God of permissible and forbidden things, human affairs, laws, Islamic moral teachings, and so on, are all based on the foundation of worship of God, and the source of all these teachings is Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).Allah (swt) says:(Whoever obeys the Prophet obeys God) [Qur’an 4:80]The declaration of faith provides the foundation for a complete system of life for the Muslim community in all its details.Thus, a Muslim community must sustain a practical interpretation of the declaration of faith and all its characteristics; and the society which does not translate this declaration into practice is not a true Muslim society.This way of life cannot come into being without securing this foundation first.If the system of life is constructed on some other foundation, or if other sources are mixed with this foundation, then that community cannot be considered Islamic.Allah (swt) says:(The command belongs to God alone. He commands you not to worship anyone except Him. This is the right way of life.) [Qur’an 12:40]This concise and decisive declaration of faith guides Muslims in the basic questions of their religion and in its practical movement.First, it guides to the nature of the Muslim community; second, it shows the method of constructing such a community; third, it tells how to confront ignorant, and disbelieving societies; and fourth, it determines the method by which Islam changes human life.The distinctive feature of a Muslim community is that all its affairs are based on worship of God alone. The declaration of faith expresses this principle and determines its character; in beliefs, in devotional acts, and in rules and regulations.A person who does not believe in the oneness of God does not worship God alone. Allah (swt) says:(Allah commands you not to take two gods. God is only One; hence fear Me. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him and follows His way. Will you the fear anyone other than God?) [Qur’an 16:52]Anyone who performs devotional acts before someone other than Allah does not worship God alone.(Say, my Salat (prayers), my acts of devotion, my life and my death, are for the Sustainer of the Worlds; He has no associate. I have been commanded this, and I am the foremost to be among the submitters.) [Qur’an 6:163]Also anyone who derives laws from a source other than God, in a way other than what he taught us through Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) does not worship God alone.(Are there associates of God who have made permissible for them in their religion that which God has not permitted?) [Qur’an 42:21](Whatever the Prophet gives you, accept it, and whatever he prohibits you, refrain from it.) [Qur’an 59:7]In the Muslim society, the beliefs, ideas, devotional and religious acts, the social system and its laws, should be based on submission to God alone.It is necessary, therefore, before thinking of establishing the Islamic social system and organizing a Muslim community, that one should give attention to purifying the hearts of people from the worship of anyone other than God.Only those whose hearts are so purified will be true Muslims, and only these people can start a true Muslim community. Anyone who wants to live an Islamic life will automatically enter into this community, and his belief, acts of worship and the laws which he follows, will also be purified for God alone. In other words, he will be an embodiment of "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadar Rasul Allah".This was the basis on which the foundation of the first Muslim community was established which eventually developed into the first Muslim nation.
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