COMPARING THE SHIA AND SUNNI SHAHADA

Murray Hunter


Guest Editorial: COMPARING THE SHIA AND SUNNI SHAHADA

Aaron Musa
Dec 29, 2024





The shahada is the testimony of faith in Islam. The Shahada is recited when a non-Muslim accepts or embraces Islam. Reciting the shahada makes one a Muslim. So non-Muslims do not go around reciting the shahada carelessly in front of Muslims or on Tik Tok. You will be deemed a Muslim, and the mullahs will then claim your life and your body (for burial). The shahada is also recited a total of at least NINE times in the five daily prayers, and it is also recited in the five times a day call to prayer from the minarets around the world.

Shahada literally means ‘witnessed’. Both the Sunnis and Shias recite the shahada but with major differences. The Sunni shahada is a phrase which says, ‘I bear witness that there is no other god except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’.

In arabic ‘Ashhadu an-laa ilaaha illallahu wa ashhadu anna muhammadan rasulullah’.

The Shia shahada adds the name of Imam Ali, saying: "Ashhadu an-laa ilaaha illallaah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhoo wa rasooluhu wa ashhadu anna Aliyyan waliyyullah."

This translates to: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, AND I BEAR WITNESS THAT ALI IS THE VICEGERENT (WALI) OF ALLAH.”

The Shias include the name of Imam Ali. Both the Sunni and Shia shahada is in the present tense. This is technically wrong because both prophet Muhammad and Imam Ali are dead and gone. Hence it should be in the past tense as follows:

“and I bear witness that Muhammad WAS the Messenger of Allah” – wa ashhadu anna muhammadan KAANA Rasulullah.

“and I bear witness that Ali WAS the vicegerent (wali) of Allah” - wa ashhadu anna Aliyyan KAANA waliyyullah."

But this is not the case. They use the present tense which is wrong. Both Muhammad and Imam Ali are dead.

Mishkat al-Masabih and the Shahada:

No one knows the origins of the exact wordings of the shahada. It is certainly not in the Quran. Mishkat al-Masabih is a famous Sunni collection of hadith compiled by the 9th-century scholar al-Tabrizi. The Mishkat al-Masabih does not provide a direct "origin" for the exact formulation of the Shahada, but it does include many hadiths that refer to the concept of the testimony of faith (the declaration of the oneness of God and the finality of Muhammad’s prophethood). These hadiths form the foundation of the Shahada as it is understood today

But no one knows the origins of the exact wordings of the Shahada. That remains a mystery.

The Sunnis say that the Shia shahada is shirk. Shirk means associating partners with god. Or polytheism. Because they include the name of Ali in the shahada testimony of faith. Ali was just a regular person and was not even a Messenger or a prophet. So, the Shias are mushriks or polytheists. The Shias rebut this by saying that they do not idolise, worship or associate Ali with god. They say that on account of Ali being a WALI or vicegerent or representative of god the WALI brings them closer to Allah. Hence, they include Ali in their shahada as a mark of respect and regard. Not only is there no evidence of any sort that Ali was a WALI or vicegerent of Allah but the whole idea of Ali as a WALIYULLAH or vicegerent of Allah is shirk or polytheistic. It totally contradicts the teachings of the Messenger as follows:

Sura al Zumar 39:3: أَلَا لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْخَالِصُ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِى مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى مَنْ هُوَ كَـٰذِبٌۭ كَفَّارٌۭ

“Indeed, to Allah exclusively is the deen (of Islam). And those who take AWLIYA (WALI) other than Him, they say, “We do not worship them except that they bring us closer to Allah.” Surely Allah will judge between them in those things in which they differ. Surely Allah does not guide those who are liars and kafirs”.

It is a falsehood and kafir to say that someone is a WALI of Allah and that he can bring us closer to Allah. That is exclusively the domain of Allah.

Al Qassas 56 – “You surely cannot guide those whom you love, but it is Allah Who guides whoever He wills, and He knows best who are ˹fit to be˺ guided.”

Even the prophet could not guide those whom he loved. To claim that a mortal human like Ali was a WALI of Allah who could bring us closer to Allah is indeed shirk and kuffur (refer again 39:3 above).

But if the Sunnis say that it is SHIRK or wrong to include the name of Ali in the Shia shahada, then what about mentioning the name Muhammad in the Sunni shahada? The same logic in 39:3 above must apply. Also the following verse in the Quran :

Al Zumar 39:45 “And when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who disbelieve in the Hereafter are filled with disgust. But when those other than Him are mentioned, they are filled with joy.”

Isn’t this exactly the point? If you tell the Sunnis ‘Just say Allah alone in the shahada, do not mention the name Muhammad’ they will explode in anger. If you tell the Shias ‘Just say Allah alone in the shahada, do not mention the name Ali” the Shias too will explode in anger.

But if you tell the SuShis (Sunnis / Shias) its ok to mention Muhammad / Ali only then their hearts are filled with joy. The Quran says this is because they DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE HEREAFTER.

The Sushis say if they do not mention Muhammad / Ali in their shahada then their daily prayers to god become null and void. But you are praying to god. You are not praying to Muhammad or to Ali. How come your prayer to god becomes nullified if you don’t mention Muhammad or Ali in your prayer? So, who really is your god? There is no shahada in the Quran and the mullahs do not even know from where the exact wording of the shahada comes.

Sura al Jinn verse 18 “The masjid (places of worship) are exclusively for Allah, so do not invoke anyone besides Him.”

The masjids or places of worship are exclusively for Allah. Then why mention Muhammad or Ali besides Allah when you are inside the masjid? That is clearly against sura 39:3, 39:45 and 72:18 above. It becomes shirk.

Sura al Munafiqoon (Hypocrites) 63:1 “When the hypocrites come to you (O Rasul), they say, “We bear witness that you are certainly the Rasul of Allah”—and surely Allah knows that you are His Rasul—and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are truly liars.”

Indeed, this is exactly the shahada of the hypocrites or the munafiqoon. “We bear witness that you are certainly the Rasul of Allah” (nashhadu innaka la Rasulullah).

“and surely Allah knows that you are His Rasul” - Allah already knows that Muhammad is His Rasul. In the Quran he did not command anyone else to bear witness that Muhammad was the Rasul.

Those who insisted that they bear witness that Muhammad was a Rasul are labelled munafiqoon (hypocrites) and liars. That is clearly against sura 39:3, 39:45, 72:18 and 63:1 above. It becomes shirk.


Aaron Musa is a researcher of social affairs and religion.

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kt comments:

Mainly for Muslims, but non-Muslims should heed the advice given by the author, highlighted above in blue