A Heart Healing Way

of Life, Love

and Death

﷽

Kalimat Ash-Shahâdah, ‘the word of testimony’, is easy to utter with its pleasing flow of Arabic words, and easy to fall in love with.

It’s a potently concise one-sentence declaration that’s dulcet to hear and sweetens our tongues, enlightens our minds, enfolds around our hearts, permeating them with warm love outshining any other, scents our body and beautifies our soul with undivided surrender to ALLÂH ﷻ, with unwavering sufficiency, and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

It’s declaring,

I bear witness
therefore I submit,
and I live, love and die
in complete submission
to that testament.

That is the effect the shahâdah is meant to have on us.

THE ROOT OF IT ALL

Shahâdah (شَهادة), ‘witnessing’ or ‘testifying the truth’, etymologically derives from the Arabic root word shahida (شَهِدَ), ‘to witness’ or ‘to observe’.

Appreciating the root of the word, its emphasis in Islâm becomes that much more significant, as follows.

Professing the shahâdah is not only a proclamation; it’s accepting without demur that ALLÂH ﷻ is The One and Only God and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is HIS ﷻ last messenger.

Fundamentally, it’s avowing to follow the word of ALLÂH ﷻ in its entirety and the teachings of The Prophet ﷺ without excuses, justifications or rationalisations.

It’s a perfect and intricate word intrinsic in delineating what Islâm is with a cornucopia of beautiful layers to its meaning.

It’s acknowledging ALLÂH ﷻ is sufficient regardless of our situations, conditions or circumstances. It’s being aware ALLÂH ﷻ is the ultimate sustainer and healer. It’s turning to and relying on ALLÂH ﷻ for everything. It’s putting our trust in ALLÂH ﷻ without question.

It’s the saving and guiding principle – fundamental truth – filling voids, caressing hurts and bringing ease once realised. It’s the quintessential fundamental framework – foundational core basic – everything is built upon.

It’s the first article of Islâm, and so much more.

The declaration of the shahâdah connotes and denotes so many explicit and implicit profound messages.

A PUISSANT CONNEXION

Remarkably, and beautifully, shahâdah also means martyrdom, a valuable correlation and an insightful connexion that gets to the crux of what martyrdom in Islâm truly signifies, clarifying the concept in its purest form.

You can’t have one without the other.

To explicate further, only after grasping what lies behind the Arabic word at a lexical, logical and intellectual level, can we begin to comprehend what it means to be a shahīd (شَهيد), ‘martyr’.

The simple fact the way we’re BLESSED, FORTUNATE and GRACED to live our lives solely on the premise of that testament, and that it’s our last whisperings before we leave this world to the next, is symptomatic of what it means to desire martyrdom.

It’s not for any worldly or heavenly gain.

Martyrdom is ONLY for ONE intention: the shahâdah.

It’s incumbent upon us not to lose the significance and heart of martyrdom and glorify what is sometimes an illusion. Even more than that, we need to appreciate how one poignantly powerful word binds and symbolises two essential elements for a Muslim to live and die by.

BEHIND THE DECLARATION

Believing in the first pillar implies what we see, hear and say, the what, why and how of our deeds, who and how we connect with others, and our dress code and demeanour, is for the sake of The One and Only God, and for our respect for the ways of HIS ﷻ last messenger ﷺ.

It is KNOWING Allâh ﷻ.

It’s understanding, embracing and embedding TAWHEED – absolute Oneness of ALLÂH ﷻ, Oneness of Worship, and Oneness of Names and Attributes of ALLÂH ﷻ – firmly in our hearts with clarity, consciousness, conscientiousness and precision.

It’s praising ALLÂH ﷻ and being grateful to HIM ﷻ constantly and consistently for no other reason than for the heartful truth that HE ﷻ IS WORTHY OF PRAISE.

Simply think about what’s taken for granted: the gift of breath and a beating heart, the miracle of HIS ﷻ Holy Book and beauty of HIS ﷻ creation, bestowing infinite bounties and blessings upon us, granting us free-will, choice and an intellect, mercifully gracing us with limitless tests, trials and signs to heal our hearts for realignment, rebalance, reconnexion and rewiring for betterment, and even more.

It means absolute obedience to ALLÂH ﷻ with our all with HIM ﷻ being sufficient for us without a shadow of doubt – time, health, energy, earnings, knowledge, strengths, talents, skills; in faith, heart, mind, senses, body and deeds – and to the wisdom of our Beloved Prophet ﷺ.

It’s surrendering to ALLÂH ﷻ by complying with HIS ﷻ word,

through HIS ﷻ messenger ﷺ, the complete man, the paragon of character, whom ALLÂH ﷻ chose to seal HIS ﷻ religion.

Truly attesting the shahâdah is making a promise to ALLÂH ﷻ Islâm is the heart healing way of life, and how we live, love and die for HIM ﷻ, for us to be under the shade with HIS ﷻ Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgement and in his company in paradise.

It’s turning to ALLÂH ﷻ by implementing Istikhâra for the true and ultimate guidance from HIM ﷻ for ALL decision-making, BEFORE every deed, in ALL matters, in ALL areas of life.

We’re saying, above our love for ourselves and before our love for others, we love ALLÂH ﷻ first,

And, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ second,

It’s aligning all our love, regardless of the relationship, purely for the love of ALLÂH ﷻ, as The Prophet ﷺ guided,

Ongoing Ease

The shahâdah is more than a few words we murmur; it’s our breathings, love, a heart healing way of life, and death.

It’s sakeena in its purest form (calmness, contentment, inner peace, serenity and tranquility all-in-one, and more) once we grasp all the above, by knowing and embracing ALLÂH ﷻ is omnipresent and omnipotent, reminding us that sakeena can’t be found or attained but it ebbs and flows from one day to the next, depending on our level of love for, faith in, gratitude to, reliance (tawakkul) on and trust in ALLÂH ﷻ.

The shahâdah we whisper throughout the day is an ever present reminder gently nudging us to return to our faithful selves whenever we waver – and we will because we’re fallible beings.

The cycle of realigning, rebalancing and reconnecting with the shahâdah for heart healing through HIS ﷻ guidelines and our core habits and skills, gives us room to seek aspirations and proactive transformations that serve as WAQF until our last breath, and after returning to ALLÂH ﷻ, especially major ones that will become our cause or source of earnings and contribution to the ummah and the world.

It’s having and placing loyalty and hope ONLY in ALLÂH ﷻ, and by believing and doing so, grants and graces us with optimism and an abundance of possibilities and opportunities to live, love and die in a heart healing way for HIM ﷻ.

The shahâdah is the essence and meaning of Islâm, SUBMISSION, and what we aspire as Muslims to gain and accomplish in this world by BEING and DOING with attention and intention our utmost to please ALLÂH ﷻ for us to return to HIM ﷻ with HIM ﷻ content with us inshâ’Allâh.

It’s an ever existing salve for a healing heart.

It is Islâm.

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