Notes and suggestions (I): The Shahada

In every contract or transaction there are two parties, who are the ones who agree to this or that on one or the other terms. When one takes Shahada he is making a contract, a transaction, an agreement with Allah which is accounted for by the tongue and signed with the heart; that is why Islam is described as a Din (vital transaction). One of the peculiar characteristics of this vital transaction is that the other party is not present, at least not like any other party with whom we make a contract. Therefore the Shahada itself, besides being the first pillar of Islam, and testimony of faith that establishes the Din and opens the person to a new dimension of existence is, in itself and in the first place an act of faith; we make a contract with another party that we do not see and we sign it. We commit ourselves to a series of things in exchange for the promise of a certain reward, and we sign it. When we take Shahada we have in front of us a person who acts, so to speak, as an intermediary, and it is the repetition of his words that de facto binds us in the transaction. The role of this person is fundamental in that moment as well as in the life of the new Muslim, guiding him in his principles and encouraging him in the difficulties. Prior to the pronouncement of the words that make up the profession of faith and that are the core (Tawhid) of Islam, this person clearly states the commitments to be made, which are delimited by respect for the five pillars of Islam and its strict obedience. This is the first and fundamental key to submission to Allah; respect for the five pillars of Islam. And note that we speak of submission, because this contract, this Din, is not made in any way between equals, but between the most distant (and at the same time the closest), between the creator and the created. The Shahada symbolizes the turning for the first time to Allah in a conscious and free way, the acceptance that before Him there is nothing but submission and, sometimes in time or immediately, the realization of the immense liberation that this implies for the individual. Ultimately, and as the first step on the path, the Shahada is nothing but a tremendous mercy from Allah to us; its utterance must therefore be made with conviction and with gentleness, conviction being born of the spirit and gentleness springing from the heart. It is sometimes said that one must have felt the call of Islam to become a Muslim, however we must not be deceived; this call can be experienced in as many different ways as there are different people. There is no single path that leads to Islam, on the contrary, all paths lead here and all are equally valid. In my humble understanding, the call of Islam is a kind of vibration that resonates differently according to the chest in which it occurs. It is a form of remembrance, an awakening in some way to the original, a reunion with the true, with something intimate and authentic that one has always carried within; in other words, a sitting down with oneself at the gates of the spirit, with a discreet smile and a spirit of reconciliation. But of all this Allah knows best, He is the one who guides whom He wills and leads astray whom He wills.
La illah illa Allah, muhaddmadam rasul Allah Author: Nizzar Vizcaino