5 Pillars Made Plain
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Pillar 1: When Should We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?
Sometimes people may feel that they are not ready to take the Shahadah based on where they are in life or their perceptions of other Muslims.
Sh. Abdullah Oduro answers the question “When should a person take the Shahadah?” and explains that your journey is about the personal relationship you have with Allah (swt). The Shahadah ignites that relationship. The time to take this step is now, insha’Allah.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. and will be upon you all. Abdullah Uduro and welcome back. There was a man that was walking on the beach, on the sea wall of a beach. It was late at night, he was walking, the wind was blowing and he was just thinking about life. You see, a couple of days ago, he was thinking about Islam and he was hearing about Islam from his friends and he felt like he was going to die. He was thinking about Islam and he was hearing about Islam from his friends and he felt a sense of contentment, but he wasn't sure. So when he was walking, he finally said to himself internally, I think this is the right thing. I think this is what I want to do, but let me finish having fun at this beach party. He started to look around and he saw that, you know, people were driving with their music blasting. You know, people were hanging outside of the windows of their cars, screaming. You know, people were acting immoral in certain times. This is a yearly beach party that happens every year. And he started to ask himself the question, is this really what life is about? Is this really how I want to die? When should I do this? When should I take this shahadah? What about Mike? Mike is someone that when asked, after he acknowledged that he believes in Islam, he believes in the shahadah, the oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him, didn't yet want to take the shahadah. When they asked him why, you ready? He said, you know, the people at the mosque down the street near my house, I never knew it was a mosque until y'all told me. They don't get involved in the community. I have no idea that they believe what I believe now. The individuals that were talking to him about Islam, alhamdulillah, they told him, well, look, embrace Islam, take the shahadah. Whereupon Mike took the shahadah and became a Muslim. When should one embrace Islam? When you ask the question, sincerely,
what is the purpose of life? Why am I created? How do I fulfill that purpose in my life? And when hearing about Islam, that's when one should take the shahadah. I know the hesitation may be from coming into Islam and taking the shahadah, the social construct in your area, whether it's the MSA or groups of Muslims in your local area that you may not get along with. They may have some discrimination and stereotypical practices within the local mosque in your area. But we want to remind you of one thing. Islam came for the core of your character, your principles that starts and ends with a personal relationship between you and Allah. Don't ever forget that. Just as you came into this world alone, you're living in this world alone, you're taking that shahadah. Remember, establishing that relationship with Allah initially will be alone. Do not let a community of people or one person deter you from establishing that relationship. And the shahadah is that which ignites that relationship, which starts that relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So take the shahadah first and then try your level best to live up to that shahadah. Some of you may say, you know, I'm too sinful. I'm not ready yet. I want to cleanse myself first, and then I will come into Islam. We say no, start with the shahadah to establish that relationship. And that is where you start the prevention and the cure. Whether you are drinking, whether you're someone that's a compulsive liar, whether there are sins that only you and Allah know about, start the relationship with the shahadah. Allah says in chapter number 39, verse 53, when he tells the prophet to proclaim to the people, he said, say, all my slaves who have transgressed against themselves do not have despair from the mercy of Allah. Verily, Allah forgives all sins, for he is the all forgiving, the most merciful.
So start with the process of life, of fulfilling your purpose by taking the shahadah and trying your level best. Whether the social structure is not that compatible with you, remember, you will go in front of Allah alone. So establish that relationship. We ask Allah, the exalted, to make you of those that embrace your humanity and understanding the trials and tribulations that you will go through. But this process of learning who he is and making you a stronger Muslim will keep you firm in the religion. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Thank you.
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