The Significance of the Shahadah in Islamic religion and a probable reason why Muslims frown at any depiction of the Prophet in paintings.
Table of Contents
In the recent past, there have been confrontations and
demonstrations when some individuals through ignorance tended to teach students
about Islam and got themselves into trouble by making paintings of the Prophet.
I call it ignorance because if they had learned the Qur’an or been informed
about the Shahadah, they would not have done that. This writing will briefly
introduce to the reader the importance of the Shahadah in the Islamic religion.
In Islam, the concept of Tawhid invokes three aspects of
monotheism, which the Shahadah (the profession of faith) embodies.
The Shahadah is made up of two declarations: “There is no god but God” and
“Muhammad is the Messenger of God” (La ilaha illallah, Muhammad-ur-Rasul-Allah).
The former signifies the Tawhid and the latter indicates prophecy. For Muslims,
the Shahadah is not a claim specifically reserved for the Islamic religion but
a call to humanity to acknowledge the oneness of God. It is not reservedly
connected with Islam, but rather, is an explanation of why God’s creation and
creatures should submit to him.
The Qur’an has the theme of the ‘oneness of God’ repeated
in many verses, such as (Al-Ikhlas 112), which is noted as the
‘sincerity’ and the reason for Islamic religion which was to make known to
humanity the truth about the unity of God following the polytheistic prevalence
in Makkah in the seventh century Arabia. The warning from the Prophets about
the worship of God is a case that is built into the Qur’anic argument of the
Shahadah. Examples include:
- We sent Noah
to his people. He said: ‘O my people, worship Allah! Ye have no other god
but Him....” (Al-A‘raf 7:59).
- For We
assuredly sent amongst every People a Messenger, (with the Command), ‘Serve
Allah, and eschew Evil.’” (An-Nahl 16:36).
- I have only
created jinns and men, that they may serve me.” (Adh-Dhariyat 51:56).
- And We did
not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad...) but We revealed to him
(saying): La ilaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I
(Allah), so worship Me (Alone and none else)” (Al-Anbiya 21:25).
The
citations above draw some lines and distinctions of Islamic monotheism. For
Muslims, the idea of God is by application generic to the belief in a worldwide
Islamic community and God-thought means ‘one’ as well as ‘an indivisible
unity.’
We will in the sections below describe the three aspects
of Islamic monotheism from the perspectives of the Shahadah. They are:
1. Oneness of the Lordship of Allah (Tawhid-ar-Rububiyyah)
2. Oneness of the Worship of Allah (Tawhid-al-Uluhiyyah)
3. Divine Names and Attributes of Allah (Tawhid-al-Asma
was-Sifat)
Oneness of the Lordship of Allah (Tawhid-ar-Rububiyyah)
This is the belief that there is only one Lord for all
the universe, and He is its Creator, Organizer, Planner, Sustainer, and the
Giver of security. He is called Allah. It is a testimony and a declaration
expected from everyone. “A confession with your heart that the Creator (of
everything) is Allah.” Some Islamic scholars would argue that “all diversity,
wealth and history, culture and learning, wisdom and civilization of Islam is
compressed in this shortest of sentences – la ilaha illa Allah (There
is no god but God).”
Oneness of the Worship of Allah (Tawhid-al-Uluhiyyah)
The argument here is that all worship and adoration
should be directed to Allah and any attempts to give reverence or worship to
other creatures, such as the prophets, saints, and idols are considered Taghut (16:36).
Therefore, any confession that implies the word ‘worship’ that should be
directed to Allah, if directed to an angel, prophet, Mary, Isa, Muhammad,
saint, idol, the sun or moon is frowned at and should be rejected. Muslims are
summoned to pray with sincerity to none but Allah for help and to him only for
sustenance.
Divine Names and Attributes of Allah (Tawhid-al-Asma was-Sifat)
The name of Allah is sacred and considered absolute in
the Qur’an. As such, there are other terms used for him that manifest as his
attributes. The Qur’an uses the name “Allah” up to 2,500 times to refer to the
Transcendent. In Islamic theology, the same name “Allah” is referred to as
“Al-ism al-dhat” (the essential name). Then, other terms that the Qur’an
uses for Allah are referred to as the al-asma al-sifat (the
names denoting attributes). There are about 99 such names some of which are
listed below.
1:
Some Divine Attributes of Allah
|
Arabic |
English |
|
Rabb |
Sustainer |
|
Rahman |
Gracious |
|
Al-malik |
The King |
|
Al-quddus |
The Sacred |
|
Al-salam |
The Peace |
|
Al-mu’min |
The Faithful |
|
Al-muhaymin |
The Protector |
|
Al-‘aziz |
The Mighty |
The
Ash-Shura affirms that: “There is nothing like unto Him and He is the
All-Hearer, the All-Seer” (Ash-Shura 42:11). No person can equal
his attributes, neither nature can be elevated to the status
of God, nor his transcendence be reduced a to mere thing. This may
explain why Muslims object to any drawings or paintings of the
Prophet.
God - Unique and Unchangeable
The Shahadah presents God as unique and unchangeable. God
cannot be brought into existence like any man or woman, neither through
procreation nor reproduction. Human language is not even enough to describe him
is nor any law appropriate to be placed above him. For the Qur’an: “Say (O
Muhammad...): “He is Allah, (the) One. “Allah-us-Samad...[Allah – the
Self-Sufficient Master, whom all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks)].
“He begets not, nor was He begotten. “And there is none co-equal or comparable
unto Him” (Al-Ikhlas 112).
From the above Ikhlas surah, two
concepts are noted: the ahad and the Samad. For
the former, the main theme of the concept of Ahad is a reinforcement of the
Shahadah. The Ikhlas surah says: “He is Allah, (the) One”
(112). This is a declaration of God’s ‘oneness’ and ‘uniqueness.’ The latter
concept, Samad, proclaims God’s power, mercy, and providence. The word ‘Samad’
means ‘solid’ as against something hollow. This suggests that God is as hard as
a rock that cannot be moved and, as such can be trusted, depended upon, and
relied on for strength and mercy.
Conclusion
From
the above, the fore the oneness and uniqueness of God as contained in the
Shahadah were described in a nutshell. The Shahadah (the first part) considers
the nature of God in three aspects: the oneness of the Lordship
of God, the oneness of the worship of God, and the divine names and attributes
of God. It also underlines the basis of Islamic monotheism as a declaration
meant for all humanity and not only for Muslims and a probable reason why
Muslims frown at any depiction of the Prophet in paintings or drawings. Hence,
God is one, unique, and indivisible.
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