The Shahada
The testimony of faith
A person becomes Muslim by sincerely believing in and saying the Shahada, the testimony of faith. No ceremony, witness or certificate is required, although many people choose to say it at a mosque.
The Shahada
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā-llāh, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu-llāh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
What it means
- “There is no god but Allah”: only Allah deserves worship. Nothing and no one shares in His divinity.
- “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”: Muhammad ﷺ is the final prophet, and we follow his teaching and example.
- Allah is the Arabic word for God, the same God worshipped by Abraham, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them.
“Islam wipes out whatever came before it.”
The Prophet ﷺ, Sahih Muslim 121
Sources: Sahih Muslim 121 · Quran 3:19, 47:19