In truth, Shahadah need
not commit one to anything beyond the affirmation which is relevant to the sort of
attestation in question. Shahadah marks one stage of spiritual inclination or orientation,
among many possible stages of spiritual inclination and orientation (and this is true, as
well, in relation to each of the other four Pillars). To a great extent, how far any, or
all, of this is pursued, is up to the individual (in terms of capacity, intention,
aspiration, and circumstances), although, naturally, environment - in the form of family,
community, education, and experiential opportunities - may also affect what, if anything,
happens either in relation to, or beyond, the first Shahadah.
The individual who says
Shahadah is indicating a certain willingness (which varies with the capacity, intention,
aspiration, and circumstances underlying that person’s attestation) to accept as
true, on some level, that ‘there is no reality but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger
of God’. This acceptance may never carry over into the other Pillars (i.e., prayer,
fasting, zakat/charity, and pilgrimage), but such acceptance, nonetheless, could surface
in a whole variety of attitudes, interests, likes, dislikes, and actions concerning that
individual’s existential stance with respect to the universe.
For instance, the
individual who says Shahadah but who does not observe the other Pillars, might be
dedicated to qualities of kindness, love, compassion, justice, patience, and so on, because
the individual feels a harmonious resonance between these sorts of qualities and the
meanings entailed by the Shahadah. If such an individual seeks to incorporate these
qualities into her or his life because the individual sees these values as extensions of,
or applications of, the Shahadah, then, this person is bearing witness in accordance
with the spirit of the initial attestation or affirmation of God’s existence and the
Prophetic mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The Prophet once said
that God has three hundred attributes and if an individual were to make just one of these
attributes his or hers (in the sense of being dyed in the ‘colors’ of that
attribute), then, that person will attain Paradise. There is nothing in this Hadith about
observing the other four Pillars, but one cannot approach the attributes of God on the
authority of such a Hadith without acknowledging the reality inherent in the first
Shahadah.
On the other hand, one
should not suppose this process of seeking to make even a single attribute of God
one’s own area of focus and realized understanding is not without its own intense, if
not severe, challenges, risks, and rigors. In fact, this road is an extremely difficult
one, and an individual is likely to find that, comparatively speaking, the discipline
required by observing the other four Pillars constitutes both a much easier road to travel
than the former quest, as well as a way of readying oneself, if one should wish to pursue
things further, for the greater rigors of the quest concerning the attributes of Divinity.
When one says, in
accordance with the first Shahadah or attestation, that: "One is bearing witness to -
‘there is no reality but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God’, to what is
attestation being given? This question raises a number of other issues which must be
addressed in order to gain some sense of what is being asked here.
First, let’s
consider the initial part of the foregoing Shahadah, namely: "there is no reality but
God". What is meant when one refers to ‘whatever’ as "God", or,
phrased in another way, what is meant when one uses the word "God" when making
reference to ‘reality’, whatever the latter might be?
In an Islamic context,
one is saying something along the following lines. All levels of reality are established
through, delineated by, give expression to, and serve the purpose or purposes of Divinity.
In other words, whatever
possibilities exist, these exist through what Divinity permits, and there are no other
possibilities besides these. Whatever laws, rules, or principles are inherent in the
nature of things, then, these exist through what Divinity permits, and there are no laws,
rules, or principles other than these. Whatever degrees of freedom or boundaries exist,
these exist through what Divinity permits, and there are no degrees of freedom or
boundaries other than these. Whatever potentials exist, these exist through what Divinity
permits, and there are no potentials other than these. Whatever order exists, this exists
through what Divinity permits, and there are no realms of order other than this. Whatever
levels of being exist, these exist through what Divinity permits, and there are no levels
of being other than this. In whatever way(s) things, events and processes unfold, this
takes place through what Divinity permits, and there are no ways other than this.
To assert - in the
foregoing, broadly construed sense - that "there is no ‘reality’ but
‘God’ " means all truth, existence, potential, dimensions, realms, worlds,
and possibility depend on, and derive their nature and being from, what Divinity permits.
All truth, existence, potential, possibility, and manifestation is derived or borrowed
truth, existence, potential, possibility, or manifestation. God, alone, is the source,
determiner, judge, and disposer of all truth, existence, potential, possibility, and
manifestation.
To claim there is a
‘reality’ other than God is to deny the foregoing. To claim there is a
‘reality’ other than God is to maintain there are more realms of truth, order,
being, reality, existence, possibility, and potential than the ones which God permits.
In truth, the Shahadah
stipulates there is no reality, existence, possibility, potential, or order but Divine
Reality. There is no reality outside of, or beside, Divine Reality, and the word
"God" is a way of referring to this all inclusive Reality.
However, the foregoing
should not be construed in a pantheistic sense in which the fabric of the
universe and being is said to consist of ‘atoms’ of Divinity. Rather, the
Shahadah should be seen as asserting that reality - whatever it may be, or could be, or
entails - is what Divinity permits. Whatever is, has the Divine Signature of
permissibility upon it and underlying it.
Divinity is that Reality
which is beyond, but makes possible, all permitted realities. The Essence of Divine
Reality is that Essence which is beyond, but makes possible, the essence of all permitted
realities.
The relation between
Divinity and the various modalities of permitting, or between the Divine Essence and the
essence of permitted realities is clothed or veiled in mystery. How much of this mystery
can, or will, be made available to any given individual is a function of what Divinity
permits.
What about the second
aspect of the Shahadah - namely, "Muhammad is the Messenger of God"? The
significance of this part of the attestation is rooted in the several levels of meaning
which are inherent in the term: "Messenger".
Islam makes a distinction
between "Rasul" - ‘Messenger’, and "Nabeeh" -
‘Prophet’. A ‘Prophet’ is an individual appointed by God for the
purpose of officially inviting people to, and informing them about, Deen and, as well, to
provide assistance to human beings in all matters pertaining to Deen in accordance with
the spiritual capacity which God has given to such an individual for just this purpose.
A ‘Rasul’ is a
Prophet who, in addition to the role of Prophet (i.e., Nabeeh) outlined earlier, also
receives a Book of Revelation from God, via the archangel Gabriel, and has the
responsibility of receiving, preserving and disseminating the Message of such a Book. This
Book is not necessarily a written document but has its origins in the Original Book of
Deen in which all Revelations are rooted and out of which they arise as so many variations
on the essential themes of the Original Book of Deen which ‘stands’ outside of
space, time and materiality.
From the time of Adam
(peace be upon him) to the time of Muhammad (peace be upon him), there have been some
124,000 Prophets. Only a small number of these Prophets (in the sense of Nabeeh) also have
been a Rasul, and, therefore, carriers of a Messenger in the form of a Book.
The Qur’an has
identified a number of those who have been Rasul. These include: Ibrahim (Abraham),
Da’ud (David), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad (peace be upon them all). The
Qur’an also indicates that: "Surely! We have sent messengers before thee, among
them are some whom We have told thee, and some of whom we did not tell thee." (40:78)
There is another sense of
Messenger which all the Prophets share with one another and the rest of Creation, in
general, and Muhammad (peace be upon him), in particular. Quite aside from the issue of
Books of Revelation with which Rasul is normally associated, each of the Prophets gives
expression to the Word of God as originally spoken by God.
The Qur’an indicates
that when God wishes or desires for something to exist, Divinity merely says to a
‘thing’ "Be" ("kun") and it is. (16:40). Each thing that
becomes, is a Word of God which conveys part of the totality of the Message that is
transmitted through Creation considered as a whole.
The Words which are given
manifested form in the lives of the Prophets have special importance and meaning. They are
the bearers of the Words of Guidance which come to human beings and are intended to give
concrete and delineated expression to the Message of Deen which is given through Books of
Revelation.
While it is true that
only certain Prophets of God are Messengers in the sense of being custodians of specific
Books of Revelation transmitted via the archangel Gabriel, nonetheless, all Prophets are
Messengers of God in the sense of being custodians and manifestations of the Guidance (or
Word of God) which is intended to elucidate, in human terms, the meaning, significance,
and value of any given Book of Revelation. The lives and being of all Prophets convey, in
human terms, the basic themes of the Books of Revelation which, in turn, is the official,
fixed, Divine record not only for all matters concerning, or pertaining to, principles of
Deen and fitra, but also for creation on whatever level of consideration.
Messengers, in both of
the foregoing senses, are the ones who have been designated by Divinity to serve as Words
of Guidance. They are the human embodiments of the Word of God as voiced through the
Creative command of "Kun" which gives to each, individual ‘ayat’ or
sign of this 124,000-letter Word, both a basic, unvarying message concerning Deen/fitra,
as well as a unique message that is reflected in, or manifested through, the life of a
given Prophet that expresses one of the jewels of this Divine Word of Guidance taken as a
whole - "They are degrees with God." (3:163).
Messengers, in both of
the previously mentioned senses, are sources of Guidance with respect to the meaning of
"There is no reality but God". Messengers, in both of the aforementioned senses,
are bridges leading back to the depths of meaning inherent in the first part of the
Shahadah.
It is only because of the
truth inherent in "there is no reality but God" that the second half of the
Shahadah is possible. It is only because of the permissions which have been invested in
the second half of the Shahadah by the Reality to which the first part of the Shahadah
alludes that human beings have been provided with the Guidance which is necessary to gain
access, according to capacity and the blessings of Divinity, to the meaning, truth, and
reality of: "There is no reality but God".
Thus, contrary to the
contention of the author of Sufism - A Short Introduction (i.e., that:
"The Shahadah also defines the content of faith, whose primary element is faith in
God. The nature of the God in whom Muslims have faith is set down briefly by the first
Shahadah, while all the objects of faith are conceptualized in terms of the concomitants
of the second Shahadah, which designates the domain of the message and the messenger), the
first Shahadah is not about "faith" but about a basic acknowledgment of the way
‘reality’ is (i.e., ‘there is no reality but God) and the way or Deen
(i.e., Muhammad is the Messenger of God) which ‘Reality’ has vested with
permission to guide human beings to the truth of "there is no reality but God".
The first Shahadah is
both the port of disembarkation for the journey of discovery concerning the purpose and
meaning of life, and, as well, the first Shahadah gives expression to the acknowledgment
that one needs to book passage on a ship of Guidance in order to undertake the
aforementioned journey. The issue of faith arises at subsequent junctures in the journey
when, among other things, one struggles to keep from being washed overboard during the
storms of life which buffet and challenge one’s original decision to acknowledge the
reality and necessity of the first Shahadah.
Muhammad (peace be upon
him) is the prototype for all Messengers in both of the foregoing senses. As one Hadith
indicates: " I (Muhammad) was a Prophet when Adam (peace be upon him) was between
water and clay."
As prototype, the life
and being of Muhammad (peace be upon him) gives expression to the meaning, purpose, and
significance of the entire Prophetic tradition. In essence, by following any of the
Prophets of God, one is following the tradition of Divine Guidance which has been given
voice through the lives of the Prophets and which is intended to assist human beings to
struggle to pursue Deen so that the potential of fitra, or primordial nature, may be
realized - "Whoever obeys the Messenger, thereby, obeys Allah." (4:80)
The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) has said that all of the Books of Revelation which preceded the
Qur’an are contained, in essence, within the Qur’an. Similarly, the entire
Prophetic tradition which preceded Muhammad (peace be upon him) is contained, in essence,
within him.
If one embraces and loves
any aspect of the Prophetic tradition, one necessarily embraces and loves Muhammad (peace
be upon him). If one embraces and loves Muhammad (peace be upon him), one necessarily
embraces and loves each facet of the Prophetic tradition.
Consequently, one cannot
say the second half of the Shahadah (i.e., "Muhammad is the Messenger of God")
without acknowledging, at least implicitly, the rest of the Prophetic tradition. This is
so even though, in saying the second part of the Shahadah, one is mentioning only a single
facet of the 124,000 member Prophetic tradition - namely, the facet which, historically
speaking, is the last manifestation of that Prophetic spiritual lineage.
The second Shahadah
involves an attestation to, or recognition of, the Reality inherent in the truth that
"there is no reality but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God" which, in
turn, is rooted in the lights of faith that have been cast into the heart of the
individual by Divinity. In terms of experience, knowledge, understanding, and degree of
certitude, the second Shahadah involving ‘iman’, extends considerably beyond the
acknowledgment characteristic of the first Shahadah which is directed toward basic
submission.
Just as the four Pillars
of faith (daily prayers, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage) are different opportunities to
give concrete expression to the truth and reality inherent in the first Shahadah of
acknowledgment but do not exhaust the ways in which one can bear witness, so too, angels,
Revealed Books, the Prophetic tradition, the Last Day, together with the apportioning of
things, both good and evil, are so many opportunities for giving expression to lights of
faith but none of these exhaust the themes through which the lights of faith can be
manifested. In each case, the loci of manifestation through which the respective
declarations or witnessing may be given expression are starting points, and not
termination points, of possibility.
There is a third
dimension of meaning (outlined, beginning in the next paragraph) inherent in the second
part ("Muhammad is the Messenger of God") of the first Shahadah, but the reality
of this level of significance (like many other aspects of the first Shahadah) only becomes
realized, if at all, at a much later stage. Nonetheless, irrespective of whether, or not,
the reality of this third facet of the Shahadah is realized, the general meaning which is
involved can be acknowledged through attestation or bearing witness.
More specifically, there
are two related Hadiths which bear upon the issue at hand. In the first Hadith, the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The first that God Almighty created was
my spirit (or my light)". In another Hadith the Prophet said: "I am from the
light of God, and the whole world is from my light".
The light referred to in
the foregoing is known as the ‘Haqiqat-i-Muhammad’ or the ‘Reality of
Muhammad’. This light exists as a fixed form in the knowledge of God.
Earlier, the Quranic ayat
was mentioned in which God indicates that when He desires or wishes for a ‘thing’
to be, He merely says to it "Kun" and it becomes. The ‘thing’ to which
God is saying "Kun" is the fixed form of the light of that which was created
first - namely, the ‘Reality of Muhammad’.
A fixed form in the
knowledge of God is a potential. It has no existence, per se, of its own, but it does have
a ‘form’ in the sense of consisting of an array of possible degrees of freedom,
as well as constraints or limitations.
When God says
"Kun" to this fixed form in His knowledge, one kind of light (i.e., the light of
Divine intent that is given expression through "Kun") is being cast through a
another kind of light (the light of potential inherent in the fixed form of the
‘Reality of Muhammad’). The result is ‘created being’ which is a
complex light that is dispersed according to the way the Divine "Kun" passes
through the fixed form.
This is somewhat akin to
the way light from some source is dispersed when it goes through a prism and, as a result,
generates a spectrum which is a function of both the nature of the prism through which the
original light had been cast, together with the properties of the latter light. In the
present case, however, the spectrum which arises gives expression to the manifestations of
creation.
All creation bears a
signature from the light of the fixed form through which "Kun" has passed. All
creation is inherent in the potential of the fixed form of Divine knowledge which
constitutes the ‘Reality of Muhammad’ - a potential that awaits the directive
"Kun" so that a spectrum of creation arises in accordance with the way that
"potential" is affected by the Divine command.
This potential always
remains just that - ‘a potential’. The Creation which arises is the light of
Divinity that has been dispersed in a particular way by the potential through which the
Divine "Kun" has passed - a dispersal which has the properties that Divinity
originally desired by virtue of the intent which gave rise to "Kun".
"Kun" addressed the appropriate facet(s) of the ‘Reality of Muhammad’
to generate the manifested form of dispersal which is known as ‘created being -
indeed, as the Qur’an indicates - "God is the Light of the heavens and
earth" (24:35).
The Message of
"Kun" is Creation. The Messenger of this Message of Creation that arises out of
the Divine Word "Kun" is the light of the fixed form potential, known as the
‘Reality of Muhammad’, through which the Command of "Kun" passes.
In light of the
foregoing, the first Shahadah signifies the following. "There is no one but God who
gives the Command of "Kun", and the ‘Reality of Muhammad’ is the
Messenger of the Divine Message of "Kun".
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