The Corruption of the Shahada

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https://inquiringislam.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/the-corruption-of-the-shahada/
The prophet Abraham who, although not a Jew or a Christian, was such an excellen
t example that God commanded his Messenger Muhammad to follow him. And Mohammed
responded by saying:
I have submitted my wholeself to God and so have those who follow me
Why then have millions of people been entrapped into following the teachings of
Abu Hurairah a mysterious person from the shadows of Hadith literature? Could it
be that they have rejected the teaching of Quran while believing they have not
done so? God says:
Have you noted those who only know part of the scripture, and when invited to ad
opt Gods law, they turn away in aversion?. That is because they are deceived in th
eir faith by their own inventions. (Quran: 3:23-24)
The Shahadah
To profess their faith in Islam the Sunnis make this declaration: I bear witness
that there is no god except God and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenge
r of God. (Arabic transliteration: Ash hadu anlaa ilaaha illallaahu wa ash hadu a
nna muhammadar-rasulallah). This testimony is called the Shahadah and according t
o Sunni belief it must be recited by every Muslim as an attestation of their all
egiance to Islam. Consequently any person who does not bear witness is not accepte
d as a Muslim by them.
However this testimony is not sanctioned by the true teachings of the Prophet Mu
hammad, which are found in the Quran, the veritable word of God.
Many people may feel astounded at this statement especially as the Shahadah is c
onsidered to be the foundation of Sunni faith. This is why it is important to ta
ke a careful and critical look before reaching any impulsive conclusions.
For the Sunni, the purpose of the Shahadah is many folds. For example without re
citing the Shahadah, the Sunnis consider their salat prayer to be nullified. Als
o before a newcomer is accepted into the Sunni religion, a public declaration by
reciting the Shahadah in front of witnesses must be made. In some countries con
verts are given a certificate after reciting the Shahadah to confirm they have bee
n admitted into the Islamic fold. However, it is not known if such certificates are
also a complimentary pass into heaven!
To associate anything or anyone with God is known as shirk, the highest degree of
blasphemy, which God does not forgive. This is made clear in chapter 4 verse 48.
The Quran also stipulates that Muslims must profess faith in the One God and no
t call on anyone else. The Shahadah, therefore, cannot be the correct way to aff
irm faith as the name of the prophet Muhammad, besides God, is included in this
attestation and also used in the salat prayers.
People blindly following their religion are the root of wrong beliefs. This acce
ptance of the Shahadah is no different. If only people read and understand the Q
uran then they would realize that God revealed the following verse to the Messen
ger which is just as applicable to us today as it was to him:
Do not accept anything that you yourself cannot verify. Surely your hearing, your
eyesight and your mind will be questioned Sura 17:36.
God wants us to substantiate our beliefs and we should follow His advice.
Abu Hurairah
The Shahadah testimony that is recited by the Sunnis originates from Abu Huraira
h and is recorded in the hadith the oral traditions attributed to the prophet Muha
mmad. The hadith given below is from Mishkat-ul-Masabih, translation by Maulana Fa
zlul Karim, Volume 1, Chapter 1, no.27. (Published by the Book House, Lahore, Pa
kistan). As there are a many versions of this hadith, the collections of Tirmidz
i should also be read.
The hadith regarding the Shahadah says:
One day Abu Hurairah went to the people and told them that the Messenger had aut
horised him to go and tell them to recite the Shahadah ash hadu anlaa ilaha illal
lhu wa ash hadu anna muhammadar-rasulullah. Another version reads muhammadan abdu
hu wa rasuluhu. The first person Abu Hurairah came across to give the Shahadah wa
s Saidina Omar (later the second caliph). When Omar heard it he promptly punched
Abu Hurairah in the chest and knocked him to the ground. Then Omar put his foot
on Abu Hurairahs neck and asked him how dare he utter such a blasphemy.
Abu Hurairah (who is recorded in the hadith as having received quite u few beati
ngs from Saidina Omar during his lifetime) then cried out and named the Messenge
r as his authority. When again challenged by Saidina Omar, Abu Hurairah pulled o
ut a pair of leather slippers and showed them to Omar. The slippers, he said, we
re given to him by the Prophet, as proof for what he was saying. Recognising the
prophets slippers, Omar simmered down. Everyone then happily started reciting th
e shahadah. This most incredible story is the background to the Shahadah of Abu
Hurairah, which has been adopted by millions of Sunnis.
In the Quran God says,
The believers are kind to each other and firm with the disbelievers Sura 5:54.
Hence the hadith books are full of stories of how great friends the companions of
the prophet (known as Sahaba) were and the love and kindness they showed towards e
ach other.
Fourteen centuries down the road today the Tabligh people (sunni missionaries) a
lways greet each other with hugs and kisses, supposedly to emulate the brotherly
Sahaba. But in this particular hadith, we have one Sahaba knocking another down t
o the ground for bringing along something as important as the Shahadah!
In another account of this same episode, Omar is reported as challenging the Mes
senger if he did indeed send Abu Hurairah with his slippers to recite the Shahad
ah. When the Messenger said yes, Omar disagreed with him and said the Shahadah w
ill make people lazy! Whatever the logic of this hadith can be left for the hadith
advocates to explain. Yet again the narrator of this fabrication is Abu Huraira
h.
About the believers and the companions of the prophet, and Omar was one of them,
the Quran says;
The only thing the believers utter when invited to heed God and His messenger an
d uphold His law is we hear and we obey. These are the winners. Sura 24:51
Abu Hurairahs ridiculous fable not only contradicts the above verse but also cont
radicts Sura 6:51 where God tells the Messenger (and by implication the companio
ns and whomever the Quran reaches):
You shall preach WITH THE Quran to those who reverence the gathering before their
Lord
Instead Abu Hurairah said that the Prophet handed over his pair of slippers to h
im and told him to preach with the slippers in hand as proof of authenticity. By
his confession Abu Hurairah was beaten by Omar, who argued with the Prophet and
said that the Shahadah was unwise. Does the basis of a Muslims faith rest on suc
h an absurd tale? Surely this cannot be part of Islam, which is based on reason
and logic?
No one seems to know the correct identity of this Abu Hurairah even today schola
rs cannot agree on his real name. Despite there being a hadith (also attributed
to Abu Hurairah) that we should not call people by nicknames, Abu Hurairah is it
self a nickname which means the Father of Cats. So the originator of the Sunni Sha
hadah was an unknown man who was attacked unceremoniously by another companion o
f the Messenger! It is now apparent that there is significant evidence to show t
hat the Shahadah testimony of the Sunni people has a very dubious background bas
ed on ludicrous hadith falsely attributed to the prophet Muhammad whom they clai
m to love!
How then does Abu Hurairahs Shahadah contradict the Prophets true teachings? The Q
uran was revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad who then passed on this message
, first to the companions and then to the rest of the people. Besides being Gods
own revelation, the Quran represents what was actually said by the prophet Muham
mad. Anyone who rejects this simple fact cannot at all claim to be a Muslim.
So what did God commanded the Messenger to tell us? The mosques belong to God, do
not call on anyone else besides God Sura 72:18.
However, in the Shahadah of Abu Hurairah, the Sunnis call on the Messenger as we
ll as God. The Sunni scholars will argue that the mention of the Messengers name
is only out of respect. But then in the same breath, they will insist that the s
alat prayer to God Almighty is nullified if the prophet Muhammads name is not men
tioned in the Shahadah during the salat prayer. This is tantamount to idolatry a
s associating another person with God is committing shirk the unforgivable offence
.
God Alone
The human has a major weakness. He finds it difficult to believe in an unseen Go
d. Even the Prophet Moses had this problem.
When Moses came to our audience, and His Lord spoke to him, he said, My Lord let m
e look and see you. He said, You cannot see Me Sura, 7:143.
The human looks for something tangible, hence the Christians first elevated Jesu
s to a Son of God and then to the status of God Himself. The Hindus worship huma
ns like Rama and Krishna who they say are gods. The Sunnis have similarly idoliz
ed the Prophet Muhammad and have given him a divine status by adding his name to
the Shahadah testament and appropriately the Sunnis can be called Mohammedan.
To remind them of this folly will only raise their anger. Perhaps they do not kn
ow that it is the Prophet Muhammad himself who taught the following:
When God alone is advocated, the hearts of those who do not believe in the hereaf
ter shrink with aversion. But when OTHERS are mentioned besides Him, they rejoic
e Sura 39:45.
Note how angry the Mohammedan become when you mention God alone. Their anger sub
sides only when you agree to add Muhammad as the second half of Abu Hurairahs Shaha
dah which reads . And I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God (Arabic
transliteration: wa ash hadu anna muhammadar rasulullah).
God revealed to the Messenger that this is actually the Shahadah of the hypocrit
es (Arabic: Munafiq).
Among the Arabs around you there are hypocrites, and among the city dwellers as w
ell. They persist in hypocrisy and while you (Muhammad) may not know them, me kn
ow them. We will double the punishment for them, then they will be returned for
a terrible retribution Sura 9:101.
Here God is telling the Messenger that hypocrites surround him and that he does
not know who they are. Only God knows the hypocrites. But God promises
He will most certainly expose the hypocrites Sura 29:11.
And the hypocrites are worried about this too:
The hypocrites are afraid lest a verse may expose what they hide in their hearts.
Say, Keep on scoffing. God will surely expose what you fear Sura 9:64.
Hypocrites Exposed
God also says that the hypocrites can be recognized by way they engage in vain t
alk.
If we will we can expose them for you, so that you can recognize them just by loo
king at them. However you can recognize them from what they say. God is fully aw
are of all your works. Sura, 47:30.
Hence God promises to expose the hypocrites. One such method is recorded in the
Quran in Sura 63:1.
When the hypocrites come to you and say: WE BEAR WITNESS THAT YOU ARE THE MESSENGE
R OF GOD. God indeed knows that you are His Messenger. God bears witness that th
e hypocrites are liars.
The important thing to note in this verse is that the emphasized words form the
second part of Abu Hurairahs Shahadah, which is now recited by all Mohammedan. Th
is as we see from the verse 63.1 is actually the Shahadah of the hypocrites! Wha
t the hypocrites say is vain talk because God indeed knows that Muhammad is His
Messenger (63:1). God does not need any one to affirm back to Him what He alread
y knows about His own Messenger.
The Quran says;
We have sent you as a Messenger and GOD SUFFICES AS A WITNESS Sura 4:79
and this is exactly what the Messenger told his companions. There is no need to
bear witness on him because God has already done so and that is enough.
God bears witness concerning what He has revealed to you. He has revealed it with
His knowledge. And the angels bear witness as well, BUT GOD IS ENOUGH AS A WITN
ESS Sura 4:166.
Again this is what the Messenger told the companions. God is enough as a witness
. God also discourages attempts at witnessing other Messengers:
You were not on the slope of the western Mount when we gave Moses the commandment
s. YOU WERE NOT A WITNESS Sura 28:44.
So people cannot witness the messengership of the Messengers.
To reiterate, God says He will certainly expose the hypocrites (sura 29:11). God
says the Messenger can recognize them from what they say (sura 47:30). So when
the hypocrites come and insist that they want to bear witness on the Messenger,
they expose themselves as hypocrites. And Abu Hurairah (if he really existed) ha
s fooled millions of Muslims into reciting the same thing everyday of their live
s.
The first part of Abu Hurairahs Shahadah is I bear witness that there is no god ex
cept God. (Arabic transliteration: ash hadu anlaa ilaaha illallah).
The Quran says:
God bears witness that there is no god except He, and so do the angels and those
endowed with knowledge, in truth and justice. There is no god except He, the mig
hty, the wise Sura 3:18.
God is enough as a Witness
Again God says that His own witness is enough:
Say, Whose testimony is the greatest Say, Gods (testimony is the greatest). HE IS TH
E WITNESS BETWEEN ME AND YOU that this Quran has been inspired to me, to preach
it to you and whomever it reaches.. Sura, 6:19.
Because
God suffices as a witness Sura 4:79 and 4:166.,
the Shahadah as proclaimed by Abu Hurairah is therefore a lie a fabrication by w
hoever wrote the hadith. If we do not even have his true identity, how do we know
if Abu Hurairah existed at all?
Despite the evidence of the Quran, which no Muslim will deny is the truest teach
ing of the Messenger, the hypocrites insist on bearing witness to Muhammads Messe
ngership. They insist on bearing witness when God says He needs no other witness
apart from Himself.
Most importantly, the Shahadah of Abu Hurairah, by its purpose, goes against Sur
a 72:18 and Sura 39:45 in that it associates the Messengers name with God. Withou
t bearing witness on the Messenger, the Sunnis say that the salat prayer and fai
th are void. Even though by evidence from the Quran this is shown to be shirk of t
he highest order. Each time people say the Sunni Shahadah they are committing shi
rk, the unpardonable blasphemy for which they may burn in hell.
The True Declaration
What then is the real attestation, which Muslims can recite to affirm their fait
h? Perhaps when the companions asked the Messenger this question, he would have
replied:
The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate H
is words. He is the hearer, the knower. Sura 6:114
Therefore the answer is definitely in the Quran and to show the correct attestat
ion of faith, the Prophet Abraham is an excellent example.
Whose religion is better than one who SUBMITS himself to God, works righteousness
 and follows the faith Of Abraham the monotheist? God has chosen Abraham as a be
loved friend. Sura, 4:125.
Remember that this verse was revealed to the Messenger and this is what the Mess
enger then imparted to his companions and all the people through the Quran. Ther
efore we too must follow the faith Of Abraham.
Thus who would then forsake the faith of Abraham, except those who fool themselve
s? We have chosen him in this life, and in the hereafter he will be with the rig
hteous Sura 2:130.
Only fools will forsake the faith Of Abraham. Therefore unless people want to be
considered as fools, it would be better to do what Abraham did. And what did Ab
raham do?
The next verse tells us:
When his Lord said to him SUBMIT he said, I SUBMIT TO THE LORD OF THE WORLDS (Arabic:
Aslamtu Li Rabbil Aalameen) Sura 2:131.
So here we have it. When God showed Abraham the perfect religion, He commanded A
braham to Submit (Aslimu) and Abraham said Aslamtu li rabbil aalameen. This is how M
USLIMS should attest their faith.
Now it is clear that Muslims cannot attest their faith by witnessing a Messenger
or God, especially as they cannot be seen. Witnessing on Muhammads messengership
is just the idolization of one prophet. Giving distinction to one messenger abo
ve another is strictly forbidden in the Quran as mentioned in verses 2.285 and 4
.150-152.
The story of Abraham continues in the next verse:
The same did Abraham enjoin upon his sons and also Jacob, O My sons, God has chose
n for you the true faith, therefore DIE NOT SAVE AS MEN WHO HAVE SUBMITTED. Sura
2:132
Abraham enjoined his sons to believe in the same things he did. He also successf
ully enjoined his people to say the same thing Aslamtu li rabbil aalameen which me
ans I submit myself to the Lord of the Worlds. This is revealed in the next verse:
Or were you present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his sons, What wil
l you worship after me? They said, We shall worship thy God, the God of thy father
s Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac, One God, and UNTO HIM WE HAVE SUBMITTED Sura 2:133
.
This is the truth about how Abraham submitted himself to God, as it was revealed
to the Messenger through the Quran. And the Messenger is commanded to follow Ab
raham:
And they say, Be Jews or Christians, then you will be rightly guided. Say; No, We fo
llow the faith of Abraham, the upright, and he was not of the idolaters. Sura 2:1
35
Say, We believe in God and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revea
led unto Abraham Sura, 2:136.
And the message that was revealed to Abraham is disclosed once more to us in the
Quran and preserved carefully for posterity. As for those who reject these trut
hs, God says,
Or do you say that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the tribes were Jews or Chr
istians? Say Do you know best or does God? And who is more unjust than he who con
ceals a testimony he has received from God. God is not unaware of what you do Sur
a 2:140.
So why do people hide this testimony? Abraham declared Aslamtu li rabbil aalameen
(I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds) and he enjoined this upon his sons a
nd upon Jacob.
The Prophet Muhammad and the companions have been given the same testimony. So w
hy do they hide this testimony and replace it with a Shahadah of the hypocrites?
There is no doubt that the prophet Muhammad followed the faith of Abraham.
And we inspired you (Muhammad) to FOLLOW THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM, he who was natural
ly upright, he was never an idolater Sura 16:123.
The Prophet did exactly as God commanded him. If anyone wants to become a Muslim
should they then not follow the prophet Muhammads example that affirmed his fait
h in the same way as Abraham?
Those among mankind who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him
, and this prophet, and those who believe, and God is the protecting friend of t
he believers. Sura, 3:68.
Say, (Muhammad) I am forbidden to worship those whom you call besides God, since
there has come to me clear proofs from God, and I AM COMMANDED TO SUBMIT TO THE
LORD OF THE WORLDS (wa umirtu un aslima li rabbil aalameen) Sura 40:66.
But what if the people like the hypocrites come and insist that they want to bea
r witness on the Messenger and bear witness on God? What do you tell them?
The answer, as always, is in the Quran:
And if they argue with you (Muhammad) say: I HAVE SUBMITTED MY WHOLE SELF TO GOD (
aslamtu waj hiyu lillah) and so have those who follow me Sura 3:20.
The Messenger and his companions simply submitted themselves to God:
Say Shall we call those things besides God, which can neither harm us nor benefit
us, and shall we turn back after God has guided us like one possessed by the dev
ils, who has companions (sahaba!) Who invite him, saying Come to us? Say, The guida
nce of God is indeed true guidance and WE ARE COMMANDED TO SUBMIT TO THE LORD OF
THE WORLDS (wa umirna li nuslimn li rabbil aalameen) Sura 6:71
The Messenger and his companions simply submitted to the Lord of the worlds. If
Abu Hurairah, or any other person, comes and asks a Muslim to join him in bearin
g witness over God and His Messenger, the answer must be to say No! We are command
ed To SUBMIT To the Lord of the Worlds (aslamtu li rabbil aalameen).
The Quran also gives an incident of the prophet Solomon and the Queen of Sheba a
s another example of submission to God. It records the moment when the Queen rev
erts to Islam. She was an idolater and Solomon had invited her to Islam. To prov
e the greatness of God, Solomom used powers given to him to move the Queen of Sh
ebas magnificent palace intact, from one place to another in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, she realized Gods power, immediately repented and said,
Rabbi inn salamtu nafsin, wa aslamtu maa Sulaimaana, lillaahi rabbiul aalameen whic
h means, Oh my Lord, indeed I have wronged my soul. I SUBMIT MYSELF ALONG WITH SO
LOMON, TO GOD THE LORD OF THE WORLDS Sura, 27:44.
Therefore it is now apparent that the mysterious Abu Hurairah has indeed made ma
ny people wrong their souls. Each time you try to bear witness on the Messenger
and God, not only do you wrong your souls but also you make fools of yourselves
because you forsake the faith of Abraham (Sura 2:130).
To affirm their faith Muslims should use the examples given in the Quran. What t
hey should say is I SUBMIT MYSELF TO THE LORD OF THE WORLDS. (Arabic: Aslamtu li r
abbil aalameen). Others who have affirmed their faith in this way are the Prophe
ts Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Solomon and of course the Prophet Muhammad (S
ura 40:66). Also the Queen of Sheba and the companions of the Prophet did the sa
me. If you adopt their way, you will be in good company.
As for those who insist on following the deceitful Abu Hurairah into the hellfir
e, God says,
who does more wrong than one whom invents a lie against God? They will be returne
d to the presence of their Lord, and the witnesses will say, THESE ARE THE ONES W
HO LIED AGAINST THEIR LORD, Behold, the curse of God is on those who do wrong. T
HOSE WHO HINDER MEN FROM THE PATH OF GOD AND WOULD SEEK IN IT SOMETHING CROOKED,
these were they who denied the hereafter. Sura 11:18-19.
We have sent you as a Messenger And God suffices as a witness (Quran Sura 4:79.) Wh
en his Lord said to him Submit he said I submit to the Lord of the Worlds (Quran Su
ra 2:131)