The shahada
الشهادتان
The testimony that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God's messenger, named first in the hadith 'Islam is built on five' that lists what Islam is built on.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Global / Diaspora
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Summary
"The two testimonies" are the testimony that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God's messenger — the first thing the Prophet mentioned in his saying "Islam is built on five" 1. They are one of the five pillars of Islam.
In Gabriel's hadith
What is not covered here
The creed books treat the meaning of "there is no god but God", its conditions and the categories of tawhid; that will be added in a later batch from the creed sources with their authors' sayings, and is not presented here since it is not in the sources consulted.
Connections
People and things also explored
Islam (the religion and the term)The five pillars of IslamIman (faith)Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca)Salah (the prescribed prayer)Fasting in RamadanZakat (obligatory alms)The people of the qibla and not declaring takfir for sin
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari, 8
- Sahih al-Bukhari, 50
- Tanzil Project, Qur'an text v1.1
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The shahada”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/shahada/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.