Special Sub-Topic: Declaration of Faith Click Here To Play: Declaration of Faith

The Declaration of Faith is known as what word in Arabic?

shahada. Kalam is Arabic for discussion, and refers to the Islamic tradition of seeking religious knowledge through dialect. Ilm is the Arabic word for knowledge, and is the word most used in the Quran (besides God). Qadar is the Arabic word for destiny. The right answer, however, the word 'shahada' meaning testify, is the word for Declaration of Faith.

The Declaration of Faith is one of the pillars of Islam. Which one?

First. The First Pillar of Islam is the Declaration of Faith. The third is fasting during the month of Ramadan, the fourth is giving to charity once a year, and the fifth is making a pilgrimage to Mecca. The order is given priority-wise, the First Pillar being the most important, and the fifth, while important, not as important as the first.

Also the first phrase of the Declaration of Faith, what is the main principle of the Declaration of Faith?

la ila ha illa Allah (There is no god but God). (laŻ ilaŻhaŻ illaŻ Allah) I threw a sort of curve ball as Subhanahu wa ta'ala does not mean 'I believe in the last day' but actually means '[raised and exalted is He (God)' and is written after the word God is written in the Quran. But even with the correct translation, it is still incorrect. Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi raji'un (Verily we belong to God, and to Him we return) is said by a Muslim when someone dies. Alhamdulillah while meaning 'Praise to be God' in religious usage, its used in common day tongue as 'Thank God'. laŻ ilaŻhaŻ illaŻAllah (There is no god but God) is a binding principle that unites all Muslims, and emphasizes the monotheistic belief in one God.

By the end of the twentieth century, three nations had the Declaration of Faith written on their flag. Which one of these nations did NOT have it on their flag?

Iran. Saudi Arabia has it written in white letters on a green background above a sword. Somaliland, an unrecognized state has it with white letters on a green-stripe background, above a white stripe with a black star, which in turn is above a red stripe. Afghanistan has it on their coat of arms which is located on a red bar surrounded by green and black bars. Iran does not have it.

What is the second part of the Declaration of Faith?

muhammadu rasu lu-lla hi (Muhammad is a messenger of God). A'uzu billahi minashaitanir rajim (I seek refuge in God from Satan the Damned)is what some Muslims say before they begin a task, like reading from the Quran, and is also mentioned in prayer. Bismi-llaŻhi ar-ra?maŻni ar-ra?iŻmi (In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful) is written before every sura (chapter) of the Quran (except for the ninth sura but that's another story for another time). Muhammadu rasuŻlu-llaŻhi (Muhammad is a messenger of God) is the second phrase of the shahada, so put together it goes like this: laŻ ilaŻhaŻ illaŻ-llaŻhu; muhammadu rasuŻlu-llaŻhi (There is no god but God, and Muhammad is a messenger of God)

Now the second phrase isn't accepted among all the Muslim sects. Which one of these sects reject the second part of the Declaration of Faith?

Quran Alone Muslims. Quran Alone Muslims reject the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet) and the Sunnah (actions of the prophet), as something of idolatry. And they only accept the Quran as the word of God and instructions for living life. They drop the second part mentioning that Muhammad is the messenger of God because they believe that putting Muhammad's name next to that of God's and putting it with that much attention and focus as that would mention God's name is idolatry, and that there is no need to put that there, that Muslims should focus on one God, not Muhammad.

In order for the Declaration of Faith to be 'official' there must be a condition within the mind of the person declaring his faith called Al-`Ilm. What is Al-`Ilm?

Knowledge of the meaning of the declaration, its negation and affirmation. That one was a toughy considering that all of the choices were conditions needed for the declaration to be 'official'. For a comprehensive look at all seven critical conditions visit this site: http://www.muttaqun.com/shahada.html

The oldest surviving written translation of the Shahada to another language is written in what language?

Greek. Dating back to 705-715 AD, during the reign of al-Walid I, it says, "There is no god if not the single god; Muhammad is God's apostle".

According to ritual, a Muslim father says what part of the Declaration of Faith into his child's ears immediately after the child's birth?

The entire thing. Traditionally, a Muslim father says it to his newborn child so it is the first thing the child hears, as part of the call to prayer. Likewise, as a person is about to die the last words a Muslim should hear is the shahada. The idea is that a Muslim begins his life (whether born into a Muslim family, or his 'rebirth' when he becomes Muslim by saying it) and ends his life with the shahada.

In Shi'a Islam what is sometimes added at the end of the Declaration of Faith?

'Ali yun wali Allah (Ali is the viceregent of God). laŻ ilaŻhaŻ illaŻ-llaŻhu (There is no god but God) is already mentioned in the Shahada so it wouldn't qualify as being "added on".