The Gate to Jannah: Benefits of al-Islaam and Conditions of the Shahādah

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah for counting us amongst those servants of His who acknowledge their servitude to Him, the Lord of Mankind. He bestowed upon us the greatest favour, that which whosoever dies upon it will enter the Garden of ‘Adn. How is it not the greatest of favours for He said in the Qur’an that whosoever dies associating a partner with Him will remain in the Hellfire till eternity. And He, Exalted is He, has chosen us amongst those who are Muslims, submitting to His will. It’s neither because of our intellect, our power, nor our lineage. It’s because He, Glorified is He, chose us amongst those whom He has bestowed His mercies. How many were born to the families of polytheists or Christians or Jews, yet He favoured them and granted them guidance. He made them to see the light of monotheism. How many were born into the families of Muslims, yet they chose to leave the fold of Islam. We give thanks to Allah for making us Muslims and we ask Him to continue to guide us and grant us steadfastness till we meet Him, without associating a partner with Him.

The benefits of al-Islaam are more than we can enumerate in this reminder. And how could it not be for He, the Most-High, said in Qur’an 3:85 “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter, he will be one of the losers.”

They include:

Assurance of entry to Jannah for the one who dies while saying it, and prohibition

of Hellfire against him

The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, in a hadith, "No doubt, whosoever testifies that there is no true god except Allah, seeking by so professing the pleasure of Allah only, Allah will safeguard him against (Hell) Fire."

Forgiveness of sins

Allah says in a hadith Qudsiyy: “O son of Adam, if you come to Me with an earth load of sins, and meet Me associating nothing to Me, I would match it with an earth load of forgiveness.”

To enter al-Islaam, one has to say the Shahādah, testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah (La ilaha I'll Allah).   This statement (La ilaha illallah) must be accompanied by its  seven (7) conditions, for if the conditions are void, the statement does not benefit the person. It's, therefore, of utmost importance to learn them, and actualize them with one’s belief, words, and actions.

 Wahb ibn Munabbih was asked: “Isn’t La ilaha illallah (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah) the key to Paradise?” He replied: “Yes, but every key has teeth. If you come with a key that has its teeth, the door will open for you. Otherwise, it won’t open.” Shaykh Abdur- Rasaaq al-Badr annotated: “He was referring to the conditions of La ilaha illallah—the essential requirements that every accountable person must fulfill for it to truly grant entry to Paradise.”

These seven conditions are:

1. Knowledge (al- ‘Ilm) that negates ignorance: Allah says, “So know that Lâ ilâha illallâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), and ask forgiveness for your sin.” Qur’an 47:19]. This entails knowing the meaning of Lâ ilâha illallâh: to affirm all worship for Allah and negate worshipping other than Him.

2. Certainty (al-Yaqeen) that negates doubts. A Muslim must know with certainty that there’s no deity worthy of worship except Allah. Allah says, “Only those are the believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and afterward doubt not but strive with their wealth and their lives for the Cause of Allah. Those! They are the truthful.” [Qur’an 49:15]

3. Truthfulness (as-Sidq): It’s when the belief of the heart aligns with the sayings of the tongue. Whosoever professes the shahadah with his tongue without believing in his heart is a hypocrite, those whom Allah bore witness that they are indeed disbelievers despite their iutward expression of the testimony. And verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth of fire [Qur’an 4:145].

4. Sincerity (al-Ikhlaas): This negates directing any act of worship to other than Allah, whether it be in form of riyaa’ (show off) or shirk. Allah says “And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him)” [Qur’an 98:5].

5. Love (al-Mahabbah): This entails loving affairs of faith, loving that Allah is singled out in worship, loving the believers, those who establish His commands. In the same vein, it includes hating that which Allah hates e.g., disbelief and sins, freeing oneself from shirk (polytheism) and  its people. Allah says, “Whoever disbelieves in Tâghût and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break.” [Qur’an 2:256]

6. Acceptance (al-Qabul): Abū Taalib's story highlights the importance of acceptance as a condition for the testimony. Despite knowing that Islam was the true religion, Abū Taalib (the uncle of the prophet) refused to accept it for fear of being blamed for abandoning his forefathers' religion. This knowledge of his does not protect him from the Hellfire. Is this not enough of a warning to learn and apply the conditions of the testimony?

7. Submission (al-Inqiyaad): Allah says, “And who can be better in religion than one who submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism); and he is a Muhsin (a good-doer). [Qur’an 4:125]

Ibn Baaz, may Allah have mercy on him said, “The one who says 'La ilaha illallah' (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah) must submit to its meaning. He must say it and submit by worshipping Allah alone, fulfilling what Allah has obligated upon him, and avoiding what Allah has forbidden. Submission is essential.

Submission is of two types:

a. Submission in monotheism (Tawheed): This means submitting to it through sincere worship and abandoning polytheism.

b. Submission through actions: This involves performing the obligatory acts of worship and avoiding sins.

The first type is critical—if a person fails to submit in monotheism, does not worship Allah alone, and does not abandon polytheism, he becomes a disbeliever. However, if he affirms Allah’s oneness and erases polytheism but still commits some sins, then his faith and monotheism are considered deficient”.

The importance of these conditions can’t be overemphasized. “They are the essential requirements that every accountable person must fulfill for it to truly grant entry to Paradise.” Realizing the benefits of al-Islaam requires that we constantly give thanks to Allah for bestowing this favour upon us, and this should reflect in our hearts, on our tongues and limbs. It necessitates that we learn so as not to engage in that which negate our testimony. We ask Allah to take our souls as Muslims submitting to His will.Aameen.