Does Uttering Shahadatayn Sufficient For Paradise?

Does Uttering Shahadatayn Sufficient For Paradise?

 

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam is His Messenger.

The question is whether if a person uttered firmly Shadadatayn, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) is his Messenger that this will be sufficient for the person to be admitted to Paradise?

It should be noted Islam is not just the uttering of Shahadatayn; rather it is essential to fulfill the conditions of this twin declaration of faith so that the one who utters them will truly be a Muslim. The pillars of Islam believe, uttering and acting.

It was narrated that Ubadah Ibn Al-Samit (radiyallahu`anhu) said: The Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) said:

“Whoever says ‘I bear witness that there is no god except Allah alone [with no partner or associate] and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, and that ‘Isa is the slave of Allah, the son of His maidservant, a Word which He bestowed upon Maryam and a Spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is true and that Hell is true, Allah will admit him through whichever of the eight gates of Paradise he wants.” 

[Narrated by Al-Bukhari (3252) and Muslim (28)]
 
Shaikh ‘Abd Al-Rahman Ibn Hasan Ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Al-Wahhab (rahimahullah) said:

The words “Whoever says ‘I bear witness that there is no god except Allah alone” means the one who says these words, knowing what they mean and acting upon them inwardly and outwardly, because with regard to the Shahadatayn it is essential that one know and be certain and act upon them as Allah says, “So know (O Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam that La ilaha illallah (None Has the Right to Be Worshipped But Allah)” [Surah Muhammad 47:19]

And Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta`ala also says: “except for those who bear witness to the truth knowingly (i.e. believed in the Oneness of Allah, and obeyed His Orders), and they know (the facts about the Oneness of Allah)” [Al-Zukhruf 43:86].

As for uttering the words without knowing the meaning or believing with certainty or acting upon them by disavowing shirik and being sincere in word and deed, and saying in one's heart and on one's lips and acting in one’s heart and with one's outward faculties, that is of no benefit, according to scholarly consensus.

In the Al-Mufhim ‘Ala Sahih Muslim Al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah)said:  "It is not sufficient merely to speak the Shahadatayn, rather it is essential to believe it with certainty in one’s heart. This draws attention to the flawed argument of the extreme Murji’ah who say that merely uttering the Shahadatayn is sufficient to make one a believer. The hadith on this subject indicate that this is wrong; rather it is a view that is well known to be wrong according to syari’ah, because it implies a justification of hypocrisy, and judging hypocrites as true believers, which is completely false.”

The above hadith also indicates that the words “whoever I bears witness” can only be valid if it is based on knowledge, certainty, sincerity and honesty. [Fathul-Bari (p. 36)].

There are seven conditions of bearing witness that there is no god but Allah, and it does not benefit the one who says it unless he fulfils all of them. They are, in brief:

1. Knowledge as opposed to ignorance
2. Certainty as opposed to doubt
3. Acceptance as opposed to rejection
4. Obedience as opposed to disobedience
5. Sincerity as opposed to syirik
6. Honesty as opposed to lying
7. Love as opposed to its opposite, which is hate.

The conditions of bearing witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah are the same as the conditions of bearing witness that there is no god but Allah.

Allah the Exalted knows best.

[Excerpted from Islam Q&A]