Is it Really JUST a Phrase? (Part 1)

So… can all of you guess what the phrase is? Actually, Syaimaa' already got it right the first time, well… at least, partially right (in the first comment), so congrats to her. Yes, the phrase is the syahadatain. The phrase we have been repeating everytime we pray. Also a phrase which first differentiate between a Muslim and a non Muslim.

Hence the question. Have it really become JUST a phase nowadays? Well… in a sense, perhaps it has. For currently, many had failed to even realize what is the meanings and implications of the phrase Asyhadu an la Ilaha illaLlah wa asyhadu anna Muhammad Rasulullah

What does the syahadatain really implies? Basically, syahadatain implies three things:

1. Syahadatain is a statement
   

   
    

   Yes, a statement. Just like the statements we make in our day-to-day dealings, such as to our parents.
   

   
    

   "I love you, mum…" a girl declared. Yet, had she not done anything to help our mothers, nor make her happy, doesn't the statement seem doubtful? As the act does not really tally with what the statement is.
   

   Thus, the statement MUST be followed by proofs.
   

   
    

   Similarly, the statement of syahadatain must be proven. It is a statement we have to prove throughout our lifetime, at every second of the day. To make Allah as our only Ilah, and Muhammad PBUH as His messenger. The Quraisy of Makkah had realized this huge impact that the short statement will make upon their lives, which is the reason why some, such as Abu Jahal, did not want to even state the phrase. Because he realized the implication, that with the statement, his whole lifestyle must be changed. Changed to suite a way which Allah likes, and not the way he himself wants it to be.
   

   
    

2. Syahadatain is a promise
   

   
    

   Syahadatain is our promise to Allah. Our promise to take Allah as our only Ilah. So… what does taking Allah as our only Ilah implies? Basically, having Allah as our only Ilah means that we put Him above everything else, in terms of who we love, miss, rely on, and seek help from.
   

   
    

   A big promise? Yes indeed. A huge one. A promise that will revolve around everything we do.
   

   
    

   To love Allah the most, we have to try to put His love on top of the list of things we love. We have to love Him more than our parents, our laptop, our passion for music, sports, etc. Feel that it's hard? To love something that one cannot see, hear, nor sense. Yet again, if we think of all the things that Allah had given us all, everything He had done for us, all the love He had showered us, it is literally impossible not to love HIM. We only need to think more. Of His gifts, of His love, of the way He created us… I'm reminded of just a simple example, imagine, what will happen if Allah decided that He will not allow water to be evaporated by the sun? then, our skin will be wet with sweats, our clothes won't dry… How Allah the almighty actually, I can go on and on about this.. but I'm sure we can all think of our own examples.
   

   
    

   To rely on Allah alone is to put our hope and trust on Him. For example, for our studies, some people rely on their hard work and intellect to score. While others rely on their ties with the lecturers. Yet, for a Muslim who really understands that Allah is his Ilah, his reliance is to Allah alone. This does not mean that he does not have to study hard in order to achieve. Nor does this mean that he does not have to have good ties with the lecturer. He does it all, because Allah ask him to. Yet, at the end, he trust Allah to give him the best for himself.
   

   
    

   During the period of Jahiliyah, the people of Makkah seek help from numerous man-made gods. Saidina Umar al-Khattab, after embracing Islam, used to laugh at his own foolishness for seeking the help of an idol he made of dried dates, for when he was hungry, he ended up eating those dates himself. For at the time, he seeks help from something helpless to save itself from being eaten. Evidently, any Ilah other than Allah cannot really assist us in finding true happiness. One who puts money as his Ilah may find that money is a help at some areas, lending wealth and a short joyful time, yet at the end, the life will feel empty. Even a whole bank full of money may not buy health that Allah had so generously supplied us with.
   

   Hence syahadatain is a promise to make Allah as our Ilah, the One we love most, rely on, and seek help from… have we managed to fulfill the promise?
   

   
    

3. Syahadatain is an oath
   

   
    

<<< To be continued… >>>