The 8 Conditions of La Ilaha Illallah: Understanding the Shahadah

The Conditions of the Testimony of Faith: A Guide to La Ilaha Illallah

The 8 conditions of لا إله إلا الله are as follows:

عِلْمٌ يَقِينٌ وَإِخْلَاصٌ وَصِدْقُكَ مَعْ … 

مَحَبَّةٍ وَانْقِيَادٍ والقبولِ لَهَا

وَزِيدَ ثَامِنُهَا الْكُفْرَانُ مِنْكَ بِمَا … 

سٍوَى الْإِلهِ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ قَدْ أُلِهَا

1. KNOWLEDGE (to know what this statement means) 

2. CONVICTION (to be absolutely certain of what it entails) 

3. SINCERITY (to say it solely for Allah’s sake) 

4. TRUTHFULNESS (we must say it honestly and actually mean it, as opposed to hypocrisy) 

5. LOVE (the believer must love this statement and what it entails) 

6. SUBMISSION (physical enactment of the shahadah – submitting to Allah’s commands)

7. ACCEPTANCE (accepting the implications of this statement with the heart and tongue)

8. DENIAL OF ALL OTHER DEITIES 

Sheikh Fawzan hafidhahullah says: “Whoever breaches any of these conditions, the testimony of لا إله إلا الله will not benefit them…so these are the 8 conditions which must be actualiser…for لا إله إلا الله is not mere letters uttered by the tongue.”