Putting Off Saying Shahadah

Putting Off Saying Shahadah

By Naseema Mall

Muslims believe that before there was human life on this earth, all humanity was witness to the existence of Allah. Allah tells us in the Qur'an what means:

{And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to themselves (saying): "Am I not your Lord?" They said: "Yes! We testify," lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: "Verily, we have been unaware of this."} [Al-A`raf:172].

From this, there exists in every human being an innate sense of God, a desire to know Him and an inner knowledge and recognition of the truth when it is presented to him/her.

When Allah was about to create human beings, He told the angels what He would do. The angels, who always obey Allah and are therefore never evil, were astonished that a creature could exist that could actually choose to obey or disobey the Lord of all that exists! To them it was incomprehensible. Allah tells us in the Qur'an what means:

{And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Behold, I am about to establish upon earth one who shall inherit it." They said: "Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, while we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He (Allah) said: "I know that which you do not know."} [Al-Baqarah:30].

Not only did Allah create mankind, but He also entrusted him with the responsibility to establish peace and goodness on Earth. This was a trust that even the mountains did not accept.

{Truly, We did offer the trust to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it. But man undertook it…} [Al-Ahzab:72].

Again, it was unthinkable to them to have a choice to obey Allah or not. But Allah told the angels what means,

{I know that which you do not know} [Al-Baqarah:30].

So He created Adam (peace be upon him) and taught him the names of all things, meaning He gave him knowledge; all the knowledge necessary to exist on earth and be successful. Then Allah showed Adam to the angels.

{And He taught Adam the names of everything, then He showed them to the angels and said: "Tell Me the names of these if you are truthful." They (angels) said: "Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what you have taught us…"He said: "O Adam! Inform them of their names," and when he had informed them of their names, He said: "Did I not tell you that I know the unseen in the heavens and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you have been concealing?"} [Al-Baqarah:31-33].

Then Allah ordered the assembly of jinn and angels to bow down to Adam as a symbol of the excellence of the human being who willingly surrenders to Allah as the Lord of all creation.

{And behold We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam." And they prostrated except Iblis, he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers} [Al-Baqarah:34].

They all complied with this order, except Iblis (Satan) who disobeyed Allah and was proud and arrogant. There was no way that Satan would ever say that a human being was better than him. After all, Satan believed that he, being made from fire, was essentially superior to a creature made from mere clay. So Satan refused to obey Allah and hence there was a consequence.

{(Allah) said: "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you?" Iblis said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." Allah said: "(O Iblis) get down from this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated and disgraced."} [Al-A`raf 7:12-13].

Even though Satan knows that Allah exists, he still disobeys Him and calls mankind to disbelieve in their creator. Satan knows that he is destined for Hell and eternal torment, but he asked Allah, knowing that He is merciful, for respite. Satan asked Allah to allow him to stay on earth until the Day of Judgment. Allah gave him what he asked for.

{(Iblis) said: "Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up." "(Allah) said: "You are of those allowed respite."(Iblis) said: "Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones." (Allah) said to (Iblis): "Get out from this Paradise disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them will follow you, then surely I will fill Hell with you all."} [Al-A`raf:14-18].

Allah in His mercy and compassion promised those who sincerely obey Him that He will guide them and they will be safe from the tricks of Satan which Allah called weak.

Now you find yourself having come into contact with Islam. Know for sure that this would never occur without the permission of Allah. It means that somewhere, sometime in your life you sincerely sought to know the truth and so Allah guided you. The fact that you met such and such a person or went to such and such a place or came in contact with a certain center, book, or program all means you were guided by Allah to find these things. Not only were your external situations guided by Allah, but also He guided your heart to see and recognize the divine nature of Islam and the simplicity and practical nature of its rules and system. All of that is a gift from Allah in compliance with His promise to guide mankind. What about your responsibility to acknowledge the true Owner of this world?

Once you are witness to the truth, and you wait at the threshold of the straight path all that is left is that you take the initial step. Now who do you think wants you to take that step? And who do you think does not want you to take it?  

Be sure that Allah loves us and wants us to be successful, but He has given us free will; the freedom to choose to obey Him or disobey Him; to be a success or not.

But what about Satan? Do you really want to play into his hands and be counted among his followers? Naturally, Satan does not want any human being to accept Islam and obey Allah. The old saying that 'misery loves company' is relevant here. Satan will consider himself successful if he is joined in his eternal torment by as many human beings as possible. So Satan will whisper to anyone who thinks about making the declaration of faith, things like: "How can you stop your old ways? You might do such and such things but in your heart you are a good person, are you not? What about your family, how can you upset them? Think about all they have done for you." And so on. The whisperings of Satan never stop and can leave you feeling worried, troubled, and unsure of what you should do.

Sometimes knowing where a problem comes from is the first step to overcoming that problem. So be sure that your feeling of hesitation is from Satan and that he is sitting, planning, and hoping that you will change your mind.

So you have come to know these things. Your heart is assured of them, so what are you waiting for? Satan hopes you will continue to waver. The angels will rejoice with every step you take towards making this decision.