SHAHÂDAH –شهادة

 

Literally: A seeing. A witnessing fact or hearing words spoken. Eyewitness. Auricular evidence. A bearing witness; testimony, evidence. Also, the information given in words. A being present and perceptible. Perception. Perceptibility. Dying as a martyr. Martyrdom.

A declaration of îmân in the fundamental points of îmân in Islam by word.

 

Again, someone asked: Calamities are the result of crimes and the commencement of rewards. What action of yours has caused qadar to judge you in such a way that it has decreed this calamity1? General calamities happen as a consequence of the majority’s wrongdoing. What is your present reward?

I replied: Its cause is our negligence in three of the important pillars of Islam, salâh, sawm and zakat. For, Khâliq Taâ’lâ requested from us only one out of twenty-four hours to perform the five daily salâh. We were lazy. He made us move and perform a type of salâh with difficulty by training us twenty-four hours a day for five years. He also requested from our nafs only a one-month sawm within a year. We pitied our nafs. He made us hold sawm for five years as a kaffârah. From the property He bestowed on us, He requested only one out of ten or one out of forty as zakat. We became stingy and committed dhulm. So, He took away from us accumulated zakat.  2 اَلْجَزَاءُ مِنْ جِنْسِ الْعَمَلِ

As for our present reward; from a fâsiq and sinful nation, it raised a fifth, which is four million people, to the level of walâyah by giving them the rank of ghazi and shahîd. This general calamity arising out of the mistake of the majority wiped away that past sin.

Someone from the assembly asked: What if people have been dragged into this disaster due to the personal mistakes of the leader?

I replied: someone who is the victim of a calamity will expect a reward. They will either receive the good deeds of the leader (which is worth nothing) who has committed the mistake, or they will be rewarded by the treasury of the ghayb. The reward given from the treasury of the ghayb for such matters is the level of shahâdah and ghazi.

Sünuhat (50-51)