Shahadah
/ʃəˈhɑːdə/noun
The Islamic declaration of faith affirming that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God’s messenger.
Did you know?Shahadah comes from the same Arabic root associated with witnessing and testimony, linking religious belief to publicly bearing witness rather than merely holding a private opinion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*š-h-d
“To witness, observe, or testify”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
شَهِدَ (šahida)
“He witnessed, saw, or testified”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
شَهَادَة (šahāda)
“Witnessing, testimony, or a formal declaration”
Early Islamic period
Arabic
الشهادة (al-shahāda)
“The formal testimony of Islamic faith”
19th Century
English
shahada / shahadah
“An English loanword for the Islamic profession or declaration of faith”
Modern English
English
shahadah
“The central declaration of Islamic belief”