Grateful to the Lord for His grace and love. I have the chance to sacrifice myself for Him this evening. I wish brothers and sisters could get the benefit of my few posts which I do not know when would they last. If brothers and sisters enjoy them, just pray for my safety in hereafter. If brothers and sisters do not like them, still I am pleading you to help me to pray may the Creator the Highest bless me with His mercy and guidance.
I am now trying to compile everything that I have within myself or within my notes into simple treatises. By the way. Before we begin to know the Divine Path dear brothers and sisters, there is one thing that a person needs to testify as a pre-condition to be a Muslim.
أشْهَدُ أن لا إلَهَ إلَّا الله وأشهد أنَّ محمدً عبدُهُ ورسوله
Which means:
I bear my witness that there are no gods except the God the Highest. And I bear witness that Muhammad s.a.w is a servant and a messenger of the God the Highest.
I proclaimed these two words again when I decided to "return" to Islam as my Divine Path. Not merely an ancestral path nor a traditional custom. After that, I performed the ghusl which is almost similar to baptism in order to banish spiritual ignorance within myself asking for the "angels" and fellow creatures around me to be my witness. I am already a committal Muslim and I just don't understand why some Tabligh trainees came by to me to "reconvert" me by asking me to recite the testimony before them as their tone is harsh. I consider that as offensive, boastful and rude. There are some gaps that we need to consider before we just rush into others' boundaries. The same thing too when we talk to someone we do not know for the first time. There are several options to be chosen when communicating with people. That is why the lesson of manner is important besides the lessons of sunnah.
These two testimonial sentences are known as the "Portal to the Divine Law" in Arabic and a term in Hanafi jurisprudence. Those who are "converted" by Shi'a Muslim brothers would recite the proclamation for loyalty to imam Ali r.a. That is not a necessity because it is not mentioned within the Glorious Quran and sacred hadith. It has in the same time, a sufi origin and political origin. The additional proclamation on loyalty towards imam Ali r.a would invalidate ones salat services to recite more than these two words in them and based from the questions posed to Shi'a Muslim Marja'. Please contact qualified and knowledgeable Marja' instead of listening to some religious zealots because they are not qualified.
The objective of this post is not convert anyone nor to be rude to others if they already know about this. No worry, as I understood the feeling of those who were offended by some people. Just forgive them, they do not realize that they were "learning". I am also a student and would never consider myself a teacher. I believe in the mentor and protege system.
Symbolization
These testimonies symbolizing two conditions for a person to have their acts being accepted by the God the Highest. These first testimony consists of Monotheism ideology and the Faith in His Oneness in our worships and creed. The second testimony symbolizes our humility toward the teachings transmitted through Muhammad s.a.w and the proclamation that we are following his path and his righteous ancestors' path, namely Abraham a.s and Isma'el a.s. What I mean by humility could be founded in his life biography. If I have enough time by His Will, I would also put them here. I am writing this as a committal and practicing Muslim. Learn about Islam only from its original sources. Not from "researches" made by people who do not testify these two matters. We recite these two sentences daily in our worship during the daily obligatory salat services and also in optional salat services as it is a commandment. Please refer further down here...
Philosophies
As according to Arabic language, where we recite these testimonies... There are several meanings as the language contains our values and everything related to our scripture...
It denotes the knowledge where a person must expose anything that he knows to fellow beings especially in knowing the God the Highest, knowing the prophet Muhammad s.a.w and sciences about the Divine Path which is Islam. This is what I am doing now as an ordinary practicing Muslim. I am just providing information from my limited mind and ability to please Him.
These testimonies signify a proclamation where a person proclaim and affirms the "Truth" which he witnesses. The "Truth" comes from the knowledge that we have got.
Then through these testimonies, we are entering a contract with Him where we only serve Him as our Master and never serving others who are not the real Creator of the Universe. It is a promise! We are promising Him to keep His commandments and being within His commandments as what have been symbolized by our testimonies. We have to recite these everyday. It is not only at the day we "revert" or "converted" to the Divine Path.
Then, when we recite these testimonies; It is because we are confident by our heart in the validity of matters related to these two figures mentioned within the testimonies namely the God the Highest and the transmitter of His revelation, Muhammad s.a.w. This is why the God mentions in the Surat al-Kaafirun or in the al-Baqarat verse 256 about there is no compulsion in the Divine Path. It is just a simple matter but many human-being who should use their mind never consider to sit down for a while and think, musing or pondering above all.
Finally, these two testimonies are not bounded only in our speech. It should be reflecting in our acts and attitude when we are conducting our daily life. Nowadays, I do not really see these in our society. People behave as if they are godless. Sometimes they do wrong things, and they admit it in their heart but never apologize to those they had wronged because of egoism. I am saying this to fellow Muslims and later to non-Muslims.
Body Parts Involvement in Promises
When we recite these testimonies, there are parts of physical or spiritual body involved within our promises as framed by these sentences. They are the tongue, the heart and all of our body parts such as hand, eyes, head, brain, legs, nose, ears and etc. Everything in our body are submitted to Him and directed by His Divine Path.
There are few points in this post which could be memorized. I tried to find a way which everyone could keep these in their memory and heart. Just consider this as an entertainment even if viewers disagree or not in the same belief. I am not craved to convert people at all as I believe in His guidance, love and mercy. It would eventually reach everyone as He pleases and I just consider myself as a fortunate person to be a follower in the Divine Path transmitted through prophet Muhammad s.a.w. so. This humble post also serves as my da'awa treatise for everyone including myself.
Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!
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