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Prerequisites of the Declaration
of Faith {Part 4}
The
THIRD condition of the shahadah is ACCEPTANCE (al-qabool). If a person has
knowledge of and certainty in the shahadah, this must followed by acceptance,
with the tongue and heart, of whatever that shahadah implies. Whoever refuses
to accept the shahadah and its implications, even if he knows that it is true
and certain about its truth, than he is a disbeliever. This refusal to accept
is sometimes due to pride, envy or other reasons. In any case, the shahadah is
not a true shahadah without its unconditional acceptance.
The scholars
all talk about this condition as a general condition in the way that I have
just stated. However, there is also a more detailed aspect that we must all be
aware of. The believer accepts whatever the implications of the shahadah are.
This also means that he believes in whatever is stated in the Quraan or stated
by the Prophet (peace be upon him), without any right to choose what he wants
to believe and what he wants to reject. Allaah says in the Quraan, "Do you
believe in part of the book and reject part of it? And what is the reward of
those who do so save ignominy in the life of the world, and on the Day of
Resurrection they will be consigned to the most grievous doom" (al-Baqara
: 85).
This is one aspect that the Muslims must be aware of. Although
it is not the same as the complete refusal to accept the truth, by rejecting
part of the truth that has come from Allaah, one also negates his testimony of
faith. Unfortunately, many Muslims are doing this nowadays in various ways.
Although not all of these forms may necessarily be considered apostasy, they
are still very dangerous. For example, if they do not like what is stated in a
verse in the Quraan, they simply reinterpret the verse according to their
liking. If they do not like what is stated in a hadeeth, they simply state
that the hadeeth must not be authentic although they are not scholars in that
field. This kind of behaviour is the antithesis of the behaviour of the true
Muslims. Whatever comes from Allaah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), the
true Muslim believes in as the truth. This goes hand in hand with their
testimony of faith.
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