Kalma which is the first pillar of Islam in Arabic is stated as;Kalma – the declaration of faith – is the first pillar of Islam. Without this declaration, one cannot become a Muslim. Kalma has two parts; tauheed and risalat. Tauheed means belief in the unity of Allah while risalat means the belief in the prophet hood.
لا الہ الا اللہ محمد رسول اللہ
lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāhu muḥammadun rasūlu-llāh
Translation:
“There is no god but Allah (and) Muhammad (SAWW) is the messenger of Allah.”
The first pillar of Islam starts with tauheed. The concept of tauheed means belief in the oneness of Allah. The belief of unity of Allah can be defined in detail via following points;
Uniqueness in existence means that none is like Allah and there is no one equal to him. He has no parents and no off spring. Allah is only one and none shares His entity and reality.
The unity in attributes means that the attributes of Allah are found in no one else. The power, knowledge, sight, hearing and many other characteristics of Allah are only Allah’s attributes.
The belief in the oneness of Allah influences human life a lot. The concept of tauheed can change the entire personality of a person for good obviously. The concept of tauheed produces self-respect in humans as they rely on Allah alone. The belief in the oneness of Allah makes man humble as he realizes that man is nothing without Allah. Also, tauheed makes a person courageous, determined and open-minded.
The second part of Islam’s first pillar – kalma, is the concept of Risalat. It means belief in the prophet hood. Allah (SWT) sent many prophets on earth for the guidance of man and Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the last prophet in the chain of the prophets. Quran was revealed on Prophet (SAWW) and is the last book of Allah. Before Prophet (SAWW) many prophets came and delivered the message of Allah to their nations. But after Prophet (SAWW) no other prophet will come.
The religion of Islam is completed and belief in the finality of prophet hood is a part of Muslims’ faith. Following the teachings of Prophet (SAWW) is mandatory for Muslims and great importance is attached to the obedience of the Prophet (SAWW).
Moreover, Allah (SWT) chose prophets from among the humans; which showed that though prophets were always innocent yet they were humans just like others. The prophets had different attributes including innocence, worthy of obedience and many more. The Prophet (SAWW) also had many attributes like he (SAWW) was a great preacher, leader and teacher. Furthermore, his (PBUH) teachings are for whole mankind and not limited to any one community.
Lastly, the concepts of tauheed and risalat – the two parts of the first pillar of Islam in the light of Quran can be understood well.
“Allah! He is the Ever living, the Sustainer of the Universe: in reality there is no god but He.” (3:1-2)
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.” (Holy Quran, 33:40)
