The Call to Truth

The Call to Truth Bearing witness to God’s oneness is the key which unlocks the door to Islam. When a person discovers the truth of Islam, and when this feeling is awakened within him that on the Day of Resurrection he will appear before God as a Muslim, he utters these words: ‘I bear witness that there is no god but the One God, I bear witness that Muhammad is God’s servant and His messenger.’ There are two aspects to these words: Shahadah and applied shahadah. The primary meaning of Shahadah is that which relates to the self. The individual declares that the Creator and Lord of this universe is only one God, and he becomes a witness to this higher reality. Applied Shahadah is another aspect of this reality. That is, making people aware of this reality by making an effort to convey to people the truth which he has discovered. It is this task which is called dawah, that is, calling people to God. When dawah work is performed in the ultimate sense, the other name for this is ‘shahadah’ or ‘witnesses. Calling people to God is not something separate from faith (imaan). When a person truly finds faith, he naturally desires that the truth he has discovered should come to the knowledge of others, and the purpose of life that he has discovered should become a discovery for others too, and the door to the blessing of this world and the Hereafter that has been opened to him, should also be opened to others. The truth is that if shahadah is a matter of personal discovery, then applied shahadah is a matter of including others in this discovery. The Prophet of Islam gave a historic address, making his companions witness on the occasion of Hajjat ul-Wida on the plains of Arafat. The Prophet’s address was directly meant for his companions and indirectly for the entire Muslim ummah. The Prophet said in this address: “God has sent me as a blessing for the whole world, so convey my message of blessing on my behalf to all human beings.” These words of the Prophet of Islam have continued to reverberate throughout world history, reaching all Muslims across the centuries. Similarly, it addresses the people of Kashmir: “O Muslims of Kashmir, fulfill my mission and be my supporters in