“O mankind! There has come to you an admonition from your Lord, and a healing for what is in the hearts, and a guidance and a mercy for the believers. Say: In the bounty of Allah, and in His mercy - in that let them rejoice. It is better than what they accumulate.” (10:57-58)

Introduction

This is the introduction to the eighth edition of The Path of Muhammad. The earlier editions of this book were warmly received by our readers, which has encouraged us to release this eighth edition. Additionally, we decided to dedicate this specific edition to addressing certain mystical matters, which will assist in the complete realization of The Path of Muhammad.

The Compounded Testimony

The compounded testimony (Al-Shahada Al-Muthannaya) is: “There is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” The singular testimony (Al-Shahada Al-Mufrada) is: “There is no deity but Allah.” The singular testimony represents monotheism (tawhid), while the compounded testimony represents affirmation (tasdiq).
The testimony of affirmation is required once in a lifetime, and it mandates following these teachings: “And whatever the Messenger has given you - take it, and whatever he has forbidden you - refrain from it; and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is severe in punishment.” (59:7). This is the support for the singular testimony from the Quran. Its foundation in the Hadith is: “Pray as you have seen me praying” and also: “Take your rituals from me.” These sayings apply to prayer and pilgrimage and extend to all other acts of worship and obedience.
As for the testimony of monotheism, it is to be uttered continuously - both in this life and in the Hereafter. It is the best remembrance for the people of this world in their worldly lives, the best remembrance for the people of the grave in the intermediate realm (Al-Barzakh), the best remembrance for the people of Paradise in Paradise, and the best remembrance for the people of Hellfire in Hellfire. Those who remember it seek, through their remembrance, to realize its meaning in their lives so that its utterance moves from being spoken merely with the tongue of speech to being expressed through both the tongue of speech and the tongue of being. This occurs when, by the grace of Allah and through the refinement of its practice, the unity of the human being is achieved within every person.
The foundation for the singular testimony in the Quran is: “So know, that there is no deity except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sins and for the believing men and believing women. And Allah knows your movements and your resting place.” (47:19)
Its foundation in the Hadith is: “The best thing that I and the Prophets before me have said is: There is no deity but Allah.”
There is a difference in degree between the compounded testimony - “There is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” - and the singular testimony - “There is no deity but Allah.” The compounded testimony represents the foundation on earth, while the singular testimony represents the pinnacle in the absolute.
This distinction is evidenced in the Quran: “Allah bears witness that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge – standing firm on justice. There is no deity except Him, the Mighty, the Wise. Indeed, religion with Allah is Islam.” (3:18–19)
The pinnacle of the singular testimony is in the absolute, where God bears witness to Himself of His Oneness, while its foundation lies in the finite realm, on earth, among those who believe in it. This is the compounded testimony: “There is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
To say: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” is to enter into “There is no deity but Allah.” It serves as the gateway, without which entry into the Divine Presence is impossible. By applying it - which we call “the perfection of imitation” (tajweed al-taqlid) - one progresses through the stages of monotheism. This is the journey of realizing “There is no deity but Allah” - ascending from its level as it is spoken on earth by believers, people of knowledge, and angels, to its level as it is spoken in the heavens by angels and the angels of the highest assembly, and then to its level in the absolute, where it is spoken by the Divine Essence. And how distant, how distant this is!
This is a matter that is achieved anew every day and is never completed, for the journey is one to infinity. It suffices for the people of knowledge to know that their realization of “There is no deity but Allah,” no matter how far it reaches, is insignificant when compared to God’s testimony of His own Oneness in His words: “Allah bears witness that there is no deity except Him.” (3:18)