First Obligation for Servants [of God]
January 10, 2008
Q: What is the first obligation for creation?
A: The first obligation for creation is the first thing creation was called to do, and which the Prophet (PBUH) explained to Muadh bin Jabal, when he sent him to Yemen, and said, “You’re going to the People of the Book, so the first thing you should call them to do is testify that there’s no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger.” This is the first obligation for servants [of God], to believe in the unity of God, Praised and Exalted, and to attest to his Messenger and his Message.
Professing to the unity of God (SWT) and the testament to the Messenger and his Message confirm our devotion and loyalty, and those two are the prerequisites for accessing the rest of devotion.
This is the first obligation for servants [of God], to profess to God’s unity, and testify to his Prophets, peace and blessings upon them. The attestation that there is no God but Allah covers God’s unity in its entirety.
Taken from Fiqh al-Ebadaat “Jurisprudence of Belief” by Sheikh Muhammad bin Saalih Al-Authaymin, Dar al-Baseera, Alexandria. Translated by Josh Berer
Vocabulary
دعي – To call to
بيّن – To explain, to elucidate, to clarify
وحّد – To profess to the Oneness of God
إخلاص – Devotion, faithfulness
شرط – Condition, prerequisite
تضمن – To comprise, to include, to cover
