There is no god worthy of
worship except Allah and Muhammad is His messenger. This
declaration of faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula
which all the faithful pronounce. In Arabic, the first part
is La'Ilaha `there is no god except Allah'; Ilaha (God) can
refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of
God-wealth, power, and the like. Then comes Illa'Llah:
`except Allah', the source of all Creation.
The second part of the Shahada is
Muhammadan rasalu `Llah: Muhammad is the messenger of
Allah'. A message of guidance has come through a man like
ourselves.
The `Five Pillars' of
Islam