XVIII.—THE RECITAL OF THE CREED.
The Recital of the Kalimah, or Creed, is the first of the five foundations, or pillars of practice, in Islám. It consists of the following sentence, which is always recited in Arabic:—
Lá-iláha-il-lal-laho Muhanmad-ur-Rasúl-Ullah, "There is no deity but God, and Muhammad is the Apostle of God."[1]
When any one is converted to Islám he is required to repeat this formula, and the following are the conditions required of every Muslim with reference to it:—
1.—That it shall be repeated aloud, at least once in a life-time.
2.—That the meaning of it shall be fully understood.
3.—That it shall be believed in "by the heart."
4.—That it shall be professed until death.
5.—That it shall be recited correctly.
6.—That it shall be always professed and declared without hesitation.
Something similar to this celebrated symbol of the Muhammadan creed appears to have existed in Arabia previous to the foundation of Islamism. Dr. Arnold in his work on "Islám and Christianity," quotes the following prayer from the writings of Abulfaraj, which is said to have been used by the idolatrous Arabians:—"I dedicate myself to Thy service, O God! Thou hast no companion, except Thy companion, of whom Thou art absolute Master of whatever is his."[2]
- ↑ We have here translated rasúl, "Apostle," although it is generally rendered "Prophet," which, however, is the more correct rendering of nabí, a word which also occurs in the Qurán. Both nabí and rasúl are translated into Persian and Hindustani by paighambar, which is translated into English by either Prophet, Apostle, or Mes-
- ↑ Circumcision (Khatnah) although never once enjoined in either the Qurán or Traditions, is an institution of Islám; but it is not incumbent upon adults, the recital of the creed being sufficient.