All practicing Muslims accept belief in the Six Articles of Faith and are obliged to follow the Five Pillars. These are:
1. The creed of the Muslims or Shahada
2. The ritual prayer or Salah
3. The obligatory alms or Zakah
4. The fasting or hem
5. The pilgrimage or Hajj
The first pillar
The creed of the Muslims
The Shahada is the creed of the Muslims and the first of the „Five Pillars“ of Islam. The word Shahada means ‚testimony‘ in Arabic. The Shahadah is said to attest to two things:
(a) Nothing is worthy of worship except God (Allah).
(b) Muhammad is the Messenger of God (Allah).
A Muslim is simply someone who testifies and testifies that „Nothing is worthy of worship, glorification and veneration except God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.“ This simple explanation makes you a Muslim.
It must be said at least once in life with a complete understanding of its meaning and with the affirmation of the heart. Muslims say it when they get up in the morning and before going to bed in the evening. It is repeated five times a day at the call to prayer in each mosque. Someone who speaks shahada as his last words in this life is promised paradise.
Many people who do not know Islam have misunderstood remarks about Allah, which Muslims use to refer to God. Allah is the real name for God in Arabic, just like “Elah”, or often “Elohim” is the real name of God in Aramaic mentioned in the Old Testament. Allah is also his personal name in Islam, just like “YHWH” is his personal name in Judaism. Rather than the Hebrew meaning of „YHWH“ as „He Who is“, Allah characterizes in Arabic the aspect that He is „The One True Deity Who Worth All Worship“. Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians also designate the Supreme Being Allah. Allah is the personal name of the only God who has the names and qualities that He revealed to His last prophet Munhammad – blessings and salvation on him –
(a) Nothing is worthy of worship except God (Allah).
The first part of this testimony states that God has the exclusive right to be worshiped internally and externally, with the heart and limbs. Not only can none other than God be worshiped in Islamic teaching, but absolutely no one can be worshiped with him. He has no partners or partners in worship, glorification and veneration. Worship with all its meanings and all-embracing meaning is due to Him alone. God’s right to be worshiped is the essential meaning of the Islamic Creed: Lā ‚ilāha‘ illā llāh. You become a Muslim by witnessing the divine right to worship. This is the core of Islamic belief in God, even of all Islam. It is considered the central message of all the prophets and messengers that God sent: Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, the Hebrew prophets, Jesus and Muhammad – may God be mentioned -. For example, according to today’s Old Testament, Moses explained:
„Listen, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone.“ (Deuteronomy 6: 4)
According to today’s New Testament, Jesus repeated the same message 1500 years later when he said:
“The most noble commandment is this: ‚Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, is only the Lord.‘ (Mark 12:29)
… and reminded Satan:
“Stand away from me, Satan, because it is written: ‚You shall worship God your Lord and serve Him alone.’” (Matthew 4:10)
Finally the sound echoed Shout Muhammad over 600 years after Jesus over the mountains of Mecca: ‚And your God is one God. There is no god but Him, the Most Merciful, the Most Merciful. ‚ (Quran 2: 163). They all clearly stated:
“Serve God! You have no god but Him! ”(Quran 7:59, 7:73; 11:50, 11:84; 23:32)
But a simple verbal testimony alone does not make you a complete Muslim. In order to become a complete Muslim, the instructions that God has given us through the Prophet Muhammad must be put into practice. This brings us to the second part of the testimony.
(b) Muhammad is the Messenger of God (Allah).
Muhammad was founded in 570 AD. born in Mecca in Arabia. His ancestors go back to Ishmael, a son of the Prophet Abraham. The second part of the testimony assures that he was not only a prophet, but also a messenger of God, and thus held a higher role, as did Moses and Jesus before him. Like all the prophets before him, he was a human being, but he was chosen by God to deliver His message to all mankind, not just one tribe or one people among the many. Muhammad brought the final and final revelation for the Muslims. By accepting Muhammad as “the last of the prophets”, they believe that his prophecy confirms and completes all other revealed messages, starting with Adam. In addition, Muhammad played an outstanding role as an example for the faithful throughout his life. The believer’s endeavors to follow Muhammad’s example reflect the particular emphasis that Islam places on the practice and deeds.
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/die-erste-sule-des-islam-das-muslimische-glaubensbekenntnis