Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Testimony, both linguistically and in Islamic terminology, does not necessarily mean that a person has seen something with their own eyes. Rather, it means that a person declares what has been firmly established and correctly known to them.
Allah says, quoting the brothers of Joseph:
“We testify only to what we know.”
[Joseph 12:81]
And Allah says:
“Except those who testify to the truth while they know.”
[Az-Zukhruf 43:86]
These verses connect testimony with knowledge, not merely with seeing something with one’s eyes.
No. A person can know facts through various means, not only through sight.
Among the most important means of acquiring knowledge are:
A person believes in the existence of many historical people and events despite never having seen them or witnessed those events, because reliable evidence and reports establish their existence.
When a Muslim says, “I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,” they are not claiming to have seen Allah with their own eyes. Rather, they affirm what they know and believe: that Allah is One, without partner, and that He alone deserves worship.
This belief is based on the evidence demonstrating Allah’s existence and Oneness, as well as what Allah has revealed about Himself.
Likewise, when a Muslim says, “And I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” it is not necessary for them to have personally seen the Prophet ﷺ.
We know of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his message through the established accounts of his life, the Qur’an that he brought, the Sunnah transmitted from him, and the evidence demonstrating the truthfulness of his prophethood.
The Companions who saw the Prophet ﷺ are not the only ones who can truthfully testify to his prophethood. Rather, anyone to whom the truth of his message has been established and who knows it to be true may testify that he is the Messenger of Allah.
The meaning of testimony when a Muslim says, “I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” is an affirmation based on knowledge and certainty, not merely eyewitness testimony.
We have not seen Allah Almighty in this world, and most Muslims have never seen the Prophet ﷺ, yet we testify to Allah’s Oneness and Muhammad’s ﷺ prophethood based on established rational and transmitted evidence and reliable reports.
Therefore, testimony is valid without seeing with one’s own eyes, because knowledge is broader than direct observation.
And Allah knows best.