Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his Companions, and those who follow him. To proceed:
The two testimonies of faith are the foundation of Islam and the basis for entering it. The Prophet ﷺ combined them as one of the pillars of Islam, as stated in the authentic hadith:
“Islam is built upon five: the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah...”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The basic function of the word “and” is to join two things together; it does not necessarily indicate that they are equal in every respect.
Therefore, when we say, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” the word “and” does not mean that Allah and His Messenger are equal in status or rights. Rather, it joins together two matters in which a Muslim must believe.
Allah is the Creator and the One who alone deserves worship, while Muhammad ﷺ is the servant and Messenger of Allah. There is no equality between the Creator and the created being.
The testimony to the Oneness of Allah and the testimony to the Prophethood of His Messenger ﷺ are inseparably connected when entering Islam.
A person’s Islam is not valid if he acknowledges that Allah alone deserves worship while rejecting the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ. Likewise, belief in Muhammad ﷺ as the Messenger of Allah cannot be valid while rejecting the Oneness of Allah.
For this reason, the two testimonies are combined as one pillar of Islam.
Correct worship is based upon two great foundations:
An act of worship is not accepted unless it is sincerely devoted to Allah and performed in accordance with what His Messenger ﷺ taught.
Therefore, the two testimonies are inseparably connected in establishing Islam.
Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah must accept the Messenger ﷺ who conveyed the message of Tawhid and called people to it.
And whoever testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah must believe him and follow what he brought. The greatest message he brought was the call to worship Allah alone without associating partners with Him.
From this perspective, the two testimonies are closely connected, and a person’s Islam is not valid by accepting one while rejecting the other.
It is not correct to say that the two testimonies are equal in every respect.
The testimony “There is no god but Allah” concerns Allah’s exclusive right to be worshipped, which is the greatest of all rights and the foundation of the religion.
The testimony “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” concerns believing in the Prophet’s ﷺ message, affirming his truthfulness, obeying him, and following him.
Allah alone is worthy of worship, while the Prophet ﷺ is Allah’s servant and Messenger.
Allah says:
“Say, ‘I am only a human being like you, to whom it has been revealed that your God is only One God.’” [Al-Kahf 18:110]
Thus, the two testimonies are inseparable for the validity of Islam, but this does not mean that their meanings are equal or that the rights of Allah and the rights of His Messenger ﷺ are equal.
The word “and” in the two testimonies does not indicate equality in every respect. Rather, it joins two matters in which every Muslim must believe.
The testimony “There is no god but Allah” means worshipping Allah alone, while the testimony “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” means believing in the Prophet’s ﷺ message, affirming his truthfulness, obeying him, and following him.
The two testimonies are inseparable for entering Islam and for the validity of one’s Islam. However, the Oneness of Allah is the foundation of the religion and His right to worship is the greatest of all rights, while Muhammad ﷺ is Allah’s servant and Messenger whom Muslims are required to believe in and follow.
And Allah knows best.