At the center, at the core, at the apex of religious belief in Islam is the statement of faith, also known as the kalimah. And it is “La illaha il Allah; Muhammadur Rasul-Allah.” What’s interesting is that there are two sections to this, and the second part, “Muhammadur Rasul-Allah” means Muhammad is His Rasul, is His Prophet, is His Messenger, is the one who brings the understanding of the way. And that part is usually easily understood. And the translation is accepted in one way. But the beginning part, “La illaha il Allah” is translated in a lot of different ways. And it’s interesting that it’s translated in a lot of different ways because the different translations give you an insight into the state of the people doing the translating.
