'There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.' Write about the significance of the shahada to a Muslim.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2018). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. The shahada is the first Pillar of Islam and the declaration of this pledge that a person makes with God enters him/her into the fold of Islam. The shahada starts with the belief in the Oneness of God, which is the root of Islam and affirms God's supremacy and makes a Muslim focussed on following the path set by Him which can only be done by following the perfect example of the Prophet (pbuh). The shahada affirms the belief in God and the message brought by His messenger. The significance of the shahada, it could be said, is that it is a reminder to Muslims that God is One and our day should be spent worshipping Him. It reminds Muslims that none is worthy of worship but God and that He gave humans a life to obey Him. Muslims do this by following the guidance of the Qur'an and the Prophet (pbuh).
2. It could be added that by saying the shahada Muslims become a part of the umma. By repeating it in our daily prayers, Muslims become confident and fear no one but God. When Muslims say that Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of God, they acknowledge his right to be respected and obeyed, and also followed as a model, knowing that he was the best of creation.
3. Evaluative responses are being looked for. For example, it could be said that the five daily prayers signify a believer's submission to God.
4. It could be said that they serve as physical evidence of the believer's adherence to Islam.
5. Prayer is considered to be the foremost duty of a Muslim and such is its importance that it is considered to be the distinguishing feature between a Muslim and a non-Muslim. Its chief purpose is to remind Muslims of God throughout the day and to keep believers mindful of God.