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IslamThe Shahada, also spelled shahadah, (Arabic ??????? aš-šahada 
audio (help·info) from the verb šahida "to testify") is the Islamic creed. The Shahada is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as his prophet. The declaration reads laa ilaha illa Allah, wa Mu?ammad(un) rasul Allah “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" in English. This declaration is called the Kalima, which literally means "words." Recitation of the Shahadah is the most important of the Five Pillars of Islam for Muslims and is performed daily. Non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam do so by a public recitation of the creed.[1] Technically the Shi'a do not consider the Shahadah to be a separate pillar, but connect it to the beliefs.[2]
A single honest recitation of the Shahadah in Arabic is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim according to most traditional schools.
In usage the two occurrences of 'ašhadu 'anna (or similar) = "I testify that" or "I bear witness that...", are very often omitted.
