Islam the way of life

The Shahadah is the act of declaring that you believe that there is no god worthy of worship except the One God (Allah), and that Muhammad is God's Messenger. The Shahadah literally means a 'witnessing', or a ‘testimonial’, in which a person affirms his faith.

By saying the Shahadah you are therefore saying that you bear witness about the faith that you have in your heart. You are declaring that you have 'seen for yourself' that it is true that the Qur'an is a perfect Revelation from God, and the Word of God, and that you accept this.
By saying this you are also implying that you consider that the Qur'an contains only eternal truth, and that this and the authenticated Sunnah (life example of the Prophet) are central sources of guidance for your life. As a result, you are stating that you have faith in the truth of the other beliefs of Islam such as angels, prophets etc.

The Shahadah is said by a person, in front of witnesses, in order for them to make the decisive change from being a non-Muslim to being a Muslim or, in other words, to demonstrate that they intend to submit their whole self and life fully to God's Will. The Shahadah is also stated many times a day, during formal prayer (Salah) by all Muslims, and should be said before sleeping as they may die in their sleep, and when faced by death, if they want to die as Muslims. The other five pillars are expressions of the beliefs declared in the Shahada.