As Salaam Alaikum I want to ask I was reading about the Conditions of taking/saying the Shahada it says one who wants to convert/revert/embrace Islam should/must have Knowledge of the meaning of the Shahada my question was I explained the meaning of the Shahada or told the meaning by the Imam before I said it do you know if the Imam should explain it ? I would think it would be valid since I was told the meaning in english after saying it I knew the meaning of the Shahada before I converted/reverted the Shahada is on the Flag of Saudi Arabia. Im asking if my Shahada is valid thank you ?
Muslims believe that the shahadah is without value unless it is earnest.
One such list of seven critical conditions of the shahadah, without which it is considered to be meaningless, are as follows:[
Al-ʿIlm (العلم): Knowledge of the meaning of the Shahadah, its negation and affirmation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahada
For example: if a person were to profess the shahada but was not taught its meaning and so continued to worship idols, and if on being correctly informed of the meaning of the shahada did not accept it as true, then he or she may be judged to have never been a Muslim in the first place, and therefore not an apostate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Islam
What Every Muslim Needs to Know - The 9 Conditions of "Shahadah"
http://www.islamtomorrow.com/9points.htm