The word “Muslim” means one who submits
to the will of God, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic
background. Becoming a Muslim is a simple and easy process that requires
no pre-requisites. One may convert alone in privacy, or he/she may do
so in the presence of others.
If anyone has a real desire to be a
Muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that Islam is the true
religion of God, then, all one needs to do is pronounce the “Shahada”,
the testimony of faith, without further delay. The “Shahada” is the
first and most important of the five pillars of Islam.
With the pronunciation of this testimony, or “Shahada”, with sincere belief and conviction, one enters the fold of Islam.
Upon entering the fold of Islam purely
for the Pleasure of God, all of one’s previous sins are forgiven, and
one starts a new life of piety and righteousness. The Prophet said to a
person who had placed the condition upon the Prophet in accepting Islam
that God would forgive his sins:
“Do you not know that accepting Islam destroys all sins which come before it?” (Saheeh Muslim)
When one accepts Islam, they in essence
repent from the ways and beliefs of their previous life. One need not be
overburdened by sins committed before their acceptance. The person’s
record is clean, and it is as if he was just born from his mother’s
womb. One should try as much as possible to keep his records clean and
strive to do as many good deeds as possible
The Holy Quran and Hadeeth (prophetic sayings) both stress the importance of following Islam. God states:
“...The only religion(way of life) in the sight of God is Islam(submission to the one God alone in peace)...” (Quran 3:19)
In another verse of the Holy Quran, God states:
“If
anyone desires a religion(way of life) other than Islam, never will it
be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter, he will be in the ranks of
those who have lost (their selves in the Hellfire).” (Quran 3:85)
In another saying, Muhammad, the Prophet of God, said:
“Whoever testifies that there in none
worthy of being worshipped but God, Who has no partner, and that
Muhammad is His slave and Prophet, and that Jesus is the Slave of God,
His Prophet, and His word which He bestowed in Mary and a spirit created
from Him; and that Paradise (Heaven) is true, and that the Hellfire is
true, God will eventually admit him into Paradise, according to his
deeds.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet of God, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him, also reported:
“Indeed God has forbidden to reside
eternally in Hell the person who says: “I testify that none has the
right to worship except Allah (God),’ seeking thereby the Face of God.”
(Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
The Declaration of the Testimony (Shahada)
To convert to Islam and become a Muslim a
person needs to pronounce the below testimony with conviction and
understanding its meaning:
I testify “La ilah illa Allah, Muhammad rasoolu Allah.”
The translation of which is:
“I testify that there is no true god (deity) but God (Allah), and that Muhammad is a Messenger (Prophet) of God.”
To hear it click here or click on “Live Help” above for assistance by chat.
When someone pronounces the testimony
with conviction, then he/she has become a Muslim. It can be done alone,
but it is much better to be done with an adviser through the “Live Help”
at top, so we may help you in pronouncing it right and to provide you
with important resources for new Muslims.
The first part of the testimony consists
of the most important truth that God revealed to mankind: that there is
nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God.
God states in the Holy Quran:
“We
did not send the Messenger before you without revealing to him: ‘none
has the right to be worshipped except I, therefore worship Me.’” (Quran
21:25)
This conveys that all forms of worship,
whether it be praying, fasting, invoking, seeking refuge in, and
offering an animal as sacrifice, must be directed to God and to God
alone. Directing any form of worship to other than God (whether it be an
angel, a messenger, Jesus, Muhammad, a saint, an idol, the sun, the
moon, a tree) is seen as a contradiction to the fundamental message of
Islam, and it is an unforgivable sin unless it is repented from before
one dies. All forms of worship must be directed to God only.
Worship means the performance of deeds
and sayings that please God, things which He commanded or encouraged to
be performed, either by direct textual proof or by analogy. Thus,
worship is not restricted to the implementation of the five pillars of
Islam, but also includes every aspect of life. Providing food for one’s
family, and saying something pleasant to cheer a person up are also
considered acts of worship, if such is done with the intention of
pleasing God. This means that, to be accepted, all acts of worship must
be carried out sincerely for the Sake of God alone.
The second part of the testimony means
that Prophet Muhammad is the servant and chosen messenger of God. This
implies that one obeys and follows the commands of the Prophet. One must
believe in what he has said, practice his teachings and avoid what he
has forbidden. One must therefore worship God only according to his
teaching alone, for all the teachings of the Prophet were in fact
revelations and inspirations conveyed to him by God.
One must try to mold their lives and
character and emulate the Prophet, as he was a living example for humans
to follow. God says:
“And indeed you are upon a high standard of moral character.” (Quran 68:4)
God also said:
“And
in deed you have a good and upright example in the Messenger of God,
for those who hope in the meeting of God and the Hereafter, and mentions
God much.” (Quran 33:21)
He was sent in order to practically
implement the Quran, in his saying, deeds, legislation as well as all
other facets of life. Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, when asked about
the character of the Prophet, replied:
“His character was that of the Quran.” (As-Suyooti)
To truly adhere to the second part of the Shahada is to follow his example in all walks of life. God says:
“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): ‘If you (really) love God, then follow me.’” (Quran 3:31)
It also means that Muhammad is the Final Prophet and Messenger of God, and that no (true) Prophet can come after him.
“Muhammad
is not the father of any man among you but he is the Messenger of God
and the last (end) of the Prophets and God is Ever All-Aware of
everything.” (Quran 33:40)
All who claim to be prophets or receive
revelation after Muhammad are imposters, and to acknowledge them would
be tantamount to disbelief.
We welcome you to Islam, congratulate you for your decision, and will try to help you in any way we can.
Watch video on How to accept Islam(Submission to the one God alone in peace)
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