Quran Project - Appendix - How do I become a Muslim

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. If anyone has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that Islām is the true religion of God, then, all one needs to do is pronounce the “Shahada,” the testimony of faith, without further delay, ideally witnessed by fellow Muslims.

The “Shahada” is the first and most important of the five pillars of Islām. With the pronunciation of this testimony, or “Shahada,” with sincere belief and conviction, one enters the fold of Islām. Upon entering the fold of Islām 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 Islām that God would forgive his sins: “Do you not know that accepting Islām destroys all sins which come before it?” 

When one accepts Islām, 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 Qur’ān and Hadeeth (Prophetic sayings) both stress the importance of following Islām. God states: 

n another verse of the Holy Qur’ān, God states:

The Prophet Muhammad 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.”  

The Prophet of God also said, “Indeed God has forbidden to reside eternally in Hell the person who says: “I testify that none has the right to worship except Allāh (God),’ seeking thereby the Face of God.”  

To convert [or more accurately revert] to Islām and become a Muslim, a person needs to pronounce the below testimony with conviction and understanding its meaning - with other Muslims present:

When someone pronounces the testimony with conviction, then he/she has become a Muslim.

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 Qur’ān:

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 Islām 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 Islām, 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 mould their lives and character and emulate the Prophet, as he was a living example for humans to follow. God says:

He was sent in order to practically implement the Qur’ān, 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 Qur’ān.” 

To truly adhere to the second part of the Shahada is to follow his example in all walks of life. God says:

It also means that Muhammad is the Final Prophet and Messenger of God, and that no (true) Prophet can come after him.

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 Islām, congratulate you for your decision and will try to help you in any way we can, God willing. Logon to www.quranproject.org/newmuslim for more information.

Suggested Reading:

‘I am a new Muslim: What now?’ www.quranproject.org/what-now

‘A Guide for the new Muslim’  by Jamal Zarabozo [Also available in PDF] 

‘Ryadh as-Saliheen’ by Imam an-Nawawi 

Islamic Creed Series by Dr. Umar al-Ashqar [Also available in PDF]

‘Belief in Allāh’

‘The World of the Noble Angels’

‘The Messengers and the Messages’

‘The Minor Resurrection’ [What happens after death]

‘The Day of Resurrection’

‘Paradise and Hell’

‘Islam and the World’ by Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi 

‘Purification of the Soul’ published by al-Firdous [Also available in PDF]

‘Invocation of God’ by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah 

Every people have their own method of seeking comfort, relaxation and escape. Some use music, some use exercises like Yoga, and others drugs and alcohol.  As for Muslims, we attain the benefits of all of the above and more, from Prayer. We resort to the source of all solutions and the source of all peace and relief - Our Beloved, Our Creator.

Every one of us was created with particular needs; like the need to feel loved, the need to be alone for a while, the need to know that someone special awaits you at home after a long hard day at work, the need to spend time with your children and kiss them to sleep, the need to hear nice words, etc. When these needs go unsatisfied, an imbalance occurs within us that can affect the quality of our entire day. We might become irritable and cranky and not know why. A need within us has not been met that day. Yet we have been created with a need far greater and more critical for our complete well-being than any other…It is the need to worship. 

To satisfy this need, people through the ages have worshiped everything under the sun [and including the sun]. They worshiped idols, water, animals, snakes, the sun, the stars and money - exhausting great efforts and wealth to do so. Indeed, this need to worship must be satisfied, but none of the above can satisfy it like worshiping the One True God! And Prayer fulfills that satisfaction.  

It was common that when the time for prayer came, the Prophet Muhammad would turn to Bilal [whose duty was to call out the call to prayer] and say, “Relieve us with it, O Bilal.” In other words, make the call, Bilal, for what will lighten our heavy burdens and will soothe and comfort us.  For when the Prophet was troubled with a difficult matter or much worry, he would turn to prayer. 

When the Prophet was facing his toughest time in Makkah, feeling the deepest sadness, how did God console him and lift his spirits? He raised the Prophet to Him during the most momentous event of all time – al-Israa wal-Mi’raaj! [the night journey to Jerusalem and then to the Heaven] till he reached the closest a man can ever reach in nearness to his Lord! It was on this occasion where God obligated the prayer to be performed five times a day. 

When we die, Prayer is the first responsibility we will be judged for, if it is sound [accepted], then all our deeds after it will be sound [accepted] and if it is corrupt, then all our deeds after it will be corrupt. The Prophet Muhammad said, “whoever abandons it [prayer], has disbelieved.” 

However, it is not only the Prayer’s obligatory nature that should compel us to tend to it. This would be an incomplete intention. The prayer is an act that brings such a satisfying comfort, a true quenching of that spiritual thirst!  Your body maybe on earth, but your  soul is floating around The Most Merciful’s Throne! Prayer is God’s greatest gift to us.  In it is the peace and true happiness that we all yearn and search for. Every position has a special meaning and a unique significance, so that with every position we move to, we are transported into a new and different scene. These transitions help our minds to stay aware of and internalize the words we utter. These transitions help our hearts to stay alive throughout our Prayer - alive with alternating feelings and emotions before God; those of love, hope, fear, and humility.

Finally remember this: The sweetness of this life lies in remembering Him, the sweetness of the next life lies in seeing Him! when you proceed for prayer, go because you love Him, go because you miss Him and long to be with Him. Feel your heart flutter. Only then, will you be on your way to attaining that inner peace and comfort Prayer was prescribed for.

Source: Edited from ‘Love of Allāh: Experience the beauty of Salah’ – [available  for free in PDF and book – order: www.quranproject.org]