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 to 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 in the sight of God is Islam...”
(Quran 3:19)
In another verse of the Holy Quran, God states:
“If anyone desires a religion 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 Prophet, and that Jesus is His Prophet, and His word[1] 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 God praise 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 have 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 he may help you in pronouncing it right.
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 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.
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