HOW TO BECOME A MUSLIM
All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe. May peace and blessings of Allah be
upon Mohammad, His last messenger.
The objective of this hand-out is to correct a
false idea spread among those willing to adopt
Islam as their faith. Some people are facing
difficulties on the basis of their belief and
wrong notion that entering into the Islamic
fold requires an announcement from the concerned person in the presence of high ranking
scholars or sheikhs or reporting this act to
courts of justice or other authorities. It is also
thought that the act of accepting Islam, should,
as a condition, have a certificate issued by the
authorities, as an evidence to that effect.
We wish to clarify that the whole matter is
very easy and that none of the above-
mentioned conditions or obligations are required. For Allah, Almighty, is above all comprehension and knows well the secrets of all
hearts. Nevertheless, those who are going to
adopt Islam as their religion are advised to
register themselves as Muslims with the concerned governmental agency, as this procedure may facilitate for them many matters including the possibility of performing Hajj and Umrah.
If anyone has a real desire to be a Muslim
and has full conviction and strong belief that
Islam is the true religion ordained by Allah
(SWT) for all human-beings, then, one should
pronounce the "Shahada" the testimony of
faith without further delay. The Holy Quran is
explicit on this regard as Allah (SWT) has
state:
"The Religion in the sight of Allah is Islam".
(Qur'an 3:19)
In another verse of the Holy Quran,,Allah
(SWT) has stated:
"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 hell fire)."
(Qur'an 3:85)
In addition, Islam is the only religion prevailing over all other religions. Allah (SWT) has
stated in the holy Quran:
"To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and
guarding it in safety: ...... (Quran 5:48)
Muhammad, the prophet of Allah (Peace and
blessing of Allah be upon him ), said:
" Islam is based on five pillars: testifying that
there is no god worthy to be worshiped
but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and His servant, perform-
ing the prayer, paying the Zakat(Poor-due),
fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing Hajj.
The Shahada can be declared as follows:
"ASH-HADU ANLAA ILAAHA
ILLALLAAH WA ASH HADU
ANNA MUHAMMAD ABDUHU
WARASUULUH".
The English translation is:
"I bear witness that there is no deity worthy to be worshiped but Allah, and I bear
witness that Muhammad is His servant and
messenger".
However, it would not be sufficient for
anyone to only utter this testimony orally
either in private or in public; but rather, he
should believe in it by heart with a firm
conviction and unshakable faith. If he is
truly sincere and comply with the teachings of Islam in all his life, he will find
himself a new born man.
This will move him to strive more and
more to improve his character and draw
nearer to perfection. The light of the living
faith will fill his heart until he becomes the
embodiment of that faith.
What would be next after declaring himself a
Muslim?
He should then know the real concept
underlying this testimony which means the
Oneness of Allah and meet its requirements. He
must behave accordingly, applying this true
faith to every thing he speaks or does.
What do the words of the "Shahada" signify?
The significant point which every Muslim
must know very well is the truth that there is
no god (deity) to be worshiped other than
Allah. He - Glory be to Him - is the only true
God, Who alone deserves to be worshiped,
since He is the Giver of life and Sustainer and
Nourisher of mankind and all creation with His
unlimited bounties. Man must worship Allah,
Who alone is worthy of worship.
The second part of the Shahada
" i.e., Wa
ashhadu anna Muhamadan abduhu wa rasuluh" means that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
is the servant and chosen messenger of Allah.
No one must have two opinions about this
matter. In fact the Muslim has to obey the
commands of the Prophet (PBUH) , to believe
him in what he has said, to practice his teachings, to avoid what he has forbidden , and to
worship Allah alone according to the message
revealed to him.
What is the meaning of worship?
It simply
means rendering sincere service showing reverence for Allah. In a deeper shade of meaning, it implies total submission and complete obedience to Allah's commandments
both in utterances and actions of man whether explicit or implicit.
Worship falls into two categories:
1. - Visible (manifest or outward
2. - Invisible (concealed or inward)
Visible worship includes acts such as uttering the two parts of the "Shahada",
performing prayers, giving Zakat(The poor-
due), recitation of the Holy Quean, supplication, adoring Allah by praising Him,
purifying our bodies before prayers, etc.
This type of worship is associated with
movement of the parts of human body.
Invisible worship is to believe in Allah, in
the Day of Judgement, in the Hereafter, in
the Angels, in the Books of Allah, in the Prophets of Allah, in the Divine Decree of
destiny (that good and bad are determine by
Allah alone).
This type of worship does not involve
movement of parts of the body but it surely
has bearing on one's heart which subsequently affects his way of life.
It should be borne in mind that any worship not dedicated to Allah alone will be
rejected as one form of polytheism and this causes apostasy from the Islamic fold.
The next step for a devoted (newly revert
to Islam ) is to purify himself by taking a
bath (total ablution). He should then resolve to comply with the principles and
rules of Islam in their entirety. He should
disown all forms of polytheism and false
beliefs. He should reject evil and be righteous . Such rejection of evil and being
righteous is one of the requisites of the
motto of Islam - that is, Laa Ilaha Illal Laah
Allah has stated in the holy Quran:
....... whoever rejects evil and believes in
Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy
Hand-hold, that never breaks ...... (Qur'an
2:256)
We have to consider that when we declare
from our heart that "there is no god (deity)
worthy to be worshiped but Allah", it implies on our part love, devotion, faith and
obedience to the rules of Islamic legislation which are legally binding on all
Muslims. It is a requirement of "there is no god
worthy to be worshiped but Allah" to love
for the sake of Allah and to reject for the
sake of Allah. This is the firmest anchor of
belief which materializes the meaning of
"AL-WALA" and "AL-BARA". It means
that a Muslim should love and be loyal to
his Muslim brothers. He should, as a practice, dissociate himself completely from the
unbelievers and refuse to be influenced by
them, both in worldly and religious matters
We conclude with a humble prayer to Allah that may He cleanse the hearts and
souls of those who are genuine seekers of
truth and may He bless the community of
believers. Ameen.
For more and detailed information about
Islam, please contact the office of the
nearest Muslim Organization or center in
your place.
The Ministry of Awqaf
And Islamic Affairs
P. 0. Box 232
Doha - Oatar
Printed by : Qatar National Printing Press