Convert to Islam

Converting to Islam

In the name of Allah the most Beneficent, the most Merciful
All praises be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad (peace be upon him), His last Messenger.
Becoming a Muslim

Any human being can embrace Islam. You do not need anyone’s permission to become Muslim. You can be any color, race, age, speak any language and still become a Muslim.

Step 1. Shahadah ‘Declaration’

To become a Muslim one must simply pronounce the Shahadah (Declaration of Faith) through his/her heart and tongue with sincerity and conviction.

“ASH-HADU ANLA ELAHA ILLA-ALLAH WA ASH-HADU ANNA MOHAMMADAN ABDUHU WA RASOOLUHU”.
The English translation is:

“I bear witness that there is no deity worthy to be worshipped but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger”.

The Shahadah is the dividing line between unbelief (kufr) and Islam.
Quran says: “Allah bears witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Him; as do the angels and those who possess knowledge. He maintains His creation upon justice. None has the right to be worshiped except Him, the All-Mighty, All-Wise.” [Soorah Aal-’Imraan 3:18]

It is preferable for one to declare his/her acceptance of Islam in a Mosque where other Muslims are present, (but not a must)

Step 2. What to do after becoming a Muslim?

Once a person has said Shahadah he/she needs to do the following:

1. A female should trim her nails short, shave the hair under her armpits and pubic hair.

2. A male should trim his nails short, shave the hair under his armpits, pubic hair and shave the hair on his head and later preferably get circumcised.

3. Make Ghusl. Clean your self (all parts of your body) with water including your mouth and your nose.

4. You should try to perform a 2 Rakkah voluntary prayer.

5. Live As a Muslim.

You do not need to do a course or obtain a certificate to become a Muslim.

You should not delay in becoming a Muslim

If someone advices you to delay your conversion to Islam, that is incorrect. If you believe Islam is the truth then you should not delay your conversion to Islam. You should convert immediately because we are given a certain lifespan. Since we do not know when we are going to die. Not even a minute should be lost as your time to leave this life may be up the next minute.

If you have tattoos you can still become a Muslim

Some one may say to you that you must remove all tattoos to be a Muslim. This is also incorrect. Tattoos are not allowed in Islam but they DO NOT prevent a person becoming Muslim. You should become Muslims and latter you can have the tattoos removed if you can afford it. If you can not afford it then do not worry there is no sin on you for what you did before becoming Muslim You are still a Muslim.

If you have a wild past of have committed a many sins, you can still become a Muslim

No matter what sins you have committed or how wild your past was. You can still become a Muslim.. Islam erases all sins committed prior to becoming a Muslim. Prophet (may the peace and blessings and mercy of Allah be upon him) said, “Islam annuls what came before it.” (narrated by Muslim in his Sahih, no. 121).As soon as you become a Muslim all your previous sins are forgiven and you start a blank state (or a complete clean record).

Muslim (121) narrated that ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When Allah put Islam in my heart, I came to the Prophet [an error occurred while processing this directive] (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: “Give me your right hand so that I may swear allegiance to you.” He held out his hand and I withdrew my hand. He said, “What is the matter, O ‘Amr?” I said, “I want to stipulate a condition.” He said, “What do you want to stipulate?” I said, “That I will be forgiven.” He said, “Do you not know that Islam destroys that which came before it?”

If you are a Small child you can still become a Muslim without your parents’ permission

If you are a child you do not need your parent’s permission to become a Muslim. If you fear they may harm, you can become Muslim in secret and tell them when you are ready.

What if their are no Muslims (or no Mosque or Islamic center) in your town

Another common concern is that there are no Muslims in the city. This too is not an obstacle in you becoming a Muslim. You do not have to go to a Masjid (Mosque) or Islamic center or know any Muslims in order to be a Muslim. You can say the declaration of faith (called the Shahadah) to yourself and from then onwards you are a Muslim. This is explained in the article below in greater detail

Losing Your Culture?

It’s not true that you’ll lose your culture. Lots of people misunderstand this. In the West, it is thought that when somebody becomes a Muslim, he becomes an Arab too.

This confusion is only brought up by narrow minded people who don’t understand. Allah has made us to many races, many cultures and many languages too. It is one of the beauties of the many creations of Allah that we have our own culture and we should appreciate it.

Similarly, we shouldn’t be selfish of our own culture. We should share it between our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Circumcision for men

This is something which people shouldn’t get scared about. This is only an optional choice which you can decide later on. Circumcision does not make somebody a Muslim, neither does it make somebody a non Muslim. It is only a procedure of cleanliness to keep yourself clean. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) recommended this.

It is stated in the Hadith, Sahih Muslim, it is a Fitrah, meaning practice of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.). There is no compulsion to circumcision. Majority of the Muslims are circumcised. However, it has come to my attention that there are some Muslims who are not circumcised too.

Pressure from parents, friends and society

Pressure is very normal but what we really want is the truth. There are lots of challenges in our lives. Lots of people want us to follow their ways, may it be good or bad. But the main thing we must realize that we are living for our own lives. If we do anything wrong, it is us that will suffer, not anybody else. So, it is most important that you make your own decision. If you make the correct decision, in the end, it will be you who benefit from it. Take it slowly, one at a time. You don’t have to tell everybody that you are a Muslim if the situation is bad.