Question:
How does a someone go about converting to Islam?
ER
2009-06-27 15:31:11 UTC
And describe the main commitments one has to make when they have converted (i.e. what's ha ram, 5 prayers a day etc.)?
Ten answers:
?
2009-07-05 13:43:25 UTC
All praise be to the one, singular Lord, God Almighty, Allaah.



It brought us great joy to hear from the noble inquirer expressing interest in accepting Islam. It is indeed the religion that links the human being to his Lord directly via the belief in the oneness of God and through various acts of worship. It instills peace of mind and an inner serenity to the created human being, embodied in a unique relationship and devout tranquillity, encompassing love for, fear of, hope from, and submission to, God Almighty, Allaah. Indeed, this essence is the true meaning of worship, which comprises and combines acts of the heart with acts of the tongue in remembering God, in addition to the acts of the physical organs. This is manifested through prayer, fasting, paying zakaat (requisite charitable donations to the needy), and reading the Holy Qur'aan, among other acts, which you will find resulting in positive and benevolent effects in yourself, God willing (in shaa' Allaah). No doubt that if you decide to accept Islam that the conclusion which you will have reached was due to two things: (1) a sound mind and (2) success granted from God (Allaah).



As for converting to Islam, it is a very simple and easy thing, consisting of your pronouncing the two testimonies of faith (al-shahaadatain). You will find the details regarding this as well as other relevant information in the answer to question# 114, 179, and 378.



Finally, we say to you that you are sincerely welcome as a sister to us in Islam, and we are in the utmost readiness to provide you with any service or information possible. We ask Allaah to fulfill, perfect, and complete His grace and benevolence upon you, and to grant you perseverance in holding fast to the truth. For indeed, Allaah is the One who guides to the path of truth and light.



P.S.: If you would like us to assist in guiding you to a reliable local source from which you can learn in person or obtain books, please inform us of your city or town, and we will try, God willing, to help find you an appropriate contact.







Islam Q&A

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
J.S.
2009-06-27 23:50:29 UTC
Peace be upon you,



The word Muslim is an Arabic word meaning "Submitter" in English. Thus, becoming a Muslim, in reality, is simply Submitting to the one Creator (i.e. God, Allah, Elohim, Dios...the name is not important).



It is a common misunderstanding that one must utter the testimony of faith in order to become a Muslim. A person becomes a Muslim once they make the decision to Submit to God; no ritual, utterance, or hand shake is required to become a Muslim. The Quran states:



[2:62] Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.



Uttering the testimony of faith does not make a person a Muslim. They can definitely say it if they want to, but if they don't truly Submit to God, in mind, spirit, and deeds then it simply has no value.



By the way, the true testimony of faith or "the Shahada" according to God, His angels, and the knowledgeable ones, is "la ilaha illa Allah"... Adding anything else besides this defies the concept of Submission, of worshiping one God:



[3:18] GOD bears witness that there is no god except He, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge. Truthfully and equitably, He is the absolute god; there is no god but He, the Almighty, Most Wise.



If we one is to insist that we must say something in order to become muslims, please look at the Quranic examples of how these rigtheous individuals converted to Muslim;



[2:131] When his Lord said to him, "Submit," he said, "I submit to the Lord of the universe."



[26:47] They said, "We believe in the Lord of the universe.

[26:48] "The Lord of Moses and Aaron."



[27:44] ... "My Lord, I have wronged my soul. I now submit with Solomon to GOD, Lord of the universe."



I dont see that there necessarily five pillars of Islam since one must do his or her best in following all the commandments spelled out in the Quran.



I pray this helps

Peace

J.S.
?
2009-06-27 23:06:17 UTC
Eshedu'en la ilahe ill'Allah, wey eshedu' enne Muhammad'en Rasul'ullah



The above is in Arabic: "I bear witness that there is no deity but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is God's messenger." If you say this, you are Muslim. This is the first pillar of Islam.



Muslims must pray five times a day: between dawn and sunrise, after the sun hits its peak; after its halfway down its arc; between sunset and nightfall; and in blackest part of night. The prayer (salat) purifies one's days. This is the second pillar of Islam.



The third pillar is charity (zakat), which is 2.5% of one's wealth (including gold, property, savings, mutual funds, etc.) given to the poor. Charity purifies one's wealth, and is considered a tax on the rich for the poor; keeping it is akin to theft. The fourth pillar is fasting, which means no food, drink or sex between dawn and sunset each day during Ramadan, the ninth lunar month. Fasting for one month purifies one's entire year. The fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca, to pray at the Ka'ba, which was built for God by Prophets Abraham and Ishmael. The pilgrimage (hajj) purifies one's entire life.



Islam is a religion and a way of life. It is a middle way between asceticism (avoiding all things) and hedonism (indulging in all things). What is haram in Islam is all things that are sins, or lead to sin: alcohol and drugs, gambling, stealing, disrespecting your parents, adultery and fornication and being alone with a member of the opposite sex you're not related to, eating pork, carrion or anything that is not sacrificed in God's name. There are physical and emotional benefits of giving up these things, of course, but the primary reason to abstain is to gain God's pleasure.



I converted to Islam three years ago. Do not look at Muslims to learn about Islam. Look at the Qur'an and the Prophet. I recommend reading an English translation of the Qur'an (Ali Unal or Yusuf Ali), as well as a biography of the Prophet Muhammad (Martin Lings or Karen Armstrong). I am also trying to learn Arabic, in order to read the original Qur'an myself. Be wary of communities that are too extreme in any way: too strict or too flexible. Islam is a perfect, complete religion, but its followers are human, fallible and incomplete and they make mistakes that can hurt a new Muslim's faith.



Inshallah, God will open your path to Him!
2009-06-30 17:56:18 UTC
How to Convert to Islam and Become a Muslim



http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/204/



best wishes

basem
LOuay
2009-06-28 05:09:02 UTC
You can become Muslim by uttering in a voice loud enough to hear oneself and with the intention to embrace Islam "I testify that there is no god but God and MuHammad is His Messenger". If one cannot pronounce MuHammad correctly then one may say "Abu Qasm" instead. This can be said in any language one speaks. It does not have to be in arabic. Also it can be said at any time and any place, you dont have to go to a mosque and speak with the Imam or go on fridays or where white or take a spiritual bath (Ghusl) to become a Muslim.



The non-Muslim embraces Islam by believing in the Two Testifications of Faith and uttering them with the intention of leaving out blasphemy. The first Testification means that no one or thing deserves to be worshipped except God Who is the Creator of everything.



The second Testification states that Muhammad the son of ^Abdillah who was born in Makkah about 1400 years ago is a messenger of God. He was sent to convey what God revealed to him so that the humans believe in and work with the Laws he received and brought. He is truthful in all what he conveyed. The Two Testifications reject the Godhood of anyone or anything other than God. They confirm the Godhood of God (Allah) only with the acknowledgment of the message of prophet Muhammad.



After having become Muslim, one must go learn the Islamic obligatory Knowledge. This Knowledge entails the knowledge of Islamic Belief, cases of Islamic Law about Purification, Prayer, Fasting and the like.



Knowledge of the Religion is highly praised in Islam. A great companion narrated the saying of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon Him.. {The person whom Allah willed to grant goodness, Allah makes him knowledgeable about the Religion.} Related by Al-Bukhariyy.



The Prophet also said “Seeking the [obligatory] religious knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” (Related by al-Bayhaqiyy.)



Haram means unlawful. We got to know whats haram and avoid it. Halal means lawful. Like missing prayers is haram, a big sin. Praying 5 times a day is obligatory upon us. Their are 5 prayers we must engage in throughout the day. They come in at a certain time and the prayer goes out at a certain time. Ex. THere is a afternoonPrayer which begins when the sun has past it's zenith (meaning the sun had just past the highest part of the sky and it is in the western part of the sky). So we got to pray the afternoon prayer before the next prayer comes in. You can learn the details of the Prayers and the times of prayers and what invalidates prayers here: http://darulfatwa.org.au/content/category/26/91/286/



The most important thing is to have the correct believe in God and His Messenger. The Prophet said {The best of deeds is to believe correctly in Allah and his Messenger}. narrated by al-Bukhariy.



That is to believe that God is One without a partner, that God is not a man, body, spirit, light, or anything else that is created. You must know and believe that God exists without a place because had He been in a place then He would be a form or a body and would have limitations and God is clear from any imperfection or weaknesses. He is clear from weaknesses like ignorance, time, place, direction, bodily created attributes.



And as for the Prophets, they are the best of God's creations. They are clear from non-befitting attributes. All the Prophets and Messengers, before and after Prophethood, are trustworthy, truthful, intelligent, beautiful in shape, have beautiful voices, impeccable from committing blasphemy and enormous sins and small mean sins, clear from being inflicted with repelling ailments, clear from vileness, clear from stupidity, clear from lying, clear from cheating and clear from all non befitting attributes.



I hope this finds you well
Big Bill
2009-06-27 23:05:17 UTC
One should read a good tranalation of the Holy Qur'an unless one is already able to read the same in Arabic. A. Yusuf Ali's tranlation is very nice and well done.



One should go on line or acquire copies of the Sunnah al Hadiths, especially Buhkaries (spelling is incorrect, apologies) and Muslim as these represent how you will be expected to live your daily life and tye cover how you will dress, eat, sit, toilet, bathe, what is haram and what is halal, the length of your clothes, hair, mustache, finger and toe nails, what places you may enter, how you will conduct your social life and contact with the opposite sex, et., etc., etc.



You might want to read "Towards Understanding Islam", by Abul A'la Mawdudi, as well as "In the Footsteps of the Prophet" by tariq Ramadan.



Two other books of interest might be "Muhammad, a Prophet for Our Times" and "Islam, a brief history", by Karen Armstrong. "The Battle for God" by the same author would also be worth reading.



There are many online sources that will tell you about the Five Pillars of Islam (belief in the Oneness of God as Allah, Subhanna wa Ta'ala, belief in the prophets, salaat/prayer, zakaat/ charity and fasting, make the hajj etc.).



Some of these sources will also explain how salaat is performed as well as assisting you in learning surahs or chapeters from the Holy Qur'an that you will recite during salaat and the other associated prayers, all said in Arabic.



Find the nearest mosque/masjid through IslamFinder.com and go and speak with the imam. Muslims are extremely kind and polite and you will be welcomed with open arms and all of your questions will be answered as fully as they are able to answer the same remembering that they have a pre-existing bias towards the mythology of Islam.



They may ask you to attend some classes to help you to learn to read the Qur'an and to learn your prayers but you will be expected to do most of this on your own.



When you believe you are ready to make a committment to Islam, you will make the shahada or profession of faith before the brothers and sisters at jumaah or Friday noon salaat.



There are five manditory prayers per day, every day even when you are ill beginning before sunrise and ending after sunset, spaced throughout the day.



During the month of Ramamdan you will fast each day from sunrise to sunset.



You will be expected to donate to charity so as to help the poor and the needy, support the masjid, etc.



The Rules of the Sunnah al Hadith are extremely restrictive, contradictory, go against the teachings and supposed revelations of the Holy Qur'an and make this beautiful religion a heavy burden, so much so that no one can actually bear it and when one tries they become hard hearted and judgmental yet only Allah, subhanna wa ta'ala, has the right to judge.



If you are a male and have not yet been circumcised, you will be expected to have that done.



You will also be expected to shave your pubic hair and your underarms at least once every forty days.



You will need to learn how to perform wudu, or ritual abolution which is done after everytime you toilet, pass wind, and before each salaat.



You will also need to learn how to bath correctly.



The Qur'an is beautiful in Arabic, English and French and it is truly inspirational in its scope and social dimensions however, following the death of the Prophet Muhammad, salaahu 'alaihi wasalaam, the interpretations have become twisted and filled with fear, superstition and hate.



Sunnis are the most dominate, Sufis the most loving and kind., with Shiites being the most philosophical.



As with all religions, it is a valid path for those who are called to follow the same and in the practice of such you will find times of elation and times of despair.



may god, by whatever name you address the ideal of the same in, guide you to the path that is correct adn right for you so that you learn to live in harmony with all that exist.



namaste
egmuslim
2009-06-28 08:26:23 UTC
congratulations my brother I advise you to go to masjid(mosque)

but if you can't,you can convert at home.

read this article http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/204/ you

will know how to convert at home and you can find live help

(online) by chat.

This is a site of internetional association for new muslims

http://www.4newmuslims.org/indexe.htm

You can ask them what you want.

get a free copy of Holy Quran http://islamtomorrow.com/downloads/

your guide to Islam: http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch3-11.htm

This page is rich in sources and books http://sultan.org/books/.

read these books:

1- Dr. Maurice Bucaille is a french scientist converted to Islam and write this book "The Bible,The Qur'an & Science" it is amazing book you can download it here http://www.ef7am.com/Files/Books/En/The_Book.zip

2- Dr. Gary Miller is a scientist also converted to islam he wrote this book "Amazing Quran" you can download it here

http://www.ef7am.com/Files/Books/En/Amazing_Quran.zip

3- Dr. zakir Naik wrote this fantastic book it show you the truth

"Concept of GOD in major religions" you can download it here

http://www.ef7am.com/Files/Books/En/GOD_IN_MAJOR_RELIGIONS_en.zip

this site answer atheists and all religions: http://www.harunyahya.com/

This is a site of a christian priest converted to Islam

http://www.islamtomorrow.com/
Jo
2009-06-27 22:36:07 UTC
peace to you

if you have any more questions,please e-mail me



Bearing witness “laa ilaahah illa allah” and that “muhammadun rasool ullaah” is the first pillar of the five pillars of Islam. And the meaning of “laa ilaahah illa allah” is that nothing worshipped is worthy of worship except Allah—it is simultaneously a denial and affirmation. “laa ilaahah” is denial of all worship other than that of Allah. “illa allaah” is affirmation that all worship is for Allah alone without partners.



As for the declaration, “muhammadun rasool ullaa,” its meaning is the assertion of the message of Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and to believe in it and to adhere to it by speech, action and faith, and to avoid all that is against it, whether it be sayings, actions, or intentions… In other words, obeying him in what he ordered and believing in what he said and relayed and avoiding what he has forbid and denounced and not worshipping Allah except as he has ordained.



wa-sall-allahu wa-sallim ‘ala nabiyyina muhammadin wa-aalihi wa-sahbih. (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our prophet Muhammad and upon his families and companions).

http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/179



Five Pillars Of Islam

http://quran-wa-sunnah.tripod.com/id239.html

Pray like the Prophet Muhammad

http://quran-wa-sunnah.tripod.com/id205.html
?
2009-06-28 08:41:59 UTC
congratulations



i a soooooooo happy



may ALLAH strength u and help u on the straight path



mashaallah brothers answered very good answers



i just wanted to congratulate u





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this site is very helpful

http://www.1ststepsinislam.com/en/





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islamic eposides from huda tv channel



http://www.forsanelhaq.com/en/showthread...



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may ALLAH bless u
Allahoo
2009-06-27 23:34:29 UTC
venussearch2005@yahoo.com

Email me i'll walk you through it step be step.

Peace.


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