The word “Muslim” means one who submits to the will ofGod, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic background. Becoming aMuslim is a simple and easy process that requires no pre-requisites. One may convertalone 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 fullconviction and strong belief that Islam is the true religion of God, then, all oneneeds to do is pronounce the “Shahada”, the testimony of faith, withoutfurther delay. The “Shahada” is the first and most important of the five pillarsof 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 Pleasureof God, all of one’s previous sins are forgiven, and one starts a new life ofpiety and righteousness. The Prophet said to a person who had placed thecondition upon the Prophet in accepting Islam that God would forgive his sins:
“Do you not know that accepting Islam destroys allsins which come before it?” (
Saheeh Muslim)
When one accepts Islam, they in essence repent from theways and beliefs of their previous life. One need not be overburdened by sinscommitted before their acceptance. The person’s record is clean, and it is as if he wasjust born from his mother’s womb. One should try as much as possible to keephis records clean and strive to do as many good deeds as possible.
The Holy Quran and Hadeeth (prophetic sayings) both stress the importance offollowing 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 itbe accepted of him; and in the Hereafter, he will be in the ranks of those whohave 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 ofbeing worshipped but God, Who has no partner, and that Muhammad is His slaveand Prophet, and that Jesus is the Slave of God, His Prophet, andHis word
[1] which He bestowed in Mary and aspirit created from Him; and that Paradise (Heaven) is true, and that the Hellfire istrue, God will eventually admit him into Paradise, according to his deeds.” (
SaheehAl-Bukhari)
The Prophet of God, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him, also reported:
“Indeed God has forbidden to reside eternally in Hellthe 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 has 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 we may help you in pronouncing it right and to provide you with important resources for new Muslims.
The first part of the testimony consists of the mostimportant truth that God revealed to mankind: that there is nothing divine orworthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God. God states in the HolyQuran:
“We did not send the Messenger before you without revealing tohim: ‘none has the right to be worshipped except I, therefore worship Me.’”(Quran 21:25)
This conveys that all forms of worship, whether it bepraying, fasting, invoking, seeking refuge in, and offering an animal assacrifice, must be directed to God and to God alone. Directing any form ofworship 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 contradictionto the fundamental message of Islam, and it is an unforgivable sin unless it isrepented from before one dies. All forms of worship must be directed to Godonly.
Worship means the performance of deeds and sayings that pleaseGod, things which He commanded or encouraged to be performed, either by directtextual proof or by analogy. Thus, worship is not restricted to theimplementation of the five pillars of Islam, but also includes every aspect oflife. Providing food for one’s family, and saying something pleasant to cheer aperson up are also considered acts of worship, if such is done with theintention of pleasing God. This means that, to be accepted, all acts ofworship must be carried out sincerely for the Sake of God alone.
The second part of the testimony means that Prophet Muhammadis the servant and chosen messenger of God. This implies that one obeys andfollows 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 worshipGod only according to his teaching alone, for all the teachings of the Prophetwere in fact revelations and inspirations conveyed to him by God.
One must try to mold their lives and character andemulate the Prophet, as he was a living example for humans to follow. Godsays:
“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 Messengerof God, for those who hope in the meeting of God and the Hereafter, andmentions 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 isto follow his example in all walks of life. God says:
“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): ‘If you (really) love God, thenfollow me.’” (Quran 3:31)
It also means that Muhammad is the Final Prophet andMessenger of God, and that no (true) Prophet can come after him.
“Muhammad is not the father of any man among you but he is theMessenger of God and the last (end) of the Prophets and God is Ever All-Awareof everything.” (Quran 33:40)
All who claim to be prophets or receive revelation afterMuhammad are imposters, and to acknowledge them would be tantamountto disbelief.
We welcome you to Islam, congratulate you for yourdecision, and will try to help you in any way we can
