HOW TO BECOME
A MUSLIM
All praises be to Allah, the Lord
of the universe. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon
Muhammad, His last messenger
The objective of this topic 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 mistaken belief that entering into the Islamic fold requires
an announcement from the concerned person in the presence of high
ranking scholars or shiekhs 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; the 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.
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 I all human beings, then, one should ! pronounce the "Shahada"(The
testimony
of faith), without further delay.
The Holy Qur'an is explicit on this regard as Allah (SWT) has
stated.
"Truly, the Religion in the sight
of Allah is Islam. ( 3:19 )
In another verse of the Holy
Qur'an, Allah (SWT) has stated:
" And whosoever 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. ( 3:85 )
In addition, Islam is the only
Religion prevailing over all other religions. Allah (SWT) has stated
in the Holy Qur'an;
"And to thee We have sent the Book
in truth,(This Qur'an) confirming the scripture that came before it,
and a witness over it " (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 worshipped but Allah,
and that Muhammad
is the messenger of Allah and His
servant, performing the prayer, paying the Zakat ( obligatory
charity ), fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing Hajj.
The Shahada can be declared as
follows:
"ASH-HADU
ANLAA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH WA ASH HADU ANNA MUHAMMADAN ABDUHU WA
RASUULUH."
The English translation is:
"1 bear witness that there is no
deity worthy to be worshipped but Allah, and I bear witness that
Muhammad is His servant and messenger. "
However, it would not be sufficient
for anyone to utter only this testimony orally either in private or
in public, but rather , one should believe in it by heart with a
firm conviction and unshakable faith. If he is truly sincere and
complies with the teachings of Islam in all his life he will find
himself a new born person.(or new men).
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
the testimony of faith ( Shahada) then become a Muslim? He should
know the real concept underlying this testimony which means the
Oneness of Allah and accept Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), as the last of
the Prophets 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 worshipped other than Allah, (Glory be Him).He is the only
true God, Who Alone deserves to be worshipped, 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 Muhammadan 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 follow 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 and whether private or
public.
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 (Obligatory charity), observing fast in the month of
Ramadan, performing Hajj, recitation of the Holy Qur'an,
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 .[actions]
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 Divine Decree of destiny ( that good. and
bad are determined by Allah Alone ).
This type of worship does not
involve movements of parts of the body but it surely has bearing on
one's heart
which subsequently affects his way
of life. (Beliefs).
it should be borne in mind that any
worship not dedicated to Allah alone will be rejected as one form of
polytheism or shirk, which amount to apostasy from the Islamic point
of view.
The next step for a devotee (newly
reverted to Islam} is to purify himself by taking a bath (total
ablution}. He should then resolve to comply with all the principles
and rules of Islam in their entirety. He 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, Lailaha Illal Laah.
Allah has stated in the Holy
Qur'an:
"....... whoever disbelieves in
false deities and believes in Allah, hath grasped the most
trustworthy Handhold, that will never break " ( 2:256}
We have to consider that when we
declare from our heart that "there is no god (deity} worthy to be
worshipped but Allah," it implies on our part love, devotion, faith
and obedience to the rules of " Islamic legislations which are
legally binding on all Muslims. It is a requirement of "there is no
god worthy to be worshipped 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 " A L- 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 practices of 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 clean the hearts and souls of those who are
genuine seekers of truth and may He bless the community of
believers. Ameen.
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