Are you interested in Islam and do you want to convert? Then that is of course a big turning point in your life. In this article we will tell you how to convert and what to do after converting.
Islam offers the easiest way to enter it. More than 5.000 people from Britain convert to Islam each year. The numbers are constantly growing. All around the world, the religion of Islam is becoming more known.
To convert, one must leave any other religion besides Islam. One must also practise and believe inn the strict Monotheism. That is the foundation of Islam which cannot not be neglected.
Entering Islam is done by rejecting any other religion besides it. There are some similarities within the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). For example, you have the concept of One God. In Islam this is known as Tawheed (Oneness of Allah).
Islam is a religion that corresponds to the natural disposition (Fitrah). It emphasizes worship of One God, and that no one else has the right to be worshiped besides Him. It brings the person back to the Fitrah (natural disposition).
There are six pillars of belief in Islam which every Muslim must believe in. It is a condition of convertion to believe in all of those pillars.
Tawheed the basis of religion, so it is obligatory to believe and understand it before being able to convert. It involves knowing Allah and how He wants to be worshiped. The opposite of Tawheed is Shirk (polytheism and idolatry).
Anyone who involves himself in idolatry cannot be called a Muslim. So in order to practise Tawheed, one must dissasociate himself from Shirk and its followers.
When you have completely fulfilled the conditions, you are ready to enter the religion. This is easy. It is a statement that you make to testify to the belief in Islam. This statement is the Shahada (first pillar of Islam).
Shahada pronunciation: Esh-hedu ellaa ilaha illa Allah wa esh-hedu enna Muhammadan rasulullah
Translation: I bear witness that no one has the right to be worshiped except Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His messenger.
You convert to Islam by uttering the testimony of faith (Shahada) after having the correct understanding of Tawheed. The intention to convert is a nessesary condition of the Shahada, else it would not be valid.
You can pronounce the Shahada all by yourself without the presence of a human witness. It is therefore not a condition of validity to draft a witness.
You may have seen a conversion online. It often happens that the index finger is raised during saying the Shahada. This act is not found in the Islamic sources. So the Shahada is said without needing to raise the finger.
If you want to convert to Islam, it is not an obligation to do so in a mosque. The purpose of the conversion is to testify that Islam is the truth. So you can just convert in the comfort of your own home. Place is not a condition of the validity.
So what to do after converting to Islam. There are some steps to take for your journey of practising Islam. Take for example the daily prayers and the other pillars of Islam.
Muslims pray their five daily obligatory prayers. These individually have a fixed time when they are performed. It concerns rules and actions that you should learn to perform the prayer.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
"The time of Fajr prayer ends when the sun rises. The time of Duhr ends when 'Asr prayer arrives. The time of 'Asr prayer ends when sunset begins. The time of Maghreb (beginning of the night in Islam) prayer ends when the red glow of twilight is gone. And the time of 'Ishaa ends when half the night has passed."
Sahih Muslim 612a
Now Islam consists of five pillars which every Muslim must practise. Letting go of a pillar exposes oneself to disbelief. Keeping these five pillars is therefore essential to be and remain a Muslim.
Within the religion of Islam there are different branches and sects. All these movements have some differences in doctrine (also known as Aqeedah).
Based on prophetic traditions (Hadith), it is concluded that Ahlu Sunnah is on the right path. They are a group that strictly follow the Prophet and his companions.
The followers of Ahlu Sunnah are also called Sunnis. Because they are so strict to follow the Salaf Saliheen (pious predecessors), they distinguish themselves in this way from all other movements.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
"Benu Israel split into 72 groups, and my Ummah (community) will split into 73 groups. They are all in the fire except one." 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr (companion) then asked: "And who is that O Messenger of Allah?" He (ﷺ) said: "Whoever follows me and my companions."
Sunan Tirmidhi 2641
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