Difference between revisions of "Become a Muslim"

At over a billion members and growing, Islam is, by some measures, the fastest-growing religion in the world.<ref name="rf18747">http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2007/05/13/the_list_the_worlds_fastest_growing_religions</ref> Unique among the world's religions in the ease with which new members may join its ranks, Islam requires only a simple, sincere  declaration of faith to become a Muslim. The declaration is not to be made lightly, however - devoting oneself to a life guided by Islamic principles is one of the most important (if not ''the'' most important) acts you'll ever make.

[[Category: Islam]]

# Read Islamic scripture. The Quran is the central religious book of Islam, believed to be the unadulterated word of God and the culmination of all previous Christian and Jewish scripture.<ref name="rf18748">http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/487666/Quran</ref> Another very important religious scripture is the [[Find Out If a Hadeeth Is Authentic or Not|Hadith]], the sayings and accounts of Muhammad. Hadith collections form the basis for much of Islamic law.<ref name="rf18749">http://islam.uga.edu/hadith.html</ref> Reading these writings will give you an understanding of the stories, laws, and teachings that make up Islamic belief.

#* Note that the description above applies to imams of the majority Sunni sect of Islam. Imams have somewhat different roles in the minority Shi'a sect.<ref name="rf18750">Mir Mohammed Ibrahim. Sociology of religions: perspectives of Ali Shariati PHI Learning (2008)</ref>

#  Say the Shahada. If you're absolutely sure you want to become a Muslim and fully submit to the will of Allah, all you need to do is recite the Shahada, a short oral declaration of faith. Be aware that once you have said the Shahada you are committed to following Islam for life. The words of the Shahada are "'''La ilaha illallah, Muhammadun rasulullah '''" This translates to "I testify that there is no other god but Allah, and Muhammad is God's messenger (prophet)." <ref name="rf18751">http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/204/</ref> By saying the Shahada, you become a Muslim.

#* The first part of the Shahada ("La ilaha illallah") refers not only to deities from other religions, but also to earthly things which can take the place of Allah in your heart - wealth and power, for example. <ref name="rf18752">Quran 112:1</ref>

# Perform Islamic obligations (Fard). Islam requires Muslims to fulfill certain obligations. These obligations are called "Fard." There are two kinds of Fard: Fard al-Ayn and Fard al-Kifaya. Fard al-Ayn are individual obligations - things every single Muslim must do if he or she is able, like praying daily and fasting during Ramadan. <ref name="rf18753">http://www.questionsonislam.com/article/what-fard</ref> Fard al-Kifaya are community obligations - things that the community as a whole must do, even if every member doesn't do them. For instance, if a Muslim dies, some of the Muslims in the community must get together to say funeral prayers. It's not required for every individual Muslims to say the prayers. However, if no one says the funeral prayers, the whole community is at fault.

#**"A Bedouin came to the prophet, grabbed the stirrup of his camel and said: O the messenger of God! Teach me something to go to heaven with it. Prophet said: “As you would have people do to you, do to them; and what you dislike to be done to you, don't do to them. Now let the stirrup go! This maxim is enough for you; go and act in accordance with it!”<ref name="rf18754">Kitab al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 146</ref>

*You may come across people who will be hostile toward you. Unfortunately, Muslims are sometimes the target of bigoted remarks and personal attacks, such as being called terrorists. <ref name="rf18755">https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/resilience-bullying/201604/all-muslims-are-terrorists></ref>Stay strong and steadfast and Allah will reward you.