How to Convert to Islam and Become a Muslim

The word “Muslim” means
one who submits to the will of God, regardless of their race,
nationality or ethnic background. Becoming a Muslim is a simple and
easy process that requires no pre-requisites. One may convert alone 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 full conviction and strong belief that
Islam is the true religion of God, then, all one needs to do is
pronounce the “Shahada”, the testimony of faith, without further delay.
The “Shahada” is the first and most important of the five pillars of
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 Pleasure of God, all of
one’s previous sins are forgiven, and one starts a new life of piety and
righteousness. The Prophet said to a person who had placed the
condition upon the Prophet in accepting Islam that God would forgive his
sins:

“Do you not know that accepting Islam destroys all sins which come before it?” (Saheeh Muslim)

When one accepts Islam,
they in essence repent from the ways and beliefs of their previous life.
One need not be overburdened by sins committed before their
acceptance. The person’s record is clean, and it is as if he was just
born from his mother’s womb. One should try as much as possible to keep
his records clean and strive to do as many good deeds as possible.

The Holy Quran and Hadeeth (prophetic sayings) both stress the importance of following 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 it be accepted of him; and in the
Hereafter, he will be in the ranks of those who have 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 of being worshipped but God, Who has no partner,
and that Muhammad is His slave and Prophet, and that Jesus is the Slave
of God, His Prophet, and His word[1] which
He bestowed in Mary and a spirit created from Him; and that Paradise
(Heaven) is true, and that the Hellfire is true, God will eventually
admit him into Paradise, according to his deeds.” (Saheeh Al-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 Hell the person who says: “I testify
that none has the right to worship except Allah (God),’ seeking thereby
the Face of God.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

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 most important truth that God revealed to
mankind: that there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped
except for Almighty God. God states in the Holy Quran:

“We did not send the
Messenger before you without revealing to him: ‘none has the right to be
worshipped except I, therefore worship Me.’” (Quran 21:25)

This conveys that all
forms of worship, whether it be praying, fasting, invoking, seeking
refuge in, and offering an animal as sacrifice, must be directed to God
and to God alone. Directing any form of worship 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 contradiction to the
fundamental message of Islam, and it is an unforgivable sin unless it is
repented from before one dies. All forms of worship must be directed
to God only.

Worship means the
performance of deeds and sayings that please God, things which He
commanded or encouraged to be performed, either by direct textual proof
or by analogy. Thus, worship is not restricted to the implementation of
the five pillars of Islam, but also includes every aspect of life.
Providing food for one’s family, and saying something pleasant to cheer a
person up are also considered acts of worship, if such is done with the
intention of pleasing God. This means that, to be accepted, all acts
of worship must be carried out sincerely for the Sake of God alone.

The second part of the
testimony means that Prophet Muhammad is the servant and chosen
messenger of God. This implies that one obeys and follows 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 worship
God only according to his teaching alone, for all the teachings of the
Prophet were in fact revelations and inspirations conveyed to him by
God.

One must try to mold
their lives and character and emulate the Prophet, as he was a living
example for humans to follow. God says:

“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 Messenger of God, for those who hope in
the meeting of God and the Hereafter, and mentions 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 is to follow his example in all walks of life. God says:

“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): ‘If you (really) love God, then follow me.’” (Quran 3:31)

It also means that Muhammad is the Final Prophet and Messenger of God, and that no (true) Prophet can come after him.

“Muhammad is not the
father of any man among you but he is the Messenger of God and the last
(end) of the Prophets and God is Ever All-Aware of everything.” (Quran
33:40)

All who claim to be
prophets or receive revelation after Muhammad are imposters, and to
acknowledge them would be tantamount to disbelief.