How to Become a Muslim ?
Muslim mean "One who submits to One & Only God"
Muslim is an Arabic word that means one who submits to Allah (God in English and same God worshiped by Jews and Christians) and worship Allah as the one and only one God with no partner, no son, no companion, no associate, and no equivalence. The Arabic root of the word is 'Salem' that means being in peace. So, Muslim lives in peace within him/her self and also within the society he/she lives in.
Islam is the Way of Natural Disposition. Islam is not a new religion, instead it is the recovery and preservation of the original system of belief revealed to Abraham, Moses, David, Soloman, Jesus (peace be on them all!). Islam is all about believing that Allah is the one God, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the final messenger of God.
Have a good mindset of Islam. Rest assured that the path to Islam is indeed very simple. Understand that in Islam one doesn't convert rather one reverts back to an "original" natural belief.
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In Islamic understanding every child is born innocent and stays so until puberty, thus all children that die young are taken directly to heaven. So when one "converts" to Islam he/she is actually reverting to their own original nature: Are you willing to commit yourself to Islam? You need to know that there is only one Allah and also that all prophets including Muhammad (peace be upon him) were directed by that one God - Allah.
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Read the words of Allah, Al Quran and Hadith of his messenger and follow them with best of your ability.
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Testify your faith by reciting:
أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمد رسول الله
Ash-hadu anna la ilaha illallah-wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulu allah
"I bear witness that there is no God except Allah and Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger".
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By reciting this statement (and believing in it), you become a Muslim.
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Purify yourself. Immediately upon becoming a Muslim, you should take a shower, to purify yourself. This is both a symbolic act of washing away the past and being purified, of emerging from darkness to light, created afresh and also signifies the importance of purity in Islam.
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Once you have entered into Islam and made sincere repentance to Allah, you should consider your past minor sins forgiven and strive to improve your spiritual state by doing good deeds.
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Repentance can be considered accepted if you have sincerely prayed to Allah, turned away from the sin and never return to it. In some cases where 3rd parties are affected, you should also restore their rights or get their forgiveness to be absolved.
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Know the truth of Islam. You can learn a lot from translations of the Qur'an. Some of these translations may be harder to understand than others, however Abdullah Yusuf Ali and Pickthall are the two most common. However, it's much better to seek guidance from learned people if you can rather than simply relying on reading the Qur'an yourself. Your local mosque will likely have people who will be more than willing to guide and assist you in learning more about Islam and many have "New Muslim" study circles which are often a good place to start. Be careful, but relaxed, about finding someone who you feel comfortable with and who you are convinced has enough knowledge in order to teach well.
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Offer your first prayer to God. If you're not sure how the prayer is performed, again it's best to learn from somebody you trust rather than go it alone. The easiest way to learn is to attend a Mosque for the 5 daily prayers. Just follow along initially but also seek knowledge as to the requirements of the prayer. Prayer should be a relaxing, enjoyable activity and is best when taken time over. Rushing the prayer should be avoided in order to gain maximum benefit. Remember, prayer is a direct spiritual connection between you and the one who keeps your heart beating right now and who created the universe. It should bring serenity, happiness and peace. This will come with and improve with time. Avoid being excessive with the prayer and simply do your best. The goal initially is to establish a habit and make it an enjoyable experience.
Pray to Allah for success in every affairs of your life. Minimum two things should be kept in mind before doing that. First of all, do your duty what Allah has made obligatory on you. And finally have faith on him in every matter of yours. However, do not pray for forbidden things.
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Understand the five pillars of Islam. They are the Testimony of Faith (as mentioned in Step 3) and the method of belief (emaan), the five daily Prayers (Salat) (as mentioned in Step 5), Fasting (in the month of Ramadan), Compulsory Poor Due (Zakat), and Pilgrimage (Hajj) (once in your lifetime for those who have the means).
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Believe in the six articles of Faith: Believe in God, his angels, his revealed books, his messengers (from Adam to Mohammad), the Last Day,and the fate (good and bad).
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Be the best person you can be: No matter what may anger, sadden or upset you, you must be the best person you can be. Allah created us to have a good life, and to be happy. Being respectful towards others is a big part of being a good Muslim, so make sure to remember that often.
