The
most fundamental belief in Islam is that there is no true god (deity) but
Allah. He, the One, the Only, the First and the Last, has no partners,
sons, daughters or intermediaries. He is Alone in His Dominion and in His
Omnipotence. It is a very simple concept, it is simply the truth. Nevertheless
sometimes the pure belief in God can be overwhelming. Often we are surprised
when we call for God and He answers immediately.
The
religion of Islam encompasses that simple concept – that God is One and wraps
it in a package called submission. Islam means, submission to the will of
God. The root word of Islam (sa-li-ma) is the same that is shared with the
Arabic word meaning peace and security. In essence, peace and security comes
from living life according to God’s will. Like a circle of life it always
begins and ends in the same place – there is no god but Allah. When we
submit to the will of God, we are Muslims and to demonstrate our sincerity we
testify that we are Muslim by saying, alone or in the company of other Muslims,
la ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasoolu Allah. There is no true god
(deity) but Allah and Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him,
is His messenger.
Whenever
any human being experiences and understands God’s mercy, Satan tries his best
to harm that individual. Satan does not want us to feel comfort and mercy;
he wants us to feel anxious and depressed. He wants us to make mistakes
and commit sins. Satan despairs of ever feeling God’s love therefore he
wants to corrupt as many human beings as he can: “…surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on
Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them,
from their right and from their left…” (Quran 7:16-17)
Whenever
a person realises the truth and wants to become a Muslim, Satan introduces the
word ‘but’. I want to become a Muslim...BUT! But I am not
ready. But I don’t speak Arabic. But I am white. But I don’t
really know about Islam. God warned us against Satan and his cunning ways: “O children of Adam. Let not Satan deceive you.” (Quran 7:27) and “Surely Satan is an enemy to you so take him as an enemy.” (Quran 35:6)
Satan’s
whispers try to prevent us from converting to Islam. These ideas should
not stand in the way of a person connecting, or reconnecting with the Most
Merciful God. In this series or articles we will discuss some of the most
prominent myths, lay them open to scrutiny and see that God is indeed Most
Merciful. He makes converting to Islam easy, not difficult. No buts!
1. I want to be a Muslim but
I do not want to change my name.
A
person embracing Islam does not have to change his or her name. Prophet
Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said that everybody
was entitled to a good name, a name that had meaning or character. For
the vast majority of people it is not an issue, however if you discover that
your name has a bad meaning or an association with sinners or tyrants it is
better to change it to something more acceptable. If the person’s name is
a name of an idol or reflects servitude to something or someone other than God,
then it has to be changed. Remember though that Islam is easy. If
changing your name officially would cause hardship, distress or harm, it would
suffice to change it only among friends and family.
2. I want to be a Muslim but
I do not know any Arabic.
The
religion of Islam was revealed for all people, in all places, at all times.
It is not a religion exclusively for Arabs or Arabic speakers. In
fact the majority of the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims are not from an Arab
background. A person can become Muslim without knowing a single word of Arabic;
it does not affect his or her ability to accept Islam. However, the
language of Quran is Arabic and the daily prayers are performed in Arabic, so
although it is not necessary to learn the whole language, after conversion it
will be necessary to learn some Arabic words.
If a
person is unable to learn enough Arabic to perform his prayers because of a
speech defect or because he is not able to pronounce the Arabic, he must try as
much as he can. If learning at least some Arabic is not possible, then he
is relieved of this obligation, because God does not burden people with more
than they are able to bear. However God also says that he has made
learning Quran easy, therefore it is obligatory for a person to try his best.
Allah says, “God burdens not a
person beyond his scope.” (Quran 2:286) And says, “And We have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and
remember.” (Quran 54:17)
A man
came to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of God, I
cannot memorize something from the Quran so teach me something suffices me.” He
said, “Say, Subhaan-Allaah wal-hamdu Lillaah wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa
Allaahu akbar wa laa hawla wa la quwwata illa Billaah (Far removed is God
from every imperfection, praise be to God, there is no god except Allah and God
is Most great, and there is no power or strength except with God).”[1]
Entering
the fold of Islam is easy. It is a simple process, free of
complications. In part 2 we will discuss circumcision, the fact that Islam
has no ethnic or race restrictions and becoming Muslim without knowing very
much about Islam.
Footnotes:
There
is no god but God. It is a simple statement that should make converting to
Islam easy. There is only One God, and only one religion, nothing could be
more uncomplicated. However, as we discussed in the previous article,
whenever a person realises the truth and wants to become a Muslim, Satan
introduces the word but. I want to be a Muslim...BUT. But I am not
ready. But I don’t speak Arabic, or but I do not want to change my
name. Today we will discuss more myths that prevent people from converting
to Islam.
3. I
want to be a Muslim but I do not want to be circumcised.
Prophet
Muhammad said that every child was born in a state of fitrah, with the
correct understanding of God. [1] And the traditions of Prophet Muhammad tell us that the
conditions related to fitrah (the natural state of being) are five.
“Five things are part of the fitrah:
shaving the pubic hair, circumcision, trimming the moustache, plucking the
armpit hairs, and cutting the nails.” [2] This is believed to be the ancient way, the natural way,
followed by all of the Prophets, and enjoined on the believers by the laws that
they brought.[3]
The
majority of Islamic scholars agree that circumcision is obligatory for men
providing they do not fear that it may harm them. When assessing the
degree of harm a man must look to the Quran and the authentic teachings of
Prophet Muhammad for guidance. If a man is not able to be circumcised due to
fear of injury or any other valid reason that may make his life miserable, the
obligation is waived. It is not permissible for the issue to become a
barrier that prevents a man from accepting Islam. [4] In other words, it is not a
condition for becoming a Muslim. Also, it does not prevent a man from
leading the prayers.[5] There is no requirement for female
circumcision in Islam.
4. I
want to be a Muslim but I am white.
Islam
is the religion that was revealed for all people, in all places, at all
times. It was not revealed for a particular race or ethnicity. It is
a complete way of life based on the teachings found in the Quran and the
authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad. Although the Quran was revealed in
the Arabic language and Prophet Muhammad was an Arab, it would be wrong to
assume that all Muslims are Arabs, or for that matter, that all Arabs are
Muslims. In fact the vast majority of the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims are not
Arabs.
There
are no racial or ethnic requirements for one to be a Muslim. In his final
sermon Prophet Muhammad reiterated this fact very succinctly.
“O people! Your god is One and your father is one. Verily,
an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab and a non-Arab has no superiority
over an Arab; a red person has no superiority over a black person nor does a
black person have superiority over a red person, except by piety.”[6] “O humankind! We have created you from a male and a female,
and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another.” (Quran 49:13)
5. I
want to be a Muslim but I do not know anything about Islam.
There
is no need to know a lot about Islam to become a Muslim. It is enough to
know the meaning of testimony and the six pillars of faith. Once a person
has embraced Islam, there is time for him to learn about his religion. There
is no need to rush and be overwhelmed. Take things slowly, but steadily move
forward at your own pace. There is time to understand the inspirational beauty
and ease of Islam, and to learn about all the prophets and messengers of Islam
including the last prophet, Muhammad. A Muslim never stops learning; it is
a process that will continue until death.
Prophet
Muhammad said, “The believer will
never have enough of listening to good things (seeking knowledge) until he
reaches Paradise.”[7]
6. I
want to be a Muslim but I have committed too many sins.
When
a person says the testimony of faith (Shahada), I testify that there is
no god but God and I testify that Muhammad is His messenger, he becomes like a
new born baby. All his previous sins, no matter how great or small are
washed away. The slate is clean, free from sin, shiny and white; this is a
new beginning. Allah says, “Say to those who have
disbelieved that if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven
for them…” (Quran 8:38)
There
is no compulsion for anyone to accept the truth of Islam. However if your
heart tells you there is only One God, do not hesitate. Allah says, “There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the right
path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in evil
and believes in God, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that
will never break. And God is All-Hearer, All-Knower.” (Quran 2:256)
Footnotes:
[6] The text of the
Farewell Sermon can be found in Saheeh Al-Bukhari and Saheeh
Muslim, and in the books of At-Tirmidhi and Imam
Ahmad.
We
finished Part 2 by mentioning that when a person converts to Islam all his
previous sins, no matter how grave or small, are eliminated. The
slate is clean, free from sin, shiny and white; this is a new beginning. However
there are some people who may hesitate to accept Islam because they fear they
will be unable to stay away from sin. We begin part 3 by discussing this
topic.
7. I want to be
Muslim but I know there are some sins I cannot stop doing.
If a
person truly believes that there is no god but Allah, he or she should accept
Islam without delay, even if they believe they will continue to sin. When
a person is used to living a life unencumbered by any set of moral principles,
Islam may at first seem like a set of rules and regulations that are almost
impossible to fulfill. Muslims do not drink alcohol, Muslims do not
eat pork, Muslim women must wear scarves, Muslims must pray five times every
day. Men and women find themselves saying things like, “I could not
possibly stop drinking”, or “I would find it too difficult to pray every single
day let alone five times”.
The
reality is however, that once a person has accepted that there is no god worthy
of worship but Allah, and developed a relationship with Him the rules and
regulations drift into insignificance. It is a slow process of
wanting to please God. For some, accepting the guidelines for a
happy life is a matter of days, even hours, for others it can be weeks, months,
or even years. Every person’s journey into Islam is
different. It is important to remember that God forgives all
sins. A believer can, by the mercy of God, be admitted to paradise no
matter what sins he has committed. On the other hand, a non believer,
one who worships something or someone other than the One True God, will be
admitted to eternal Hellfire. Therefore given a choice between not
accepting Islam altogether or being a Muslim who is sinning, the second choice
is certainly much better.
8. I want to be a
Muslim but I am afraid to inform others.
As we
have stressed repeatedly there is nothing in the world that should prevent a
person from embracing Islam. If one fears the reaction of others, such as
his or her parents, siblings or friends, and feels that they are not ready to
inform them, still they should convert and try to practice Islam in secret as
much as they can. As time passes, and the connection with God is
established, a person’s faith will become stronger and they will know how to
handle the situation better. In fact the new Muslim will almost certainly feel
liberated and begin to feel the need to inform the whole world about the beauty
of Islam.
In
the meantime it is a good idea to slowly and subtly prepare your friends and
family for the changes that will obviously take place. Perhaps one
could begin to talk openly about God and religion in general, express an
interest in other faiths or Islam in particular. When a person begins to
practice Islam, which is in fact a way of life, those close to them often
notice a difference. They will see a new found respect for them, the
family and society in general; they will also see a change in demeanour often
from anxious and unhappy to relaxed and contented.
Islam
is a way of life and it's difficult to hide it for long. It is important
to remember that when people learn of your conversion to Islam there will be a
reaction. It will range from those that are happy and accepting, to those
who feel upset and disappointed. Often those upset, with time get over it and
begin to accept the change. And when they see many positive changes in
you, they may actually begin to appreciate your conversion. One needs to
stay strong, determined and know that God is with you. Your words and
experience may very well lead others to follow your example. Trust in God,
learn all you can about your new found faith and let the light of Islam shine
through your eyes.
9. I want to be a
Muslim but do not know any Muslims
Some
people learn about Islam from reading, others from watching the behaviour of
Muslims they see in their cities and towns, some even learn about Islam from
programs on TV and for others, it is the sound of the call to prayer. Often
people seek and find the beauty of Islam without ever meeting a Muslim. It
simply is not necessary to know Muslims before accepting and converting to
Islam.
Conversion
to Islam is as easy as saying the words, I testify that there is no
god but God and I testify that Muhammad is His messenger. The
conversion does not have to be done in a mosque (Islamic centre) and nor are
witnesses needed for the conversion. These things however, are
manifestations of the brotherhood of Islam and mark the beginning of a new
faith with the moral and spiritual support of others. If there is no
Islamic centre nearby or Muslims to help, one can simply follow the procedure
explained in the “How to convert to Islam and Become a Muslim”.
Consequently
after conversion it could be very helpful for the new Muslim to make contact
with other Muslims. Members of your new spiritual family can be found by
approaching local mosques and Islamic centres, or introducing yourself to the
Muslim who lives down the street, catches the same bus, or works in the same
company. However, even if a new Muslim is totally alone, he or she is
connected to 1.5 billion other Muslims.
Before
or after conversion this website is available to help new Muslims or those
thinking about converting to Islam. There are literally hundreds of easy
to understand articles about Islam. After your conversion, this website
will help you get started as a new Muslim by giving you useful resources and
online support through Live-Chat.
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