Islam and Muslims
The Arabic word ‘Islam’ means ‘submission’, and is
derived from a word meaning ‘peace’. As such, the religion of Islam teaches
that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of heart, one must
submit to God and live according to His Divinely revealed Law.
Islam is not a new religion because ‘submission
to the will of God’, i.e. Islam, has always been the only acceptable religion
in the sight of God. For this reason, Islam is the true ‘natural religion’,
and it is the same eternal message revealed through the ages to all of God’s
prophets and messengers. The main message of all the prophets has always been
that there is only One True God and He alone is to be worshipped. These
prophets start with Adam and include Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, John
the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them all. God says in the Holy Quran:
“We did not
send before you (O Muhammad) any messenger but We revealed to him: ‘none has
the right to be worshipped except I, therefore worship Me.’” (Quran 21:25)
However,
the true message of these prophets was either lost or got corrupted over time.
Even the most recent books, the Torah and the Gospel were adulterated and hence
they lost their credibility to guide the people to the right path. Therefore
600 years after Jesus, God revived the lost message of previous prophets by
sending the Prophet Muhammad with His final revelation, the Holy Quran, to all
of mankind. Since the Prophet Muhammad was the final prophet, God Himself has
promised to preserve His last revealed words so that it is a source of guidance
for all humanity till the Last Day. It is now imperative for everyone to
believe and follow this final message from God. God Almighty says in the
Quran:
“We have not
sent you (O Muhammad) but to all mankind as a giver of good news and as a
warner, but most people do not know.” (Quran 34:28)
“Whoever
seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the
Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” (Quran 3:85)
The word “Muslim” means one who submits to the
will of God, regardless of his/her race, nationality or ethnic background.
Hence, any person who is ready to submit to the will of God is eligible to
become a Muslim.
Benefits of Converting to Islam
There are many benefits of converting to Islam.
Some of them are:
• One
forms a personal and direct relationship with God by worshipping Him alone,
without the need of intermediaries. One feels this personal relationship and
is aware that God knows everything and is there to assist him/her.
• A
person realizes the true purpose of his or her life, which is to recognize God
and follow His commandments.
• A
person is provided with a light, which guides him/her through life. The
religion of Islam has answers to all situations, and one will always know the
right steps to take in all aspects of life.
• One
finds true happiness, tranquility, and inner peace.
• Upon
converting to Islam, all of one’s previous sins are forgiven, and one starts a
new life of piety and righteousness. And as a Muslim, when one makes a mistake
thereafter, he/she can always repent to God who forgives the sins of those who
repent to Him sincerely. There are no intermediaries or created beings to make
confessions to.
• One
achieves salvation from Hellfire, which all prophets have warned against.
• The
greatest benefit is that a Muslim is promised by God the reward of eternal
Paradise (Heaven). Those who are blessed with Paradise, will live eternally in
bliss without any sort of sickness, pain or sadness. God will be pleased with
them and they will be pleased with Him. Even the lowest in rank among the
dwellers of Paradise will have ten times the like of this world, and they will
have whatever they desire. In fact, in Paradise there are pleasures that no
eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no mind has ever thought of. It
will be a very real life, not spiritual only, but physical as well.
To know more about some of the benefits in converting
to Islam, you may read this article “The
Benefits of Converting to Islam (3 parts)”.
How to Convert to Islam - The Testimony of Faith (Shahada)
Becoming a Muslim is a simple and easy process.
All that a person has to do is to say a sentence called the Testimony of Faith
(Shahada), which is pronounced as:
I testify “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad
rasoolu Allah.”
These Arabic words mean, “There is no true god (deity)
but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.” Once a
person says the Testimony of Faith (Shahada) with conviction and
understanding its meaning, then he/she has become a Muslim.
The first part, “There is no true deity but
God,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and that God
has neither partner nor son. The second part means that Muhammad was a true
Prophet sent by God to humankind.
To be a Muslim, one should also:
- Believe that
the Holy Quran is the literal word of God, revealed by Him.
- Believe that
the Judgment Day (Resurrection Day) is true and will come.
- Believe in
the prophets that God sent and the books He revealed, and in His angels.
- Accept Islam
as his/her religion.
- Not worship anything
nor anyone except God.
It
is that easy! To hear the Testimony (Shahada), click here or click on
“Live Help” for immediate assistance by chat.
The conversion can be done alone, but it is much
better to do it with the help of one of our advisors through the “Live Help”,
so we may help you in pronouncing it right and to provide you with important
pieces of information and advice that is especially prepared for new converts,
to help them get started with their newfound faith.
Alternatively, we can call you over the phone to
help you with the conversion process. In this case, please leave us your phone
number and the suitable time to call through our Contact Us form.
You are Not Alone
If you have followed the guidance above and
converted to Islam by yourself, then rest assured that you are not alone, rather
the same faith is shared by 1.7 billion people. We highly recommend that you
inform us now through the Contact Us form or through the “Live Help”, so that we can
provide you with useful resources and advice, suitable for you as a new Muslim.
We congratulate you on your decision, welcome
you to Islam, and will try our best to help you in any way we can! :)
Some Common Misconceptions
Some people may postpone their conversion to
Islam, though they believe it to be the true religion of God, due to some
misconceptions. They may think that things like changing their name, knowing
some Arabic, informing others of their conversion, knowing some Muslims, or not
having committed many sins, are conditions for conversion – however the reality
is that none of these are valid excuses for delaying the conversion.
If you would like to learn more about these and
other similar misconceptions, please read the article, “I
want to be a Muslim but... Myths about Converting to Islam (3 parts)”.
For Those Not Yet Convinced
Islam claims to be the true way to God. What
makes one religion valid over other ideologies is the proofs it offers for its
truthfulness. Hence, one needs to look at these proofs, weight them and take
an informed decision. One needs to be sincere in one’s endeavour and above all
seek the help of the Almighty to guide him/her to the right path.
If a person is still not convinced of the
truthfulness of Islam, then he/she can further look at the proofs Islam
offers. Islam offers overwhelming proofs of its truthfulness and is the only
religion that completely appeals to common sense.
Some of the proofs Islam offers are: the
scientific proofs in the Quran, the miracles performed by the Prophet Muhammad
and the prophesies of his coming in previous scriptures, the foretold events
mentioned in the Quran that later came to pass, the unmet challenge of the
Quran to bring even a chapter like it, and the divine wisdom in the laws and
teachings of Islam that cover all aspects of life. To learn more about the
proofs of Islam, please check the articles under this section, “Evidence Islam
is Truth”.
If you would like to learn more about Islam and
its fundamental beliefs and practices, then please refer to the article “What is
Islam? (4 parts)”.
Our everlasting life in the Hereafter depends on
what faith we choose to follow in this transient life, hence let us give this
struggle the priority it deserves.
