Assalam alakum-Want to convert to Islam

[biglowgs]

Hi, Marhaba
ana ismi Logan wa ana min USA. Im Logan and Im from the USA. I have taken an arabic class at my college and It sparked an interest in Islam.
Any responses I would love.
Shukran
-Logan

 

[جوري]

:welcome: aboard.. not a good time to convert is it? Maybe you ought to give it a great deal of study as it is a life time commitment.

Enjoy your stay..

 

[IAmZamzam]

Always nice to see another ex-Christian coming on board. I sometimes get fascinated by the stories I hear.

But before you do I'd like to know if you're ready to devote yourself. There is perhaps no good test for this sort of thing. I don't know, maybe it's like knowing if you're in love. And if you ask yourself the question, "Do I want to spend the rest of my life with this?" and the answer is not merely a yes but the most unequivocal and enthusiastic of yeses, to the point where you may fear violating a language policy on this board if you were to give it to me, then you know you can proceed to take the shahadah. Or maybe not. It's okay to doubt, even at the start. God willing we're here for you if there's a problem. But do you want to spend the rest of your life devoting your life to Allah?

 

[Muslim Woman]

Hi ,

may Allah guide u to the Truth . Pl. browse the forum and ask questions about Islam in related threads.

Welcome here.

 

[Ramadan90]

Welcome brother in humanity!

Do you know anything about Islam? I recommend you to study Islam first(what Islam is and why we muslims believe it is the true religion of Allah) before thinking of converting. Being a muslim is a life long commitment and it is not something that should be taken lightly. I pray to Allah that guides you to path of truth.

 

[Woodrow]

Peace my Brother in Humanity,

To revert to Islam only takes being able to say "There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" with sincerity and understanding.
Sincerity that you fully know it is what you want to do above all things

with knowledge of what it means

and that you have the willingness to learn all you can to serve Allah(swt)
--Allah(swt) alone.


I often tell people it only takes a few seconds to become a Muslim, but it is a lifetime to be one.

To be Muslim is a lifetime dedication and one of constant learning. You will spend the remainder of your life always learning more and in your entire lifetime you will not learn all there is to know.


Think carefully. learn all you can.
The second you have learned enough to know it is your sincere belief Islam is the truth and you fully desire to spend the remainder of your life serving Allah(swt),

then and there say the Shahadah. With or without any human witnesses. The minute you say the Shahadah with sincerity, you are Muslim and an equal member of the Ummah.

 

[sister herb]

Salam alaykum

welcome to forum.

 

[YusufNoor]

hey Logan,

what's up?

there be a slight difference between "wanting to convert" and "having an interest in Islam!"

for the ladder, watch the 21 videos by Dr Bilal Philips, Foundations of Islamic Studies. here's the first, you can then go to the next. if you here him make a "little" gaff, he corrects it. ( a 2nd one, not so much):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG7rNevw3fE

if you desire the 1st, you must believe in the 5 Pillars of Islam:

1) Shahadah, profession of faith, is the first pillar of Islam. Muslims bear witness to the oneness of God by reciting the creed "There is no God but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This simple yet profound statement expresses a Muslim's complete acceptance of and total commitment to Islam. [la illaha illallah, muhammadur rasulullah]

2) Salah, prayer, is the second pillar. The Islamic faith is based on the belief that individuals have a direct relationship with God. The world's Muslims turn individually and collectively to Makkah, Islam's holiest city, to offer five daily prayers at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening. In addition, Friday congregational service is also required. Although salah can he performed alone, it is meritorious to perform it with another or with a group. It is permissible to pray at home, at work, or even outdoors; however it is recommended that Muslims perform salah in a mosque.

3) Zakat, almsgiving, is the third pillar. Social responsibility is considered part of one's service to God; the obligatory act of zakat enshrines this duty. Zakat prescribes payment of fixed proportions of a Muslim's possessions for the welfare of the entire community and in particular for its neediest members. It is equal to 2.5 percent of an individual's total net worth, excluding obligations and family expenses.

4) Sawm, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, is the fourth pillar of Islam. Ordained in the Holy Qur'an, the fast is an act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a richer perception of God. Fasting is also an exercise in self-control whereby one's sensitivity is heightened to the sufferings of the poor. Ramadan, the month during which the Holy Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, begins with the sighting of the new moon, after which abstention from eating, drinking and other sensual pleasures is obligatory from dawn to sunset. Ramadan is also a joyful month. Muslims break their fast at sunset with a special meal, iftar, perform additional nocturnal worship, tarawih, after evening prayer; and throng the streets in moods that are festive and communal. The end of Ramadan is observed by three days of celebration called Eid Al-Fitr, the feast of the breaking of the fast. Customarily, it is a time for family reunion and the favored holiday for children who receive new clothing and gifts.

5) Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah, is the fifth pillar and the most significant manifestation of Islamic faith and unity in the world. For those Muslims who are physically and financially able to make the journey to Makkah, the Hajj is a once in a lifetime duty that is the peak of their religious life. The Hajj is a remarkable spiritual gathering of over two million Muslims from all over the world to the holy city. In performing the Hajj, a pilgrim follows the order of ritual that the Prophet Muhammad performed during his last pilgrimage.

The five pillars of Islam define the basic identity of Muslims - their faith, beliefs and practices - and bind together a worldwide community of believers into a fellowship of shared values and concerns.

http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/country-information/Islam/five_pillars_of_Islam.aspx

you should also believe in the Six pillars of Faith "Basic Islamic Beliefs"

1) Belief in God:

Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, Who has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. He is the true God, and every other deity is false. He has the most magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity, nor His attributes. In the Quran, God describes Himself:

" Say, “He is God, the One. God, to Whom the creatures turn for their needs. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none like Him.” (Quran, 112:1-4)

No one has the right to be invoked, supplicated, prayed to, or shown any act of worship, but God alone.

God alone is the Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign, and the Sustainer of everything in the whole universe. He manages all affairs. He stands in need of none of His creatures, and all His creatures depend on Him for all that they need. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, and the All-Knowing. In a perfect manner, His knowledge encompasses all things, the open and the secret, and the public and the private. He knows what has happened, what will happen, and how it will happen. No affair occurs in the whole world except by His will. Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not and will never be. His will is above the will of all the creatures. He has power over all things, and He is able to do everything. He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and the Most Beneficent. In one of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), we are told that God is more merciful to His creatures than a mother to her child.1 God is far removed from injustice and tyranny. He is All-Wise in all of His actions and decrees. If someone wants something from God, he or she can ask God directly without asking anyone else to intercede with God for him or her.

God is not Jesus, and Jesus is not God.2 Even Jesus himself rejected this. God has said in the Quran:

" Indeed, they have disbelieved who have said, “God is the Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary.” The Messiah said, “Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates partners in worship with God, then God has forbidden Paradise for him, and his home is the Fire (Hell). For the wrongdoers,3 there will be no helpers.” " (Quran, 5:72)

God is not a trinity. God has said in the Quran:

" Indeed, they disbelieve who say, “God is the third of three (in a trinity),” when there is no god but one God. If they desist not from what they say, truly, a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among them. Would they not rather repent to God and ask His forgiveness? For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a messenger... " (Quran, 5:73-75)

Islam rejects that God rested on the seventh day of the creation, that He wrestled with one of His angels, that He is an envious plotter against mankind, or that He is incarnate in any human being. Islam also rejects the attribution of any human form to God. All of these are considered blasphemous. God is the Exalted. He is far removed from every imperfection. He never becomes weary. He does not become drowsy nor does he sleep.

The Arabic word Allah means God (the one and only true God who created the whole universe). This word Allah is a name for God, which is used by Arabic speakers, both Arab Muslims and Arab Christians. This word cannot be used to designate anything other than the one true God. The Arabic word Allah occurs in the Quran about 2700 times. In Aramaic, a language related closely to Arabic and the language that Jesus habitually spoke,4 God is also referred to as Allah.

2) Belief in the Angels:

Muslims believe in the existence of the angels and that they are honored creatures. The angels worship God alone, obey Him, and act only by His command. Among the angels is Gabriel, who brought down the Quran to Muhammad (PBUH).

3) Belief in God’s Revealed Books:

Muslims believe that God revealed books to His messengers as proof for mankind and as guidance for them. Among these books is the Quran, which God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). God has guaranteed the Quran’s protection from any corruption or distortion. God has said:

" Indeed, We have sent down the Quran, and surely We will guard it (from corruption). " (Quran, 15:9)

4) Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God:

Muslims believe in the prophets and messengers of God, starting with Adam, including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them). But God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Muslims believe that Muhammad (PBUH) is the last prophet sent by God, as God has said:

"Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men, but he is the Messenger of God and the last of the prophets... " (Quran, 33:40)

Muslims believe that all the prophets and messengers were created human beings who had none of the divine qualities of God.

5) Belief in the Day of Judgment:

Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment (the Day of Resurrection) when all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according to their beliefs and deeds.

6) Belief in Al-Qadar:

Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination, but this belief in Divine Predestination does not mean that human beings do not have freewill. Rather, Muslims believe that God has given human beings freewill. This means that they can choose right or wrong and that they are responsible for their choices.

The belief in Divine Predestination includes belief in four things: 1) God knows everything. He knows what has happened and what will happen. 2) God has recorded all that has happened and all that will happen. 3) Whatever God wills to happen happens, and whatever He wills not to happen does not happen. 4) God is the Creator of everything.

http://www.quranandscience.com/pill...pillars-of-faith-qbasic-islamic-beliefsq.html


what state do you live in?

May Allah guide you and all of us as well,

:wa:

 

[Signor]

I often tell people it only takes a few seconds to become a Muslim, but it is a lifetime to be one.

A Little Addition "it only takes a few seconds to become a Muslim, but it is a lifetime to be a True Believer/Momin"

From 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, there is that he said, "While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless with him and grant him peace, one day a man came up to us whose clothes were extremely white, whose hair was extremely black, upon whom traces of travelling could not be seen, and whom none of us knew, until he sat down close to the Prophet, may Allah bless with him and grant him peace, so that he rested his knees upon his knees and placed his two hands upon his thighs and said, 'Muhammad, tell me about Islam.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless with him and grant him peace, said, 'Islam is that you witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you establish the prayer, and you give the Zakat, and you fast Ramadan, and you perform the hajj of the House if you are able to take a way to it.' He said, 'You have told the truth,' and we were amazed at him asking him and [then] telling him that he told the truth. He said, 'Tell me about iman.' He said, 'That you affirm Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you affirm the Decree, the good of it and the bad of it.' He said, 'You have told the truth.' He said, 'Tell me about ihsan.' He said, 'That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don't see Him then truly He sees you.' He said, 'Tell me about the Hour.' He said, 'The one asked about it knows no more than the one asking.' He said, 'Then tell me about its tokens.' He said, 'That the female slave should give birth to her mistress, and you see poor, naked, barefoot shepherds of sheep and goats competing in making tall buildings.' He went away, and I remained some time. Then he asked, 'Umar, do you know who the questioner was?' I said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'He was Jibril who came to you to teach you your deen'."(Muslim)

 

[Ahmad H]

Peace be with you,
You should go and read books on Islam since you have an interest in it. Read up on the five pillars of Islam: Kalimah, Praying, Fasting, Hajj and Zakat. And read up on the six articles: Oneness of Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Prophets, Day of Judgment and Decree of Allah.

When you know about all of these matters, then you will be able to say you have started to learn about Islam. After that, you can fill in the details. Should you find you accept all of these above aspects of Islam, then you can say you are already a Muslim at heart and you only need to take the Shahadah in front of Muslim witnesses (I don't remember how many).

You should ask questions in this forum and make threads often so everyone can answer questions that you have. It is good to have help in your study of Islam. I wish you the best.

Peace.