when is it ok for me to say that I am a muslim?
- Thread starter Erik
- Start date
abdallahbilal
Long Live Palestine
:salam2:
When somebody testifies that "Thes is no diety worthy of worship but God alone, and that Muhammad peace be upon him is God's messenger" he becomes a Muslim right away even if nobody else witnessed his testimony. This is a contract betweeen the would be Muslim and God, no interference required.
No baptism in Islam. But it is prefered that the one who wants to become a Muslim testify in front of other Muslims so that they know their new duties and responsibilites towards him.
One can choose whatever name he wants taking into consideration it does not offend anybody or himself. I heard of many converts who kept their own names. The prophet pbuh used to rename those who had names that mean "war" or the like.
God knows best
IbnAlAawam
Junior Member
Salam alaykoum Eric,
If you truly believe that there is no-one worth of worship than Allah, that Muhammad is his slave and final Messenger and that Jesus son of Mary was but a messenger of Allah then it is reight for you to take the shahada, the testimony of faith. You will need to make the testimony in front of 2 muslim witnesses after having taken a bath.
There is a debate about changing once name or not after conversion, however the prophet Muhammad (saws) enjoined us to have beautiful names as it is by our names that we will be called on the day of Judgement. He did recommend some people to change their name. By any means, you can chose it yourself.
Make sure you understand the meaning of the testimony of faith and "Tawhid" (unicity of God).
# To believe in Allah (SWT) (God) in His Existence, His right to be worshipped, His Oneness, His Attributes, and His right to legislate
# To believe in God's angels
# To believe in the Holy Qur'an and the other Holy Books, (Torah, the Gospel of Jesus, the Psalms of David)
# To believe in God's Messengers, of whom Adam was the first and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the last
# To believe in the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment
# To believe in Divine Preordainme
Alhamdulillah, welcome home Eric
jabba
Salafi Dawah is the best
Salam
All you have to do to become Muslim is say the shahada (declaration of faith) there is no baptism in Islam. As well you do not have to change your name unless it has a bad or insulting meaning to it. Some people do choose to change their name to an Arabic one or sometimes new Muslims take on a second Arabic name...but this not obligitory, it's pure choice. For me personally I have not changed my name simply because my mom named me and for me it would be disrespectful to her to change it.
abdallahbilal
Long Live Palestine
Salam alaykoum Eric,
If you truly believe that there is no-one worth of worship than Allah, that Muhammad is his slave and final Messenger and that Jesus son of Mary was but a messenger of Allah then it is reight for you to take the shahada, the testimony of faith. You will need to make the testimony in front of 2 muslim witnesses after having taken a bath.
There is a debate about changing once name or not after conversion, however the prophet Muhammad (saws) enjoined us to have beautiful names as it is by our names that we will be called on the day of Judgement. He did recommend some people to change their name. By any means, you can chose it yourself.
Make sure you understand the meaning of the testimony of faith and "Tawhid" (unicity of God).
# To believe in Allah (SWT) (God) in His Existence, His right to be worshipped, His Oneness, His Attributes, and His right to legislate
# To believe in God's angels
# To believe in the Holy Qur'an and the other Holy Books, (Torah, the Gospel of Jesus, the Psalms of David)
# To believe in God's Messengers, of whom Adam was the first and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the last
# To believe in the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment
# To believe in Divine Preordainme
Alhamdulillah, welcome home Eric
:salam2:
I don't know if the witnesses are obligatory. I stand corrected
I also like to know more on this
happy 2 b muslim
Junior Member
no you dont have to change your name inshallah.....welcome brother may allah may always show you mercy...
IbnAlAawam
Junior Member
Salam alaykoum Erice,
These articles are very helpful:
Advice to New Muslims
A letter for you from a Convert
These articles are very helpful:
Advice to New Muslims
A letter for you from a Convert
:salam2:
I don't know if the witnesses are obligatory. I stand corrected
I also like to know more on this
wa alaykum salam...
it is good but not required to have 2 witnesses. Allah is the greatest witness.
wasalam
umm hussain
Junior Member
Hie Erik
A person does not have to change their name as long as it does not have a bad meaning or named after some god or saint.
Once a person has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that Islam is the true religion ordained by Allah for all human-beings, then, they should pronounce the "Shahada", the testimony of faith, without further delay. The Holy Qur'an is explicit on this regard as Allah states:
Sura 3 - Aal-E-Imran [The Family of Imran] Verse 19-19:
19. The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will): Nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them. But if any deny the Signs of Allah, Allah is swift in calling to account.
Islam is the only religion prevailing over all other religions. Allah states in the Holy Qur'an:
Sura 5 - Al-Maeda [The Table, The Table Spread] Verse 48-48:
48. To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;
Some people have a wrong notion that entering into the Islamic fold requires an announcement from the concerned person in the presence of high ranking scholars or shaykhs or reporting this act to courts of justice or other authorities. It is also thought that the act of accepting Islam, should, as a condition, have a certificate issued by the authorities, as evidence to that effect.
On the contrary the whole matter is very easy and that none of these conditions or obligations are required. For Allah, Almighty, is above all comprehension and knows well the secrets of all hearts. Nevertheless, those who are going to adopt Islam as their religion are advised to register themselves as Muslims with the concerned governmental agency, as this procedure may facilitate for them many matters including the possibility of performing Hajj (Pilgrimage) and Umrah.
Mohammad, the Prophet of Allah (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), said: "The superstructure of Islam is raised on five (pillars): testifying that there is no God (none truly to be worshiped) but Allah, and that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah, performing the prayer, paying the Zakah (poor-due), fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing Hajj".
However, it would not be sufficient for anyone to only utter this testimony orally either in private or in public; but rather, he should believe in it by heart with a firm conviction and unshakeable faith. If one is truly sincere and complies with the teachings of Islam in all his life, he will find himself a new born person.
This will move him to strive more and more to improve his character and draw nearer to perfection. The light of the living faith will fill his heart until he becomes the embodiment of that faith.
The first step starts with declaring one’s self a Muslim and therefore should know the real concept underlying this testimony which means the Oneness of Allah and meet its requirements. One must behave accordingly, applying this true faith to every thing one speaks or does.
What do the words of the "Shahada" signify?
The first part of the Shahada (i.e. Ashhado ana la ilaha illa Allah) signifies the point which every Muslim must know very well which is the truth that there is no God (deity) to be worshipped other than Allah. He - glory be to Him - is the only true God, Who alone deserves to be worshipped, since He is the Giver of life and Sustainer and Nourisher of mankind and all creation with His unlimited bounties. Man must worship Allah, Who alone is worthy of worship.
The second part of the Shahada (i.e., Wa ash-hadu anna Mohammadan rasul-Allah) means that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is the servant and chosen messenger of Allah. No one must have two opinions about this matter. In fact the Muslim has to obey the commands of the Prophet (PBUH), to believe him in what he has said, to practice his teachings, to avoid what he has forbidden, and to worship Allah alone according to the message revealed to him, for all the teachings of the Prophet were in fact revelations and inspirations conveyed to him by Allah.
What is the meaning of worship? It simply means rendering sincere service, showing reverence for Allah. In a deeper shade of meaning, it implies total submission and complete obedience to Allah's commandments both in utterances and actions of man whether explicit or implicit. Worship fall into two categories:
1. Visible (manifest or outward)
2. Invisible (concealed or inward)
Visible worship includes acts such as uttering the two parts of the "Shahada", performing prayers, giving Zakah (the poor-due), recitation of the Holy Qur'an, supplication, adoring Allah by praising Him, purifying our bodies before prayers, etc. This type of worship is associated with movement of the parts of the human body.
Invisible worship is to believe in Allah, in the Day of Judgement (in the Hereafter), in the Angels, in the Books of Allah, in the Prophets of Allah, in the Divine Decree of destiny (that good and bad are determined by Allah alone). This type of worship does not involve movement of parts of the body but it surely has bearing on one's heart which subsequently affects one's way of life. It should be borne in mind that any worship not dedicated to Allah alone will be rejected as one form of polytheism and this causes apostasy from the Islamic fold.
To be Muslim you recite shahada and there are 7 conditions which have to be met and these are:
1. Knowledge (Al-ilm): of its meaning, what it negates and affirms. If a person says it without knowing its meaning, or what its requirements are, then he will not benefit by it, because he has not believed in what it requires. Rather, he is like someone who speaks a language he does not understand.
2. Certainty (Al-Yaqeen): that is to have complete surety of it and which it leads to repelling any doubt or suspicions about it.
3. Exclusively worshipping Allah (Al-ikhlaas): This is contrary to shirk (blasphemy). It’s what ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ points towards.
4. Truthfulness (As-Sidq): This prevents hypocrisy (nifaaq). The hypocrites utter it with their tongues, but do not inwardly believe in what it signified.
5. Love (Al-Mahabbah): Having Love and loyalty to Allah and His Messenger, seeking refuge to Allah from Allah, and seeking the pleasures of Allah.
6. Submissive compliance (Al-Inqiyaad): by fulfilling its rights – which are the obligatory actions – with sincerity to Allah and seeking His good pleasures.
7. Acceptance (Al-Qabool): This prevents rejection. This is achieved by acting upon what Allah has commanded and abandoning whatever He has prohibited.
These conditions have been deduced from the Quran and Sunnah, not by me but by scholars and which explains its rights and restrictions that it is not merely a words that a person utters.
THE VIRTUES OF
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
It has great virtues and has a great place with Allah. Whoever says it with truthfulness will enter the Gardens of Paradise and whoever did not utter it truthfully, his property and blood will be safeguarded in this world, but his reckoning will be with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. It is a concise declaration that contains few letters, light upon the tongue, yet heavy in the scales. Our Noble Prophet (saw) educates us saying that:
Reported by Ibn Hibbaan in his saheeh and Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak
“Moses said: O my Lord! Teach me something by which I can remember you and supplicate to you. Allah said, O Moses! Say ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ (there is no Gods but Allah). Moses said: O my Lord! All your slaves say this. Allah said: O Moses! If the seven heavens and all that they contain, other than me, and the seven earths were placed in one scale, and ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ were put in the other, then ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ would outweight them all”.
This hadith proves that ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ is the best form of rememberance, as also occurs in the following two hadith narrated by Abdullah Ibn Umar:
Shaheeh by Imam Muslim: At-Tirmidhee (No. 2640)
“The best supplication is the supplication on the day of ‘Arafat, and the best that I, or any other Prophet sent before me, have said is: None, has the right to be worship except Allah, alone, having no partner. To him belongs the sovereignty, and to Him belongs all praise, and He has power over everything”.
A person does not have to change their name as long as it does not have a bad meaning or named after some god or saint.
Once a person has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that Islam is the true religion ordained by Allah for all human-beings, then, they should pronounce the "Shahada", the testimony of faith, without further delay. The Holy Qur'an is explicit on this regard as Allah states:
Sura 3 - Aal-E-Imran [The Family of Imran] Verse 19-19:
19. The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will): Nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them. But if any deny the Signs of Allah, Allah is swift in calling to account.
Islam is the only religion prevailing over all other religions. Allah states in the Holy Qur'an:
Sura 5 - Al-Maeda [The Table, The Table Spread] Verse 48-48:
48. To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;
Some people have a wrong notion that entering into the Islamic fold requires an announcement from the concerned person in the presence of high ranking scholars or shaykhs or reporting this act to courts of justice or other authorities. It is also thought that the act of accepting Islam, should, as a condition, have a certificate issued by the authorities, as evidence to that effect.
On the contrary the whole matter is very easy and that none of these conditions or obligations are required. For Allah, Almighty, is above all comprehension and knows well the secrets of all hearts. Nevertheless, those who are going to adopt Islam as their religion are advised to register themselves as Muslims with the concerned governmental agency, as this procedure may facilitate for them many matters including the possibility of performing Hajj (Pilgrimage) and Umrah.
Mohammad, the Prophet of Allah (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), said: "The superstructure of Islam is raised on five (pillars): testifying that there is no God (none truly to be worshiped) but Allah, and that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah, performing the prayer, paying the Zakah (poor-due), fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing Hajj".
However, it would not be sufficient for anyone to only utter this testimony orally either in private or in public; but rather, he should believe in it by heart with a firm conviction and unshakeable faith. If one is truly sincere and complies with the teachings of Islam in all his life, he will find himself a new born person.
This will move him to strive more and more to improve his character and draw nearer to perfection. The light of the living faith will fill his heart until he becomes the embodiment of that faith.
The first step starts with declaring one’s self a Muslim and therefore should know the real concept underlying this testimony which means the Oneness of Allah and meet its requirements. One must behave accordingly, applying this true faith to every thing one speaks or does.
What do the words of the "Shahada" signify?
The first part of the Shahada (i.e. Ashhado ana la ilaha illa Allah) signifies the point which every Muslim must know very well which is the truth that there is no God (deity) to be worshipped other than Allah. He - glory be to Him - is the only true God, Who alone deserves to be worshipped, since He is the Giver of life and Sustainer and Nourisher of mankind and all creation with His unlimited bounties. Man must worship Allah, Who alone is worthy of worship.
The second part of the Shahada (i.e., Wa ash-hadu anna Mohammadan rasul-Allah) means that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is the servant and chosen messenger of Allah. No one must have two opinions about this matter. In fact the Muslim has to obey the commands of the Prophet (PBUH), to believe him in what he has said, to practice his teachings, to avoid what he has forbidden, and to worship Allah alone according to the message revealed to him, for all the teachings of the Prophet were in fact revelations and inspirations conveyed to him by Allah.
What is the meaning of worship? It simply means rendering sincere service, showing reverence for Allah. In a deeper shade of meaning, it implies total submission and complete obedience to Allah's commandments both in utterances and actions of man whether explicit or implicit. Worship fall into two categories:
1. Visible (manifest or outward)
2. Invisible (concealed or inward)
Visible worship includes acts such as uttering the two parts of the "Shahada", performing prayers, giving Zakah (the poor-due), recitation of the Holy Qur'an, supplication, adoring Allah by praising Him, purifying our bodies before prayers, etc. This type of worship is associated with movement of the parts of the human body.
Invisible worship is to believe in Allah, in the Day of Judgement (in the Hereafter), in the Angels, in the Books of Allah, in the Prophets of Allah, in the Divine Decree of destiny (that good and bad are determined by Allah alone). This type of worship does not involve movement of parts of the body but it surely has bearing on one's heart which subsequently affects one's way of life. It should be borne in mind that any worship not dedicated to Allah alone will be rejected as one form of polytheism and this causes apostasy from the Islamic fold.
To be Muslim you recite shahada and there are 7 conditions which have to be met and these are:
1. Knowledge (Al-ilm): of its meaning, what it negates and affirms. If a person says it without knowing its meaning, or what its requirements are, then he will not benefit by it, because he has not believed in what it requires. Rather, he is like someone who speaks a language he does not understand.
2. Certainty (Al-Yaqeen): that is to have complete surety of it and which it leads to repelling any doubt or suspicions about it.
3. Exclusively worshipping Allah (Al-ikhlaas): This is contrary to shirk (blasphemy). It’s what ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ points towards.
4. Truthfulness (As-Sidq): This prevents hypocrisy (nifaaq). The hypocrites utter it with their tongues, but do not inwardly believe in what it signified.
5. Love (Al-Mahabbah): Having Love and loyalty to Allah and His Messenger, seeking refuge to Allah from Allah, and seeking the pleasures of Allah.
6. Submissive compliance (Al-Inqiyaad): by fulfilling its rights – which are the obligatory actions – with sincerity to Allah and seeking His good pleasures.
7. Acceptance (Al-Qabool): This prevents rejection. This is achieved by acting upon what Allah has commanded and abandoning whatever He has prohibited.
These conditions have been deduced from the Quran and Sunnah, not by me but by scholars and which explains its rights and restrictions that it is not merely a words that a person utters.
THE VIRTUES OF
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
It has great virtues and has a great place with Allah. Whoever says it with truthfulness will enter the Gardens of Paradise and whoever did not utter it truthfully, his property and blood will be safeguarded in this world, but his reckoning will be with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. It is a concise declaration that contains few letters, light upon the tongue, yet heavy in the scales. Our Noble Prophet (saw) educates us saying that:
Reported by Ibn Hibbaan in his saheeh and Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak
“Moses said: O my Lord! Teach me something by which I can remember you and supplicate to you. Allah said, O Moses! Say ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ (there is no Gods but Allah). Moses said: O my Lord! All your slaves say this. Allah said: O Moses! If the seven heavens and all that they contain, other than me, and the seven earths were placed in one scale, and ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ were put in the other, then ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ would outweight them all”.
This hadith proves that ‘Laa ilaaha ilallah’ is the best form of rememberance, as also occurs in the following two hadith narrated by Abdullah Ibn Umar:
Shaheeh by Imam Muslim: At-Tirmidhee (No. 2640)
“The best supplication is the supplication on the day of ‘Arafat, and the best that I, or any other Prophet sent before me, have said is: None, has the right to be worship except Allah, alone, having no partner. To him belongs the sovereignty, and to Him belongs all praise, and He has power over everything”.
Asalamu alycom my brother !
firstly i wanna submit my internal true feelings toward you that you wish entirely to be a muslim - to be a man with high calibre of mortality - that believes in Allah( god ) the one and the onely - there is no god but Allah , and his messenger Muhammes ( god bless and peace be upon him ).
you have to feel very very free to chose your name - you may stay at your original name or you can change it to arabic or islamic name - it is really really up to you , do you why ? because the most important thing in the islam is your heart , your internal faith , your intentions , your deeds , your love and yearning to Allah mercy to guide you to the right way .
the prophet Muhammed ( pbuh) said : Allah never looks at your external appearnce or your external figures but looks at what is inside your heart !!!!
firstly i wanna submit my internal true feelings toward you that you wish entirely to be a muslim - to be a man with high calibre of mortality - that believes in Allah( god ) the one and the onely - there is no god but Allah , and his messenger Muhammes ( god bless and peace be upon him ).
you have to feel very very free to chose your name - you may stay at your original name or you can change it to arabic or islamic name - it is really really up to you , do you why ? because the most important thing in the islam is your heart , your internal faith , your intentions , your deeds , your love and yearning to Allah mercy to guide you to the right way .
the prophet Muhammed ( pbuh) said : Allah never looks at your external appearnce or your external figures but looks at what is inside your heart !!!!
