How does one become a Muslim?
Becoming a Muslim is quite simple, say the Shahada (testimony of faith) “Ash-hadu anLa ilaha Ilallah wa ash-hadu anMuhammad Rasulullah” which translated means, “I bear witness that there is no God except Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.”
The above statement ushers one into Islam with the strong conviction that only Allah, Creator of the universe deserves to be worshipped and that Muhammad is His final Messenger.
It is also paramount to add the statement that one bears witness that Jesus (peace be upon him) is a messenger of God and neither His son nor part of God’s Divinity.
The testimony of faith concludes that you believe that:
- You believe in God, The Supreme Being, creator of the entire universe and that He does not share His Divinity with any other being or deity.
- All prophets were sent by God as guidance to the straight path, and they were all human beings including Jesus.
- All the original books (Torah, the Gospel) and the Qur’an are the literal words of God.
- All the Angels are created by God to obey and follow His command.
- There is the final day of judgement when all will be held accountable for their actions.
- You believe in Qadr (fate, divine predestination), which is believe in God’s will/destiny, the good and bad of it.
The testimony of faith is one of the five pillars of Islam. In all, the five pillars are as follows:
- Shahada (testimony of faith).
- Salaah (prayer).
- Sawm (fasting in Ramadan).
- Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah).
- Zakat (Almsgiving to the poor).