A person whose heart opens up to the ideals and teachings of
Islam and whose spirit is filled with the faith in the One God may become a
Muslim. Accepting the teachings of
Islam, as was taught by the Prophet Muhammad, places a person amongst those who
call themselves Muslim. Thus, the
essence of Islam is based on two factors: First, belief that there is only
one God; and second, accepting Muhammad as a true Prophet and Messenger of God,
which means that the person accepts and submits to all of Muhammad’s religious
teachings as God’s true guidance to humanity. By accepting and submitting to
these two points, a person becomes a Muslim.
Having become a Muslim – by sincerely accepting the two
stated points – a person should, preferably, declare his conversion in his
social circle and to any state department, if required by law. The words that
the Prophet Muhammad, generally, recommended for this declaration are:
“I bear witness there is no deity except the (One) God
and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”
Ash hadoo al la
illaha illal Lah wa ash hadoo an na Muhammada rasoolul Lah (Arabic)
This declaration of faith (called Shahadah in Arabic)
can be spoken in any language unless the person chooses to say them in the
original Arabic.
Finally, it is desirable that the person should take a bath
to complete this process of cleansing. The bath is a symbolic representation of
washing one’s self of all the sins committed as well as any incorrect beliefs
held in the past.
From the day of one’s conversion, the person becomes the
brother or sister to every person who identifies himself or herself as Muslim.
At the moment of conversion to Islam the person is cleansed
of all the sins that he or she may have committed in the past, before becoming a
Muslim. In fact one starts with a
fresh slate and becomes as pure as a newborn child, without sin.