Title: Becoming a Muslim Question: How does one become a Muslim? Are there certain steps one must take, such as learning about the positions taken in the ritual prayers, before becoming a Muslim? How does one learn about the other rituals? Must a person learn the Arabic language? Eric Answer: There are two separate aspects of becoming a Muslim. Firstly, from a very personal aspect, an individual becomes a 'Muslim' when he accepts that there is only one God and that Muhammad (pbuh) is a true prophet of God. Secondly, from a social aspect, an individual would be recognized as a Muslim, when he makes a declaration of the stated belief (of the oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad). Learning the ritualistic practices may or may not precede one's acceptance of Islam. One may start learning these practices after declaring his acceptance of Islam. In other words, a thorough and detailed knowledge of all the Islamic practices is not a prerequisite for accepting Islam. In my opinion, the best way of learning about the details of Islamic rituals is to contact a Muslim community center or a mosque, if there is one in his locality. Learning the Arabic language is not a requirement for becoming a Muslim. In fact, most of the Muslims living outside the Arabic speaking world does not know the Arabic language. Nevertheless, learning the Arabic language has great advantages from the perspective of directly understanding most of the message of the Qur'an. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad October 24, 2001