This website is dedicated to those who seek to find out the basics of Islam, the seal of the Abrahamic faiths. It is especially developed to provide an introductory landing point for new Muslims and those considering “reverting” to Islam.
How To Be A Muslim
Islam is truly awesome. It is a simple faith and a totally reasonable one. To be a Muslim and indeed a successful human being, there are four cardinal points:
Believe
First you have to believe. Upon becoming a Muslim, you declare the “shahada.” This is the first article of belief: declaring that there is only one God (Allah ﷻ ), and then bearing witness that the last Abrahamic prophet Mohammed (may peace be upon him) is the messenger of God (Allah).
You must also believe in other principles of the faith. These include, as expressed in the Quran in chapter 2 verse 177: We must believe in Allah the creator, and the Last Day and judgment and the Angels, and the Books God sent, and all God’s Prophets sent at different times to different peoples. We must also believe in God’s ordained destiny.
To believe comes from knowing and knowledge. We learn to be proper believers. It’s a continuous process of pondering and action.
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Do Good
The Quran says what means: “Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)”[Chapter al-Nahl 16:97]
A Muslim must do good acts and strive to do so with good intentions. These good acts include but are not limited to the following: Some priority good acts are in the “5 pillars of Islam,” excluding the first pillar which is “belief” mentioned above. The other four are: Salah (Contact prayers) observed 5 times a day. Fasting during the month of Ramadan. Giving the Zakat charity. Observing the holy pilgrimage if one can afford it.
Other righteous acts include values seen in the commandments: respecting and caring for parents, loving our neighbors, not associating partners with God(Allah ﷻ ) be they graven or abstract.
Being charitable with our wealth, in spite of our love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing the enslaved as mentioned in Quran Chapter 2 verse 177.
Being an agent of positive change: being merciful to all and promoting peace and growth to the community and the larger planet we are vicegerents upon.
Muslims should also observe voluntary fasts, visit prisons and the sick, uphold kinship ties; attend funerals. Promote good and denounce evil. Fulfill promises (mufuna).
Other acts of good include regularly praising God (Allah ﷻ ), the prophet and those He loves, praising Abraham too. Reading the holy Quran.
The list goes on and on. As we become better Muslims, we should imbibe more and more practices. In doing so we should strive to pick up what we can continue, not so much of picking extra good deeds and abandoning them soon after.
Doing good also indicates not doing bad. Thus one must also strive daily to avoid all sinful acts, big and small. Major sins include, associating partners with Allah ﷻ (God), lying, cheating, stealing, committing adultery and fornication, wickedness and corruption and so on.
Uphold Truth
Truth is essential to belief. A Muslim should not only be truthful but should also seek and promote truth in his family and the larger society. True Muslims uphold their promises and trusts; their word is bond. Falsehoods, fake news and all lies and mischievous manipulations are responsible for the corroding of humanity and its essence. God sent His messengers to the people to re-establish truth on earth. The truth of God, the true purpose of existence; the truth of how to live in peace and harmony for our benefit in this life and the next. Falsehoods destroy the practice of the faiths, destroy cohesion and peace in society, destroy families and bring destruction to humanity. A Muslim should be known for truth and a truth researcher. He or she should be someone who strives everyday to achieve and restore truth in society. The devil (satan) is the king of lies. Man got discharged to this earthly trial due to the lies of the devil. Only through the establishment of truth can we be redeemed. Thus a Muslim needs to be a soldier for the truth.
In the Quran, Allah says as translated:
O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allāh, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allāh is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allāh is ever, of what you do, Aware.
Quran 4:135
Encourage Patient Perseverance
Endure patiently. Resist patiently. Have patient character. Persevere.
The Beautiful Patience: Life is Short:
This life is really so short. Hence the believer should be patient and choose the right options; soon it will be over and we get our reward. Very soon. When facing the temptation to indulge in sinful worldly acts that may appear appealing, the Muslim should be patient for the better and eternal reward of the afterlife and use this patience to avoid the pleasant seeming illusions of this brief life game. The Muslim is patient through the brief test that this short life is.
Have a Patient Character:
Also we should exhibit patience in our character. Patience in poverty, patience in hardship and in harshness of war. Islam is a faith of ideals and character. Our existence on earth which seems lengthy is actually a small fragment of time. Patience is a non negotiable attribute of a righteous Muslim. A true believer must be patient in tribulation and adversity and in time of stress. Existence on this earth is a test and after we die and are resurrected, we will realize that what we thought was such a long time was just as a few minutes. Thus during this brief test period, we will be challenged with trials. Some may be with things that appear painful to us and some trials are even with things that give us joy. In all these trials, Muslims must remain patient, knowing that God is in charge of everything that happens to us and thankful to Him regardless of what afflicts us. Patience must be our demeanor and we should promote it among others.
Persevere
The word “sabr” or patience as used in Islam includes perseverance. It is not a term of passivity but an active one. The believer perseveres in his/her struggle while patiently enduring, assured that the best will come in the end from the Lord. Persevere and struggle to change your situation and win the battle while patient in the outcome.
These are the four core items that guarantee success in this and the next life and are the core of the Muslim faith as mentioned in Quran chapter 103. Being engaged in anything else is an existence in a state of loss.
