If you’re truly considering the religion of Islam and interested to learn how to convert to Islam then you have reached the right place. To convert to islam, you must say the shahada (testify or declare) in Arabic with a genuine belief of the shahada meaning.
The Shahada Meaning: Part 1
“There is no God but Allah“; a sentence that is easy to say and understand but unfortunately, very hard to follow. There have been thousands of discussions and debates throughout the centuries on the idea of the Creator and what is the right religion of God. Islam is the only religion that I know of that provides a very clear answer to this question. Some religions have multiple gods, some have a god with wives/children and some believe in idols as Gods or that they will lead to finding God. In Islam, we fully believe that Allah is the Ultimate Authority in the universe and He created everything. He does not have any partners nor does He need support or help from any of His own creation.
The reason why I am mentioning the above information even though it’s considered as basic knowledge to any muslim is because you as a new Muslim will run into many types of groups/sects when you are researching about Islam and you will find them contradicting to the true concept of Islam but they still claim to be muslim. I want you to become aware of this and avoid all of the misinformation you find that may lead you to committing a major sin known as Shirk (Associating partners with Allah). When entering into Islam, it is understandable that each person will be at a different level of Eman (faith) and obviously it will take more time for a certain person than another to achieve their spiritual goals. But you should work your way towards firmly believing that Allah is your creator, and after death you will return to Him and you will be held accountable for your actions in this life. The purpose of our creation is to worship Allah and to praise Him so we must always remind ourselves of the real goal of our creation and not get distracted by the pleasures of this life. If you’re interested to find out how you can increase your Eman (faith/belief) in Allah and protect yourself from shirk then I highly recommend that you read the section “how to stay away from the biggest sin in Islam” which you can find in What is the Biggest Sin in Islam article.
The Shahada Meaning: Part 2
“Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger” is the second part of the Shahada which simply means that Allah chose Muhammad as His Messenger. Now as a new Muslim, you may wonder: What about Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, etc.? They were all Messengers of Allah as well, so why Muhammad? In Islam we do not differentiate between all prophets and we believe they were all EQUAL. What makes Muhammad (PBUH) different from other Messengers is that he is officially the LAST Messenger/Prophet of Allah. Also, he had come to all of humanity but other prophets such as Moses was sent to a certain tribe or group (Pharoah and children of Israel). That is why Muhammad and his companions tried to spread the message of Islam beyond the Arabian deserts region and he made sure that the message continues even after he’s gone. If it wasn’t for their efforts, you and I would not know about Islam, so may Allah bless them and grant them high levels of paradise. And finally, the completions of Allah’s revelations has come down to the messenger Muhammad (PBUH) which is the Holy Quran. The more you learn about the Quran, the more you will realize that it is the book of Allah and not written by Muhammad as some people claim. Billions of Muslims around the world seek Islamic knowledge from the Prophet’s teachings (Sunnah) and consider him as the main role model to follow in all aspects of life.
How to Convert to Islam?
To officially convert to Islam, you must believe that “There is No God but ALLAH and Muhammad is Allah’s final Messenger“. Say your Shahada in Arabic: “Ash-Hadu An-na La Elaha Ella Allah wa Ash-Hadu An-na Muhammadan Rasool Allah“. It’s preferred that other Muslims be present to witness you taking your Shahada so I recommend you go to a local Masjid (Mosque) and take your Shahada there. I Pray to Allah that He leads you to the right path and help you in taking your Shahada. Now that you’ve completed the first pillar, it’s time to move on to the MOST IMPORTANT pillar in Islam and : read this guide on prayer in Islam for beginners