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La
ilaha il Allah, Muhammad-ur-Rasool-Allah
 Listen
to the pronunciation of the shahada
(None
has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah)
As a
Shi'a Muslim it is not required but you could say the following:
Ash-Hadu
Anla Illaha Illa-Alllah, wa Ash-Hadu Anna Mohammedan Rasul-Ullah.
wa Ash-Hadu An Amiree-ul Momineen wa Imam Al Mutaqeen, Ali an
Wali-Ullah, Wasiyeh Rasul-Ullah, Wa Kalifatahu Bila Fasl.
I testify that there is no
God but Allah, and I testify that Mohammed is his Messenger, and
I testify that the Commander of the Faithful, the Pure Leader,
Ali, is the friend of Allah, the successor of the Messenger of
Allah, and nothing can come between them
The shahada
is the Muslim profession of faith, expressing the two simple,
fundamental beliefs that make one a Muslim:
Sincere recitation of this confession of faith is the sole
requirement for those who wish to join the Muslim community. It
represents acceptance not only of Allah and his prophet, but of
the entirety of Islam. As one of the Pillars, the shahada
must be recited correctly aloud with full understanding and
internal assent at least once in every Muslim's lifetime.
The shahada is also recited in the muzzein's call to
prayer, included in the salat (daily ritual prayer) and
incorporated in Sufi contemplative prayer. It is also recited in
the moments before death.
What
are some of the other basics of becoming a Muslim?
The acceptance of the righteous
deeds (such as your Shahada/confession to become a Muslim) is
stipulated with the following two basic conditions which must be
fulfilled:
- The
intentions while doing such deeds must be totally for
Allah’s sake only without any show off or gaining praise
or fame, etc.
- Such
a deed must be performed in accordance with the As-Sunnah
(legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements, etc.) of
Allah’s Messenger Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah, the last (end)
of all the Prophets and the Messengers, saaws.
You are only held accountable for
that which you know. And you are also held accountable to make
the time to learn that which you don't know, in
areas you know you need to learn about.
So, if you are not a Muslim, it is
your responsibility to seek the knowledge of Al-Islam, to ask
questions about things you do not understand or agree with
regarding the basic fundamental beliefs of Islam.
How
do I become a Muslim?
By first attaining the above
understanding of shahada ("La ilaha il Allah, Muhammad-ur-Rasool-Allah")
and then confessing it to Allah, glory and praise to Him.
To take your Shahada (i.e. make the
confession of faith), just make your best attempt at
pronouncing, in arabic, the statement, "Ashadu
an (I bear witness that) La ilaha il Allah, Muhammad-ur-Rasool-Allah".
You do not have to have witnesses to this event, and you
should not make a big ceremony out of it, because it is a very
personal committment. It is, however, recommended, if
you can, to make your shahada with muslim witnesses, but do not
delay becoming a muslim for this or any such reason. After
you become a muslim, then you are held responsible for learning
when and how to do salah
and wudu,
acting upon the pillars of Islam and faith, and for implementing
what you learn, when you learn it.
What
should I do after becoming a Muslim?
Immediately upon becoming a Muslim, you should take a bath or
shower (i.e. Ghusl).
If able, you should then offer a
two Rak’at prayer.
Then you must study and act upon the principles (pillars)
of Islam, and study and believe in the six articles of
Faith.
back
GHUSL
:
The full ritual washing of the body with water alone to be pure
for the prayer.
To
do Ghusl:
-
Wash
your private parts.
-
Do
Wudu .
-
Wash
your entire body from the top to bottom and from right to
left, without touching your privates parts again.
It
is necessary to have Ghusl on embracing Islam, after sexual
intercourse or seminal emission, at the end of menstruation,
after childbirth and before being buried (when your body is
washed for you). It is also customary to have Ghusl before the Jumua
and Eid
prayers. It is necessary to be in Ghusl and in Wudu (or
alternative to do Tayyamum
under certain circumstances) being doing the Salat or touching
the Qur’an.
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