Basics of becoming Muslim

Islam is an Arabic word and it connotes submission, surrender and
obedience. As a religion, Islam stands forcomplete submission and
obedience to Allah(God).
Islam, in fact, is an attributive title. Anyone who possesses this
attribute, whatever race, community, country or group he or she
belongs to, is a Muslim. According to the Qur'an (the Holy Book of the
Muslims), among every people and in all ages there have been good and
righteous people who possessed this attribute - and all of them were
and are Muslims.
Islam is a universal and eternal religion. Its appeal is to the whole
humanity. Any person who declares belief in La ilaha illallah
Muhammad-ur-Rasulullah (there is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is
His Prophet) enters the fold of Islam and entitles him or herself to
the same rights as those of other Muslims.
Prophet Muhammad (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) has
enjoined us to believe in five articles of faith:
1.Belief in one God Who has absolutely no associate with Him in His divinity;
2.Belief in God's Angels;
3.Belief in God's Books, and in the Holy Qur'an as His Last Book;
4.Belief in God's Prophets, and in Muhammad (blessings of Allah and
peace be upon him) as His Last and Final Messenger; and
5.Belief in life after death.
One who believes in these articles enters the fold of Islam and
becomes a member of the Muslim community. But one does not become a
complete Muslim by mere vocal profession alone. To become a complete
Muslim one has to fully carry out in practice the (blessings of Allah
and peace be upon him) as ordained by God.
These five articles form the foundation for the superstructure of
Islam. Their gist is contained in the short sentence known
asKalimah-Tayyibah. When you declareLa ilaha illallah(their is no
deity but Allah), you give up all false deities, and profess that you
are a creature of the One God; and when you add to these
wordsMuhammad-ur-Rasulullah(Muhammad is Allah's Messenger) you confirm
and admit the Prophethood of Muhammad (blessings of Allah and peace be
upon him).
With the admission of his Prophethood it becomes obligatory that you
should believe in the divine nature and attributes of God, in His
angels, in His Revealed Books and life after death, and earnestly
follow that method of obeying God and worshipping Him which the
Prophet Muhammad (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) has asked
us to follow.
Now let us see what code of conduct Muhammad (blessings of Allah and
peace be upon him) has taught as ordained by God Almighty. The first
and foremost things in this respect are the 'Ibadah (or worships) -
the primary duties which must be observed by each and every person
professing to belong to the Muslim community.'Ibadahis an Arabic word
derived from 'Abd (a slave) and it means submission. The concept of
'Ibadah is very wide. All your activities are 'Ibadah if they are in
accordance with the law of God and your ultimate objective is to seek
the pleasure of God. A set of formal 'Ibadah (worships) are thus on
which the edifice of Islam rests:
1.Salah (prayers)- The most fundamental and the most important of
these obligations. Salah are the prescribed daily prayers which
consist in repeating and refreshing five times a day the belief in
which you repose your faith.
2.Fasting- What prayers seek to do five times a day, fasting in the
month of Ramadhan (the ninth month of the lunar year) does once a
year. What is it that makes us voluntarily undergo hunger or thirst
from dawn to dusk? It is nothing but faith in God and the fear of Him
and the Day of Judgment. This consciousness of duty and spirit of
patience that incessant fasting during a whole month helps us
strengthen our faith.
3.Zakah- Its fundamental importance lies in the fact that it fosters
in us the quality of sacrifice and rids us of selfishness and greed.
Islam accepts within its fold only those who are ready to give away in
God's way some of their wealth willingly. Every Muslim whose finances
are above a certain specified minimum must pay 2.5% of their cash
balance annually to the deserving.
4.Hajj (pilgrimage)- Mecca today stands at the site of a house that
the Prophet Abraham (God's blessing be upon him) built for the worship
of Allah. Allah rewarded him by calling it His own House and making it
the center towards which all must face when saying prayers. He has
also made it obligatory on those who can afford it to visit this place
to perform the Hajj, at least once in a lifetime. The pilgrimage is,
in a way, the biggest of 'Ibadah. For unless a person really loves God
he would never undertake such a long journey.
The Opening Chapter, Al-Fatihah, Surah 1 (The Holy Qur'an)
In the name of Allah (God), the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1.All Praise is due to Allah (God), Lord of the worlds,
2.the Beneficient,
3.the Merciful,
4.Owner of the Day of Judgement.
5.Thee alone we worship and Thee alone we ask for help.
6.Show us the straight path,
7.the path of those whom Thou hast favoured, not (the path of) those
who earn Thine anger nor (of) those who go astray. (Ameen)