How to Convert to Islam for Becoming a Muslim

Islam is one of the fastest growing religions of the world. Every day in some part of the world there are people converting to Islam. The number of Muslim converts is increasing with a greater pace in the West because of the increasing awareness among people about Islam. Therefore, all those who have done their research on Islam and want to enter it look for the right way in converting to Islam.

The people who wish to convert to Islam need proper guidance because it is a life changing process and there are a certain set of rituals or activities that need to be performed in order to enter into the circle of Islam and proclaim to be one of its followers. Before moving on to the way a person should convert to Islam, a soon to become Muslim should have an understanding of the essence of Islam. The lines below firstly discuss the importance of Islam for a Muslim and secondly the way a person should convert to Islam.
Islam As a Religion:
There must be some truth to Islam that is why a huge number of people all over the world is converting to Islam. In Quran, Allah Almighty has time and again mentioned the importance of Islam by focusing on its tenants. Allah says in Quran:

Translation – “We did not send before you (O Muhammad) any messenger but We revealed to him: ‘none has the right to be worshipped except I, therefore worship Me.” (21:25)
From this ayah it is clear that whoever enters the circle of Islam, he or she knows one thing for sure and that is the fact that there is no one worthy of worship other than Allah Almighty. Therefore, every entrant in Islam knows that he or she is to worship Allah Almighty only.
At another place in Quran, Allah Almighty says:

Translation – “Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” (3:85)
This ayah is a clear vindication to the fact that those who do not accept Islam or stay on some other religion other than Islam, none of their excuses will be accepted in the Hereafter when they gather in front of Allah Almighty. At that time people other than Muslims would be in the loser category and would have no hope for a better life in the Hereafter.
For a person who wants to seek truth, who wants a better life in this world and a better life hereafter, the best option is to convert to Islam. This conversion needs to be done in a specific way the detail of which is discussed in the following lines.
Converting To Islam:
The conversion to Islam is a simple process, where there are a few things, which a convert has to proclaim from tongue, and others, which do not require proclamation, but they need to be believed in the heart.
The first thing a person needs to proclaim pertaining to conversion to Islam is called ‘Shahada’. In this activity a Muslim has to say the following:

Transliteration: “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasoolu Allah.”
Translation: “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is the Messenger of God.”
This proclamation of Shahada is what officially enters a person into the circle of Islam. If the words of Shahada be analyzed, it can be divided into two parts. The first part is related toproclaiming that Allah Almighty is the only God. Believing in Allah along with other gods does not qualify for Shahada and hence no one can enter Islam with this belief. Therefore, when proclaiming Shahada a convert must remember that he or she is denying the existence of all the other gods that other people believe to be present and only Allah should be regarded as the God.
The second part of the Shahada is the acceptance and acknowledgment of the Prophecy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A convert cannot become a Muslim and his or her proclamation is not complete if he or she does not believe in Muhammad (PBUH) being the Prophet of Allah, regardless of whether the convert believes in Allah. Therefore, the believe in Allah has to be complemented with the believe in Prophecy of Muhammad (PBUH) in order to complete Shahada and convert to Islam.
Besides the verbal proclamation of Shahada, there are different elements in which a Muslim has to believe in the heart, meaning that they do not require proclamation. These elements of belief are as follows:

1. Believe in Allah – Believing in Allah Almighty. Although it is a part of Shahada as well, however, it does not mean that one needs to say it from tongue only and there is no need to believe in the heart, rather this should be acknowledged at both the places.
2. Believe in Angels – Believing in the angels as the creation of Allah Almighty who are servants to Him and carryout His orders.
3. Believe in the Divine Books – Believing in the Books that Allah Almighty has sent down for the guidance of humankind. A Muslim is naturally to believe in Quran as a book of guidance, however, he or she is also to believe in the other Books that Allah Almighty sent upon other Prophets for the guidance of their respective nations.
4. Believe in the Prophets – Believing in all the Prophets that Allah sent down to preach the message of truth. A Muslim is to believe in the Prophecy of Muhammad (PBUH), however, like Books, he or she must also believe in the other Prophets that were sent in earlier times for guidance of mankind.
5. Believe on the Judgment Day – Believing in the life Hereafter is another element of Muslim faith. A Muslim must believe that a after this life there is another life where all will be held accountable for the deeds they committed in this world and should be given an eternal reward.
6. Believe in Fate – Believing in fate is another element of Muslim faith. In Muslim faith there is good and bad fate and both are from Allah, therefore, one must also accept the role of fate in life in order to convert to Islam.
7. Believe in Life After Death – The last thing that a person must believe in heart in order to convert to Islam is in the rising up after death. A convert must believe that after this life he or she will rise again and that will be the eternal life.

Conclusion:
In a nutshell, converting to Islam is one of the greatest blessings of Allah Almighty. When converting to Islam a person must proclaim by saying the words of Shahada out loud and in his or her heart they must believe in the other major elements of Islamic belief to get closer to Allah Almighty and be officially called a ‘Muslim’.