Muslimah Mondays The First Pillar of Islam

***Note: For those who want to read about something else a little more personal from me, feel free to visit My Blog Hates Me. Otherwise, read on!***

Bismilah hir ar-rahman ar-rahim. (In the name of God the magnificent and the merciful, roughly translated.)I thought of tackling a post on Wu'du (ablutions) today but honestly, as a person who has only been Muslim around 8 months now, these little posts seem incredibly overwhelming to me. There is so much to learn, and so much that I still have questions about. The basic tenants and beliefs in Islam are straightforward, but there is an entire life style centered around the religion that is a great deal to take in. Most of it is exactly the sort of living you find detailed in the Christian Bible, but that is no longer practiced much. And because it's largely not practiced much, I'm finding myself at a disadvantage in trying to learn everything all at once. There is a sister in the community who has been so very helpful to me though. I have felt a bit deficient lately because I am still learning to make my prayers correctly, and feel that I should already be doing them properly. I was always the kind of student that picked things up quickly in school, but tended to be frightened off by things I had to work terribly hard at. Hence my love/hate relationship with math.  I love the puzzle solving aspect of it, but hate how stupid it makes me feel when I simply can't seem to make the right connections in the right places, especially if there is someone else who naturally sees it, and can't grasp how I could possibly not get it. But back to this sister. I shall call her Sister T., which is not terribly inventive on my part. She has been Muslim for four years, masha' Allah, and was telling me that she just recently learned there was a part of Salaat that she was not performing correctly, and that she was having to re-learn how to do it properly. That gave me a great deal of comfort, and where I am still feeling a bit deficient, at least I know that I am not the only one that is still learning.

Somehow, I already knew that this change in my life was supposed to be a process, and not something that happened over night, but I get frustrated sometimes, by how slowly the process of perfecting seems to go. No, I was not a patient child, and where I am more patient than I used to be, I still have more lessons to learn in the kind of patience I need in this life. I am often most frustrated by my own shortcomings than I ever am by anyone else's. The irony of this, is that my frustration is usually directed at the people closest to me. Insha' Allah, this life and God's guidance are molding me into a better and more loving woman, developing within me the ability to love others around me in a patient and understanding way, and to have the same patience and understanding for my own shortcomings.

So today I decided to start with the very basics. I have not had this question myself, but I am told by other Muslim reverts, that the most common question next to "Why did you convert?", is "How do you convert?"

The first thing that I recommend is that first you do all of your homework. Seek out your local Islamic center. This page has a directory for all of the Islamic centers in North America. It's a good idea for anyone who just wants to know more about the religion to make a field trip to their local Islamic center also, even if they have no interest in converting. It makes a lot more sense to get your information from the people who practice the religion correctly than from the news that only covers the people who do not practice the religion correctly. On YouTube there are also a number of films of men and women giving lectures about various hot topics in Islam as viewed by the Western world, for instance hijab or veiling, polygamy, and the way that Jesus is regarded, just to name a few. (Incidentally the last video is my favorite clip from the movie "The Message" which is about the establishment of Islam. The last few lines spoken by the Christian leader are my very favorite.)

You need to have as much knowledge about the religion as you possibly can before making the decision to convert. Read literature, ask questions, watch videos, check forums. Once you have made the decision, utilizing hopfully your spiritual compass and your intellect, the next step is to perform the first pillar in Islam called the Shahadah, or the testament of faith. Ideally it should be recited in front of two witnesses. I have heard that there is a great reward in Paradise for those who are chosen by new convert to say their Shahadah to. I will have to find the Hadith and verses in the Qur'an that detail this further. It is also the responsibility of those that hear your Shahadah to teach you about the faith, and all of the things that are a part of the day to day living of your Deen or religion. You are not expected to know everything right away, but you are expected to practice what you do know. For instance if you know already that you are not supposed to eat pork, then you're expected to stop eating pork. You can't order a pepperoni pizza and pretend ignorance. For women, the decision to wear hijab is a process. I know women who began wearing hijab almost immediately, and know others who do not wear it at all, excluding to pray or to attend Muslim functions. I also know a couple of women who wear the Niquab or face veil. Everything is a learning process. There is a balance between the responsibility for the knowledge you have, and things that you need to adjust to and learn. Spiritual conviction also plays a part in the matter, and should be the reason that you follow the prescriptions of your Deen, but that doesn't negate the influence of social pressures as well.

The Shahaddah is quite simple. I'll put it up in Arabic, an English transliteration, and the english translation:




Transliteration: "Ashhadu an la ilaha illa 'llah; ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasulu 'llah"

Translation in case you can't read it on the image, which actually is only a part of the Shahadah: "I witness that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."

You can also hear the way this sounds by clicking play on the video player in the sidebar. It is a part of the Athan or call to prayer.

For those interested in free information about the religion here are some links:

Islam 101
Get a Free Qur'an (You do have to pay shipping and handling, but my understanding is that this has the original Arabic text, the transliteration and the English translation in it.
Discover Islam
Council on American Islamic Relations (C.A.I.R.)
2 Discover Islam (Link for free literature, but the rest of the site is worth exploring too.)

Have a wonderful day, Insha' Allah. A' Salaamu aliakum.