The Shahadah
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illa-llāh, wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu-llāh
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
Your first steps
1. Ease first
- Islam is easy: "Allah intends ease for you, not hardship" (Quran 2:185).
- Your past sins are forgiven when you embrace Islam (Sahih Muslim 121). Start fresh — no confession to anyone is needed.
- Learn gradually. Nobody expects you to know everything on day one.
2. Ghusl (full bath) after embracing Islam
- Intend in your heart to purify yourself.
- Wash your hands, then private parts, then perform wudu.
- Pour water over your whole body, starting with the right side, making sure water reaches all skin and hair roots.
- Ghusl is also required after marital relations, and for women after menstruation and post-natal bleeding.
3. Wudu (ablution) before prayer
- Intend, and say "Bismillah".
- Wash hands 3×, rinse mouth 3×, rinse nose 3×.
- Wash face 3×, then arms to the elbows 3× (right first).
- Wipe the head once (front to back and back), and wipe the ears.
- Wash feet to the ankles 3× (right first).
- Wudu breaks with: toilet use, passing wind, deep sleep, and touching the private parts directly.
4. The five daily prayers
- Fajr (2 units), Dhuhr (4), Asr (4), Maghrib (3), Isha (4). The prayer-times page in Athar shows them for your city.
- Conditions: being Muslim, wudu, clean body/clothes/place, covering the body (men: navel to knee; women: all except face and hands), facing the Qibla, and the prayer time having started.
- Pillars: standing, opening Takbir (Allahu Akbar), reciting Al-Fatiha, bowing, rising, two prostrations, sitting between them, the final Tashahhud, and ending with Salam — performed calmly in order.
- Obligatory parts include the other Takbirs, saying "Subhana Rabbiyal-Adheem" in bowing and "Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la" in prostration, and the first Tashahhud.
- Until you memorize Al-Fatiha, say "SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar" — your prayer is accepted (Abu Dawud 832).
5. How to pray, step by step
- Stand facing the Qibla, raise hands: "Allahu Akbar".
- Recite Al-Fatiha (and a short surah in the first two units).
- Bow: "Subhana Rabbiyal-Adheem". Rise: "Sami'Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa lakal-hamd".
- Prostrate: "Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la", sit, prostrate again.
- After every 2 units sit for Tashahhud; in the last unit complete it and turn right then left: "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah".
6. Pillars of Islam and faith
- Islam: Shahadah, prayer, Zakat, fasting Ramadan, Hajj if able.
- Faith (Iman): belief in Allah, His angels, books, messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree.
7. What to avoid
- Associating partners with Allah, alcohol and drugs, pork, gambling, interest (riba), relationships outside marriage, lying, backbiting and harming people.
- If you slip, repent sincerely — Allah loves those who return to Him (Quran 2:222).
8. Replacing old habits gently
- Replace music-filled commutes with Quran recitation or beneficial lectures.
- Replace nights out with family time, the mosque, or a Muslim friend's company.
- Keep your good habits: kindness, honesty, work, family ties — Islam honors them.
- Begin with the five prayers; add one new practice per week (morning adhkar, then Quran reading, etc.).
9. Rewards that encourage you
- "The prayer of the five times is like a river at your door you bathe in five times a day" (Bukhari 528).
- Every letter of the Quran you read earns tenfold reward (Tirmidhi 2910) — Athar counts them for you.
- Connect with your local mosque — new Muslims are warmly welcomed.
A gentle guide based on well-known sources; for detailed rulings ask a trusted scholar or your local mosque.