Islam is for the whole of humanity. Islam unites people of different colors, languages, races and nationalities into one brotherhood.

Allah says: “Indeed the Believers (believers in Islam) are but brothers.” [Quran 4 9:10]
Therefore anybody can who believes Islam is the true religion of God can become a Muslim.

Islam erases all sins committed prior to becoming a Muslim.
Allah, the Exalted says :
“Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven. But if they return (thereto), then the examples of those (punished) before them have already preceded (as a warning)”
[Holy Quran 8:38]
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said, Embracing Islam erases all previous sins and mistakes (narrated by Muslim).
Therefore, as soon as you become a Muslim, all your previous sins are forgiven and you start your life with a bright clean record.

If someone advises you to delay your conversion to Islam, you should not listen to him, rather you should Zpromptly embrace Islam.

What if there are no Muslims in the city or you don’t know any Muslim who may assist you in embracing Islam? This should not be an obstacle. There are plenty of resources on our webpage to help you.

It is very easy to become a Muslim. For embracing Islam, one must simply pronounce the Shahaadatayn (Declaration of Faith) with sincerity and conviction.
The Shahadatayn is,
” Ash-hadu an laa ilaa ha il lal laahu, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan-Abdu hu wa rasooluhu ” (In Arabic)
“I bear witness that there is no God worthy to be worshiped but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is servant and the Messenger of Allah.”
Pronouncing the testimony of faith is sufficient to make one a Muslim. There are however, seven conditions that must be observed before it can effectively make one a Muslim. Let us look at what these conditions are before we describe the procedure for taking the shahadah.

The Shahadah is the dividing line between unbelief (kufr) and Islam. It is also called the kalimah (word). Whoever says it with truthfulness will enter the Gardens of Paradise.

It is a kalimah that Allah Himself has testified to, as have the angels and those who possess knowledge from amongst His creation. Allah the Most High said:
“Allah bears witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Him; as do the angels and those who possess knowledge. He maintains His creation upon justice. None has the right to be worshiped except Him, the All-Mighty, All-Wise.”

It is a concise declaration that contains few letters; light upon the tongue, yet heavy in the scales.

Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, who said: “A person from my Ummah (nation) will be summoned in front of everyone on the Day of Resurrection. Ninety-nine scrolls will be unfurled for him, each scroll extending as far as the eye can see. Then it will be said: Do you deny any of this [i.e. your bad deeds]? So the man will reply: No, 0 Lord. Then it will be said: Do you have any excuse or any good deed? The man, in a state of terror, will answer: No. It will then be said: Rather, you do have some good deeds and no injustice will befall you this Day. So a parchment will be taken out for him, upon which there will be the testification of laa ilaaha illallaah and the testification that Muhammad is the Slave and Messenger of Allah. The man will say: 0h Lord, what is this parchment in comparison to those scrolls! It will be said to him: No injustice shall befall you. The scrolls will then be placed in one of the scales and the parchment in the other; the scrolls will be light in weight, whereas the parchment will be heavy.” Reported by at-Tirmidhee (no.2641), from Abdullaah ibn Amr radhiyallahu anhu. It was declared to be saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaanee in as-Saheehah (no.135).

The first part of the Shahadah is laa ilaaha illallaah (none has the right to be worshiped except Allah) and the first part of the Shahadah has two pillars:
The first pillar is the pillar of negation, whilst the second is the pillar of affirmation.
What is meant by negation is to negate divinity and worship (ilaahiyyah) for anything except Allah, the Most High.
What is meant by affirmation is to affirm divinity and that worship is only for Allah the Most Perfect; for it is He alone that is the true Deity. So whatever else is taken by the unbelievers as deities to be worshiped are in fact all false and futile: That is because Allah is the true Deity to be worshiped, and whatever else they invoke besides Him is vain falsehood.
[Soorah al-Hajj 22:62]
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said: The significance of laa ilaaha illallaah in affirming divinity and worship for only Allah is far greater than just saying that Allah is an ilaah (God). This is because the saying that Allah is an ilaah (God) does not negate divinity and worship to other than Allah. This is different to the saying: laa ilaaha illallaah; which obligates restricting divinity and worship to only Allah.
All the messengers of Allah told their people none has the right to be worshiped except Allah, the Exalted.
Allah said: “We did not send any Messenger before you, except that We revealed to him that none has the right to be worshiped except Me; so worship Me.”
[Soorah al-Anbiyaa 21:25]
Allah the Exalted also said: “He sends down the angels with the revelation of His commands to whosoever of His slaves that He wills, saying: Warn mankind that none has the right to be worshiped except Me. So fear Me [by keeping away from sin and disobedience].”
[Soorah an-Nahl 16:2]
It is a concise declaration that contains few letters; light upon the tongue, yet heavy in the scales.
Allah’s Messenger Peace be upon him said: “Moses said: 0h my Lord! Teach me something by which I can remember You and supplicate to You. Allah said: 0h Moses! say laa ilaaha ilallaah. Moses said: 0h my Lord! All Your slaves say this. Allah said: 0h Moses! If the seven heavens and all that they contain, other than Me, and the seven earths were placed in one scale, and laa ilaaha ilallaah were put in the other, then laa ilaaha illallaah would outweigh them all.” (Reported by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh (no.2324) and al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (1/528).
Ibn Uyaynah, (radhiyallahu anhu) said: “Allah has not bestowed any favour upon His slaves greater than the favour of them realizing laa ilaaha ilallaah. Indeed laa ilaaha illallaah is to the people of Paradise, what cool water is to the people of this world.” ( Related by Ibn Rajab in Kalimatul-Ikhlaas (p.53)
The second part of the “Shahadah” i.e. “Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abdu hu wa rasooluhu “ means that the Prophet Muhammad is the servant and chosen messenger of Allah. No one should be in any doubt about this matter.
In fact, the Muslim has to obey the commands of the Prophet , to believe in what he has said, to follow his Teachings, to avoid what he has forbidden, and to worship Allah, the Exalted alone according to the message revealed to him.
Allah says:
Indeed Allah conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad ) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Quran), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Quran) and AlHikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet i.e. Prophet’s legal ways, statements, acts of worship, etc.], while before that they had been in manifest error.(Quran 3:164)
Allah says to His Messenger:
Say (O Muhammad to mankind): “If you (really) love Allah then follow me , Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” ( Quran 3:31)
Allah again tells his Messenger
Say (O Muhammad): “Obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad ).” But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbeliever’s (Quran 3:32)
Allah says:
But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad ) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission. (Quran 4:65)
What is the meaning of worship? It simply means rendering sincere service; showing reverence for Allah. In a deeper shade of meaning, it implies total submission and complete obedience to Allah’s Commandments both in utterances and actions, whether explicit or implicit and in private or public.

The heart must be firmly certain of the meaning of Shahadah without a blemish of doubt.
Allah the Exalted says:” Verily, the believers are only those who truly believe in Allah and His Messenger, and then doubt not. (Quran 49:15).
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I am the Messenger of Allah. No slave meets Allah with this testimony, having no doubt in it but shall enter Paradise.” ( Narrated by Muslim)

Exclusively worshiping Allah, which is contrary to shirk (Association of anything with Allah). This is what laa ilaaha illallaah points towards.
Allah, the Exalted, said:” And they were not commanded but to worship Allah, being sincere in devoting religion to Him.” (Quran 98:5).
Abu Hurairah said:” I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him: Messenger of Allah! Who will be most fortunate to enjoy your shafa’ah (intercession) on the Day of Resurrection? The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: I was certain that no one else would ask me about this other than you, because I have noticed your keenness for my sayings. The most fortunate of men who will enjoy my shafa’ah on the Day of Resurrection is the one who says: (La Ilaha Illa Allah) “None has the right to be worshiped except Allah”, sincerely from his heart..” ( Narrated by Musnad al-Imam Ahmad)

Truthfulness (as-sidq), which prevents hypocrisy (nifaaq). Indeed, the hypocrites uttered it with their tongues, but did not inwardly believe in what it signified.
The Messenger of Allah said: “Anyone testifies that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, truthfully from his heart, Allah would forbid his admittance to the Fire.” ( Narrated by Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “There are three (qualities), whoever possesses them, will taste the sweetness of Iman (belief): to love Allah and His Messenger more than anyone else, to love the Muslim only for the sake of Allah, and to dread returning to kufr (apostasy) as he dreads being thrown in fire.” ( Bukhari and Muslim.)
Allah says to His Messenger (peace be upon him)
Say (O Muhammad SAW to mankind): “If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (3:31)
Allah says: “Allah shall bring forth a people whom He loves and they love Him.” (Quran 5:54)
The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said: “None of you shall (really) believe until I become dearer to him than his own father, and son and all mankind.” ( Bukhari and Muslim.)

Submissive compliance (al-inqiyaad), by fulfilling its rights – which are the obligatory actions – with sincerity to Allah and seeking His good pleasure. This is its requirement.
Allah, the Exalted, says: “And he who submits himself to Allah, and does good, he has surely grasped a strong handle.” ( Quran 31:22).
Allah also says:” And turn you to your Rabb, and submit yourselves to Him.” (:Quran 39:54).

Acceptance (al-qabool), which prevents rejection.
This is achieved by acting upon what Allah has commanded and abandoning whatever He has prohibited.
Abu Musa al-Ash’aree reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him said: “The parable of guidance and knowledge which Allah has sent me with is like a rain which fell on a land. A patch of that land received the water and produced much herbage and grass. And a patch which was barren. The latter retained water wherewith Allah extended benefits to men: they drank from it, irrigated and planted their vegetation. And a patch which was a sandy plain, it neither retained water nor produced herbage. This is parallel to the person who conceived the religion of Allah and benefited from the Message with which Allah has sent me, whereby he learns and taught others. The other person turned away from it (from my Message), and rejected the guidance of Allah with which I am sent..” (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Allah says “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad peace be upon him) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” (33:21)
And Allah also says in Surah Al-Hashr
….And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad peace be upon him) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it) , and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment. (59:7)
Again Allah says:
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad peace be upon him), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger ( peace be upon him), if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination. (4:59)
And Allah says:
But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad ) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.
In the next verse Allah again tells his Messenger
Say (O Muhammad peace be upon him): “Obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad peace be upon him).” But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbeliever’s (3:32)
Islam unites together people of different colours, languages, races. and nationalities into one brotherhood.
Allah says: “Indeed the Believers are but brothers.” [Quran 4 9:10]
Before Islam people in Arabia were dived into different tribes. Some of them were at constant war with each other, Islam came and Allah put peace and love in their hearts for each other.
Allah the Most High said: “And remember the favor of Allah upon you, for you were once enemies to one another but He joined your hearts together in love, so that by His Grace you became brothers.” [Soorah Aal-Imraan 3:103]
And Allah the Most High said: “He it is that has strengthened you with His help and with the Believers. And moreover, He has united their hearts with love and affection. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts with love and affection. However, Allah has united them. Indeed Allah is the All-Mighty, All-Wise.” [Soorah al-Anfaal 8:62- 63].
Allah has stated in the Holy Quran:
“… whoever disbelieves in false deities and believes in Allah, hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that will never break…” (2:256)

To declare the Shahadah ( Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illaallaah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan-ar-rasool ullaah (i.e I bear witness that there is no God worthy to be worshiped but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.)
You may go to your a Masjid (Mosque/Islamic center) and declare your shahadah or with another Muslim or you may contact us and we can help you say the shahadah on the phone or via online chat. If this is not possible them you may say the shahadah by yourself.
At MuslimConverts.com we have helped many brothers and sisters say the Shahadah via phone and via the Net.
So if you wish for us to go through it with you step by step. Please do no not hesitate to leave us a message and we can arrange a mutually convenient time.
In my many years of experience I find that brothers and sisters are afraid that they cannot pronounce the Arabic words of the Shahadah. There is absolutely nothing to be afraid of because what I will help you with that (or whom ever you take your Shahadah with).
From the Emails I received I noticed some women have delayed their Shahadah because of menstruation. It does not matter if a woman is menstruating. You can say your Shahadah even when you are menstruating. The women do not go inside the prayer area of the Masjid (Mosque) when menstruating.
However if they want to say their Shahadah at the Masjid they brothers and sisters at the Masjid can arrange for you to say it say just outside the Masjid or in another part of the Masjid.
Another common question is as to whether you need any one to witness your Shahadah. It may be a good idea to say your Shahadah in front of 1 Muslim or with 1 Muslim on the phone or online if that is possible. However many scholars have said that a person may be living in an isolated area with no Muslim around and no access to phones or internet so ofcourse he/she should be allowed say the Shahadah to himself/herself.
Once you have said the Shahadah then you will be like a New Born Person. Free of any sins. Just like a child is born sinless.
During the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) those wishing to convert to Islam would go to the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and give their pledge of allegiance to Prophet Muhammad for Islam. The Prophet put conditions before accepting their pledges.
Then Prophet peace be upon him would shake the hands of the men who gave their pledge and accepted the conditions. In case of women he only took their pledge by word because in Islam a it is not allowed to shake hands with the opposite sex who are non mehrem.
Some examples of this is During the treaty of hudaybiyah women would migrate to the Islamic state in Madina and give their pledge to the Prophet peace be upon him. To check that these women actually believed in Islam and were not just running away from their non Muslim families. Allah revealed the following verse.
Allah said:
“O Prophet! When believing women come to you to give you the Bai’a (pledge), that they will not associate anything in worship with Allah, that they will not steal, that they will not commit illegal sexual intercourse, that they will not kill their children, that they will not utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood (i.e. by making illegal children belonging to their husbands), and that they will not disobey you in any Ma’ruf (everything good according to Islam) then accept their Bai’a (pledge), and ask Allah to forgive them, Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”. (Quran 60:12)
So the Prophet would say to them “Pledge to me in that you will not associate any with Allah, nor steal, nor commit Zina (adultery/fornication), nor kill your children” Then he would recite the above verse (Quran 60 verse 12) and when the women agreed to those conditions then he would say I have accepted your pledge and he would add ” Those among you who fulfill this pledge, will receive their reward from Allah. Those who deviate from any of it and receive the legal punishment (in this life), the punishment will be expiation for that sin. Whoever deviates from any of it and Allah screens him, then it is up to Allah to punish or forgive if He wills.”

Another example
Jarir bin Abdullah said :
I gave the pledge of allegiance to Allah’s Apostle for the following:
1. offer prayers perfectly
2. pay the Zakat (obligatory charity)
3. and be sincere and true to every Muslim.
(Bukhari Book Number: 2, Hadith Number: 54)

Another example
Narrated Ziyad bin’Ilaqa:
I heard Jarir bin ‘Abdullah (Praising Allah). On the day when Al-Mughira bin Shu’ba died, he (Jarir) got up (on the pulpit) and thanked and praised Allah and said, “Be afraid of Allah alone Who has none along with Him to be worshiped.(You should) be calm and quiet till the (new) chief comes to you and he will come to you soon. Ask Allah’s forgiveness for your (late) chief because he himself loved to forgive others.” Jarir added, “Amma badu (now then), I went to the Prophet and said, ‘I give my pledge of allegiance to you for Islam.” The Prophet conditioned (my pledge) for me to be sincere and true to every Muslim so I gave my pledge to him for this. By the Lord of this mosque! I am sincere and true to you (Muslims). Then Jarir asked for Allah’s forgiveness and came down (from the pulpit). (Bukhari 4: Volume: 1, Book Number: 2, Hadith Number: 55)

After the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) those who wanted to convert to Islam would give their pledge of allegiance to the Muslim Khalif (leader of the Islamic state) and the Khalif would accept their pledge of allegiance.
Unfortunately the Islamic state was destroyed in 1924 and since then we have had no khalif.
However we will have it one day and in the meantime those Muslims should take note of this pledge of Allegiance and the need for a khalif. Thus even in the absence of the Khalif a Muslim should sincerely adhere to the conditions that Muslims used to pledge to. So a persons loyalty MUST be with the true Muslims.
Thus a Muslim should not be aiding in the killing of Muslims or the Invasion of Muslim lands. We should be working for the reestablishment of the Khailifate (Islamic state) under one leader (Khalif).
We should that we are one nation (one Ummah) of almost 1.5 billion. We have one Quran, one Prophet and one flag. Whatever our language, race, place of birth may be we are still one Ummah and our loyality must be with each other.
We may be scattered all around the globe but our loyalty should be with each other.
Thus we should not be in the armed forces of the non Muslims.
Those who are in the armed forces of the non Muslims they must leave those armed forces unless a Muslim countries needs them there to spy on that force.
Those Muslims who are in the armed forces of the Muslim countries can only obey orders which are in line with Islamic principles. They can not obeying orders which are against Islam or call for fighting on bases of nationalism, or spreading of man made laws or to defend unIslamic practices.
As Muslims we should allow Islam to change us into the kind of human beings that our creator loves and not try and change Islam to fit us.
Therefore some old habits and ways of thinking will have to be left behind. It will take time to leave old habits and ways of thinking but as you become more Allah conscious, you will start leaving those old habits and ideas which may not be in accordance to Islam.
We should strive to be the perfect Muslims but we should remember that people do mess up from time to time and end up committing sins
We should remember that Allah is most merciful and he loves sincere repentance. If we sincerely repent from a sin, Allah will forgive us.
Allah loves to see his slaves turn to Him in sincere repentance. Allah knows who is sincere in repentance.