Q&A for How to Become a Muslim

Remember, Allah is always there. He knows and understands all that is in your heart. You can convert to Islam if you want to, and practice it too, until you find the right time to tell your parents.

There is no age restriction to say the shahadah, so all you have to do is just pronounce your faith by saying the shahadah. You may also take your time to consider if this is what you truly want, as you are only 11.

No. Your hair can be any length. For women who plan on wearing a hijab, there are special clothing items you can use to hide your hair beneath the hijab.

Yes. We are encouraged to socialize, make friends and spread good character.

Bismillah means "in the name of Allah." It is recommended (sunna) that you take the name of Allah before you do anything, big or small.

Yes, you can. As far as Islam is concerned, there's no problem for the family to accept you.

Yes, Allah will protect you and guide you to the right moment for telling your family.

You can research about Islam, read the Quran's translation and keep up your affinity for Islam. When you turn into an adult, you can convert freely. Show them our article about How to Stop Viewing Islam As a Bad Religion .

Yes, just follow the guidance of the Qur'an, and try to learn it in Arabic.

Remind your friend that the Qur'an says: "There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion." Ask your friend to accept that you have a different religion.

No, Muslims all over the world are from all different countries. Islam teaches to live peacefully with everyone and makes no distinctions between people. Muslims live as brothers and sisters.

Absolutely not; everyone can become Muslim once they understand Islam. When you convert to Islam, all your sins are washed away - you are then like a newborn baby with no sins, pure.

You have to remain quiet and bear it. In the Qur'an, Allah says: Allah is with those who are patient. If she begins to harass you because of your religion, or discriminate you, tell another teacher.

If a Muslim has out-of-marriage sex, that is forbidden. Regarding smoking, it is haram (forbidden), due to extensive medical evidence that it is harmful to the body. Therefore, scholars have likened it to suicide, which is forbidden. Allah forgives anything if you admit the behavior was wrong, ask him for mercy and try your best to stop doing it - even if you relapse.

It's not 99% of terrorists; it's actually a much smaller percentage. What's happening is that the terrorists have started brainwashing the Muslims who lack knowledge, using the name of Jihad. Most of the victims are Muslims and go unheard of. There are over 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide. If they were all terrorists, then the world would be destroyed due to the immense fighting. Therefore, terrorists are not true followers of Islam and are a minority of those who claim to be Muslim.

Your parents do not have a say in your beliefs. The best thing I can suggest is to become Muslim privately. Allah will guide you when it's time to tell your parents. There is no obeying the creation if you are disobeying the creator. In fact, he has permitted us to disobey our parents if they order us to disobey him (Qur'an 31:14-15).

When a person enters the Muslim faith, Allah forgives all past sins, irrespective of what that person has done or what faith he/she adhered to. You get a completely clean slate.

It is alright to be nervous. You can research more about Islam until your heart itself wants you to become a Muslim. Do not compel yourself to convert. When you convert, you should agree to it fully and your faith in it should be strong. Teach yourself more about Islam until your attraction to it is full, but do not delay for an extensive period of time one you're sure of your belief in Islam.

No, you just have to do the formalities and say the Shahadah sincerely, and that's it, you're a Muslim.

You do not have to learn a language. However, you will need to know some Arabic to read the Quran and say your prayers.

No. You can be a Muslim wherever you are.

It doesn't cost anything to become a Muslim. You don't have to pay anyone anything to convert.

Allah will most definitely help you, but you have to keep your intentions clean. Your intention should be only to make Allah happy. You will be successful in your financial situation, but keep in mind that Allah may test the strength of your faith with different problems.

No. Don't rush to tell them. Talk to them about Islam gradually and tell them once you think they might be comfortable with the idea.

There's no such thing as "Muslim clothing." Islam only states to wear clothes that don't reveal your figure. Qur'an also says, "and the garment of piety is the best." So you may wear anything you like, such as pants, dress shirt, suit etc., as long as it is not tight and revealing. It must cover your intimate parts.

Allah may not stop your mother from disowning you if that's what she chooses to do, but he will protect you in other ways and help you find support without your mother. Remember that Allah tests everyone in different ways, and everything happens for a reason.

All of the studying does not matter if you don't believe in it. Islam is about believing in one Allah, and the prophet Muhammad as His messenger. All that matters are your beliefs.

Technically, both religions believe in the same God, so take a while to contemplate the requirements of each religion first.

First of all, congratulations on becoming a Muslim. I would say yes, take her to Masjid so that she gets that Muslim atmosphere. It will also help her learn about Islam. Also, tell her we pray and ask Allah to guide us, every one, to the straight path.

It doesn't take long. In fact, you can do it immediately. The process is quite simple and quick, you could do it in a day.