Once you believe that Islam and the Quran are the truth, the only step is to declare that belief by stating, “I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” This is called the “Testification of Faith (shahadah)” and is the first pillar of Islam. It is better to inform some Muslims of this, even if you are keeping it a secret. Simply declaring belief in Islam, the Quran, everything that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught, or declaring yourself as a Muslim is sufficient too. Yes, it’s that easy.

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It’s natural to feel nervous about this. You will usually be met with 2 members of our team online or at our office. They will explain the basic tenets of belief in Islam and take you through the recitation of the testimony of faith in English. There are no special dress requirements for this.

Gift packs and a Certificate of Conversion will automatically be sent out within 28 days.

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No. Absolutely not.  However, the Prophet ﷺ changed some names of his companions that contained extremely negative meanings after they converted to Islam. Islam does not require a person to abandon their roots and culture as long as they do not contradict the principles of the religion. Thus, a person is free to choose what style of dress to wear, for example, and types of food to eat as long as they do not violate something that is prohibited such as exposing nakedness or the consumption of pork. See our article here for a more detailed discussion.

Not at all! However, the Quran is in Arabic and reciting some of it in the prayer is required. Generally, Muslims will use Arabic greetings and phrases when in each other’s company, so learning a few bits comes in handy.

There are different views regarding this. The general view is that the other partner will be given the opportunity to accept Islam, and if not, then a divorce/separation will occur. There are several scenarios:

1. If the male converts and his wife is a Christian or Jew, then they can remain in the marriage.
2. If either spouse converts and the wife is not a Christian or a Jew, then they can wait for her iddah (a waiting period after divorce) to end; if either converts during that time, then they can remain in the marriage.
3. If, after the iddah ends and the other still has not converted, then a separation will occur.

Some say that it is prohibited for a woman or a man to stay in this relationship. However, some scholars held the view that they can stay together if he is not causing harm to her religion, and she hopes that he may accept Islam in the future. The ECFR discussed it in 2001, their resolution can be found here under 3/8.

However, this does not determine whether a person is a Muslim or not as it is a practical matter.

Yes. Muslims believe that Jesus (Isa) was a great prophet and Messenger (born from the Virgin Mary) who performed mighty miracles with God’s permission. However, Muslims do not believe Jesus is God or the Son of God.

No. None of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ or Islamic scholars who came after them ever said this. This is due to a misunderstanding of the hadith, “There is no newborn except that they are born on the primordial state (Al-Fitrah), and its parents make it a Jew or a Christian or a Zoroastrian.”[1] This does not mean that the child is born as a Muslim, rather, that it is born with a “clean slate”. Also, the term “Muslim” has a very specific definition meaning the one who has believed in and affirmed everything the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came with. Since this is not possible for a minor to do, it is incorrect to label them as Muslims unless their parents are Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ was also asked about whether the children of disbelievers will be saved if they die young and he replied, “Allah, when he created them, knows best what they would have done.”[2]

[1] Al-Bukhari (1358), Muslim (2658).

[2] Al-Bukhari (1383), Muslim (2660)

Islam is practised by over 1.9 billion people across many cultures, languages, and countries. Practices and customs can vary widely. The majority of Muslims are not Arabic-speaking.