Observances the New Muslim Should Do and Sins that should be Avoided by Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is for Allah and may His peace and blessings be bestowed upon our Prophet Muhammad, as well as his family and companions. To proceed: Allah created mankind to worship Him as the Most High says: {I did not create the Jinn or mankind except to worship me}. One does not worship Allah except by what He legislated and revealed to His messengers. They were the ones who fully explained to their people what was legislated for the servants to perform since worshiping Allah with acts that He did not legislate is invalid.

Allah completed the prophet hood of the messengers with the last messenger Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and He made it compulsory for all of mankind to follow him. The Most High says: {Say: O People! Indeed I am a messenger of Allah sent to all of you.}  Therefore whoever does not believe in Muhammad as the final messenger sent to mankind is a disbeliever. The religion of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is Islam and Allah will not accept any other religion. The Most High says: {Whoever seeks another religion besides Islam, then it will never be accepted of him and in the hereafter he will be from the losers.} 

Islam is the religion revealed to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and it consists of five pillars: the attestation that there is nothing worthy of worship except for Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, the establishment of five daily prayers, the payment of alms, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and pilgrimage to the sacred house of Allah for the one who is able to do so. 

The person who wishes to convert to Islam first proclaims the two attestations of faith, then begins to practice the aforementioned pillars based on the following examples:

First, the person says verbally, “I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except for Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” 

Second, the person prays five daily prayers –the early Morning Prayer, the Noon Prayer, the Afternoon Prayer, the Sunset Prayer, and the Evening Prayer. One preforms these prayers daily and nightly for the rest of one’s lifetime. The early Morning Prayer consists of two units of worship, the Noon Prayer consists of four units of worship, the Afternoon Prayer consists of four units of worship, the Sunset Prayer consists of three units of worship, and the Evening Prayer consists of four units of worship. The person does not pray until first having performed ablution which is structured upon washing the entire face, the hands up to the elbows, wiping over the head, and the feet up to the ankles utilizing clean water. 

Third, if a person has earned a significant amount of wealth that is beyond one’s means, then one gives 2.5% of one’s earnings as alms to the poor and those in need once a year. If a person does not earn beyond one’s means, then the payment of alms is not obligatory for one to pay. 

Fourth, one must fast during the month of Ramadan which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. One refrains from eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset. 

Fifth, if one has the financial and physical means, then one should travel to perform the pilgrimage to the house of Allah, once in one’s lifetime. However, if one has the financial means, but not the physical means, whether due to age or a permanent illness, then one can entrust another to perform on their behalf.

The sins that the new Muslim should avoid are the following: 

First, one does not associate any partners with Allah in any of its forms when worshipping Allah as it is considered only to be done for Him. Such examples are supplicating to dead people, slaughtering animals for them, and swearing to an oath using their names. 

Second, one does not commit religious acts of innovations which are acts of worship that were not revealed to the messenger Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, based on his statement: (Whoever does an act that has not been commanded by Allah will have it rejected), which means Allah will not accept it. 

Third, one does not engage in dealing with interest, gambling, bribery, lying during business transactions, in addition to selling impermissible products and making a profit from them.

Fourth, one does not engage in sexual intercourse unless one is married and one does not engage in homosexuality. 

Fifth, one does not drink alcohol, eat pork, and eat meat slaughtered to false gods or dead animal flesh. 

Sixth, one does not marry the non-Muslim women except for the People of the Book. 

Seventh, one should divorce his non-Muslim wife unless she is from the People of the Book. But if she converts with her husband or converts during the divorce period, they can remain married. 

Eighth, if circumcision will not harm the new male Muslim convert, then he should have it performed by a Muslim physician. 

Ninth, if one cannot emigrate from the non-Muslim lands to the lands of Islam, then one should remain in one’s land while adhering to the religion of Islam. 

Written by Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan, member of the Organization of Major Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 03/19/1433 A.H. corresponding to 01/01/2012 and translated by Thomas Maldonado on 12/29/2012.