Background- Conversion or Reversion
Some Muslims only use the word 'revert' not 'convert' when someone joins the religion, believing that everyone is born a Muslim, though their parents can choose to deviate them from this path. This would mean that people who join the faith are reverting to their original faith, born on the religion of their nature.
The Testimony of Faith
All a person has to do to convert to the religion of Islam is to say a sentence called the Testimony of Faith, the Shahada.
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The Testimony of Faith, said in Arabic means some variation on- “There is no true deity but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah”. Some people then also like to shower, symbolically washing off their previous life.
Once the testimony has been said with genuine intentions as well as understanding of its meaning, the person becomes a Muslim. There is no need for any witnesses, as Allah is the final witness. There is also no need to visit a mosque, or other special location to perform the testimony.
To be a Muslim- the beliefs that are upheld
- The Holy Quran is the literal word of Allah
- Judgement Day will come
- Belief in God's prophets, angels and books
- Accept Islam as their religion
- Not worship anyone but Allah
Example
A recent example of someone who has converted to Islam, is Joram Van Klaveren, a former Dutch politician, who used to be a harsh critic of the religion. It occurred whilst he was writing about a book about Islam. 'During that writing I came across more and more things that made my view on Islam falter.' (Source: Politico.eu)
Finding information about converting
Given the nature of converting to Islam, able to be done in privacy anywhere, at any time, a lot of the information regarding conversion to the religion is widely available online. Such beliefs remain consistent across the world and it is highly likely that there are many people in Australia's society who have converted to Islam.
Faith, Obedience And Surrender
About Islam- Background
The Arabic word 'Islam' means submission, originating from a world meaning peace. Thus, the Islam religions teaches the path to peace and surety of heart by submitting to God and live according to his Law. Thus, all Muslims are connected through the shared faith and belonging to the community. The beliefs of this religion remain consistent across the world, with over 600 000 practising in Australia.
Faith/Belief in Allah
Islam is a monotheistic religions, believing in Allah as the sole creator of the Universe. Allah is believed to be personal, who guides those in need of help and shows humanity the 'right way'.
Surrender
Surrender is the overarching idea in Islam. The concept to surrender refers to a Muslim abiding by the Five Pillars of Islam, following the faith as well as submitting and obeying to Allah's will.
The Five Pillars of Islam
The Five Pillars of Islam are what a Muslim must obey to live according to the will of Allah, embodying the need to have faith, obey and surrender.
- Shahadah- reciting the Profession of Faith, showing faith in Allah, belief in the religion and His word.
- Salat- performing ritual prayers five times a day- showing obedience in following the will of Allah and faith in prayer
- Zakat- donating 2.5% of one's wealth to charity, obeying and being faithful to Allah
- Sawm- fasting during the month of Ramadan, shows willingness to surrender and devotion to the religion, putting the faith first before even their own needs, obeying the will of Allah.
- Hajj- pilgrimage to Mecca- obeying Allah
Obedience
Showing obedience is deeply ingrained in everything a Muslim does, following the will of Allah. Not only is this shown through the Five Pillars of Islam, by praying and fasting, Muslim also follow other customs to show submission to Allah.
One such example is their food restrictions, only able to consume Halal food. This means Muslims do not drink alcohol, do not eat pork or any carnivorous animals. Any meat they consume must also be prepared in accordance to Halal standards, having a long list of requirements such as the slaughterer being a sane, adult Muslim and the spinal cord of the animal must not be cut, along with other restrictions.
Muslims also have a general standard to dress modestly, which can be interpreted to differing levels of severity. Some women chose to cover their hair with a hijab, whereas others wear burkas, which covers all of a woman's body. Men are also required to dress to said modest standard. Clothing is also said to have to be loose and distinguish the shape of the body, and also must not be transparent.
Muslims also follow the word of Allah through the Quran, following the rules and restrictions within the holy text. Particularly in the modern era, Muslims have a lot more freedom to choose how they interpret the Quran and in turn, what they obey and practise.
Overall, obedience encompasses Muslims following the customs and practise of their religion, thus obeying the will of Allah.
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