Guide for New Muslims

Congratulations on your conversion to Islam, and welcome to the Muslim community. If you have just embraced Islam, you need to be aware of your obligations as a Muslim. This will likely lead to several lifestyle changes and additions to your routine. We have listed some items that new Muslims will likely need to address immediately after converting. This list assumes the convert has an understanding of how to convert, what the meaning behind the Shahada is, and is familiar with the 5 pillars of Islam (see information on converting and the 5 pillars here). In addition, Muslims should be familiar with the content in the following set of Islam “Lessons” that has been provided on this website. 

The below list is not intended to be intimidating, nor is it meant to delay you from converting until you have the ability to conduct these independently. The right pace of learning & application will depend on your readiness, support network, and abilities. Most important is retaining a healthy relationship with God - if adopting any of these requirements puts that relationship at risk, we recommend slowing down and focusing on your relationship with God and rebuilding practices that will complement your healthy relationship with God. Many converts become zealous after conversion and stop everything cold-turkey and take the extreme position on everything, only later to realize they don't recognize themselves and lost all their friends and family, and have to start back at the beginning and find the middle ground in Islam. Other converts find themselves surrounded by overly-relaxed Muslims who don't 'practice' the rules of Islam and are pressured against following Islam's teaching. We recommend finding a healthy support system like Ta'leef to guide you through adoption and staying on the middle path.  
Convert note: Be wary of post-conversion recommendations to change your name or cut your hair. These are unnecessary unless you have an offensive or religiously contradictory name, or if you have head lice. Changing your name may also cause family turmoil and alienation. 

Praying

Obligation: It is obligatory for Muslim men and women older than 7 years old to pray the ritualistic prayer (salat, صلاة) at least 5 times every day, and this obligation begins immediately after your conversion. This requirement is one of the 5 pillars of Islam (see information on the pillars here). Praying the 5 prayers completely and in Arabic immediately upon conversion may not be possible, or sustainable, for you. We recommend setting goals for starting your prayers and growing to consistently praying the 5 prayers on time every day.

Before your first prayer: After you convert, you must do the ritual cleansing ghusl (غُسْل) before you pray. View our praying page for more information on praying and the ritual cleansing. 

Weekly congregational prayers: In addition to your regular daily prayers, you should target attending the Friday congregational prayer services (Jumu’ah, جمعة‎) which takes place during the Asr prayer time (typically around lunchtime or just after lunchtime). Details on the Friday prayer services are available here; in addition, please reach out to Ta'leef Chicago if you would like someone to go with you to a prayer service.
Convert tips: 
Set prayer goals like first consistently praying 1-2 prayers a day and advancing weekly. Also start by saying the prayers in English + Arabic transliterations to get the meanings of the prayer and be able to reflect on what you are saying in the prayer. This will also help you start associating Arabic words to English words.

Have a printed prayer guide in front of you to follow as you are learning how to pray. 

Restraining from forbidden activities

This includes restraining from drinking alcohol or consuming any other product that is an intoxicant (e.g., marijuana) and limiting interactions with people of the opposite gender (please visit our About Mixing, Dating, and Marriage in Islam page). This will likely be a big social change for converts. 

If your social network's activities focus on drinking, you will need to learn how to navigate such events without alienating your friends or family and without becoming zealous (and of course without consuming alcohol). There are many scholars with varied opinions on being around alcohol - research appropriately and look in your heart for the right approach to handling such situations. 

Dressing Islamically

For women, transitioning to dressing Islamically often presents the toughest challenge (both financially and emotionally) of conversion as it means an outward identification of your new faith, perhaps before you are ready to talk about it. You may find that people start asking you questions about Islam that you don't know the answer to or feel comfortable answering yet. As with everything, we recommend pacing yourself and building a strong support network. Please visit our guide About Islamic Clothing page for more information about dressing Islamically. 
Convert note: Dressing Islamically doesn't mean dressing Arab - this is a common behavior of new convert sisters, many of which later on find themselves going through an identity crisis. You do not need to start shopping on Devon Ave or at other cultural clothing stores - simply find clothing that meets the Islamic modesty requirements. 

 Eating halal

This includes not eating pork (a special case by itself) or meat from any carnivore with fangs (wolf, cat, dog, bat, etc) or omnivore with fangs (e.g. bear, monkey, fox, etc). Information on forbidden (haram) food & beverages can be found on our Eating Halal page. 

Other next steps

  • Find a healthy support system like Ta'leef to guide you through adoption and staying on the middle path.
  • Plan a respectful way to tell your family & close friends about your conversion. Ladies don't just show up in hijab one day!
  • Create a plan to satisfy the other pillars of Islam (zakat / almsgiving, fasting the month of Ramadhan, pilgrimage) Specific guides and helpful online links are provided on this website to help address a lot of these topics.
  • Create a plan for learning Arabic. This will help you read, pronounce, and understand the Arabic in the Qur'ân. This means you will no longer have to rely on translations of the Qur'ân and can read it as it has been preserved in it’s original format. For information on learning Arabic and common Arabic phrases, please visit our About the Arabic Language page. Learning the common Arabic phrases will allow you to properly greet other Muslims (you will likely be greeted “Assalamu Alaikum” many times at the mosque) and understand common phrases - please visit our Islamic Terms page.

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