Islam FAQ

• Q152: What are you going to give me if I became a Muslim ?
• Q153: Then, I'm not going to be a Muslim.
• Q154: I'm in, I am a believer.
• Q155: Do I have to learn Arabic language ?
• Q156: When and how do we have to practice the 5 obligatory daily Salat (prayer) ?
• Q157: Do I have to adopt the Arabic culture and way of life ?
• Q158: Do I have to change my name ?

Closing Denouement

• Q152: What are you going to give me if I became a Muslim ?
  A: me! Nothing. (there is no missionary blackmailing in Islam). If your deed are not sincere for Allah, then Allah won't except them, he won't gave rewards for such polytheism.
• Q153: Then, I'm not going to be a Muslim.
  A: Do you think that Allah; the all-mighty creator needs your worshiping. If all people were disbelievers, like the most evil criminal ever, Allah won't care, he will punishes them all for their crimes. If all people were believers to the farthest extent reached by the most pious worshiper, that won't make Allah more powerful, as Allah is independent and absolute. Allah is the Rich (who do not need any one) { وَقَالَ مُوسَى إِنْ تَكْفُرُوا أَنْتُمْ وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعاً فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ } meaning { And Moses said: 'If you and all mankind are thankless [disbelievers], He is surely Rich, Praised. ' } (V14:8) { مَنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً } meaning { Whosoever is guided is only guided for his own self, and whosoever goes astray it is only against it. No soul shall bear another's burden. Nor do We punish until we have sent a Messenger. } (V17:15) { إِنْ تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْكُمْ وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ وَإِنْ تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ } meaning { If you disbelieve, Allah is Rich, independent of you. Yet He does not approve of disbelief to His worshipers, but if you believe He will approve it in you. No laden soul shall bear another's load. Then, to Allah you shall return and He will tell to you what you have done. He knows the innermost of your chests. } (V39:7) { وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِيناً فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآَخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ } meaning { And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in Hereafter he will be one of losers. } (V3:85) { قُلْ إِنِّي أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصاً لَهُ الدِّينَ * وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ } meaning { Say: 'I am ordered to worship Allah making my religion sincerely His. I am ordered to be the first of those to be Muslims.' } (V39:11-12) { قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ دِيناً قِيَماً مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفاً وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ * قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ * لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ * قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِي رَبّاً وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ } meaning { Say: 'My Lord has guided me to a Straight Path, an upright religion, the creed of Abraham, he was upright, not from the idolaters. ' * Say: 'My prayers and my worship (for example, pilgrimage and sacrifice), my life and my death, are all for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. * He has no partner, with that I am commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims. ' * Say: 'Should I seek a lord other than Allah, who is the Lord of all things? Every soul earns only to its account no soul shall bear another's burden. Then to your Lord you shall be returned, and He will inform you about that in which you differed. ' } (V6:161-164) (the word soul here is a translation for النفس AlNafs; meaning individual, person or character)
• Q154: I'm in, I am a believer.
  A: By saying [in mind, by tongue and by deeds] the testimony "لا إله إلا الله" ("La Ilaha Illa Allah" meaning "There is no true god except Allah") and "محمد رسول الله" ("Muhammad is his messenger") then you are a Muslim, you have a clear record you should fill it with sincere good deeds, to increase you level of belief. { قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آَمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِنْ تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُمْ مِنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئاً إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ } meaning { The [hypocrite] Nomads declare: 'We believe. ' Say: 'You do not', rather, say: 'we submit, ' because belief has not yet found its way into your hearts. If you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not reduce a thing from of your deeds. Allah is the Forgiving and the Most Merciful. } (V49:14) { الَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ إِلَّا اللَّمَمَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَاسِعُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنْشَأَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنْتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَى } meaning { those who avoid the major sin and indecencies except the small sins, indeed your Lord is of immense forgiveness and He is more knowledgeable of you when He created you from the earth and when you were still unborn in your mothers' wombs. Do not praise yourself. Allah knows the cautious. } (V53:32) { وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْناً وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَاماً * وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّداً وَقِيَاماً * وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَاماً * إِنَّهَا سَاءَتْ مُسْتَقَرّاً وَمُقَاماً * وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنْفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ قَوَاماً * وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهاً آَخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَاماً * يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَاناً * إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآَمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلاً صَالِحاً فَأُولَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُوراً رَحِيماً } meaning { The worshipers of the Merciful are those who walk humbly on the earth, and when the ignorant address them say: 'Peace, ' * who pass the night prostrating and standing to their Lord. * Who say: 'Our Lord, turn from us the punishment of Gehenna, for its punishment is the most terrible; * it is an evil settling, and an evil residence, ' * who when they spend are neither wasteful nor miserly, between that is a just stand, * who do not call upon another god with Allah, nor slay the soul which Allah has forbidden except by right; who do not fornicate, for he who does this shall face punishment * doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection is his punishment, and therein he shall live, humbled, * except he who repents and believes and does good works those, Allah will change their evil deeds into good deeds; Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful. } (V25:63-70)
• Q155: Do I have to learn Arabic language ?
  A: No you don't, Allah knows your language, and you may supplicate to him in any language. But in order to practice Salat (prayer), You have to learn few lines (or read it from a paper) like the Opening chapter (7 short verses each of about two words only), and how to praise Allah and glorify him ("الله أكبر" pronounced as "Allah-u-Akbar" meaning "Allah is the greatest", and "سبحان الله" pronounced as "Suphana Allah" meaning "Glorified is Allah", and saying "سبحان ربي العظيم" meaning "glorified is my All-mighty Lord", and "سبحان ربي الأعلى" meaning "glorified is my exalted Lord"). You start your Salah (prayer) with "Allah-u-Akbar" and till you learn the opening chapter you may have it printed on a paper leaflet (Arabic pronunciation written in your language letters and its meaning translated to your language) and recite it or if you can't you may have some temporal exceptional ways like to repeat "Suphana Allah" (meaning "Glorified is Allah") seven times as a temporal exception till you learn those 7 short verse (according to Shafii and Hanbali schools) or you had better look for someone to pray behind who recite it (according Malki school) or according to Hanafi school you may read its meanings translated to your language. Of course this is an exceptional temporal case, as learning less than 7 lines won't take that long. (this is the first issue of Fiqh in different Islamic schools you encounter, and I think you can see how the differences among Islamic Ummah are a kind of mercy as our prophet said).

  You are encouraged to learn Arabic language, but this is not a must. You learn as much as you can.

• Q156: When and how do we have to practice the 5 obligatory daily Salat (prayer) ?
  A: The very time and the very way the messenger of Allah did it. roughly speaking, One in dawn time before sun rise, second when sun is on it's maximum angle (almost in the middle of the sky), third when the the angle of sun light is 45 degrees (ie. when the length of the shadow becomes the same as of that of the object) but it should be before the length of the shadow is twice that of the object (ie sun light angle is smaller that 63.4 degrees), the fourth after sunset, and the last one when the reddish chaos of sunset (twilight) disappear. To know the way of Salah you need to see a Muslim doing it, (prophet Muhammad said "pray the way you see me praying") so you may get help from Islamic sites, download videos, meet Muslims ..etc.
• Q157: Do I have to adopt the Arabic culture and way of life ?
  A: No, you don't. You may continue aspects of your culture that don't conflict with Islamic law. You may eat any lawful food, you don't have to like palm dates! You may dress any decent clothes (from Islamic perspective), no matter whether it was made in USA or China or Arabia. But when any culture conflicts with Islam, smash it to the wall and follow Islam (even if it's the Arabic culture).
• Q158: Do I have to change my name ?
  A: No, unless your current name contains some religious terms or meanings that conflicts with Islamic beliefs, for example if your name means the worshiper of this or that idol then you have to change it. Many nations (eg. in USA) their names are meaningless, so they don't have a problem. Sometimes names do have meanings borrowed from other languages so that a common person don't know what does his/her name means.

  Many new Muslims love to change their first and keeps their own last name, even if their names have no religious meanings, because they want to reflect that change they made as if they were just born. Some companions of prophet Muhammad did change their names and some did not, it's merely a personal choice. Most new Muslims like to choose names like Abdullah (the worshiper of Allah), Muhammad, Ahmad, Omar (the second Calif, well known for Justice and for being so firm), Belal (one of the first Muslims, a freed slave, to reflect liberty), Ali (the 4th Calif, the first child to accept Islam), Suhaib (a Roman, to reflect that Islam is not for Arabs), Muslim ..etc. There are several names for Women, like Khadija (prophet's wife, the first Muslim), A'isha (the prophet's wife, a major scholar), Fatima (prophet's daughter), ..etc. Some names are for both genders like Islam, Jihad, ..etc. Again, It's a personal choice. It's like you asking me what is my favorite juice so that you drink it you should think more liberally.