What are some of the other basics of becoming a Muslim?

[فداء الرسول]

What are some of the other basics of becoming a Muslim?


The acceptance of the righteous deeds (such as your Shahada/confession to become a muslim) is stipulated with the following two basic conditions which must be fulfilled:


The intentions while doing such deeds must be totally for Allah’s sake only without any show off or gaining praise or fame, etc.


Such a deed must be performed in accordance with the As-Sunnah (legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements, etc.) of Allah’s Messenger Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah, the last (end) of all the Prophets and the Messengers, saaws.


You are only held accountable for that which you know. And you are also held accountable to make the time to learn that which you don't know, in areas you know you need to learn about.


So, if you are not a muslim, it is your responsibility to seek the knowledge of Al-Islam, to ask questions about things you do not understand or agree with regarding the basic fundamental beliefs of Islam (as explained above).

[فداء الرسول]

How do I become a Muslim?



By first attaining the above understanding of shahada ("La ilaha il Allah, Muhammad-ur-Rasool-Allah") and then

confessing it to Allah, glory and praise to Him.


To take your Shahada (i.e. make the confession of faith), just make your best attempt at pronouncing, in arabic, the statement, "Ashadu an (I bear witness that) La ilaha il Allah, Muhammad-ur-Rasool-Allah". You do not have to have witnesses to this event, and you should not make a big ceremony out of it, because it is a very personal committment. It is, however, recommended, if you can, to make your shahada with muslim witnesses, but do not delay becoming a muslim for this or any such reason. After you become a muslim, then you are held responsible for learning when and how to do salah andwudu, acting upon the pillars of Islam and faith, and for implementing what you learn, when you learn it.

[فداء الرسول]

What should I do after becoming a muslim?

Immediately upon becoming a muslim, you should take a bath or shower (i.e. Ghusl).

If able, you should then offer a two Rak’at prayer.

Then you must study and act upon the five principles (pillars) of Islam, and study and believe in the
six articles of Faith.

The Five Pillars of Islam (or the five basic duties of a Muslim):

[Sahih Al-Bukhari 1/7, Narrated by Ibn 'Umar]

Allah’s Messenger said: Islam is based on the following five (principles):

To testify La ilaha ill Allah wa anna Muhammad-ur-Rasul-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger).
To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly (Iqamat-as-Salat, i.e. Salah).
Says al-Khattabi, "Basically, one's prayer does not suffice if he does not recite al-Fatihah. If one can recite neither al-Fatihah nor other portions of the Qur'an, he should recite at least seven verses of a similar meaning from the Qur'an. If he can not learn any part of the Qur'an (due to some innate inability, poor memory, or because it's a foreign language), he should say the tasbeeh (Subhaan Allah - Glory be to Allah), the tamheed (al-Hamdu lillah - All praise is due to Allah), and tahleel (La ilaha illal-lah - There is no God except Allah). It is related that he said, "The best remembrance after the speech of Allah is Subhaan Allah, al-Hamdu lillah, La ilaha illal-lah and Allahu akbar." This is supported by Rafa'ah ibn Rafa', who narrated that the Prophet said, "If you have something from the Qur'an, recite it. If not, then say the tamheed, takbir and the tahleel and then bow." [This hadith is related by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and al-Baihaqi. The former considers it as hassan]
To pay Zakat (a specific charity paid yearly for the benefit of poor Muslims; 2.5% of wealth).
To perform Hajj. (i.e. pilgrimage to Makka).
To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.

[فداء الرسول]

The Six articles of Faith, (found in Sahih Muslim) are the belief in:

Allah
To believe in the ONENESS of Allah, swt. (i.e. Tauhid-ar-Rububiyya, Tauhid-
al-Uluhiyya, Tauhid-al-Asma was-Sifat).


Part of the belief in Allah is the belief in all that with which He has described Himself in His Book or with which His Prophet (peace be upon him) has described Him without anydistortion, negation, speculation (as to the exact nature of these attributes), nor analogy (i.e. between Allah's attributes and those of His creation bearing the same names)
Distortion
The Jahmiy (follower of the deviations of Al-Jahm ibn Safwan) negates Allah's statement about himself that he "sat on the throne" by adding an extra letter to the word in the Qur'an.
[Istawaa 'alaa al-'arsh] innovated to [Istawlaa 'alaa al-'arsh]
The innovators who changed the case of a noun in the Qur'an in an effort to negate Allah's attribute of speech:
[Wa kallama Allahu Musa takleeman] innovated to [Wa kallama Allaha Musa takleeman]
Others distorted meanings of Allah's attributes without actually changing the words. Examples include those who said that Allah's anger (Ghadhab) means His intention to punish, His mercy (Rahma) means his intention to have mercy, His hand (Yad) is His generosity or His power, etc.
Negation/Denial (At Ta'teel)
Negation of the Exalted Perfection of Allah Most High via the negation of His Names and Glorious Attributes.
Negation through negation of appropriate interaction with Allah and neglect of worship of Him and obedience to Him, or the association of others with Him in acts of worship and/or obedience.
Negation of the relationship of the creation to its Creator, such as the negation of the philosophers who claimed that this physical universe has no beginning, and that it has always and will always work according to its own internal rules. They turn Allah into an essence with no attributes - which is an impossibility.
Speculation and Analogy (At-Takyeef wa At-Tamtheel)
At-Takyeef means attempts to ascribe a detailed understanding of the exact nature of the various attributes with which Allah has described Himself. Just use the words and understanding given in the Qur'an and not your own philosophies as to what Allah is.
At-Tamtheel means to make a direct comparison or analogy between one of Allah's attributes and a human attribute having the same name, such as the comparison of Isa (Jesus) by the Christians to Allah Most High, or that of Uzair by the Jews or that of the idols by the polytheists to Allah Most High. Likewise the Mushabbiha among the Muslims who compare Allah with His creation by saying that He has a face like our faces, hands like our hands, hearing and sight like ours, etc.


Allah’s angels


Angels are real beings, not illusions, a metaphysical force, or figments of human imagination. They are created from light.
A Muslim must believe specifically in all the angels named and/or described in the Qur'an and the Sunnah:.
Jibreel ("Gabriel"): in charge of delivering revelation.
Mika'il: in charge of bringing the rain.
Israfil: the blower of the horn on Qiyama (Judgement Day).
Malik-ul-Maut: the Angel of Death who takes people's souls at death.
The Noble Recorders: those who record people's actions.
The Protectors (Al-Mu'aqqibat): who keep people from death until its decreed time.
Ridhwan: in charge of Paradise.
Malik: in charge of Hell.
Munkar and Nakir: the questioners in the grave.
The Carriers of the Throne.
Those who record the future of the fetus.
Those who enter the Haram: 70,000 every day.
Those who move about, descending upon gatherings at which Allah and His Book are mentioned and studied.
Belief in the angels is an integral part of iman (faith). [See 2/285 Al-Baqarah]
Kufr (disbelief) with respect to the angels is kufr (a state of disbelief). [See 4/136 An-Nisaa]

[فداء الرسول]

Allah’s Messengers


Belief in the prophets, prayers and salutations of Allah be upon them.
Belief in the process of prophethood.
Allah in His wisdom did not neglect His creation.
Prophets sent to guide us in this life and the next.
Specific belief in the 25 prophets named in the Qur'an: (1) Adam, (2) Nuh, (3) Idris, (4) Saleh, (5) Ibrahim, (6) Hud, (7) Lut, (8) Yunus, (9) Isma'il, (10) Is-haq, (11) Ya'qub, (12) Yusuf, (13) Ayub, (14) Shu'aib, (15) Musa, (16) Harun, (17) Alyas', (18) Dhu Al-Kifl, (19) Daud, (20) Zakariya, (21) Sulaiman, (22) Ilyas, (23) Yahya, (24) Isa, and (25) Muhammad, prayers and salutations of Allah be upon him and upon all the messengers of Allah.
General belief that there are many other prophets and messengers, but never assuming anything without knowledge from Allah (i.e. Qur'an and Sunnah).
The subject matter of the prophethood.
Warnings and glad tidings.
So the disobedient will have no excuse before Allah. (Prophets sent to every nation.)
Enjoining the worship of Allah and the avoidance of At-Taghoot (Shaitaan, etc.) [Study: 4/165, An-Nisaa; 16/36, An-Nahl]
Attributes of the Prophet Muhammad:
Seal of the prophets; Imam of the pious; Foremost among the sons of Adam; Imam and Khatib of the prophets when they assembled; Possessor of the Praiseworthy Position which all of mankind will wish they had attained (and which is mentioned in the Du'a of hearing the adhan); Owner of the pool in paradise; Intercessor for all mankind on the day of Qiyama (Judgement Day).
Allah sent him with the best of the books and the best of His law. Allah made his nation "the best nation brought forth for mankind." Allah gave him (and us) all of the good that was given only partially to the previous nations. His nation is the last in creation, the first in resurrection.
From the moment of his prophethood, Allah made him the criterion (Al-Farooq) for distinguishing Allah's allies and their actions from His enemies and their actions: None can have any relationship to Allah except through belief in the Prophet (sas) and following what he brought in public and in secret. Whoever claims love or closeness to Allah while disobeying the message is actually drawing closer to Shaitaan, farther from Allah.


Allah’s revealed Books


Muslims should have general belief in the phenomenon of the sending of the revealed books. Keep in mind, all the revealed books were allowed by Allah to be corrupted, except the Qur'an.
Six specific books mentioned in the Qur'an:
As-Suhuf of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Musa (Moses).
Az-Zaboor given to Daud (David).
At-Taurat (The Torah) revealed to Musa.
Al-Injeel revealed to Isa (Jesus).
Al-Qur'an - the final revelation.


Attributes of the Qur'an:
Flawless and untampered with: [See 41/42 Fusilat]
The final authority over any remnants of the previous books. [See 5/48 Al-Maidah]
A guidance and a mercy. [See 10/37 Yunus]
The Qur'an must be followed and applied. [See 6/155 Al-An'aam]

Source: http://muttaqun.com/shahada.html