KiSaH aKu, LiM, dan Islam,..

Aku punya seorang rakan baik dari zaman kanak-kanak. Lim Wei Choon. Sana-sama bersekolah rendah hingga ke peringkat menengah . Selepas SPM. Aku masuk ke Tingkatan 6, manakala Lim dihantar keluarganya melanjutkan pelajaran ke Amerika Syarikat. Kenangan sewaktu kanak-kanak hingga ke zaman remaja terlalu banyak yang dikongsi bersama. Setiap kali hari raya menjelang, Lim pasti berkunjung ke rumah ku untuk menikmati dodol arwah ayahku yang amat digemarinya.

kadangkala, jika ada kenduri kendara dirumahku, pasti Lim akan turut serta. Aku jarang ke rumahnya kecuali untuk beberapa sambutan seperti harijadi dan juga Tahun Baru Cina. Aku takut dengan anjing peliharaan keluarga Lim. Dengan Lim juga aku belajar matematik manakala subjek Bahasa Malaysia sering menjadi rujukannya padaku.

Kenangan-kenangan seperti memancing, mandi jeram, ponteng sekolah untuk melihat pertandingan ‘breakdance’ , semuanya kami kongsi bersama-sama. Apayang ingin kunyatakan ialah, warna kulit dan perbezaan ugama tidak pernah menjadi penghalang persahabatan kami.

20 tahun telah berlalu, Lim telah menetap di Amerika setelah berjaya mendapat Green Card, beliau bekerja disana. Itu yang kuketahui dari kakaknya. Hubungan ku dengan Lim terputus setelah dia melanjutkan pelajaran.
maklumlah, dizaman kami dulu tiada internet, email atau telefon bimbit, yang ada cuma sesekali menghantar poskad bertanya khabar. Untuk menulis surat kepada lelaki amat malas kami rasakan.

Suatu pagi. Aku bertembung dengan kakak Lim di pasar , kakaknya memberitahu Lim akan pulang ke tanahair. Dan aku amat terkejut dengan berita yang kudengar dari kakaknya. ” He’s name is no more Lim Wei Choon. He’s now Ahmad Zulfakar Lim since 5 years ago. ..Subhanallah! Syukur Alhamdulillah, rakan baikku telah menemui hidayah dari Allah S.W.T. Memang aku tak sabar untuk berjumpa dengannya lebih-lebih lagi setelah menjadi saudara seagama denganku.

Hari yang kutunggu-tunggu telah tiba, dan petang itu aku berkesempatan bertemu dengan Lim dirumahnya. Ada satu keraian istimewa sempena menyambut kepulangannya. Ketika aku tiba, tetamu sudah semakin berkurangan.

….Itulah kalimat pertama dari mulutnya, wajahnya sudah jauh berubah, air mukanya amat redup dan tenang. Aku menjawab salam dan berpelukan dengannya dan kami menangis umpama kekasih yang sudah terlalu lama terpisah.

‘Ini dia olang memang sudah manyak lama kawan, dari kecik ini dua olang” Ibu Lim menjelaskan pada beberapa orang tetamu yang melihat peristiwa kami berpelukan dan menangis itu. Tetapi aku bukan menangis kerana apa, tetapi kerana amat sebak dan terharu dan sangat bersyukur melihat keislaman rakanku.

Lim mengajak aku duduk dibuaian dihalaman rumahnya untuk berbual-bual. beliau masih fasih berbahasa melayu walau sudah lama berada diperantauan.

Talha, kau kawan baik aku kan ? betul tak?…

Memanglah..Kenapa kau tanya macam tu?

kalau kau kawan baik aku, Kenapa kau biarkan aku diseksa?

Sorry Lim. Aku tak faham..diseksa? What do you mean?

Cuba kau fikir, kita ni kawan dari kecil. Aku ingat lagi, rumah kau tu, is my second house. Tapi, mengapalah kau tak pernah ceritakan pada aku tentang Islam? Mengapa aku kena pergi ke US baru aku dapat belajar tentang Islam? Mengapa bukan di Malaysia , negara Islam ni? Dan mengapa aku di Islam kan oleh seorang bekas paderi kristian?

Aku terdiam, kelu tak mampu menjawab. Dan Lim terus berkata-kata.

Kalau betullah kau kawan baik aku, Kenapa kau cuma nak baik dengan aku di dunia saja? kau suka tengok kawan baik kau ni diseksa didalam api neraka?

Kau tahu, kalaulah aku ni tak sempat masuk islam hingga aku mati. Aku akan dakwa semua orang melayu Islam dalam kampung kita ni sebab tak sampaikan dakwah dan risalah Islam pada aku, keluarga aku dan non muslim yang lain.

Kau sedar tak, kau dah diberikan nikmat besar oleh Allah denagn melahirkan kau didalam keluarga Islam. tapi, nikmat itu bukan untuk kau nikmati seorang diri, atau untuk keluarga kau sendiri, kau dilahirkan dalam Islam adalah kerana ditugaskan untuk sampaikan Islam pada orang-orang yang dilahirkan dalam keluarga bukan Islam macam aku.

Aku masih tunduk dan terkata apa-apa kerana sangat malu.

Berdakwah adalah tugas muslim yang paling utama, sebagai pewaris Nabi, penyambung Risalah. Tetapi apa yang aku lihat, orang melayu ni tidak ada roh jihad, tak ada keinginan untuk berdakwah, macamana Allah nak tolongbangsa melayu kalau bangsa tu sendiri tak tolong ugama Allah?

Aku bukan nak banggakan diri aku, cuma aku kesal..sepatutnya nikmat ini kau kena gunakan dengan betul dan tepat, kerana selagi kau belum pernah berdakwah, jangan kau fikir kau sudah bersyukur pada Allah. Dan satu lagi, jangan dengan mudah kau cop orang-orang bukan Islam itu sebagai kafir kerana kafir itu bererti ingkar. Kalau kau dah sampaikan seruan dengan betul, kemudian mereka ingkar dan berpaling, barulah kau boleh panggil kafir.

Aku menjadi amat malu, kerana segala apa yang dikatakan oleh Lim adalah benar! dan aku tak pernah pun terfikir selama ini. Aku hanya sibuk untuk memperbaiki amalan diri sehingga lupa pada tugasku yang sebenar. Baru aku faham, andainya tugas berdakwah ini telak dilaksanakan, Allah akan memberikan lagi pertolongan, bantuan dan kekuatan serta mempermudahkan segala urusan dunia dan akhirat sesorang itu.

Petang itu aku pulang dengan satu semangat baru. Aku ingin berdakwah! Lim yang baru memeluk Islam selama 5 tahun itu pun telah mengislamkan lebih 20 orang termasuk adiknya. Mengapa aku yang hampir 40 tahun Islam ini (benarkah aku islam tulen) tidak pernah hatta walau seorang pun orang bukan Islam yang pernah kusampaikan dengan serious tentang kebenaran Islam?

Semoga Allah mengampuni diriku yang tidak faham apa itu erti nikmat dilahirkan sebagai Islam.

Semoga kita dapat mengambil iktibar daripada cerita ini…

HoW DoeS oNe BeCoMe a MuSLiM?

One becomes a Muslim by believing in the Two Testifications of Faith and uttering them with the intention of leaving out blasphemy. 

What are the Two Testifications of Faith?

The Two Testifications of Faith are:

>>>In English<<<

I bear witness that no one deserves to be worshiped except Allah

and

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

>>>In Arabic<<<

أشهدُ أنْ لا إلهَ إلاَّ اللهُ

وأشهدُ أنَّ محمّداً رسولُ الله

(ASHHADU ALLA ILAHA ILLALLAH, WA ASHHADU ANNA MUHAMMADAR-RASULULLAH)

The non-Muslim embraces Islam by believing in the Two Testifications of Faith and uttering them with the intention of leaving out blasphemy.

The first Testification means that no one or thing deserves to be worshipped except God Who is the Creator of everything.

The second Testification states that Muhammad the son of Abdillah who was born in Makkah about 1400 years ago is a messenger of God. He was sent to convey what God revealed to him so that the humans believe in and work with the Laws he received and brought. He is truthful in all what he conveyed.

The Two Testifications reject the Godhood of anyone or anything other than God. They confirm the Godhood of God only with the acknowledgment of the message of prophet Muhammad.

MuHaSaBaH DiRi

Bersihkanlah dirimu sebelum kamu dimandikan

Berwudhu'lah kamu sebelum kamu diwudhu'kan

Dan solatlah kamu sebelum kamu disolatkan

Tutuplah 'auratmu sebelum'auratmu ditutupkan

Dengan kain kafan yang serba putih

Pada waktu itu tidak guna lagi bersedih

Walaupun orang yang hadir itu merintih

Selepas itu kamu akan diletak di atas lantai

Lalu dilaksanakanlah solat Jenazah

Dengan empat kali takbir dan satu salam

Berserta Fatihah, Selawat dan doa

Sebagai memenuhi tuntutan Fardhu Kifayah

Tapi apakah empat kali takbir itu dapat menebus

Segala dosa meninggalkan solat sepanjang hidup?

Apakah solat Jenazah yang tanpa rukuk dan sujud

Dapat membayar hutang rukuk dan sujudmu yang telah luput?

Sungguh tertipulah dirimu jika beranggapan demikian

Justeru kumenyeru sekelian Muslimin dan Muslimat

Usunglah dirimu ke tikar solat

Sebelum kamu diusung ke liang lahad

Menjadi makanan cacing dan makanan ulat

Iringilah dirimu ke masjid

Sebelum kamu diiringi ke Pusara

Tangisilah dosa-dosamu di dunia

Kerana tangisan tidak berguna di alam baqa'

Sucikanlah dirimu sebelum kamu disucikan

Sedarlah kamu sebelum kamu disedarkan

Dengan panggilan 'Izrail yang menakutkan

Berimanlah kamu sebelum kamu ditalkinkan

Kerana ianya berguna untuk yang tinggal

Bukan yang pergi

Beristighfarlah kamu sebelum kamu diistighfarkan

Namun ketika itu istighfar tidak menyelamatkan

Ingatlah di mana saja kamu berada

Kamu tetap memijak bumi Tuhan

Dan dibumbungi dengan langit Tuhan

Serta menikmati rezeki Tuhan

Justeru bila Dia menyeru, sambutlah seruan-Nya

Sebelum Dia memanggilmu buat kali yang terakhirnya

Ingatlah kamu dahulu hanya setitis air yang tidak bererti

Lalu menjadi segumpal darah

Lalu menjadi seketul daging

Lalu daging itu membaluti tulang

Lalu jadilah kamu insan yang mempunyai erti

Ingatlah asal usulmu yang tidak bernilai itu

Yang kalau jatuh ke tanah

Ayam tak patok itik tak sudu

Tapi Allah mengangkatmu ke suatu mercu

Yang lebih agung dari malaikat

Lahirmu bukan untuk dunia

Tapi gunakanlah ia buat melayar bahtera akhirat

Sambutlah seruan 'Hayya 'ala Solaah'

Dengan penuh rela dan bersedia

Sambutlah seruan 'Hayya 'alal Falaah'

Jalan kemenangan akhirat dan dunia

Ingatlah yang kekal ialah amal

Menjadi bekal sepanjang jalan

Menjadi teman di perjalanan

Guna kembali ke pangkuan Tuhan

Pada hari itu tiada berguna Harta, tahta dan putera

Isteri, kad kredit dan kereta

Kondominium, saham dan niaga

Kalau dahi tak mencecah sejadah di dunia .

BeRBuaT BaiKLaH KaMu KePaDa oRaNg YaNg BeRBuaT JaHat KePaDa KaMu

Di satu sudut pasar Madinah Al- Munawarah ada seorang pengemis Yahudi buta. Hari demi hari apabila ada orang yang mendekatinya dia selalu berkata, "Wahai saudaraku janganlah kami dekati Muhammad, dia itu orang gila, dia itu pembohong, dia itu tukang sihir, apabila kalian mendekatinya kalian akan dipengaruhinya."

Namun tanpa disedari pengemis Yahudi buta, setiap pagi Rasulullah SAW mendatanginya dengan membawa makanan. Tanpa berkata sepatah kata pun Rasulullah SAW menyuapkan makanan yang dibawanya kepada pengemis itu walaupun pengemis itu selalu berpesan agar tidak mendekati orang yang bernama Muhammad. Begitulah yang dilakukan oleh baginda pada setiap hari sehinggalah ke saat kewafatannya.

Setelah kewafatan Rasulullah SAW, tidak ada lagi orang yang membawakan makanan setiap pagi kepada pengemis Yahudi buta itu. Suatu hari Abu Bakar Radhiallahu Anhu (RA) berkunjung ke rumah anaknya Aisyah. Beliau bertanya kepada anaknya, "Anakku adakah sunnah kekasihku yang belum aku kerjakan?"

Aisyah menjawab pertayaan ayahnya, "Wahai ayahanda, engkau adalah seorang ahli sunnah dan hampir tidak ada satu sunnah pun yang belum ayahanda lakukan kecuali satu sunnah saja."

"Apakah itu?", tanya Abu Bakar RA.

"Setiap pagi Rasulullah SAW selalu pergi ke hujung pasar dengan membawakan makanan untuk seorang pengemis Yahudi buta yang berada di sana," kata Aisyah.

Keesokan harinya Abu Bakar RA pergi ke pasar dengan membawa makanan untuk diberikannya kepada pengemis itu. Beliau mendatangi pengemis itu dan memberikan makanan itu kepadanya.

Ketika Abu Bakar RA mulai menyuapkan nasi, si pengemis itu marah sambil berteriak, "Siapakah kamu?"

Abu Bakar RA menjawab, "Aku orang yang biasa."

"Bukan! Engkau bukan orang yang biasa mendatangiku," jawab si pengemis buta itu.

"Apabila dia datang kepadaku, tidak susah tangan ini memegang dan tidak susah mulut ini mengunyah. Orang yang biasa mendatangiku itu selalu menyuapkan aku tetapi terlebih dahulu dihaluskannya makanan tersebut," pengemis itu melanjutkan perkataannya.

Abu Bakar RA tidak dapat menahan air matanya. Beliau menangis sambil berkata kepada pengemis itu, "Aku memang bukan orang yang biasa datang padamu, aku adalah salah seorang daripada sahabatnya, orang yang mulia itu telah tiada lagi. Beliau adalah Muhammad Rasulullah SAW."

Setelah pengemis itu mendengar cerita Abu Bakar RA, dia pun menangis dan kemudian berkata, "Benarkah demikian? Selama ini aku selalu menghinanya dan memfitnahnya. Dia tidak pernah memarahiku walau sedikit pun, malah dia mendatangiku dengan membawa makanan setiap pagi. Dia begitu mulia.."

Pengemis Yahudi buta tersebut akhirnya bersyahadah dihadapan Abu Bakar RA.

- Artikel iluvislam.com

aLL aBouT iSLaM

Islam The Only True Religion

ALLAH

Everything that exists, except Allah, the Creator, is created by Him. Allah has full power over every bit of His creation. Allah is not created; He existed always, having His attributes; He will never perish, nor will His attributes diminish. Among His attributes is that He has knowledge of all His creation, that He sees the seeable and that He hears the hearable, and His knowing, seeing and hearing are in no way similar to ours. Allah speaks and His Speech is not made up of language or sound, nor does it resemble the speech of man in any way. He does not need any of His creation for His existence and He does not resemble any of His creation in any way. This means that Allah is not a man or a woman; He is not "a Father" or "a Mother". He does not have a wife, a mother, a father, a son, or a daughter; He has no equal or partner. Allah does not divide into parts; no creation, including man, has "a part of Allah" in him, nor can any creation become like Allah. He is the only God.

Allah existed eternally before He created any place, such as Paradise (Heaven), the skies, earth, or any planets. Hence, we know He is now as He was before He created all these places; He does not need any place to exist in. Allah has always known about every bit of His creation; there is no thing in His creation which escapes or defeats Him. No thing goes against the will of Allah. Both good and evil occur by His Will. However, Allah orders humans to do only the good; humans make the choice to obey or disobey Allah. Our ability to do good or evil is given to us by Allah, the Exalted.

HUMANITY

Men and women are one of the creations of Allah. They are distinct from plants, animals, jinn, and angels. They were created after angels and jinn; the first man was created from clay. Allah puts a soul into man but in no way is man's soul Allah, or "a part of Allah". The first man was Adam and all human beings come from his family. Adam had no mother or father; he was created and given life by Allah. Allah created a wife for Adam who bore his children. Allah created the human beings to order them to believe, profess the truth about Allah and His messengers, worship Allah only, and follow His orders during life on earth. Some of mankind has and does worship Allah correctly, obeys His orders, and will be rewarded beyond imagination. Some of mankind has not and will not worship Allah correctly and will be punished by Allah with severity in Hellfire.

JINN

Jinn are a distinct creation of Allah, who are invisible to humans. Allah created them from the pure flame of fire. They are male and female and have offspring. They exist here on earth and out of it. Like humans, some jinn worship Allah, but some do not. The ones who do not are known as the devils, whose head is Satan.

ANGELS

Angels are another distinct creation of Allah. They are not male or female and have no children. Allah created them from light. They never sin, obeying Allah in every matter. Humans have angels near them that record all they do. Some angels have appeared to men in the form of men but they never take a woman's shape. Some angels protect people from jinn by Allah's will. The angel who brought revelations to the prophets is Gabriel.

PROPHETS

Prophets are the greatest men that ever lived. Prophets received Revelation from Allah and conveyed it to the people. The prophets received the Revelations and conveyed them exactly in the language Allah ordered. The language of the scriptures is created, but Allah's speech is not. A messenger is a prophet who comes with abrogating some of the laws brought by the previous messenger or receives a new set of laws. Prophets were intelligent, trustworthy, truthful, did not commit major sins and never left their Religion. Many prophets have lived in the past. Muhammad, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, who lived some 1400 years ago, was the last and greatest prophet.

Other prophets before him include: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph (son of Jacob), David, Solomon, Moses, and Jesus, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon all of them.

The true scriptures were Revelations received by prophets. Moses and Jesus both received scriptures, but what are now called the Torah and the Bible have been tampered with by man and are not the true Revelations received by the great messengers Moses and Jesus. The only scripture which is unchanged and will never be changed is the Qur'an, which is the scripture Allah gave Muhammad, His last prophet, in clear and eloquent Arabic. Allah has promised to protect the Qur'an from any changes by man, and it has remained unchanged since it was received some 1400 years ago. Unlike the prophets before him who were sent to a particular people, Muhammad was sent to all people who lived at his time and all people who live after him until the Day of Judgment when the earth will be destroyed.

THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

This earth, planets and stars were all created by Allah at a point in time. They did not always exist and they will perish by Allah's will. On a day which only Allah knows (not even the angels or prophets know it), Allah will make everything on earth and in the skies die (including angels, Satan, and all devils) and then He will resurrect them all and judge humans and jinns on what they did during their lives. Because humans and jinn made the choice to be believers or non-believers, pious or sinners, they will be rewarded or punished, by Allah's will, for what they believed, said, and did.

PARADISE (HEAVEN)

Those of mankind and jinn who believe correctly in Allah, and believe in the Messenger sent to them and profess their belief (i.e., becoming followers of the true Religion) and die with that status will dwell forever in Paradise, which Allah has created for them. The life in Paradise is better than what any human living on earth can imagine. Those in Paradise will experience it in body and soul, but the body will be a new body with no defects. Paradise is not allegorical. It is very real and actual. There will be wonderful riches, foods, joy, and peace. People will be married and have interaction with one another. Those in Paradise will be in ranks according to their piety. Those who are rewarded with Paradise will never be sent out of it.

HELL

Hell, another creation of Allah, is the everlasting dwelling place for those of humans and jinn who rejected the revelations of the prophets. Hence, they disbelieved in Allah and His messengers. Hell is also a particular place and is not experienced here on earth. Its torture will not cease. The suffering will also be in body and soul. Some humans who were followers of the true Religion will suffer in Hell for some time, because they had sinned and did not repent of their sins during their lifetime. Being believers of the true Religion, they will get out of Hell after a time which Allah wills. Then they will enter Paradise and dwell there forever and receive no further punishment. Some believers of the true Religion who die as sinners will be forgiven by Allah on the Day of Judgment and will not go to Hell before entering Paradise.

LIFE AND DEATH

This life of a human or jinn always ends with death and there is no exceptio. Humans do not choose their race, sex, parents, or birthplace and will not be held accountable for those aspects of their life on the Day of Judgment. No human is doomed to Hell because he was born as a certain sex or race. Allah the Merciful, has promised any human or jinn who dies as a follower of the true Religion will receive Paradise forever. Those people who truly never heard about the correct belief in Allah and any of the messengers during their entire lifetime and died in that state will not go to Hellfire. But those sane and pubescent people who have heard of the correct belief in Allah and His messenger and die not embracing this true Religion will dwell in Hell forever.

The correct belief in Allah has never changed and every prophet and messenger has said the same concerning belief in Allah: No one is God but Allah and mankind is to believe in Him and worship Him only. The prophet for the people on earth at present is Muhammad, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, and the laws for the present population are the laws that prophet Muhammad was given by Allah for mankind. There will be no new laws given, for there will be no new messenger.

Usually, the person is given one life in this world, so a person is wise to live this life correctly. No matter how appealing it is to some people, they will not "reincarnate" after they die. This and other false beliefs about mankind and Allah are whispered into human's minds by Satan and the devils, and some men are fooled into believing them.

SATAN

Satan, the first jinn, was present with the angels when Allah ordered him and the angels to bow down in respect before Adam. Satan did not bow down in respect. He objected to Allah and said he was better than Adam, because he was made from fire whereas Adam was made from clay. Because of this objection, Allah banished Satan. Satan vowed that he would try to persuade humans into false belief and worship and shameful conduct. Allah promised that Satan and those who follow him will be the inhabitants of Hell on the Day of Judgment.

Satan is man's accursed enemy and his vow to ruin many of mankind is not to be taken lightly. He attempts to confuse and ruin man by his prompting, making bad deeds seem good. A person is not sinful when Satan whispers to him; he is sinful if he believes and/or acts on the prompting. Although humans must believe that Satan exists and take the warning about him very seriously, we must remember that Allah has full power over Satan. Satan can do nothing against the will of Allah. When a believer of the true Religion strives to follow Allah's orders and asks Allah for protection from Satan, he should not doubt Allah's great protection and mercy.

RELIGION

There is only one true Religion--that of believing the correct belief in Allah and His messengers, worshipping Allah only, loving, respecting, and following the prophet of the time, and loving and respecting other prophets. Every prophet and messenger followed and called people to the same Religion; this Religion is called ISLAM. A believer in Islam is called a MUSLIM. The meaning of Islam is "to submit to Allah". The meaning of the word Muslim is "one who submits to Allah." The name Allah is the name of the only true God. Although prophets and messengers spoke different languages, what they called people to was the same Religion. A person can declare that he believes and follows the true Religion--Islam--in any language, for belief is known to Allah regardless of the language. Those who say they are Muslim, yet deny the true belief in their heart, with their tongue, or by some actions, are surely not Muslim. Allah knows fully who are the ones who truly believe in Islam. Both messengers Moses and Jesus called their people to the true Religion--Islam--which is clearly described in the QUR'AN--the last and preserved scripture for all of mankind on earth.

JESUS

Jesus, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, is dearly loved by Muslims, for he is one of the greatest of messengers and he is one of the most loved creations to Allah. Jesus has no father; he was created within Mary, and the Muslims believe that his mother Mary is the best of all women.

By Allah's will, Prophet Jesus performed many miracles and was obedient to Allah in every way. Jesus spoke only the truth and his followers were Muslim. Never did Jesus say he was Allah, "the son of Allah", or that his followers should pray to him or to anyone other than Allah. Jesus is a man, but had no father; Adam was a man but had neither a father nor a mother. The Qur'an tells us that the Jews did not crucify Jesus as some believe. He was not crucified at all, by Allah's will; Jesus was raised from the earth. Jesus is alive, and Allah will send Jesus back to the earth before the Day of Judgment. Jesus will attest that Islam is the true faith and that Prophet Muhammad, is the last messenger. He will follow the laws that Allah gave to Muhammad, and slay the one-eyed impostor. This is the truth, although some do not believe.

SINS

When a person goes against Allah's orders (which are conveyed by His messenger), this person has sinned. The worst sin is blasphemy, which is caused by any belief, saying, or action that contradicts Islam. When a person becomes Muslim he leaves all blasphemy. A Muslim must learn about all the types of blasphemy so to avoid committing any of them as he proceeds through life. If a Muslim commits blasphemy, he becomes non-Muslim and must become Muslim again. If he dies without becoming a Muslim, he will be in Hell forever in the Hereafter. If a Muslim commits a sin which is less than blasphemy and dies without repenting to Allah of the sin, then this sin is counted against him on the Day of Judgment. Similarly, if a Muslim follows Allah's orders, in obedience to Him, this is counted in his favor. All of this is known by Allah and no thing escapes Him.

When a Muslim commits sins, he must repent of them immediately. To repent of blasphemy, one must utter the Testification of Faith, clearing himself of the committed blasphemy. The Testification of Faith (Shahadatan) can be stated as follows:

"I testify that no one is God but Allah,

and I testify that Muhammad is

the Messenger of Allah."

For a sin less than blasphemy, one must stop doing the sin, regret having done it, and have the intention not to commit the same sin again. If the sin is stealing from a person, for example, then the stolen goods must be returned in addition. Allah is ever-merciful to the Muslim and no matter how many times he sins in his life, if he stops it, regrets having done it, and intends not to do it again, he will be forgiven by Allah. But for those who are non-Muslim, no matter what good things they do, those deeds are not to their credit in the Hereafter; they must first become Muslim.

A few examples of blasphemy are: believing that Allah has a son, worshipping an idol, and saying that Allah does not know everything. Some examples of sins less than blasphemy are: killing a person unjustly, adultery, drinking alcohol, and stealing. When a Muslim makes sincere repentance as was described, it is as if he did not sin, in that he will not be punished for what he repented of, for Allah is ever-merciful to the Muslims. Also, when a person becomes a Muslim for the first time, Allah forgives all his past sins.

PRAYER

Upon the order of Allah, Prophet Muhammad commanded the Muslims to pray five times a day. This order applies since the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad until the Day of Judgment. The prayers have a specific format with the one praying praising and thanking Allah, asking for His help and guidance, and asking Him to bless the prophets and the pious Muslims. A Muslim knows that at any moment of his life he can ask Allah for help and guidance, and he is encouraged to do so, but this does not replace the five prescribed prayers, which have a specific format to be followed.

BECOMING A MUSLIM

A person becomes a Muslim by leaving all that contradicts the meaning of the following Testification of Faith, believing in the heart and declaring with the tongue:

"No one is God but Allah

and

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"

believing in all this implies--Allah, the Creator, has perfect attributes, only Allah must be worshipped, Prophet Muhammad, the last prophet, was truthful in all that he conveyed from Allah, all the prophets before him (the first of whom was Adam) conveyed the same message of belief to their people and are to be loved and respected, yet in no way do prophets (or any creation) have Allah's attributes.

A person can become Muslim, as aforementioned in the solitude of a forest or in a crowded subway; he does not need to go to a mosque or have Muslims witness his profession. Allah knows the hearts of His creation. However, when he becomes Muslim he may declare his belief to some fellow Muslims so he will be known as a Muslim among the people.

Anyone who has read this booklet must know if you are not already Muslim you must become Muslim immediately, for you do not know when you will die. To anyone who becomes Muslim while reading this paper, we advise you to seek knowledge as to the practice of Islam from a trustworthy Muslim teacher. As people go to college to be taught by those learned on different subjects, one should go to a learned Muslim to learn about the practice of Islam. There will always be more to learn and more ways to improve for a devoted Muslim, so arrogance is not a part of a good Muslim's life.

All praise is due to Allah,

the Lord of the heavens and earth

and Allah knows best..