Boot Camp: Becoming a practicing Islam

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

I ask this question to myself many times a day, and yet to get a complete answer. Now, I am not talking about becoming a pious person, which I may never become and don't know how to teach anyone. I am talking about just becoming a Muslim enough to answer yes, if someone asks "Are you a practicing Muslim?".

When I meet my family and other Muslims, I am always waiting for someone to discuss this, but no one has asked or wanted to talk about it so far, except my wife.

When Rasool Allah (PBUH) says that make religion easy for yourself, I think he means it. He never asked anyone to stop all haram acts cold turkey, because it is not humanly possible. I follow him, so I can't expect myself and others to do that as well. But, we can't intentionally induldge haram thinking we can never be pious so why quite this.

However, important thing is the intention and acting upon that intention of trying to fulfill the basic duties and become a minimum follower of Mohammad (PBUH), also known as Muslim.

It would not be fair to criticize others without evaluating myself. I am currently working on three things that will help me become a better muslim.

1) Ikhlaq towards others, because I have been avoiding relationships with my family and friends, and am working on it to become a Muslim in that aspect.

2) Improve my understanding in Quran and Sunnah, especially the ability to read Quran with tajweed which is fard upon us.

3) Wasting time in entertainment. Although I have stopped listening to music, which was the only way to repair the attraction towards Allah, I am still addicted to TV, and spend way too much time on sports, dramas, news. Need to bring it down.


Now, if someone is interested, here are some things to do to start the journey in becoming a practicing Muslim, in my humble opinion

1) Stop Listening to Music. Some how find a way to do that. There is no way a person can listen to Music with musical instrument part of the day and remember Allah as he should be remembered. I mean one can convince themsleves that they remmber Allah in the heart, but Allah had Mohammad (PBUH) spent 23 years teaching ways to remember Allah, and they are telling Allah that he wasted his time, and they know exactly how to remember him. It is just wrong.

2) Stop lying and back bitting. Backbitting will suck all the goodness from one's heart. Literlaly. When someone lies, their brain have to imagine something that is not real, and it affects the brain, and slowly their brain becomes disconnected from reality. It will be hard and weired first to tell the truth, but it is so satisfying knowing that one is telling the truth. Always. Even in jokes. Even in casual conversations. There are some exceptions to that. One is allowed to lie to hide their spouse defects, and to prevent a fight between two muslims, and to save their life. Next time someon calls and ask how long before you reach their home, please tell them the truth, instead of saying "5 minutes".

3) Stop eating and drinking haram. It is logical that whatever one eat makes cells in their body, and when Allah prohibits something it is not some random selction. He prohibited only which is not good. Oh but one beer a day may be. Nope. Comman now! Also, Why feed the family with money earned by Haram activities?

4) Pray Salat regulary and on time. Notice I put Salat at #4. I would recommend from the begining, but that takes alot of will power while listening to Music, so its not fair. Shaytan is much more powerful than us and knows exactly how to break our will.

5) Follow Hijab and grow beard (men). Hijab is for man also. Man should lower their eyes when a non-mahram is in sight. This is the tipping point of being a Muslim. If you cross this hurdle, everything is downhill. Now, you may disagree on importance of this, and deny Surah Nur verse 30-31, but the fact is that a person's perspective changes, when they change their physical appearence. If one doesn't come over this hesitation, it is almost impossible to go to next level.

The above 5 things are the boot camp, and it shouldn't take more than 1 year to bring about majority of these changes if you already are not doing them.

Have you not ever think about coming a little closer to Islam?

Is the pleasure in Haram so sweet that you are willing to bet your afterlife on it?

If someone has stopped believing that they will be judged for everything they do, then no one can help that person. Even Allah requires us to change our condition before he can guide us.

May Allah gives me strength to teach good to others, and to ask them to stop haram.

If you make intention, May Allah makes this easier for you then he did for me.

Slave of Allah
Adnan