Your first steps
In this path
Related questions
God
- Is the God of Islam loving and merciful?Yes. The Qur'an says Allah's (﷾) mercy extends to all things. All but one of its 114 chapters open by calling Him Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
- Do Muslims need a priest to reach God or be forgiven?No. In Islam every person turns to God (﷾) directly, with no priest, saint or go-between.
Jesus
- If I become Muslim, do I have to give up Jesus?No. A Muslim must believe in Jesus. Islam keeps what Christians love in him: his virgin birth, his miracles, his mercy and his return before the end.
- If Christ paid for sins, can believers keep sinning?No, and the New Testament itself says so. Many Protestant Christians teach "once saved, always saved".
- If forgiveness needed the cross, why did God wait so long to send Jesus?God (﷾) did not need to wait, because He never needed a death in order to forgive.
Islam
- Should I wait to take my shahada until I can stop sinning?No. Do not wait. Everyone sins, Muslims too, and the shahada is not a promise never to sin again.
- How do I become a Muslim?You become a Muslim by saying, and meaning, that there is no god but Allah (﷾) and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is the Messenger of Allah (﷾).
- How do I handle the "haram police" as a new Muslim?Stay calm, stay kind, and do not let them push you away from Islam. The so-called haram police are Muslims who correct others harshly, often in public, and often over small things or things scholars disagree on.
- How does God record good and bad deeds?Angels write down every deed, and God (﷾) counts them with great mercy.
- How is a Muslim saved? Do Muslims earn Paradise by good works?No one buys Paradise with deeds, not even the Prophet (ﷺ). A Muslim is saved by faith, by the good deeds that grow from it, and in the end by God's (﷾) mercy.
- Does Islam permit suicide?No. Your life is a gift and a trust from Allah (﷾), and it matters to Him even when it feels worthless to you.
- What was the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) like?The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was gentle, humble and forgiving, and he taught that good character is the heart of faith.
- What must a Muslim believe about Adam and evolution?A Muslim must believe that God (﷾) created Adam directly, from clay, by His own command.
- Did the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) foretell that barefoot herdsmen would build tall towers?Yes. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) named it as a sign of the Last Day. He said that barefoot, destitute herdsmen would compete with one another in raising tall buildings.
- Did Muhammad (ﷺ) die of poison, and does that make him a false prophet?No. In 628 CE a woman of Khaybar gave the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) a poisoned sheep, but the poison did not kill him.
- Did the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) perform miracles?Yes, by Allah's (﷾) permission and in front of many witnesses. When the people of Mecca asked the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) for a sign, the moon was split.
- Do Muslims worship Muhammad (ﷺ)?No. Muslims worship God (﷾) alone. Worshipping anyone beside Him, even the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), is the worst sin in Islam.
- Does being the last prophet make Muhammad (ﷺ) greater than Jesus?No. Coming last is not what gives rank. The Qur'an calls Muhammad (ﷺ) the Seal of the Prophets, and a seal closes a finished letter.
- Does Islam encourage knowledge and science?Yes. The first word revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was "Read!", and the same passage speaks of God (﷾) teaching by the pen.
Buddhism
Jainism
- Can my own effort free my soul?In Islam your effort matters, and every deed is weighed. Yet no one is saved by deeds alone.
- I'm a Jain: why should I consider Islam?Islam shares some of what a Jain values, and adds what Jainism leaves out.
- Why do Muslims eat meat and sacrifice animals?Muslims eat meat because God (﷾) made it lawful, but no one has to eat it.
Shinto
- If I become Muslim, what happens to my family's customs?Most of your family life stays, and your duty to your parents grows. You keep your family name, your language, your meals with the family and your respect for elders.
- Is wudu like Shinto purification?Wudu is the washing a Muslim does before prayer, because God (﷾) commands it in the Qur'an.
Comparative Religion
- Can God forgive sins without the blood of Jesus?Yes, and the Gospels show it. Early in his ministry, Jesus told a paralysed man that his sins were forgiven.
- Doesn't Hebrews 9:22 say there is no forgiveness without blood being shed?It does, but the Law of Moses itself forgave sin without blood. The same verse says only that "almost all things", not all, were cleansed with blood under the Law.
Questions & Criticisms
More Guides like these
- الرفقThe haram policewhen Muslims correct you harshlyHow the Prophet (ﷺ) taught new Muslims, what to do when it happens, and learning step by step.
- أركان الإيمانArkan al-Imansix articles of faithThe six things every Muslim believes.
- الجنThe jinnthe hidden beings made from fireWho the jinn are, what the Qur'an and the authentic hadith say about them, and why what people call ghosts may well be jinn.
- الأذانAdhanthe call to prayerThe words of the call to prayer, and how to respond.
- الزكاةZakatalmsgivingWho pays, how much, and who receives it.
- الصدقةSadaqahvoluntary charityGiving in any amount, everyday good deeds, and ongoing charity.