❞ كتاب A guide for the new Muslim ❝ ⏤ جمال زارابوزو

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. All praises are
due to Allah; we praise Him; we seek His help; we seek His forgiveness; and we
seek His guidance. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our souls and the
badness of our deeds. For whomever Allah guides, there is none to lead him
astray. And for whomever He allows to go astray, there is none to guide him. I
bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, for whom
there is no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and
Messenger.
I would like to take this opportunity to express praise and to thank Allah
for giving me the opportunity to write an important work of this nature. May
Allah forgive me for my shortcomings in presenting His religion.
As with What is Islam, this book’s “sister,” I must express my thanks to

the noble Shaikh Muhammad al-Turki of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, En-
dowments, Da’wah and Guidance for his support. I would also like to express

my thanks to Ahmad Ba-Rasheed for his continual efforts as well. These two
have been the driving force behind this project.
There are many people that I would like to thank for their help in this
particular work. First, I must express my thanks to my beloved wife who is

always a source of assistance and help. Special thanks must also go to Dr. Ab-
dulkarim al-Saeed, Br. Nahar al-Rashid, Dr. Mohammad al-Osimi, Dr. Ahmad al-
Teraiqi and Br. Jalaal Abdullah. I can only pray that Allah rewards them and

blesses them in both this life and the Hereafter.
I must point out that I have previously written about many of the topics
included in this work. I borrowed or adapted liberally from my earlier works
“He Came to Teach You Your Religion” and Purification of the Soul: Concept,
Process and Means. To a much lesser extent, I also adapted material from
What Is Islam and Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi.

A GUIDE FOR THE NEW MUSLIM

I pray that Allah accepts this work from me as being solely for His sake.
As with all such work, the responsibility for any mistakes lies with the author. I
ask Allah to forgive me for my shortcomings and to guide me to the Straight
Path.

Especially in these times with so many barriers placed in front of Islam
and so many negative untruths spread about it, it is a great blessing from Allah
that He gives specific individuals the ability to see the truth and light of Islam.
A new Muslim—and, in fact, every Muslim—should always be thankful to Allah

that Allah has blessed him with this ever-important knowledge and under-
standing of His religion.

By converting to Islam, the new Muslim has entered into a new realm
that is most likely very different from his previous outlook on life. Perhaps
most importantly though is that via Islam the individual has found the means
by which the Lord will be pleased with him and he becomes pleased with his
Lord.
As one grows more in Islam and as one’s knowledge and faith increases,
the individual is able to appreciate more and more of its beauty. In turn, one’s
love for Allah, Islam and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) shall continue to increase. The result is a spiritual life on a very special
plane that only those who know this faith are able to experience and enjoy.
There is a lot to look forward to. The embracing of Islam is the significant
first step and the rest, Allah willing, shall come by increasing one’s knowledge,
faith and attachment to Islam.

The Goal and Motivation for Writing this Book
The goal of this work is to present the new Muslim with a basic guide
that will help him understand and implement Islam. As already noted, the
newly converted Muslim has set himself upon a new path that, most likely, is
very different from the path that he was on before. The convert understands
enough about Islam to recognize that it is the truth but he usually does not
have enough detailed information about Allah’s religion to guide him in his
everyday affairs.

The author sincerely hopes that the individual will have the best expe-
rience in Islam by understanding it properly from the beginning and by apply-
ing it correctly in his life. Many are the converts to Islam who are bewildered

and confused once they convert. Unfortunately, not every Muslim today is a
good ambassador of Islam and not every Muslim today understands all of the
basics of Islam. This can lead to a great deal of confusion, as some Muslim
converts cannot even recognize the Islam that they see when compared to the
Islam that they read about. This work is a modest attempt at assisting the new
Muslim to set out along the correct path based on the Quran and Sunnah.
What Distinguishes This Work
Many introductory works on Islam are currently available. However, it is

hoped that this work is distinct from the others due to a number of characte-
ristics.

First, this is one of the few books currently available that specifically tar-
gets newly converted Muslims. In other words, it is directed toward those who

have already been convinced of the truth of Islam and, hence, no arguments
are presented herein to attempt to convince the reader of the truth of Islam.

On the other hand, once a person embraces Islam there is still a wealth of in-
formation that the new convert needs. First, he needs to understand properly

the foundations of his new faith. He also needs guidance concerning the most
important practices of his new faith, including a good awareness of what
deeds he must avoid as a Muslim.

Second, the writer himself is a convert to Islam. Thus, the author is able
to draw upon his own experience as a convert and, by reflecting back upon
that after so many years, can provide insight into what a convert needs to
know and what are some of the pratfalls that he must avoid. This book can be
looked upon as the book that the author wishes he had received when he first
became Muslim. Furthermore, the author has dealt with many converts
throughout the years and is aware of many of the conceptual and practical
issues that other converts have had to deal with as well.

 This is a gift for all the new Muslims who currently know the right
path to Allah. This is a means to strength and preserve their belief. In this book Sheikh Jamaal alDin Zarabozo shows the fruits of becoming a Muslim, the excellent features of Islam and all aspects of Islam. Sheikh Jamaal illustrates the pillars of faith on which one’s belief is based and the pillars of Islam which contain the best practical deeds e.g. prayer and the best deeds of the heart i.e. the monotheism. As Islam is a social religion, Sheikh explains the Muslim’s behavior towards all individuals in the society, old or young, whether they embrace Islam or not. Afterwards he puts up some notice about both of the permissible and prohibited financial dealings. He also mentions the factors which increase the one’s belief and help the Muslim to abide by Allah’s commands. He refers to the obstacles e.g. lust, misconception and ignorance in the path of the Muslims prevent him from continuing his way to Allah. He also shows the prerequisites of the sincere repentance which is between the person and his God without a mediator. Finally, he gives a word for the new Muslim.