Learning

Core Curriculum

Section 1 - God, Religion and Islam: An Introduction

Topic 1.1 - God, Allah and Religion
Topic 1.2 - What is “Religion” and What’s the Point of it Anyways?
Topic 1.3 - Introduction to Islam
Topic 1.4 - A Brief Introduction to the Prophet Muhammad (s), the Prophet of Islam

Section 2 - Foundations of Islam - Theology

Topic 2.1 - Satan, Jinns and Angels: Their Influence in the World
Topic 2.2 - The Islamic Concept of the Nafs: Battling the Human Ego
Topic 2.3 - The Sharīʿa: Purpose and Practice
Topic 2.4 - Nubuwwa: The Purpose of Prophethood in Islam
Topic 2.5 - Tawhīd: The Unity and Oneness of God in Islam
Topic 2.6 - The Usūl al-Dīn: The Fundamental Beliefs of Islam
Topic 2.7 - Adala: Divine Justice in Islam
Topic 2.8 - Entering Islam: The Shahada
Topic 2.9 - Maʿād: The Day of Judgment in Islam
Topic 2.10 - Imāmah or divinely guided leadership in Islam after the Prophet Muhammad.

Section 3 - Foundations of Islam - Obligatory Acts

Topic 3.1 - Accepting Islam: Putting Faith into Action
Topic 3.2 - The Furūʿ al-Dīn: The Fundamental Practices of Islam
Topic 3.3 - Salāt: Obligatory Ritual Prayers in Islam
Topic 3.4 - Fasting in Islam, its Purpose, Dos and Don’ts
Topic 3.5 - The Hajj Pilgrimage
Topic 3.6 - The Purpose of Zakat and Khums in Islamic Law
Topic 3.7 - Jihād in Islamic Law and Spirituality
Topic 3.8 - Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil in Islam
Topic 3.9 - Tawalla and Tabarra, its Basics and Purpose
Topic 3.10 - The Five Categories of Islamic Law
Topic 3.11 - Niyya: Religious Intention as the Foundation of Islamic Practice
Topic 3.12 - Ritual Purity in Islamic Law: Understanding Tahāra and Najāsa
Topic 3.13 - Other Obligatory and Forbidden Acts in Islam

Section 4 - Prophethood in Islam

Topic 4.1 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Childhood (PART I of III)
Topic 4.2 - Bio: The Prophet Muhammad as a Prophet of God (PART II of III)
Topic 4.3 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Character (PART III of III)
Topic 4.4 - The Prophet Muhammad (s) as Messenger and Teacher
Topic 4.5 - The Prophet and his Relationships
Topic 4.6 - The Prophet’s Sunnah and Hadith
Topic 4.7 - Ghadīr and Arafah: The Two Last Sermons of the Prophet
Topic 4.8 - Jesus and Mary in Islam

Section 5 - The Qur'an and Hadith

Topic 5.1 - Islam and Other Religions
Topic 5.2 - What is the Qur’an? A Short Introduction to Islam’s Holy Book
Topic 5.3 - The Structure of the Holy Qur’an
Topic 5.4 - The Quran and Islamic law
Topic 5.5 - The Qur’an, Allah and Humankind
Topic 5.6 - Hadith and Sunnah, difference and variations
Topic 5.7 - The Reliability of Hadiths
Topic 5.8 - A Reflection on Verses of the Holy Qur’an
Topic 5.9 - Hadith al-Thaqalayn
Topic 5.10 - Imam Ali (as) and Nahj al-Balagha.
Topic 5.11 - Taqlid and Tawḍih Al Masail Genre of Literature

Section 6 - Measuring Good and Bad in Islam

Topic 6.1 - Guidance According to Islam
Topic 6.2 - Life and Death in Islam
Topic 6.3 - Heaven and Hell in Islam
Topic 6.4 - The Effects of Our Actions in this World
Topic 6.5 - The Gray Areas of Islamic Law and Morality
Topic 6.6 - Benefits of Islamic Law in this World
Topic 6.7 - Good and Bad Deeds: The Spiritual Consequences of our Choices
Topic 6.8 - The Effect of Culture and Environment in Shaping our Religious Choices
Topic 6.9 - Fate and the Consequences of our Choices in Islam
Topic 6.10 - Trivializing the Harām
Topic 6.11 - Sinning Against Others and their Delayed Punishment
Topic 6.12 - The Three Kinds of Rights in Islam
Topic 6.13 - Major Sins in Islam
Topic 6.14 - Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins in Islam
Topic 6.15 - Kufr in Islam
Topic 6.16 - Why Allah Allows People to Sin

Section 7 - The Legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (as)

Topic 7.1 - Islam and Knowledge: the Importance of Islamic Education
Topic 7.2 - The Ahl al-Kisa
Topic 7.3 - Imamah in the Qur’an
Topic 7.4 - Fatima al-Zahrah (as)
Topic 7.5 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam al-Hasan until Imam Muhammad al-Baqir)
Topic 7.6 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam Jafar al-Sadiq until Imam Hasan al-Askari)
Topic 7.7 - A Brief Look at the Life and Importance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj)
Topic 7.8 - Salawat and Atonement in Islam
Topic 7.9 - The Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet According to the Qur’an
Topic 7.10 - Clerical Hierarchies in Muslim Communities
Topic 7.11 - Mosques in Islam
Topic 7.12 - The Philosophy of Karbala and Majalis
Topic 7.13 - A Brief Biography of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as)
Topic 7.14 - The Battle of Karbala: A Brief History

Section 8 - Islamic Relationships, Sects and Conflicts

Topic 8.1 - Islam and Rights
Topic 8.2 - Islam and Religious Conflicts
Topic 8.3 - Major Sects of Islam
Topic 8.4 - Sunnism and Shi’ism, beginnings and historical developments.
Topic 8.5 - Misconceptions about Shi’ism

Special Topics

Section 9 - Independent Topics

Topic 9.1 - Muslim Converts – Welcome to Islam!
Topic 9.2 - Basic Dos and Don’ts of Being a Muslim
Topic 9.3 - Halal Food and Zabiha
Topic 9.4 - Modesty in Islam
Topic 9.5 - Family, Parents and Marriage in Islam
Topic 9.6 - Marriage in Islam
Topic 9.7 - Islam and Sex
Topic 9.8 - Women’s Menstruation in Islam
Topic 9.9 - Music, Alcohol, Drugs and Pork in Islam
Topic 9.10 - Islam and Science
Topic 9.11 - A Reading List of Islamic Knowledge
Topic 9.12 - Islam and Sufism
Topic 9.13 - Ritual Prayers and Supplications in Islam
Topic 9.14 - Death & Burial Rituals in Islam
Topic 9.15 - The Battle of Armageddon: An Islamic View
Topic 9.16 - The Muslim Calendar
Topic 9.17 - Muslims and non-Muslims in the Shariah
Topic 9.18 - A Timeline of Major Events in Islamic History
Topic 9.19 - Introducing the Qur’an: Why it is the way it is
Topic 9.20 - The School of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq
Topic 9.21 - Major Fields in Islamic Studies
Topic 9.22 - The Caliphate in Sunni and Shia Islam
Topic 9.23 - The Spread of Islam: After the Prophet until the Ottoman Empire
Topic 9.24 - Islam, Racism and Anti-Semitism

Section 10 - Islam, Religion, and Modern Controversies

Topic 10.1 - Modern Fallacies about God: where Theists and Atheists Agree
Topic 10.2 - Tawhīd: The Muslim God according to the Prophet Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt (as)
Topic 10.3 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Being (Wujūd)
Topic 10.4 - God’s Existence: The Kalam Cosmological Argument
Topic 10.5 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Design
Topic 10.6 - The Problem of Evil, Suffering and Pain
Topic 10.7 - Why did God Create Us? The Purpose of our Creation
Topic 10.8 - Why Humans Need Religion according to Islam
Topic 10.9 - Jahl and Spiritual Ignorance in Islam
Topic 10.10 - Faith in Islam: Belief without Evidence?
Topic 10.11 - Do Non-Muslims Go to Hell?

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Basic Dos and Don’ts of Being a Muslim

Abstract

Converting to Islam isn’t just a change in belief, it is a change in one’s life. By practicing Islam, you and those around you will see many changes in your lifestyle. From the time you wake up to how you clean yourself, Islam changes everything.

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INTRODUCTION

Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm, As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. Peace be upon you brothers and sisters.

Welcome back to the Muslim Converts Channel! When people first convert to Islam, they will quickly realize that their lives are significantly different when compared to the lives they had before converting to Islam.

Islam is not just a religion of beliefs. It is a religion of action. As such, it is a religion that makes demands on people from the time they wake up until they go to sleep. In this lesson, we’re going to go over some of the major areas where you will see your life change as a convert to Islam.

BODY OF TEXT

And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions. (Chapter 4, verse 69 of the Holy Qur’an)

When you start practicing Islam, either as a convert or someone who was culturally Muslim, you will notice big differences in your life. Here are some of the major changes that you will see in your life as a newly practicing Muslim:

Waking Up Very Early in The Morning

Most of us are used to waking up 6-7am for work or school. For some of us, it’s a bit earlier, like 5:30am, if we need to beat traffic. For others, they may wake up at 8am.

For those who don’t work on the weekends, Saturdays and Sundays are days where people get to sleep in.

Despite the differing times, one thing that many people don’t do as non-Muslims is to getting up for morning prayers. If you thought 5:30am was early, try waking up between 3 and 4am for morning prayers. Yeah, many times throughout the year, depending on the season, you will find yourself waking up that early not for work or school, but for prayers.

As such, one of the biggest changes you will see in your life is that you’re going to have to reorganize your time, including the time you sleep and wake up. Islam has obligatory night prayers (isha) as well as morning prayers (fajr).

Here in the West, our days revolve around eating times. We separate our times between breakfast, lunch and dinner. In Islam, times revolve around prayer times. As such, your going to have to reschedule your time and how your day goes about and wake up very early!

Cleanliness and Ritual Purity

We all need to clean ourselves when we go to the bathroom. In Islam, cleanliness is just about being clean, although that’s important. Cleanliness is also needed for ritual activities such as prayer.

This means that your going to find yourself washing yourself in different ways than you are used to. In the bathroom, you’ll notice that your going to have to follow a step by step process of cleaning yourself with water which might be more stringent and thorough than what you’re used to. To know more about these rulings, see the Tawzīh al-Masā’il or legal treatise of your Marja.

The second change you will see is how you pray. We’re not talking about prostrating and bowing, that’s evident enough even for non-Muslims. What you will see though is how you need to ritually wash yourself with water before prayers, something which not many religions mandate as stringently as Islam does.

Cleanliness also means that as a Muslim, you are highly discouraged to walk home with your shoes on. This is because our shoes contain many things that are considered ritually impure. So as a Muslim, you are highly encouraged to take off your shoes before entering your home.

This is something you’ll notice with the Muslim community, shoes are usually taken off!

Sexual Relations with your Spouse

Relations with your spouse will also start to differ. There are a few dos and don’ts in Islam that are not too different than what you will find in in common sexual practice among non-Muslims.

What you will see, however, is that you can’t immediately go about your day after having sexual intercourse, or go to sleep after. The reason for this is because after intimate relations, Muslims must perform the major ablution called ghusl. Without ghusl after intimate relations, you cannot pray. To know more about these rulings, see the Tawzīh al-Masā’il or legal treatise of your Marja.

As prayers happen throughout the day, you will notice that you will have to do this regularly.

Ghusl also applies to women after their monthly period. After the bleeding ends, women are required to do ghusl so that they may resume praying again.

Eating and Drinking Halal

Muslims can’t just eat anything. The meat they eat must be halal or permissible to eat. To process of making it halal is called zabiha where an animal is ritually slaughtered in accordance with the rules of Islamic law.

In addition to morning prayers, eating halal is probably one of the most difficult things for people who have just started practicing Islam, at least for those who live among non-Muslims. Yes, there are some cities that have plenty of halal restaurants and meat stores, but not all places are like this.

Eating halal often means that converts cannot eat at the restaurants they used to, or at least order the meat dishes they used to order as non-Muslims. It also means that meat might be more expensive as halal is usually more costly in many places across North America.

Eating halal isn’t just restricted to zabiha. Eating halal also means that a person cannot eat pork anymore, or eat other animals which are forbidden. For people who are used to having their bacon in the morning and their ham sandwiches at noon, this presents a big difficulty that needs to be overcome.

Eating is not the only thing. Drinks like alcohol, or drinks that have alcohol in them, also become forbidden.

If you live with family or friends, this is a big thing people will notice as you won’t be able to eat and drink with them as you used to.

Until Next Time, Thank you for watching. As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh

Zabiha

where an animal is ritually slaughtered in accordance with the rules of Islamic law and thus permissible to eat afterwards.

Tawzeeh al-Masa’il

legal treatise by a marja where answers to queries for Islamic law can be found.

Ghusl

Major ablution one must do, among other things, after sexual relations and when one’s monthly period. One can do it in the shower or in a pool of water.

What are some tips to help me wake up for Fajr prayers?

Sleep earlier at nights.

Is it permissible to go back to sleep after waking up for Fajr prayers?

Yes, it is permissible according to Islamic law.

What happens if I don’t have water or I don’t have enough time to do ghusl before prayer slots end?

One should do tayammum which can be used with earth or dust. See the tawzeeh al-Masa’il of your marja on the rulings pertaining to this.

Is it permissible to eat the zabiha of Sunnis?

AYes, as long as the zabiha is hand slaughtered.

What can I do if there are no halal restaurants or halal meat markets around me?

For restaurants, you always have fish or vegetarian options. For meat markets, a good tip is to go to one of the further markets once in a while and buy a large amount of halal meat, then bring it back home and store it in a freezer. If this is not possible, there are plenty of vegetarian meat substitutes that are made with soy.

Muslim
God
Allah
Ahl al-Bayt
Muslim Community
waking up for fajr
ghusl and sexual relations
zabiha
zabiha of sunnis
tawzeeh al-masa’il

Islamic Laws by Sayyed as-Seestani (Tawzeeh al-Masa’il)

"Silence saves you from regret"

- Imam Ali (as) -