Approaching Islam
Making a transition
Basic knowledge What does Islam offer
(Inquisitive Spontaneous) (Self Inquiry)
Phase One Phase Two
Possibility one: An Depending on firstly; the
individual comes to a individual, and secondly;
point were he/she looks the reaction to the info
around and wonders they have come across,
about their existence. the individual will decide
whether he/she would
Possibility two: The
like to understand more
individual comes across
about Islam.
information from TV,
newspapersetc and Reading into Islam, an
forms his/her initial individual will seek to
perception. This find clarity in how Islam
perception will depend answers questions.
on the quality of the info Those answers can;
provided. A large depending on the
percentage of people person, ultimately lead
remain content at this to their reassurance of
stage. its potential to change
their lives. This stage
requires access to
quality info.
Family and Friends The commitment Confidence
(Social Chaos) (Acceptance) (Self Fulfilment)
Phase Three Phase Four Phase Five
An individual begins to An individual finds The individual has been
contemplate life as a comfort in Islam. He/she a Muslim for years. They
Muslim. Usually this wishes to accept Islam. are confident and have a
process occurs privately, The Shahada is the feeling of self fulfilment.
as the individual seeks anticipated moment
They embrace the facts
to think about the impact when the commitment is
and realities of the
this can have on his/her made. The commitment
world, appreciate life,
life. is between the individual
and are objective in their
and God.
This is a very nervous judgements.
period, with individuals At this point he/she has
Individuals in this stage
revisiting info they had no idea what to do next.
can have a strong
read before, and The most important
impact on those in
questioning the stage for their to be
stages three and four.
necessity of the change proper guidance and
and its implications. The support.
most difficult stage, and
the most complicated.
Basic knowledge (Inquisitive Spontaneous)
In this stage individuals reach a point where they begin to think there is firstly a religion,
and secondly, if there is a religion then what are the religions and what is the religion
called Islam.

How people end up in this position can be categorised into two broad situations
essentially being the prompted and the unprompted.

Prompted
The prompted situation essentially means that your attention has been drawn to the
subject of religion and Islam. This usually happens when we watch television, read
newspapers, read magazines, and access the Internet.

The important thing to understand in a prompted situation is that you were not actively
looking for the information, however you accessed it spontaneously. As such any
information you come in contact with will form your only knowledge of the subject, and
therefore will be limited by the quality of the information that this source provides. The
very nature of being prompted means that unless you are prompted again you will not
have access to further information. It then comes down to how effective the information
is when you are prompted, and whether this will encourage you to understand more.

Unprompted
In an unprompted situation an individual is by the nature of events around him spurned to
think of the possibilities that there is a higher power.

There are infinite unprompted situations, as every individual is unique. The unprompted
situation can be from a simple observance of a beautiful picturesque scene by ice capped
mountains overlooking a clear blue ocean surrounded by palm trees and smooth sandy
beaches, to the rough beatings that society and community can have on people. These
events can influence an individual to console their inner thoughts, and possibly
depending on their inner soul, seek to find an understanding.

Approaching Islam
Self Inquiry (Self Inquiry)

Depending on firstly; the individual, and secondly; the reaction to the info they have
come across, the individual will decide whether he/she would like to understand more
about Islam.

In an effort to understand more, an individual is most likely to begin with inquiry into the
areas that relate to their background. As such it is common to find women seeking
clarification on womens rights, peace activists seeking clarification on the nature of the
ideology, those with a difficult past seeking hope and a promise of a new beginning.

Understanding Islam is a process that can take time. Each individual moves at his/her
own pace and seeks answers to their unique situation.

It becomes essential thereby for individuals to have access to clear and accurate
information.

Making a Transition Family and Friends (Social Chaos)

After reading about Islam, an individual will decide for him/herself whether it makes a
difference in their lives.

If an individual believes that Islam will make a difference in their lives, they will begin to
see themselves as Muslims. The individual will begin to think of the impact this will have
on their lives, and begin to evaluate what changes would happen and how that would
impact their relationships with both Family and Friends. Individuals do not live in
isolation; human existence is given meaning by their existence in a social network that
comprises of family and friends. There is also one element that always impacts the
subconscious but is never fully understood, as in essence it embodies the framework of
the world we live in; the social system.

The social system can really be described as the momentum that the social status quo
dictates, and how making a transition goes against the current of the social status quo,
which in effect puts an individual in a position of isolation, as bucking the trend means
he/she moves in a direction that does not have support roots within the social system.

An example of this can be Eastern Europe, formerly communist states which now after
the collapse of the system has opened up to the outside world. Many of the people of
these states have either chosen to remain atheist or returned to Christianity. For an
individual living in any of these countries to transition to Islam is difficult, as the religion

Approaching Islam
is alien to the people both currently and historically, in addition there may be historic
resistance, or hatred of Islam as may be witnessed in countries that were occupied by the
Ottomans e.g. Bulgaria, Romania.

Individuals are forced to think long and hard. Each individual will determine the
necessity of the change and its implications.

The commitment (Acceptance)

An individual finds comfort in Islam. He/she feels they wish to apply Islam in their lives.
They see themselves as Muslims and having thought long and hard, they wish to take the
Shahada.

The Shahada is a sentence, that when recited, will form the commitment between the
individual and God. An anxious moment and a point were he/she while feeling positive
will have a faint idea about what to do next.

This stage is critical, without the right support and direction an individual can become
disillusioned. It is important that the individual have access to moderate guidance. There
are different levels of application; one will find the very pious right down to the very
basic believer. If guidance is too extreme, it can overwhelm the individual; in the same
instance moderate guidance must not compromise and lead astray the individual. Most
individuals in this stage will not tell the difference between moderate behaviour and strict
behaviour, as such a clear distinction must be available that allows the individual to see
the minimum required of them.

Confidence (Self Fulfilment)

With time individuals develop a sense of confidence. By living day to day life as a
Muslim they begin to see the meaning of the world around them, with time their
commitment becomes stronger and their faith grows deeper. They embrace the facts and
realities of the world, appreciate life, and are objective in their judgements.

Their experience is rich; they have seen two sides to the coin. Having come a long way,
they are able to relate to many others who are looking to the same direction.

Approaching Islam