How to Become a Strong Muslim

Strengthening Your Faith

Fulfill the Five Pillars of Islam. Observing the Five Pillars is mandatory for all Muslims. You must comply with them to practice Islam correctly. A strong Muslim will not waver from his observance of the pillars. Fulfill your daily obligations with focus, and plan your occasional obligations with care. The Five Pillars are: Testimony of Faith (Shahada). When you become a Muslim, you make a testimony of faith. Say aloud: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger." Performance of the five daily prayers (Salah). Pray five times daily in the direction of the holy city of Mecca. Fasting during the month of Ramadan (Sawm). Ramadan is a holy month. Observe it by praying, fasting, and performing acts of charity. Almsgiving. Donate 2.5% of your savings to the poor (Zakat). Making a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). If you are able, you must travel to Mecca at least once in your lifetime.

Read the Qur'an as much as you can. Seek an understanding of Islam directly from it's authentic source. You will strengthen your personal faith if you understand Arabic, the language your faith is based upon. Make a practice of reading the Qur'an every day for at least a few minutes, or longer if you are able, as well as moments when you feel your faith waver or your focus on Allah falter. Every time you read, recite at least a few verses aloud and try to perfect their pronunciation. Study an explanation of their meaning and contemplate how they apply to your own life. Memorize as much Qur'an as you can and then recite the verses you have learn in your salah. Try to be mindful of Allah throughout your day as you go about your business or chores. Keeping your lips moist with dhikr helps develop an awareness of Allah's might and majesty. Learn and recite the morning and evening adhkar, which are a collection of duas that will help you to remain mindful of Allah throughout each day. When faced with a choice always choose the path that is most pleasing to Allah.

Pray above and beyond the mandatory minimum requirements. While you must pray five times a day under Islamic law, a strong Muslim will also pray at additional times when moved to do so. You may pray alone, but to strengthen your faith, males should head to the mosque at prayer times. Collective worship has special merit. While the obligatory prayers typically last only a few minutes each, extend your time in prayer by including some of the many additional voluntary prayers in your schedule as the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) encourages us to do.

Try to develop a strong daily routine of prayer and worship. Many Muslims spend hours in prayer each day. Always aim to fill any spare moments with worship rather than other worldly distractions. Tahajjud is a very rewarding Sunnah prayer offered during the dead of night, a peaceful time when Allah descends to the lowest heaven. Add your own personal prayers (dua) after the formal prayers or at any time during the day - ask Allah for help, guidance and protection, thank Him for his bounties and praise Him for His wisdom and generosity. Repentance is an important part of every Muslims' daily worship. Acknowledge your sins, however small, promise not to repeat them and ask Allah for His forgiveness and protection. Allah is always inclined to forgive us, but only when we ask and only when we repent with deep sincerity. Crying during prayer is desirable as it signifies heartfelt fear of Allah's punishment and helps lead to submission to His will. Vary your routine so that you concentrate and feel close to Allah during the act of praying, and are not merely going through the motions. If your mind wanders you make mistakes, your prayer becomes invalidated, is not accepted and may lead to punishment. Study and heed the warnings contained in the Qur'an and the narrations of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) concerning the consequences for not completing the fardh salah. Always remember that Jahannam (Hellfire) is a real place that Allah has created for those that do not believe in Him or who do not worship Him in the way that He has commanded.

Donate time and money to the needy. While almsgiving is required of all Muslims, it is up the individual to determine what they can give beyond the required 2.5% of their income. If you are a high-earner, donate more than 2.5% of your income to good causes represented by trustworthy organizations. If you have extra time, volunteer at charity organizations. If you have special skills that can be helpful for others, such as TESOL training or knowledge of the law, consider donating your skills to non-profits and volunteer organizations that cannot afford to hire professionals.

Contribute to your community's fulfillment of fard al-kifaya. Fard al-kifaya are community obligations. Some of your community must fulfill fard al-kifaya for the benefit of the rest. For instance, if a Muslim dies, some of the Muslims in the community must get together to say funeral prayers. It's not required for every individual Muslims to say the prayers. However, if no one says the funeral prayers, the whole community is at fault. Step forward to fill in gaps when your community is failing to fulfill fard al-kifaya. Think about the larger meaning of fard al-kifaya for your community. Could the Muslims in your community take on responsibilities toward feeding the hungry, repairing civic infrastructure, or participating in local politics?

Affirm Your Identity

Stand up for yourself, your religion and other Muslims. Muslims are often portrayed negatively by various political groups to further their own ends. You don't have to engage whenever you hear an Islamophobic statement, but you should say something if you feel safe and have the energy to do so. If you hear someone conflating Islam with violent extremism, you might say, "I am a Muslim, and I don't appreciate you assuming all Muslims condone violent actions. That's not based on fact, and saying it as if it were could have dangerous consequences for me and people I love." Stand up for other Muslims if you see them being targeted. For instance, if you see a woman in a hijab being harassed, stand between her and her harasser and engage her in friendly conversation to take the power away from the person harassing her. Follow the laws of Allah (the Shariah), as set out in the Quran and Sunnah, in your own homes and encourage your family and other Muslims to do likewise in every aspect of their lives. Many people are fearful of the spread of Shariah in western communities, so try to promote its positive impact, for example how it encourages moral behavior backed by a system of deterrent punishments.

Dress to express your faith and identify yourself as a Muslim. Most Muslims dress modestly, but the style of dress varies greatly by school of thought and by region. Whatever your circumstances, dress in a way that expresses your religious belief and fulfills the requirements for hijab. Even if your family does not dress in this way, Allah will appreciate it if you choose to wear long sleeves, a hijab or niqab to more clearly express your identity. Study the minimum requirements of hijab and ensure that they are reflected in your choice. Take care of yourself. If you live somewhere where you are at physical risk for showing (or failing to show) your faith, keep a self defense alarm and rely on Allah. Do not make compromises in showing your faith through intimidation. To consolidate this thought in your mind, remember the difficulties Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu laihi wasallam) and his Companions persevered. If you have children, dress them according to the Islamic dress code from a young age, as this will help them to develop a sense of belonging to the Muslim community and make them proud of their identity.

Join or start an affinity or study group. Consider joining a youth group, a volunteer collective, or a meet-up group for other Muslims. Check your Mosque to see if there are groups you can join. If you are in school, there are often affinity groups for Muslim students, or inter-faith groups other Muslim students have joined. Encourage each other to extend and deepen your knowledge of Islam, so that you can better understand how Allah wishes to be worshiped. Remember that seeking religious knowledge is a life-long obligation upon Muslims of all ages that will help you strengthen your faith and please Allah. If you are a parent, enroll your children in evening or weekend madrassa classes, so that they develop their attachment to the Qur'an, learn about the life of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and become accustomed to worshiping with other motivated children in a single-gender Islamic environment. Understand and follow Islamic social norms, which strictly limit interaction with the opposite gender to formal situations. Observe Islamic holidays (the two Eids) together, go to meetings and organize protests whenever it is necessary to defend Islam, support local celebrations and other worthwhile events in your community. Form letter-writing committees to contact your local politicians about legislation that would affect Muslims, such as helping refugees from Muslim-majority countries or making it easier for Muslims to practice their religion or expanding the use of Shariah courts. Inviting people to embrace Islam (dawah) is incumbent upon all Muslims, so think how you can best help to spread Islam to non-Muslims in your community and encourage Muslims to practice their religion more deeply. Islam ultimately will be spread in western communities by helping non-Muslims to convert, encouraging Muslim immigration and by Muslim parents having more children. These should therefore be treated as a priority.