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Pick the path that fits where you are. Each step has a short introduction and a trusted resource to go deeper.

  1. What Your Shahādah Means

    أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

    When you said the Shahādah, you made the most important statement a person can make. Its first half, “there is no god but Allāh,” means nothing deserves your worship, love, and ultimate obedience except Him. Its second half, “Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh,” means you follow the way he ﷺ taught. Everything else in Islam grows out of these two sentences.

    So know, [O Muḥammad], that there is no deity except Allāh

    Qurʾān 47:19
    Watch: the meaning of lā ilāha illā AllāhYaqeen Institute

  2. The Six Articles of Faith

    Faith (īmān) rests on six beliefs: in Allāh, His angels, His revealed books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree (qadar). When the angel Jibrīl asked the Prophet ﷺ what faith is, these six were his answer (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 8). Together they shape how a Muslim sees everything, from why we’re here to how we face hard times.

    All of them have believed in Allāh and His angels and His books and His messengers

    Qurʾān 2:285
    Read: the basics of IslamYaqeen Institute

  3. Who Is Allāh?

    Allāh is the One who made you, knows you completely, and is closer to you than you realize. Nothing is like Him, yet He tells us about Himself through beautiful names, like Ar-Raḥmān (the Most Merciful) and Al-Wadūd (the Most Loving), so that we can know and love Him. The more of His names you learn, the more your prayers and duʿāʾ come alive.

    And when My servants ask you, [O Muḥammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.

    Qurʾān 2:186
    Read: the names of AllāhWhyIslam

  4. Wuḍūʾ

    Before each prayer, Muslims make wuḍūʾ, washing the face, arms, and feet and wiping the head, as the Qurʾān describes. It’s more than getting clean: it’s a moment to set the rest of the day aside before you stand in front of Allāh.

    O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles.

    Qurʾān 5:6
    Watch: how to make wuḍūʾNew Muslim Academy

  5. How to Pray

    Ṣalāh is five daily meetings with Allāh: Fajr, Ẓuhr, ʿAṣr, Maghrib, and ʿIshāʾ. Each prayer is made of units (rakʿahs) of standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting, and the Prophet ﷺ taught that you are closest to Allāh when you are in prostration.

    Indeed, I am Allāh. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.

    Qurʾān 20:14

    This shows one common way to pray. Some details differ between schools of thought, and there are special rules for travel and menstruation. Ask at office hours or a sister or brother on the board.

    Watch: how to prayNew Muslim Academy

  6. The Qurʾān

    The Qurʾān is Allāh’s own words, revealed to Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ through the angel Jibrīl over 23 years. Its very first word was “Read” (Iqraʾ), and Muslims have memorized and recited it, unchanged, for over 1,400 years. Every verse carries wisdom, so read it slowly, with a translation beside the Arabic, and reflect on what it is telling you.

    Indeed, it is We who sent down the message [i.e., the Qur’ān], and indeed, We will be its guardian.

    Qurʾān 15:9
    Read the Qurʾān with translationQuran.comWatch: a linguistic wonder (7 min)Yaqeen Institute

  7. Common Words & Phrases

    These phrases weave the remembrance of Allāh (ḏikr) into everyday moments, from greeting a friend to finishing a meal. When a man asked the Prophet ﷺ for one thing to hold on to, he said, “Let your tongue remain moist with the remembrance of Allāh” (Jāmiʿ al-Tirmiḏī 3375). So keep your tongue moving with them all day.

    So remember Me; I will remember you.

    Qurʾān 2:152
    Assalāmu ʿalaykum
    Peace be upon you (the greeting; reply “Wa ʿalaykum as-salām”)
    Bismillāh
    In the name of Allāh (said before starting something)
    Alḥamdulillāh
    All praise is for Allāh
    SubḥānAllāh
    Glory be to Allāh
    In shāʾ Allāh
    If Allāh wills
    Mā shāʾ Allāh
    What Allāh has willed (said when admiring something)
    Jazāk Allāhu khayran
    May Allāh reward you with good (a thank-you)
    Astaghfirullāh
    I seek Allāh’s forgiveness
    More words: glossaryNew Muslim Academy

  8. Keep Learning

    Seeking knowledge is part of worship: the Prophet ﷺ taught that whoever takes a path to seek knowledge, Allāh makes easy for them a path to Paradise (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2699). Come to our ḥalaqahs to learn with others, ask your questions, and grow together, and explore our Resources page for courses and books.

    “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”

    Qurʾān 20:114
    See when ḥalaqahs meetBrowse resources