HOW TO LEARN ABOUT ISLAM AND BECOME A BETTER MUSLIM

  Wednesday, January 18, 2023      ‎       1 comment

Top 7 steps to learn Islam

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik (R.A.) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim, and he who imparts knowledge to those who do not deserve it, is like one who puts a necklace of jewels, pearls and gold around the neck of swines." - Sunan Ibn Majah, 224.

Most of the Muslims today are so ignorant about their Religion because they are Born in this Religion and they have not sacrificed anything for it. Like there are people of other faiths too who are following their beliefs blindly just because they are born in it and their parents and relatives believe that to be true. And that is why the Faith in our Religion is not that much strong that we will be able to leave our comfort zone and go to the nearest Mosque to offer Namaz five times a day. Neither we will be able to stop playing video games for studying Quran. We are not even ready (or ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) has not given us the Tawfik) to do what is Mandatory (Farz) in our Religion. Just because we do not know the value of having Iman and how much sacrifices our beloved Nabi ﷺ and our ancestors has given to protect Islam, we do not value it. 

"Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Are those who know equal with those who know not? But only men of understanding will pay heed."
- Al Quran.

'بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

🔍 Table of Content:

1. AL-QURAN 

From our childhood to the time our studies are completed, we read more than a hundred of Books just to be Successful in our Life or getting a Job to earn some Money. For the Worldly Life which will not last more than a Hundred Years, we sacrifice so much of our time, money and hard work. 
However, for the Eternal Life which is going to last Forever, we are not even ready to Read the word of the God i.e. The Quran. And still we feel proud to say that we follow Islam, this is the level of hypocrisy of Most of Today's Muslims. 
After learning to read The Quran in its original form i.e. The Arabic language, the translation and explanation of The Holy Quran in our own mother language is the first book one interested in learning about Islam should read. It is the only book in this planet which is believed to be truly the Word of GOD and hasn't been altered by anyone as ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) says in The Quran "Absolutely, we have revealed the reminder, and, absolutely, we will preserve it" (15:9). It is a source of Guidance for the Human Beings from their Creator to lead their life. The more one wants to know about his Creator, the more he should be desperate about reading The Quran. 

📌 There are many ways to read The Quran but the best one of it is by reading a Physical Book as The Quran has been preserved as a book (people have memorized it too) and Books are the best source of Knowledge. 
  • You can order a free copy of The Quran from GoodWordBooks or Buy it from them too. 
  • One can also purchase The Quran either offline or online. Here is a Link where you will find a list of The Best Selling Qurans. 👉 Al Quran(amazon) 👈
  • Or you can also visit quran.com where you will be able to read and listen to the Glorious Quran.
  • Mobile applications are also an option for going through the Glorious Quran. You can download "Muslim Pro" for your Android or iPhone. 
  • YouTube Videos are also available for the same. Please check here a list of  The Most Recommended YouTube Videos for understanding The Holy Quran.

2. THE NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ (AL ASMA UL HUSNA) 

"The Most Beautiful Names Belong to Allah, So Call on Him By Them." (Holy Qur'an 7:180) 
The more we will know about our Lord, the more our Love will increase for him. Learning about ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ)'s Names and Attributes will strengthen our Faith in him and we will realize how Supreme and Glorious our Lord is. We must try to memorize all The 99 Names of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) and use them often as a part of our Dhikr (remembrance of ALLAH عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ). It is ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ)'s names which are The Most Blessed and Sacred ones. 
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, “Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.” (Sahih Bukhari 50:894)

📌 Visit 99NamesOfALLAH and MyIslam.org to know and understand about all The 99 beautiful Names of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ).

📌 Click here to see The Most Popular Books on The Beautiful Names and Attributes of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ).

📌 The link here will take you to a List of YouTube videos where you will find the explanation of The Blessed Names and Attributes of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ).

3. THE SEERAH (LIFE) OF OUR BELOVED PROPHET (ﷺ)

“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent role model for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.” (Al-Ahzab 33:21).
Muhammad (ﷺ) is the best among the human beings who ever walked on this planet. ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) has commanded us in the Quran to obey and follow the paths of His Last Messenger (ﷺ). So, it is obligatory for every Muslim to learn about the life of our Last Prophet (ﷺ). After reading the biography of Muhammad (ﷺ), we will be able to understand The Quran in a better way as we will be able to know when and where the verses were revealed on Our Prophet (ﷺ).We will also be able to know about the sacrifices which the Last Messenger of ALLAH (ﷺ) gave for Islam and how much he cried and made Dua for us. After that it will be easy for us too to make sacrifices for our Deen and our Love for our Nabi (ﷺ) will also increase. As Narrated Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind.” (Al-Bukhari 15). When we will read about the Battles which the Sahaba (May Allah be pleased with them) fought under the Guidance of Hazrat Muhammad (ﷺ), it will boost our Faith and Desire to Struggle in the Path of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) after knowing how Brave our Nabi (ﷺ) and his followers were. Additionally, we will also be able to know about the miracles which happened during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). 

📌 There are various Books available on The Life of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). However, The Best of them is Al Raheequl Makhtum also known as The Sealed Nectar by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri as it was awarded first prize by the Muslim World League in a worldwide competition on the Biography of the Prophet held in Mecca in 1979. You will be able to find it easily both online and offline. 

📌 After reading the Book, you can also watch videos on YouTube to get an explanation of The Story of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). Here is the Link where you will find a List of The Most Popular Videos on The Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

📌 Some Android Applications like "Seerat Un Nabi SAW" (by Dr. Israr Ahmed R.A.) and "Seerat-Un-Nabi (S.A.W)" by (Shaykh Mohammad Khair Makki Al-Hijazi) can be used to Listen to their Audio Bayans in Urdu/Hindi language. 

4. THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF ISLAM

"Allah will raise those who believe among you and those who were given knowledge, by many degrees. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do." (Surah Al-Mujadila, 58:11)
Islam is not only a Religion but a Way of Life as it guides us in every aspect of our Life and not just in performing the Prayers or Rituals like most of the other Religions. To Practice Islam, we must have the Basic Knowledge of our Deen (Religion), only then we will be able to become a practicing Muslim and follow our Religion in its true form and way. So, it is the Fardh (duty) of every Muslim to Learn The Fundamentals of our Deen including but not limited to learning Islamic Faith, learning the types of Worship in Islam and how to perform them, learning what is Halal (permissible) and what is Haram (Forbidden) in our Religion, and the basic knowledge related to your field (business/job) etc. The Best Way to do it is under the Guidance of an Alim (Islamic Scholar). For that you can visit your nearest Maqtab/Madrasa or you can also visit The Masjid of your area and seek the help of your Imam. 

📌 THE PILLARS/ARTICLES OF IMAN (FAITH)   
The first and foremost thing to learn in Islam is about Aqidah (faith/ belief). It is the core Beliefs of The Muslims. The importance of having a Belief is that it is the only thing that distinguishes a believer from a disbeliever. There is a book named "The Pillars of Islam and Iman: and What Every Muslim Must Know About His Religion" by Muhammad Bin Jamil Zeno which will help you in understanding all The Articles of Faith in Islam. 

⬟ Apart from it please find here some YouTube Videos/Playlists to help you further in learning The Basic Faith of Muslims.

📌 READING ARABIC (AL QURAN)   
After understanding the Basic Beliefs we should learn to read Arabic as it is essential for reading The Quran in its original form and we must Memorize what is required to perform Namaz (Salah, The Daily Obligatory Prayers) and other forms of Fardh Prayers. Noorani Qaida is one of the first books which is mostly used for learning to read Arabic. It contains almost all the pronunciation rules of reciting the Holy Quran. After that one moves ahead for practicing PARA 30th Juzu Amma followed by learning to read The Holy Quran. 
  • One can purchase Noorani Qaida Col.Cod.(Arabic/English/Urdu)(PB) from offline and online stores. It is easily available there. 
  • Jabir Ali and Qamar Apps provide some amazing applications for Android where you will be able to learn Noorani Qaida with audio. Similarly, Firdous Fatima provides applications for iPhone users. It is highly recommended to download the one which is suitable for you and take benefit from it.
  • Another option to learn Noorani Qaida with Tajweed is by watching YouTube videos. I have selected some YouTube videos for you using which one can learn Reading Quran easily. Click here to check the list.
📌 THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM   
The five pillars of Islam are the obligatory things which Muslims must practice during his life which helps them to strengthen their faith in ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ). These are the duties and obligations of Human Beings towards their Lord and a way to Thank him or show Gratitude for his Uncountable Blessings.
“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)” [al-Dhariyat 51:56]
"Lessons in Islam or Talimul Islam" is a great Book in this regard which will help you in understanding the basics about The Five Pillars of Islam. 

⬟ Watch the list here to find Useful YouTube Videos which will help you in Learning about The Five Pillars of Islam.

📌 Please find here A List of The Books which will help you in understanding further The Basics of Islam. The list is sorted for beginners, starting from the 1st book will be best. 

📌 Islam One is a mobile application which contains Fiqh section to get basic Islamic knowledge about daily matters of life with Masnoon Azkaar, Duas and Sunnah of Day & Night. You can download it for your Android as well as iPhone.

📌 If you have any questions/queries regarding Islam, you can ask them at the below mentioned websites and you will also be able to see the FAQs there:

5. THE HADITH (SAYINGS) AND THE SUNNAH (PRACTICES) OF OUR LAST PROPHET MUHAMMAD (ﷺ)

"Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those with him are firm with the disbelievers and compassionate with one another." (Surah Al-Fath, 48:29)
ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) has sent Muhammad (ﷺ) as a Role Model for us. And our Prophet (ﷺ) guided us in every aspect of our life. He has not only instructed us to do so and so but also showed us by living a life completely reflecting the teachings of Islam. The Hadiths and The Sunnahs of our Prophet (ﷺ) help us in understanding The Quran too. They provide details and guides us about the commandments of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) in The Quran. They are the most trusted source of knowledge after The Quran. So, it is our duty to learn more and more Hadiths and memorize the important ones too. 
Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I have left you with two matters which will never lead you astray, as long as you hold to them: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of his Prophet.” (Source: al-Muwaṭṭa’ 1661)

📌 There are lots of Books available about The Hadiths of Prophet (ﷺ). You can check here A List of The Most Popular Ones. I have sorted them for beginners, so one can start from the first one.

📌 I would highly recommend to download The Islam 360 application to read The Major Hadith Books in a single application. It is available for iPhone as well as Android. 

📌 If you want to watch YouTube Videos to learn Hadith and Sunnah. Please go through this List.

📌 Sunnah.com and HadithCollection.com are two Websites which contain Listings of most of The Major Hadhits. However, they are not that much reliable compared to the above mentioned sources. So, please be careful while learning Hadiths from there and always try to cross-check from other sources too. 

6. THE HISTORY OF ISLAM

"Similar situations [as yours] have passed on before you, so proceed throughout the earth and observe how was the end of those who denied." (Surah Al-Imran, 3:137)
ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) has commanded us in The Quran to observe what happened with the people who inhabited this planet before us, so that we can know where our actions will lead us to and we can avoid making the mistakes that the previous nations made in disobeying ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ). 
ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) has clearly stated in The Quran "But you will never find in the way of Allah any change, and you will never find in the way of Allah any alteration.” [Surah Fatir, 35:43].
So, if we will follow the path of the righteous people, we will succeed in this life and the Akhirah (the Hereafter), otherwise we will become the companions of the Hell Fire. 

It is very important to know about our History as "A nation that does not know its history has nowhere to go.” - Dr. Macario Tiu. After reading about those who strived and gave their Life for Islam, we will be able to know how precious this Religion is. We will also find out that how ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) rewarded them and gave them Victory over others when the Blessed Companions of The Prophet (ﷺ), sacrificed everything they had for the sake of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) and his Deen (Religion). History tells us what happened to those who were the enemies of Islam, and how ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) punished them and all of their plans and tactics to hurt Islam and its followers went in vain. 

Muslims now-a-days think that they are the only one who are being oppressed and ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) is not helping them (أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللّٰهَ‎). You will get to know from The History of the previous Muslims that anyone who tried to walk in the path of Islam was tortured and mocked by the Transgressors. 
ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) already said in The Quran “Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe,’ and will not be tested. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allah knows all that before putting them to test)” (al-‘Ankaboot 29:2-3).
We should learn from The Story of our Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions (رضي الله عنه) that how they responded to these situations when they were put in test by their Lord. It will build patience in us when we will know how our Prophet (ﷺ) made Dua for the people of Ta'if when they threw stone on him (ﷺ). The life of the righteous Muslims is a source of Guidance for us. It is the proof of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ)'s promise to those who strive in his path and those who deviate from it. 
Bravery was a common thing which was found in the previous Muslims, we must have a look at the stories of The Bravest People who ever lived. The biographies of  Hazrat Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (رضي الله عنه), Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (رضي الله عنه), Sultan Salahuddin al Ayyubi (رحمة الله عليه) and many more Brave Servants of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) tells us the Power of having True Faith and Trust in our Lord. 

Some Muslims before us also made some mistakes which led to their decline. So, it is very important to learn form them as “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” - Winston Churchill. The reason behind our pathetic condition is that we have left the path of our Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions (رضي الله عنه). Because we do not know The Sunnah (Practices) of our Prophet (ﷺ), we are adopting the traditions of the westerners. That's why it is very essential for us to learn them as well as to Know The History of Islam and its Followers. 

📌 There is nothing better than Books when it comes to knowing about History. I have sorted some of The Best Books in chronological order. So, one can start from the beginning and start exploring The Glorious History of The Muslims. 

📌 You can also check Wikipedia and HistoryofIslam.com to read an article on this topic. It will give you an overview about The History of Islam.

📌 YouTube Videos are another great source for those who are interested in understanding The History of Islam and its Followers. You can find some of the most popular ones in this Document I have created.

7. THE ARABIC LANGUAGE

Read this: "Meri Zindagi ka Maqsad Teri Deen ki Sarfarazi. Main isiliye Musalmaan, Main isiliye Namazi." - Muhammad Allama Iqbal
Here is its translation: [(O'Allah) The Objective of my life is to work for the Glory of your religion (Islam), and therefore I am Muslim and I offer Prayers.]
There can be many other ways of translating it in English. Even if you don't understand Urdu, you will easily be able to understand the Meaning of the above lines by reading its Translation. However, you will never be able to truly understand the feelings of the author if you do not know the language in which it is written. And the poetic tone of this masterpiece is also destroyed in its translation. 

ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) has revealed The Quran in Arabic language which was the language of The Prophet (ﷺ) to whom it was revealed. [Click here to know Why is the Qur’an only in Arabic?]. The Quran in Arabic is in its true form as The Word of ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ). Its translation in any other language is done by some human being and you will find more than a hundred translations of The Holy Quran done by Great Islamic Scholars of their time. However, any translation can never be a replacement of The Original Arabic Quran. When you are reading any translation of The Quran, you are reading it through the eyes and perspective of the Translator and every translator have their own way of understanding and interpreting things. 
Apart from The Quran, all The Hadiths and most of The Major Books written by Muslim Scholars are in Arabic as their original form. So, learning Arabic language becomes mandatory for one who wants to get an in-depth knowledge of Islam.
While offering Namaz (Salah), we recite Quran and supplications in Arabic, if we will understand what we are reciting, it will increase our Khushoo (attention) and we will start enjoying our prayers. Also, reading the Quran in Arabic is a form of worship even if we don't understand Arabic language, however if you understand what you are reading, it will surely be more beneficial and rewardable for us as we will also be able to implement it in our life.

"The language Allah chose is the Arabic language. He sent his precious book (the Quran) written in Arabic, the language of the last prophet. For this reason, it is the duty of everyone to learn Arabic." - Imam Al-Shafi'i (772-826)

📌 It is kind of difficult to learn any language without having a teacher and Arabic is not an easy language in any way, so the best thing will be to join in any course where you can find some guidance and learn Arabic in an organized way. Along with that, Books are also available which will help you in this journey. I have selected for you some Most Popular Books on Amazon for learning Arabic. Check them out.

📌 One can also take the help of YouTube Videos to start learning Arabic language. I have made A List of some of them which I found suitable for a beginner.

📌 The are some great Applications too which will improve your Arabic furthermore. Duolingo and Mondly are available for Web, Android and iPhone whereas FunEasyLearn is available for Android and iPhone only.

📌 One can also enroll in Paid Arabic Language Courses using Udemy and use LexiLogos Keyboard to practice Arabic Typing. 

"Going through all these 7 steps sincerely, إن شاء الله we will surely improve our self as a Muslim and come more closer to our Deen (Religion) and ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ)."


📘 HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THIS ARTICLE 

✍ After going through the full Blog, you are supposed to start your journey of Learning more about your Deen. I would always request you to have someone by your side who will guide you because you are going to use Internet for your purpose of Leaning Islam and the content available online is not always accurate, although I have tried my best to provide you links of trusted sources only. 

✍ Do not get confused by seeing so much of options (for eg. YouTube Videos) available on a single topic. I have tried to provide you with a couple of options when it comes to Books and YouTube content so that one can learn from their Favorite Author or Scholar respectively. However, most of them are Popular and Trusted by many people. What you are supposed to do is to select a Book and a YouTube Playlist/Video for learning one topic (for eg. The Basic Knowledge of Islam) and after completing it you can move to the next topic and do the same. Do not try to read all The Books or watch all the Videos on a single topic as it will be time consuming and less productive. After repeating the same for all The 7 Topics, you can start again from the first one.

✍ Watching random YouTube videos will take you nowhere and you will forget the most part of it the next day. This article will help you in to learn in an organized way. You should make a fresh Note Book and always try to make Notes/Summary of the content you are watching online as in this way you will be able to recall and remember the most part of it. While reading Books too, you can use a highlighter to highlight the important part of it and after finishing the Book, try to write a summary of what you have learnt in your own words.

✍ Do not involve yourself in confusing things which are controversial like Sects (Firqa) when you are a beginner as it will just deviate you from your main purpose of leaning Islam and you will not be able to learn Islam with an open and Un-biased Heart. Once you have a deep understanding of Islam (Quran and Sunnah), after that you can explore Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) and learn about all the School of Thoughts (Madhhab), so that ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) may guide you to The Right Path. For now, you can check this Article on Wikipedia to get a basic understanding of Islamic schools and branches.

✍ Be consistent even if you are giving only 40 minutes daily to learn more about your Religion as ALLAH (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) will surely reward you for your intention and efforts. And, Do not forget to implement in your life whatever you have learnt as we will be asked in The Hereafter that What we did with The Knowledge we were given. Also, try to teach others too about whatever you have learnt and make a source of Sadaqah Jariyah for yourself.

📘 RELATED WORKS

📘 AUTHOR'S NOTE

  • This article has been written by someone who is not an expert in anything and is a student himself. So, please expect mistakes. However, I have tried my best to do proper research and provide you with authentic information and sources.
  • If you found anything wrong/incorrect, false or you do have any suggestions for us, we would be happy to hear from you. Please contact us using the "Message section" or our E-mail address provided in the footer section (bottom part) of this page.
  • Please share this article with those people whom you want to take with you to Jannah. And we will all meet there Insha'Allah.

May ALLAH guide us


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