I just became Muslim. What do I do now? Your first week, step by step

First, breathe: nothing is urgent except what you have already done

When you became Muslim, Allah forgave every sin of your life before Islam, and He keeps for you the good you did. You do not make up the prayers or fasts of the years before, because they were never owed. You start with a clean page.

You also do not have to change your name, your clothes or your job this week. You do not need Arabic, and you do not need to know every ruling. Islam is learned one thing at a time; that is how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught it. So this guide is a short list, in order. The free course it points to, Tayseer, is built in the same order.

Day one: understand what you said

The Shahadah is two testimonies. “There is no god but Allah” means that no one has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and that you turn away from everything else that is worshipped. “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” means believing what he told us, obeying what he commanded, avoiding what he forbade, and worshipping Allah only in the way he taught.

That is the whole religion in two lines; everything you learn from now on is a way of living them out. Say the Shahadah slowly today, thinking about its meaning. Then write the five pillars of Islam and the six pillars of Iman somewhere private and look at them each day this week. (They are explained in Islam for beginners: what Muslims believe.)

In the course: Level 1, lesson 1, “The Shahadah: what you testified to”. Nine minutes.

Day one or two: the Ghusl

Ghusl is a full wash of the body with water, and it is the first act of worship most new Muslims do. The simplest way is enough for now: make the intention in your heart, then let water reach every part of your body and your hair. The complete Sunnah way, which includes Wudu, comes a few lessons later. Do it today if you have not already: purity is what prepares you for prayer, and prayer is where you are heading.

In the course: Level 1, “Purity and your first Ghusl”, then “How to make Wudu”. If you want the Wudu steps now, they are in How to make Wudu step by step.

Days two to seven: learn to pray, one step at a time

The five daily prayers are the heart of a Muslim's day: Fajr before sunrise, Dhuhr after midday, Asr in the afternoon, Maghrib just after sunset, and Isha at night. They are the most important pillar after the Shahadah, and the one thing worth learning properly this week.

You do not need every word by heart before you begin. The course teaches the prayer as eighteen steps across three short lessons, with a card to keep beside you, and its target for a beginner is this: by the end of the week, pray all five prayers on your own, on time, reading from the card where you need to. The words come over the following weeks, a few lines at a time, with a teacher who listens to your recordings. Start with al-Fatihah, the short opening chapter of the Qur'an, one verse a day. For the shape of the prayer and the times, read How to pray Salah for beginners.

In the course: Level 1 is called “First steps: believe, purify, pray”. Its goal is one sentence: pray all five prayers on your own. Twelve lessons, about an hour and three quarters of video in all.

Find one person to ask

Every new Muslim has questions the lessons have not reached yet: my family, my job, the things I used to wear. You need one trustworthy person, not twenty websites.

Your local masjid is the first place to look: ask for the imam, or for whoever teaches new Muslims. If you are not ready to walk in yet, that is fine. In the course you can send a question privately through the portal, and the College answers in confidence. Your account is private, the emails never mention religion in the subject line, and only your teachers hear your recordings.

When you hear two different answers, ask where each one comes from. The course is built from three trusted books and tells you when a question needs a scholar rather than a lesson.

Things that can wait

• Fasting Ramadan. Who must fast, how a fasting day runs and what breaks it: Level 3, well before Ramadan comes round.
• Zakah. Due only once you have held a certain amount of wealth for a full lunar year. Level 3 teaches when, how much, and to whom.
• Hajj. Once in a lifetime, for those who are able. Level 4 explains it in outline; there is no rush.
• Food, dress, family. What to eat, what to wear, and how to live kindly among a family that is not Muslim: Level 4, once prayer is settled.

None of these is unimportant. They are simply not this week. Prayer first; the rest in order.

How the course's four levels map to your first months

1. 1Level 1, First steps: believe, purify, pray. The Shahadah, Tawhid, Ghusl, Wudu, and the five prayers step by step. Goal: pray all five prayers on your own.
2. 2Level 2, Growing in faith and prayer. Allah's names, what undoes faith, the toilet and cleanliness, periods, mistakes in prayer, praying in congregation, and Friday prayer. Goal: pray with confidence and know what undoes faith.
3. 3Level 3, The unseen, Ramadan and Zakah. The angels, the Books, the Messengers, the Last Day and Qadar; then fasting and Zakah. Goal: fast Ramadan and know what you owe.
4. 4Level 4, Hajj, and living as a Muslim. Hajj and Umrah in outline; halal food, dress, family, marriage, and how to keep learning. Goal: live Islam day to day.

Each level ends with a short check: twelve questions, no timer, as many tries as you like. Pass it, send your recitations to a teacher, and the next level opens. The whole course is 41 lessons, most under ten minutes. A lesson a day finishes it in about two months; a year is fine too.

One rule for the whole journey

The last lesson of the course leaves you with a single rule: hold to the Qur'an and the Sunnah together, and keep learning. Find a regular class with a trusted teacher, learn a little of the Qur'an every day, and ask when you do not know. You are not behind. You are at the beginning, and the beginning is a good place to be.