Last updated 05/19/2009

Whenever I run across a newbie, whether on a message board or in real life, I always refer them to the same things – same websites, same books, same videos. So, why not compile a list of rahma’s complete recommendations for converts?  This list is a work in progress and is not yet definitive.

Watch this first.  Srsly. 

 

Deh Interwebz

Online Learning

→ Sunnipath – in addition to their great store of question and answers, they offer courses for newbies at a 75% discount. Make sure to sign up for their mailing list, as they offer a few free courses every year as well.

Some SP Q&A that are great for converts:

→ Mount Hira – awesome site with programs to help memorize some of the shorter surahs of the Qur’an, some duas and the 99 names of Allah (swt)

→ Zaytuna Distance Learning Program – if you can’t make hijra to the SF Bay area to attend their classes in real life, sign up and download them on your ipod. Islam 101 is great for the newbie and the muslim looking to get back to the basics.]

→ Iprofess - no longer available at it’s original location, but can still be found through the internet archives.  My favorite articles:

Websites

→ Listening to the Qur’an – alhamdulilah, there are lots of sites online where one can listen to dozens upon dozens of recitors. And, there’s always the option of searching “quran” on youtube, which yields close to 198,000 results.

→ Reading Qur’an

  • Al Tafsir – lots of translations and tafsir (commentary)
  • Qur’an Realm – read different translations, the transliteration and arabic side by side.
  • Mount Hira – awesome site with programs to help memorize some of the shorter surahs of the Qur’an, some duas and the 99 names of Allah (swt)

→ The Modern Religion – one of the first websites I found back in the day.

→ Zaytuna – an excellent center for traditional Islam in America. Sh. Hamza and Imam Zaid, both converts, bring Islam to life in a way that is easy to understand and leaves you wanting more.

→ Mutmainaa – a geocities site, so sometimes they exceed their bandwith and pages aren’t accessible. But, keep coming back, because the entire site is chock full of goodness. The section on dhikr is perhaps the best online resource for Remberance.

→ The American Muslim Convert Resource Page

Specific Issues

→ Conversion Certificate - unfortunately, simply declaring oneself a muslim may not be good enough for the Saudi government to issue you a visa for hajj.  They may ask you for a certificate of your conversion.  If you didn’t get one at the time of your shahada, you can write one up and have the people at the masjid certify that you are in fact a muslim.

→ Convert related advice

→ Hadith or not to hadith?  That is the question.  Do we accept hadith are part of the religion (hint, the answer is yes)?

  • Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought – the main meat of the book discusses modern reinterpretation of the hadith corpus, but the first part provides a good introduction to how and why hadith were compiled, and the conflicts around it. It’s a scholarly work, not apologetics.

Lectures and Videos

Real Life

→ Books

  • An English Translation of the Qur’an (if you’re a native english speaker of course) I started out with the Shakir and Arberry translation. Overtime, I’ve aquired probably a dozen different translations. Most of the time, I use the Muhammad Asad and Saheeh International translations together. Saheeh International has smooth, modern, easy to read and understand english, and Muhammad Asad has dynamite footnotes that survey centuries of Qur’anic Commentary.
  • Submission, Faith & Beauty – my absolute favorite introduction to Islam
  • Salat: the Islamic Prayer from A to Z – an overall good look at how to make wudu and the salat. The only quibble I have is wiping over the socks in wudu – some say this is permissible, but the 4 madhabs hold that your socks must be leather (khufs) if you want to wipe over them. Regular, every day socks don’t cut it.
  • A Biography of the Prophet – I like 3: Muhammad by Martin Lings – perhaps the most traditional in approach, it sounds more like the traditional sirah than a western biography. Muhammad by Yahya Emerick – more of a traditional western biography, reads like a story. In the Footsteps of the Prophet by Tariq Ramadan – highlights aspects of the Prophet’s life that are often overlooked by the anti-islam crowd.
  • Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship – once you have the how to down of the 5 pillars, like salat, zakat and fasting, learn how to connect them to your inward character.
  • Books of Dua – a dua is a supplication, what we westerners think of when someone says prayer. A good dua book will give you duas from our beloved Prophet (saws) and from the Qur’an. Reflection of Pearls is a good general dua book that gives duas for everyday situations, as well as those found in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Accepted Whispers is a little more advanced. It gives a number of dua to say every day from the Prophet (saws), not for any particular situation, but rather just for making dua.
  • Purification of the Heart – a must read for those who wish to polish their character. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read this book.
  • Treatise for the Seekers of Guidance – a commentary on a classical text that causes you to reflect on how to live islam in your life

→ CDs

→ Videos