Hosai Mojaddidi – Melisa’s Shahadah (Declaration of Faith)

So hi, Melissa, how are you?

I'm good. How are you? I'm doing well. I'm so happy to see you and

meet you. It's an honor for us. Thank you so much. Happy to meet

all of you, too. Yes. So please forgive me, I kind of entered, I

think at a conversation that was already in progress. But I would

love to learn more about I do have some friends that I kind of

witnessed them, like their practice, or religion, Islam, and

then I kind of became very interested in that. And so I just,

they gave me the resources to like, reach out to you guys. And

to kind of like, move forward on.

Yeah, I'm very shy.

Thank you. So if you don't mind, I would love if that's okay. I don't

know how much Edelen or when you have already kind of prompted your

ask certain questions. But when we do this process, right, of someone

entering a song, it's very simple. By the way, I don't know how much,

you know, but like, honestly, becoming muscles by one the

easiest things you could do you just have to say a phrase. Yeah,

yeah, I did read a little bit. I was doing a little bit of

research. And I do see that you guys kind of like, rephrase that

for us. Because it's an Arabic. So yes, yeah. easy for us to kind of

like, say it. And definitely. So the way that the what we'll do is

I'll kind of just give you a summary of how the processes,

okay, just so you know what to expect. So, initially, we do kind

of like to just ask questions like about your background, your

knowledge about Islam, you kind of just summarized that you've

studied a little bit because of friends gave you resources, but I

would like ask specific questions. For example, what what was your

previous faith? Or did you have one, and then we would kind of

have a conversation like about specific things. Related to that

right, just to again, make sure that you're clear on what the

creed of a Muslim is, like, what what the beliefs are of a Muslim

so that there's no conflict. And if you fully 100% accept, and

you're ready to take the next step of coming into Islam, I mean, we

are so happy and honored again, to facilitate that for you. And the

actual process is just literally I'll say a phrase very slowly in

Arabic, and you will repeat after me word by word. And then I'll

give you the English translation, and then that point, you are a

Muslim. And and then sister Edelen, she can then from that

point forward, give you more of the specifics like now that you're

a Muslim, what do you what should you learn? And how should you pace

yourself? Like, what's priority? First, right? Do you have because

a lot of women, especially when they become Muslim, they suddenly

worry about having to look a certain way. And so they want to

wear hijab, but we would say, you know, let's, there's other things,

you know, that will come and there's no rush, we literally go

at your pace. And, you know, I just like to always emphasize that

Islam came in 23 years, you know, when you study Prophet Muhammad's

life, the whole faith was completed over that period of

time, because we have to assume that beings be you know, like,

there's, it's a process, you know, you can't just transform

overnight, but the faith, if it's in your heart, that's all you

need, then the changes that you're going to make are more practical

day to day changes, like tomorrow's you know, gonna be

Ramadan. Okay, what does that mean? Right? So those are the

things that sister Evelyn can talk to you about. But so if you don't

mind, I would love to just that first question that I asked you.

What did you have a previous face? And what was that? Um, it looks

Catholic, but um, we didn't really like

don't know how to pay like, it was a religious Yeah, practice it. And

then like I said, like, so me having friends that really

practice Islam and watching them kind of like, made me want to

follow and like believe in.

So I wanted to pursue to Islam. Okay, that's wonderful. Well,

sister, Edelen, she, I'm sure she may have told you but she also had

a Catholic background, a lot of the converts that we found, and

I've actually done a few different shadows, I also had a Catholic

background. And I think the what I've observed is there's a lot of

similarities. If you if you knew anything about your Catholic faith

in terms of ritual and tradition, respect and reverence. There's a

lot of prayers that people I think, feel just very comfortable.

But then obviously, the biggest difference that we just want to

point out is the role of Jesus and, and also Mary, I would say,

because both of them are very central figures in Catholicism,

right, Mary being the mother of Jesus, and there are divinity or

there is divinity scribed to

Jesus in terms of him being the son of God. So those are things

that we always want to clarify that you understand fully that in

Islam, we are in very, very strict monotheists which means God has no

partners whatsoever and prophets are are human beings that are

given specific roles, but we do not worship prophets. We don't

worship anybody but God even Prophet Muhammad. Yes. Okay, so

that's clear for you.

and your research? Yes, yes, no, I'm totally I'm sure you know all

this. It's more for us. Because you know, as an organization, too,

we want to make sure that we do our part to clarify all this

stuff, but I'm sure if you've studied it, this was pretty clear

that Yeah, we don't worship any anyone else. So thank you for

clarifying. And then so and you accept fully that God is one and

that Prophet Muhammad is the last and final messenger? Yes. Perfect,

then that's all really that. And I'm sure, like I said, all the

other stuff as far as the five pillars and the articles of faith,

the fact that we believe in, in a heaven and *, we believe in an

unseen world, these are all just central parts of the belief of a

Muslim, but if you've studied and you've read, and you know that, so

what we can do now is we can do the actual process of you taking

your shahada in sha Allah, which is again very simple, it's just I

will recite the Arabic and you can go we'll go kind of like, you

know, like, it's like a dance kind of I'm doing it and then you do it

and then you know, so we'll do it that way. And I'm not rushing you

at all. So just feel free if it's like not clear. Can you repeat

that? Okay, well, I'll try to be I have my mic really close here. So

I'm going to speak as clearly as I had an apologize in case I my

wordiness that correct? Oh, no worries don't worry it at all.

I'll like I said, that's why we tried to do a very phonetic so

that it's doesn't Don't worry, and you hopefully won't be

intimidating to right. Alright, so we start with saying in the name

of God, which is Bismillah Okay, so I'm gonna I'm that's what I'm

saying. Bismillah, which just means in the name of God. And now

we'll actually do the shahada, which begins ash, Ash, how do I do

and, and lair? La ilaha ilaha IL Allah in LA, wha wha, Ash? Ash

hadoo Hadoo Anna, Anna, Mohamed, then Mohammed Dawn, or soon Rasul?

Allah. Allah. Very good. That was one time now we're gonna do two

more times just like that. Okay. Ash, Ash, how do I do an N La La

ilaha illa Ha, il Allah. Allah Allah. Wha wha ash? Ash? hadoo

Hadoo Anna Anna Mohammedan Muhammad Rasul. Rasul. Allah,

Allah. Very good and one more time. Okay as us how do I do an en

la la ilaha ilaha IL l Allah, Allah, wa, wa s. US ash. How do I

do? Anna? Anna Muhammadan Muhammadan rasul. Rasul Allah,

Allah. That's it, Allahu Akbar.

You are now officially a Muslim sister Melissa, welcome to heck

of Islam. We're so happy if you were with us, we would hug you you

might find that awkward but

bear hug Exactly. But what did we just say? All you said was I

testify that there is no god but God or Allah. And I testify that

Muhammad is the last final messenger of God. That's all what

was said. So once you declare that publicly in front of witnesses and

you believe it in your heart, you are officially Muslim but you are

Muslim before you met with us today because you believed it so

this is just ceremonial but we're so honored. Thank you so much

again, I wish we could come through the phone and hug you

properly.

But it's a beautiful gift you know, there's a saying of the

Prophet Muhammad that says that everything has keys right and the

keys of Paradise is the words that we just shared. So you gave us the

keys we gave you the keys and this is just it's just an exchange

inshallah God willing that we are we will all be together Inshallah,

in paradise in the next life, and I'm here as a family of Muslims

brothers and sisters. So welcome to the faith of Islam. Thank you.

You're very, very welcome. So honored you and thank you so much

for the honor of giving us this opportunity. Thank you. I

appreciate all of you guys think you're very welcome.