A new Muslim's first week
Entering Islam, the first wash, the first prayer, and telling the people around you.
By The Fatwa Scholarly Team
8 answers · About 6 min (estimate)
SeasonNew to Islam
Who it is for
New Muslims in their first week, their families, and anyone researching what a new Muslim learns first and what questions come up.
What you will know after
An ordered path through eight sourced answers on first learning, ghusl, prayer and common early questions, each linking to the full answer.
The first week is mostly firsts. The questions come in order: how one enters Islam, the wash that follows, learning to pray, and what to say to family. This set gathers the answers in that order.
Each entry is a short summary of a full answer on Ftawy, with the link to that answer at the bottom. The set routes you to them; it does not rule on anything itself.
Your progress stays on this device.
- Pick up where you left off1
What a new Muslim is taught first, and short books to start with
A starting map: the order in which the basics are taught after the shahada, the declaration of faith, with short reading suggestions.
Praise be to Allah for guiding the brother to Islam. After he pronounces the two declarations of faith (Shahadatain), it is obligatory to explain their meaning…
- 2
A vegetarian's question about entering Islam
For readers who avoid meat and animal products: what the answer says about their diet and about abstaining, for someone entering Islam.
Yes, you can be a Muslim without consuming animal products, but you must be wary of two things: First: believing that these things are forbidden, for Allah…
- 3
Learning to pray as a new Muslim, and the place of Arabic
Learning the prayer: what is said in it, how Arabic fits in, and what the answer offers to those still learning.
Prayer is one of the greatest pillars of Islam after the two Shahadas, and it is a connection between the servant and his Lord. It is preceded by ritual…
- 4
Sidr leaves in the ghusl taken on entering Islam
Describes the first full-body wash, ghusl, the part lote-tree leaves play in it, and when the answer says it applies.
There is a difference of opinion regarding the ghusl (ritual bath) of a disbeliever upon embracing Islam. The preponderant view is that it is obligatory if,…
- 5
Doubt about semen emission, and repeated doubts about purity
For the reader who keeps second-guessing their purity: how the answer treats doubt, and the advice it gives for worries that keep returning.
The questioner is suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) related to purity. The best treatment for it is to completely disregard it and seek refuge…
- 6
Praying in a car when time is short: ablution, dry ablution and the clock
Shows how the answer weighs prayer time against purification while travelling, useful once the first prayers meet real journeys.
It is not permissible to perform the obligatory prayer in a car except out of necessity. Therefore, one must disembark to perform it on the ground. If the car…
- 7
Forgiving those who wrong you, and staying on terms with fellow Muslims
Living among other Muslims raises this soon: how the answer weighs forgiveness, and what it says about cutting ties.
Forgiveness is a great virtue encouraged by Islamic law. It is better than exacting one's rights, but it is not always commendable. It may be a sign of…
- 8
Circumcision in Islam, and the claim that it is an innovation
A question new Muslims may meet from family or online; the answer sets out what scholars agree on and where they differ.
The statement that the Companions were not circumcised and that circumcision is not mentioned in Islam is a blatant lie and profound ignorance. Arabs are a…
Updated Sep 5, 2026