HOW TO BECOME A MUSLIM

How Should We Introduce a Young Man—Soon to Embrace Islam—to the Deen?

A reflection offered in response to a question raised in a group.

Before guiding anyone toward Islam, we must first understand what “Islam” truly means. Islam is not a “religion” in the conventional sense. The word Islam—a form IV verbal noun—signifies a profound transformation of the self through surrender to peace and soundness. It is an inward journey toward a state of harmony.

We often pair the word Deen with Islam, yet rarely pause to reflect on its deeper meaning. Deen conveys the idea of submission, much like a debtor who acknowledges the authority of the creditor. At its essence, Deen is about giving, contributing, and sharing. Through giving, the heart finds serenity; through service, the soul discovers tranquility. For this reason, Islam and Deen are inseparably linked.

To submit to peace is Islam. One who embodies peace—who is at peace and brings peace—is a Muslim, the active participle that denotes a state of being. And those who seek the path to peace are described as mustaslimūn—travellers on an inner journey toward wholeness.

Thus, Islam is fundamentally an invitation to happiness, harmony, and soundness. No book, Scripture, interpretation, scholar, or group can give you peace. They may guide or inspire, but the attainment of peace is deeply personal. Many paths exist, but the walking must be your own.

Peace and inner contentment arise from the thoughts we nurture within ourselves. Each person’s thought-patterns are shaped by their past experiences—events that create waves of fear, anxiety, longing, insight, and awakening. These thoughts colour how we perceive the world and how we respond to it.

Terms such as Kāfir, Mushrik, Munāfiq, Fāsiq, Mufsidūn, Mukadhdhibīn, Mu’min, Muslim, or even Yahūd and Nasārā can be understood as layers or states of consciousness—inner tendencies, ideologies, and moral orientations that exist within every human being. They are not merely labels for external groups, but mirrors of our own internal landscape. Each of these states must be understood: some nurtured, some disciplined, some transformed, and some gently dissolved. They symbolize moral principles that shape our behaviour, our choices, our worldview, and even the systems we build.

To seek peace—Islam—we must learn to face and refine these inner states. No text alone can perform this inner work for us. Peace is a lifelong process of becoming. One must keep the mind open and free from the rigid influence of any single book, ideology, or group. Peace resides within; Islam is the quiet awakening of that inner reservoir.

Being born into a Muslim family does not make one a Muslim. A Muslim is a character, a state of being, a person who consciously chooses peace—whether they are born into a Hindu, Christian, Sikh, or Jewish home. The essence is not lineage, but transformation.

In guiding a young person toward Islam, then, we do not impose doctrines. Instead, we invite them to begin an inner journey—to seek peace, to cultivate soundness, to discover the tranquility that already resides within them. Islam is not a label to wear, but a state to embody.