Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm, As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. Peace be upon you brothers and sisters. 

Welcome to the Muslim Converts Channel. 

My name is Dr. Nabi Raza Abidi and I am the spiritual leader of the Muslim community of the San Jose and San Francisco area and also the resident Imam of the SABA Islamic Center.

Islam literally means to surrender. It means to surrender to God’s will. The basic function of the religion is to peacefully guide humans towards salvation. Unfortunately, there are many misinterpretations of Islam that contradict the true teachings of Islam. The true teachings of Islam hold that all humans as creations of God are equal and dignified in the eyes of God.

This website is a combined effort of the SABA Islamic Center which is located in San Jose, California and the Muslim Converts Channel. The site’s content is specially formatted for people who are recent converts to Islam or have limited information about the religion. Its goal is to present Islamic teachings in a simple language that is comprehensive in scope. Even though the site is for converts to Islam, non-Muslims and non-converts can also benefit from its curriculum.

The goal is to tackle a number of important questions in a culturally relevant and clear way but we are not immune to mistakes. Please do not hesitate to notify us if you see an error.

The core curriculum is divided into 10 sections and each section is further divided into topics. Each topic has two versions, one full version and one summary version. Both versions have videos and transcripts as well as an extensive Q&A and glossary section.

In order to effectively use of the curriculum, we recommend that you start with the first section, review its videos and study its text at a later time. It is very important to familiarize yourself with Islamic terminology. Without know the basic vocabulary of Islam, you will not understand future topics.

The door’s of Islam and its teachings are open to anyone and everyone. There is no special process in order to become a Muslim convert. One is only expected to know the basics of Islam because having knowledge of what you are converting to is essential.  Once you are a Muslim, there are a few requirements that must be fulfilled. Above all, sincerity of belief in the word of God is critical. This word is sourced in the Holy Qur’an - Islam’s holy book - which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (s) and was further explained by his Holy Progeny who are also known as the Ahl al-Bayt (as).

The process of conversion is simple: with sincerity, simply declare that there is no deity but God and that the Prophet Muhammad (s) is His messenger. This is known as the shahada or Muslim testimony to faith.

If you want to convert to Islam, we recommend that you come to an Islamic center. Islamic centers usually have special programs for anyone who wants to convert to the religion.

If you are a convert to Islam, I would like to first congratulate you and I hope that your knowledge increases daily. But please keep in mind that your journey in Islam will not always be smooth and easy. Difficult times may come but you should trust in the mercy and grace of God and never despair. The world will not change, but you yourself will and in order to do this, your Islam must be lived through action and not just theory.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. You can always ask me questions by going on www.moulanaonline.com. You may also contact us via the contact us option at the bottom of the site.

We wish you all the best. Do not forget that being a Muslim is about being hopeful in mercy of Allah, disciplined, hardworking, positive, tolerant and caring towards yourself, your  family and  neighbors, community and humanity. As Islam teaches us, people are either our brothers and sisters in religion, or they are our equals in humanity.

May God bless you.

As-Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh