Anti_Shaytan

Salaam Alaikum,

Let's say a revert comes up to you, and tells you "I converted to Islam a few months ago and dont know anything, can you teach me?"

So now you have to spend a small amount of time with them everyday, how and where would you start? What would YOU do and what would you avoid?
If they want to start with Salah, but again know nothing at all, how would you start to teach them about Salah? In Arabic or first English? Or both?

If you wouldn't recommend starting with Salah, then what else?

Comments would be very much appreciated. Jazakallahu khair.

__________________

but also a CROWN" (July, 2009)

-Sh. Yaser Birjas, Instructor AlMaghrib Institute

"THE JEWEL OF ALMAGHRIB IS DURBAH" (Oct. 2009)

-Shaykh Riad Ourazazi, Instructor AlMaghrib Institute

gkhan

bismillah,

from my own reading and experiences, others might differ so take the good and leave the bad.

I would start by taking them to the masjid with you and have that be the central theme in their life, the masjid, because no one knows if they will live till tomorrow, so if you attach them to the masjid, then Muslims will be there for him/her inshallah. It happens so frequently that people attach those they are teaching to themselves that if the person teaching moves away or departs, the one learning stops his education fully.

in the masjid have them just sit with you and observe everyone else. make wudhu with them for every prayer and have them practice. when its prayer time, stand up and join the believers in prayer and have the brother/sister emulate to get the feel of the order and practical example. teach them the fatihah if they can (put it on CD / iPOD or mp3 and gift it to them). the fatihah should be easy to learn, otherwise most people can learn the following in few mins or a day:

Subhaan-Allaah wa’l-hamdu Lillaah wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa Allaahu akbar wa laa hawla wa la quwwata illa Billaah

(Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is no god except Allaah, Allaah is Most great and there is no power and no strength except with Allaah)
and they can read that till they start the fatihah, and that should be emphasized. (this duaa is reported by the hadeeth in Abi Dawood)

most things can be taught to those that don't know through practice and repetition. Practical things like eating with the right hand, and washing yourself with the left, being clean, interaction, etc are more beneficial then finer points of belief or intricate Fiqh Details.
Also good environments do wonders so bring them to your house or hangout and make them feel like family, cause chances are new muslims had to give up their families to be Muslim. Don't forget the duaa for them!

there is a good "book" by ibn Baz (rahimullah) called, "Essential Lessons For Every Muslim" published by Darus Salam, which covers the basic knowledge of Islam in a simple and step based format.

hope that helps and may Allah reward you for doing this noble deed

gkhan

so i didn't answer you question i think in my rambling.

i would start with the prayer, but before that Wudhu and Ghusl.
however it has to be SIMPLE. just a bath when they have major impurity and just wudhu if they went to bathroom.

the salah can be learned by focusing on the following parts.

1. Fathihah (Major part)
2. things you say in bowing and prostration
3. tahiyaat at the end (which i belive is the hardest thing to learn for beginings)

use transliteration or repetition to them via voice or audio. have homework like, "learn this line by tomorrow, or in an hour, etc"

the rest will come with interaction. start the basic arabic (alif, baa, taa) depending on their level after the prayer if they are obligated to pray, or as kids you could start the Arabic first cause kids are fast learners and not obligated to pray. ALLAHU ALAM

Amatullah

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Anti_Shaytan

Jazakallahu khair brother G.

We kind of started the prayer and wudhu.

What else along with the prayer? Or would you take it one step at a time (finish salah before moving on)?

I'm usually the type to rush everything and feed him everything in one day. Like salah, why we pray and who we pray to (tawhid and aqeedah), the way to pray (fiqh) ) etc.


That's a good idea too. I wonder if there are any seerah books for new, or non-muslims? Giving him The Sealed Nectar or a Seerah set such as the famous one out there, might confuse him with the Arab terminology that is often used. To sit with him and go over it, might be a good idea but down the road. Or should it be done right away?

__________________

but also a CROWN" (July, 2009)

-Sh. Yaser Birjas, Instructor AlMaghrib Institute

"THE JEWEL OF ALMAGHRIB IS DURBAH" (Oct. 2009)

-Shaykh Riad Ourazazi, Instructor AlMaghrib Institute

Amatullah

I just remembered that Shaykh Jamaal Z has a CD set called "A Guide for the New Muslims", you can find on al-basheer's site. Someone recommended it before. I think that would be something nice to give to the brother.

I was trying to think of books when I posted because I thought of the same issue. InshaAllah i will look around but a nice book is "Muhammad As If you can See Him" by Shaykh A'idh al Qarni. It's very easy English, published by Dar us Salam and it describes the character of the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, his appearance and how he was a person. It's really nice.

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MVaid

I'm in the middle of reading In the Footsteps of the Prophet by Tariq Ramadan. The book has been a pleasant surprise and I'm really loving the structure of the book along with Ramadan's commentary. It's very well referenced, with the overwhelming majority of it coming from Seerah Ibn Hisham and the ahadith are almost entirely referenced from being in either Bukhari or Muslim.

The only thing that gets me a little is that the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam is mentioned throughout the book as 'Muhammad' or 'Prophet' without mentioning peace be upon him, (pbuh), (saaws), (p), or (s) a single time...Other than that, it flows quite well, is not inundated with Arabic words and I think a non-muslim might better be able to follow the text when compared to some of the other seerah books you mentioned. Note that I'm in the middle of the book and not done with it so I cant vouch for the entire thing.
Allahu A'alem.

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Sign up for Nurayns next seminar at www.almaghrib.org

Yusuf513Khan

Are there any more details on the brother/sister? Demographics...Upbringing? Native languages? Immigrant convert (from where)?, "Muslim" to Muslim convert (from where?), Indigenous convert (from where)? etc.

If it's too personal or something email me iA.

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‘A’ishah radi Allahu anha narrated:

“Once, when I saw the Prophet in a good mood, I said to him: “O Messenger of Allah! Supplicate to Allah for me!”

So, he said: “O Allah! Forgive ‘A’ishah her past and future sins, what she has hidden, as well as what she has made apparent.”

So, I began smiling, to the point that my head fell into the lap of the Messenger of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam out of joy.

The Messenger of Allah said to me: “Does my supplication make you happy?”

I replied: “And how can your supplication not make me happy?”

He then said: “By Allah, it is the supplication that I make for my Ummah in every prayer.”
[Reported in 'Sahih Mawarid adh-Dhaman' (1875), and it is in 'as-Silsilah as-Sahihah' (2254)]

Anti_Shaytan

He's American and in HS...anything else would be tmi

__________________

but also a CROWN" (July, 2009)

-Sh. Yaser Birjas, Instructor AlMaghrib Institute

"THE JEWEL OF ALMAGHRIB IS DURBAH" (Oct. 2009)

-Shaykh Riad Ourazazi, Instructor AlMaghrib Institute