How to Become a Strong Muslim

A strong Muslim has a solidly grounded faith, which gives him and the people around him inner and outer strength. If you follow these steps outlined below, you will be well on your way on becoming a true Muslim and the love of God. 

1. Accept that Allah Almighty exists and that His attributes are beyond our imagination. He is capable of everything and anything. Faith in Allah is essential. Accept that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the last of a long line of Prophets that started with Prophet Adam(peace be upon him), and continued with such notable figures as Prophet Nooh(Noah)(peace be upon him), Prophet Ibrahim(Abraham)(peace be upon him), Prophet Moosa(Moses)(peace be upon him), and others. Accept that the Holy Quran is the most recent and true word of Allah

2. Pray sincerely. Affirm that Allah is close to you. Always pray on time, never delay. Never do things that will prevent you from doing tasks that are of much greater importance. Nothing can be more important than obeying that which Allah asks of you. For instance, even while working or studying, halt everything you are doing and go to the nearest mosque to pray. If somebody were to ask you where you are heading, say that you are answering Allah's call to prayer.

3. Pray in the middle of the night. Pray when most people around you are sleeping soundly. The name of the prayer is Tahajjud. However to perform this special voluntary prayer, you must have some sleep first, even if it is of a very short duration. The night is the most efficacious time to pray.

4. Recite His name every time. Also known as Zikr in Islamic nomenclature (terminology), reciting Allah's name will ultimately make you a strong Muslim because you are constantly reminded of what good He has done for you and all of humanity.

5. Be grateful for everything you have, be it spiritual, mental, or physical. The more gracious you are, the more you will realize how much you have been blessed. And, by doing this, Allah willing, you will be stronger because you will believe that Allah is omnipresent.

6. Protect your chastity. You must know that adultery is a sinful act, and thus must always avoid it. This applies to both men and women. Women should not wear tight or revealing clothing, and men should always lower their gaze and be modest.

7. Keep to your promises. If you feel that you cannot manage something, just inform the other party as soon as you can. Abiding by sworn promises will ultimately make you a trustworthy person.

8. Respect the opinion of others. No opinions can be "bad" or "stupid". You should treat them as gems, or learn to derive gems from them. Without opinions, things will never get better. If you do not like an idea, do not invalidate it right away; instead, add on to the idea to improve it.

9. Fast for the right reasons. Do NOT fast because you want to impress others or because you want to feel superior in terms of the popularity you will gain when you get fitter. Fast with the intentions to please only Allah, and to get the reward for doing so. Additionally, fast because you will be able to perform your prayers correctly and effectively and want to be responsible over your health. Nevertheless, fast in order to relate to those who do not have privileges like food and water. Fast twice a week, preferably on Mondays and Thursdays. Fast during the month of Ramadan and also on the day of Arafah, which is on the 9th of Zulhijjah. Allah will forgive all the sins you have done for one year before and after should you fast on the day of Arafah.

10. Never lie. It should be emphasized again. Allah hates his adherents to lie to others. Your integrity will directly have an impact towards your dignity. People will look high upon you if you are honest and true to whatever you say. Unless the lie will actually cover upsomebody else's shame or will avoid distress for everybody, lying is not permissible. For instance, if your friend has stolen money from his parents, you should not tell others that your friend has once stolen money.

11. Be good to your family, if you are a man. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "The best of you is he who is the best to his family." Accordingly, be kind to them, always support them.

12. Struggle towards goodwill. Sacrifice your time and visit the mosque if there is a lecture. Forfeit your property to those who need it more than you do. In other words, always give charity. The recipient will be thankful that you have given them aid in their daily life. Remember, the one who gives is better (in the context of providing alms) than than one who receives.

13. Practice felicity towards everything. Be gentle and good-hearted not only to your parents, but to your cousins, to your friends, and even to the flora and fauna around you. Always protect your surroundings. Never ever be aggressive towards animals. You can always protect the environment by throwing rubbish properly and using public transportation.

14. Be gracious towards your parents. They work very hard to sustain the lives in their households, which includes bringing food and other things. Your mother suffered great pains to bring you into this world. What have you done to say thanks to them? They have brought joy to your life by buying you presents every now and then. Have you acknowledged that and appreciated them? Do whatever they expect of you and you will surely be fine in the eyes of Allah.

15. Don't sough over your loved one's death. Know that Allah did that because He loves your loved ones even more than you do. Accept that death is a resting phase for your loved ones against all the trouble this world can bring about.

16. Never waste your Time on useless things. Time is a blessing, make sure how you use it always comes as fruitful.

17. Read the Quran/Hadith a lot. Think deeply in every sentence's ((Ayeh)) meaning in Quran. Discuss among your friends and seek for their conclusions. Whenever you find that you can't understand the main meaning of any sentence, refer to "Explanations of Quran" or "Tafsir" books from great ethereal persons, or ask a knowledgeable person. It will keep your iman stronger. It will keep your soul pure. You'll get thawab for every letter you said. The Prophet Muhammad(peace and blessings upon him) said, "Two hours of thinking in Quran's meaning, is better than one hundred years of praying."

18. Try a lot to seek out knowledge, even if it is to be in your enemy’s hands.

19. Always think right. Never let evil ideas come into your mind.

20. Keep your body, clothes, housewares and everything you own clean. Use fragrances frequently and dress in warm, modest, and welcoming clothing.

21. Always help the poor and orphans by any means possible. Feed them; give them some money, and etc. These have a lot of deeds (thawab).

22. Repent if you have committed a sin anytime. Allah shall forgive you, Insha Allah. Then, try to not repeat the same sin again. After all, He is the one you shall meet in the after life, so obey his law and He shall give you paradise.

23. In order to be a good Muslim, you are obliged to believe in what the Quran and Hadith say, as In the Quran it says "Obey Allah and Obey the Messenger." It is wrong to neglect belief in Hadith, but one should always check to make sure they are sound, or take them from a trusted source like Sahih bukhari or muslim (two books of hadith)

24. Pick your sources very wisely. Don't read off the Internet a lot, and make sure that what you're reading is a fact not an opinion. Islam is between you and God, that relationship is sacred. You must not let anyone interfere with that. It is very likely that people will disagree with you, so don't let them affect your own point of view.

Tips

• Establishing the 5 daily prayers in Sunni and Shia is a must. The more you maintain these daily prayers, the more you will see yourself coming back to Islam and becoming a better Muslim.
• You must not waste food and water because you have to be grateful for what you have.
• If you are not a Muslim convert, learn basic Islamic teaching gradually first in order to avoid misunderstandings.
• Seek knowledge of Islam. From your local community to lectures, books and articles online, there's a lot available. You can also go down to the local mosque and talk and socialize with the other Muslims. It is good to have more Muslim friends then non-Muslim friends.
• Read the Quran with translations every single day. Even if its just a few lines.
• If you did something wrong once, immediately ask for forgiveness (Tawbah) from Allah. He is the most Merciful, meaning you should never give up from coming back for forgiveness.
• If you have committed a great sin, don't disappoint yourself because Allah forgives every sin.
• Perform ablution before every prayer, if you are not in the state of ablution. And applying good perfume on Friday is recommended.
• If you have committed a sin before, regret that sin always and try not to repeat it; Allah is a forgiver.

Warnings

• Be careful of aberrant teaching, which actually does not teach correct Islamic knowledge. It is thus important to get teaching from recognized scholars from this time and from the past, to broaden knowledge on strong background, rather that learning from the local 22 years old self-proclaimed sheikh who started to pray one month ago.
• Learn other languages of the Muslim world. The main spoken languages of the muslim world are Arabic, Indonesian/Malay, Persian and Urdu. A very huge number of very interesting works are being produced in Arabic and Malay. Persian is a fundamental source for all Shiites (Shia'a). An increasing number of Muslims study other languages to have an easier access to the knowledge that has been produced in other lands.
• Realize how important it is to only eat Halal foods (food, mainly meat, which is prepared in accordance to Islamic rites). Eating foods such as pork or getting drunk are prohibited in Islam.
• Don't drink alcohol. Drinking Alcohol is also prohibited in Islam alongside all intoxicants. In general, what a large amount of makes you drunk, you are forbidden to have a small amount of.
• Do not smoke. It is Makrooh (undesirable but not haram) and you could kill yourself by smoking, and that is a basic tenant of a Haram product (anything that you do to purposely damage or hurt your body is considered impermissible).
• Do not masturbate or commit adultery. Trust Allah that this is the best thing for you, no matter how hard it may seem to resist it. Masturbation can lead you to develop many bad habits such as dishonesty, getting in trouble, and even adultery. Seriously, there are so many other things out there that are more worthy of occupying your mind.Allah says in the Quran to stay away from adultery (zina).Its a very bad sin!The only legal sex is between a husband and wife within a marriage.
• Do not commit suicide for any reason. You will never be forgiven by Allah. Again, abstain from hurting yourself by doing things that might emotionally or physically destroy you.

Try and follow all the regulations of Islam

The more you practice the more you become a better Muslim, a better person, and a cleaner soul. You must understand that the sole purpose of Islam is to put you at peace with yourself and make you a purer and happier person. Don't let anything get too complicated. If it does, just use your mind. Take a step back and see the big picture; ask yourself, "why would God ask me to do something like that?"; Allah blessed you with a mind and a conscience and wants you to use it and make your own judgement. And never ever ever (lot of evers here!) give you !