Can I become Muslim?
We often get this questions can i become Muslim even though I had a wild past, i became pregant out of wedlock, I comitted adultery, I have a tattoo
Yes ofcourse you can become Muslim. No matter what sins you have committed or how wild your past was. You can still become a Muslim. Islam erases all sins committed prior to becoming a Muslim. Prophet (may the peace and blessings and mercy of Allah be upon him) said, Islam annuls what came before it. (narrated by Muslim in his Sahih, no. 121). As soon as you become a Muslim all your previous sins are forgiven and you start a blank state. Or a complete clean record.
At the time of the Prophet peace be upon him there were several non Muslims who used to fornicate, drink alcohol and gamble. But when they heard the message of Islam and realised it was the truth they left those bad habits and converted to Islam and became Muslim.
Ibn Abbaas narrated that some of the people of shirk (polytheism) killed and did a lot of killing, and they committed adultery and they did that a great deal, then they came to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said,
"What you say and what you are calling for is good. If only you could tell us that there is any expiation for what we have done." Then Allah revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning):
Say: "O Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him (in Islam) before the torment comes upon you, (and) then you will not be helped.
And follow the best of that which is sent down to you from your Lord (i.e. this Quran, do what it orders you to do and keep away from what it forbids), before the torment comes on you suddenly while you perceive not!
Lest a person should say: "Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allah (i.e. I have not done what Allah has ordered me to do), and I was indeed among those who mocked [at the truth! i.e. Laa ilaaha illAllaah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), the Quran, and Muhammad and at the faithful believers]
Or (lest) he should say: "If only Allah had guided me, I should indeed have been among the Muttaqoon (the pious)."
Or (lest) he should say when he sees the torment: If only I had another chance (to return to the world), then I should indeed be among the Muhsinoon (good‑doers).
Yes! Verily, there came to you My Ayaat (proofs, evidences,
verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and you denied them,
and were proud and were among the disbelievers."
[Quran
Surah al-Zumar 39:53-59]
For instance Abd-Allaah ibn Maghfal reported that there was a woman who had been a prostitute during the days of ignorance (before Islam). A man passed by her, or she passed by him, and he touched her. She said: Stop it! (Mah! A word connoting a rebuke or denunciation). Allah has done away with shirk and had brought Islam. So he left her alone and went away. (Reported by al-Haakim, who said this hadeeth is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim, although they did not report it).
There was a (Muslim) man called Marthad ibn Abi Marthad who used to smuggle Muslim prisoners-of-war from Makkah (which was the territory of the mushrikeen) to Madeenah (which was the territory of the Muslims). There was also a woman in Makkah,
called Anaaq, who was a prostitute. She had been a friend of Marthad's (before he became Muslim). Marthad had promised to take one of the prisoners from Makkah to Madeenah. He said: I came to the shade of one of the gardens of Makkah
on a moonlit night, then Anaaq came and saw my shadow by the
garden. When she reached me, she recognized me and said: Marthad?I
said, Marthad. She said: Welcome! Stay with us tonight. I said, O Anaaq, Allah has forbidden zinaa (unlawful sexual relations). She called out, O people of the camp! This man is stealing away your prisoners! (i.e., she wanted to take revenge on him because he refused to have unlawful relations with her, so she called the mushrikeen to come and seize him). Eight men pursued me (and he described how Allah saved him from them). This event was the reason for the revelation of the aayah (verse):
The adulterer marries not but an adulteress or a Mushrikah
and the adulteress none marries her except an adulterer or a
Muskrik [and that means that the man who agrees to marry (have a
sexual relation with) a Mushrikah (female polytheist, pagan
or idolatress) or a prostitute, then surely he is either an
adulterer, or a Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater, etc.) And
the woman who agrees to marry (have a sexual relation with) a
Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater) or an adulterer, then
she is either a prostitute or a Mushrikah (female polytheist,
pagan, or idolatress, etc.)]. Such a thing is forbidden to the
believers (of Islamic Monotheism) (al-Noor 24:3) (Reported and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi, 3101).
Amr ibn al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When Allah put Islam in my heart, I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: Give me your right hand so that I may swear allegiance to you. He held out his hand and I withdrew my hand. He said, What is the matter, Oh Amr? I said, I want to stipulate a condition. He said, What do you want to stipulate? I said, That I will be forgiven. He said, Do you not know that Islam destroys that which came before it? (reported by Muslim)
So do not worry about your past. Start a New life with a clean record.
AbuUbaida
Admin