Your first week
as a Muslim.
Nobody expects you to know everything in the first week. But there are a handful of things worth doing — and a few worth avoiding — that make every step after the shahādah easier.
Day 1 — Make ghusl
When someone accepts Islam, the Prophet ﷺ instructed them to make ghusl — a full-body washing. Symbolic and literal at once: the outside is cleaned because the inside has been. If you have no access to running water, wiping yourself with clean water will do.
Day 1–2 — Learn al-Fātiḥah
The opening chapter of the Qurʾan — seven short verses — is required in every unit of every prayer. It is the single most-recited text in the world. Learn it in Arabic sounds first, English meaning second. Most reverts can memorise it in one or two sittings.
Day 2–3 — Pray the five daily prayers
Fajr (dawn), Ẓuhr (midday), ʿAṣr (late afternoon), Maghrib (just after sunset), ʿIshāʾ (night). Five appointments. You may feel awkward at first — every convert does. Rely on an app or a guide to tell you the movements the first few times. The words come faster than you expect.
Day 3 — Eat halal, simply
In the first week, don't overthink your diet. Avoid pork, alcohol, and anything containing them. For meat, most reverts either buy certified halal or eat vegetarian until they find a source they trust. The classical scholars were not food purists — they were careful but reasonable.
Day 4–5 — Tell someone (or don't)
Telling your family is a personal decision. Some reverts tell everyone on day one; others wait months. The Prophet's ﷺ own early companions often kept their faith private for years. Neither path is more correct. Use your judgement about safety, readiness, and timing.
Day 5–6 — Find a mosque (or don't, yet)
Visiting a local masjid in the first week is a gift to yourself: you meet other Muslims, hear the Qurʾan recited aloud, feel the shape of the community. Call ahead and say you're a new Muslim — most masjids will welcome you with specific care. If you live somewhere remote or you're not ready, r/NewMuslims and Discord servers for reverts are real communities.
Day 6–7 — Begin reading the Qurʾan
Don't try to read it cover to cover. Start with the short chapters at the back — Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, al-Ikhlāṣ, al-Falaq, al-Nās, and the ones you'll use in prayer. Read in English with the Arabic beside it if you can. Sit with a verse. Let it open.
The whole week — don't panic
You will make mistakes. You will forget a prayer. You will say something wrong at the masjid. Every person who has ever become Muslim did all of these things. The classical scholars treated the new Muslim with specific tenderness — because they remembered that they too were once beginners. You are not behind. You are exactly where you should be.
Then begin the Journey
When the first week is behind you, the 30-day Journey is the next structured path — four weeks through belief, worship, character, and the heart, using the classical library. Half an hour a day. The full audio experience is in the app.