What are the necessary contents of an "Islamic certificate" required for a convert to perform Hajj pilgrimage?

What are the necessary contents of an "Islamic certificate" required for a convert to perform Hajj pilgrimage? - Photo Of People Gathering Near Kaaba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. In order to perform hajj, one needs a special hajj visa. There seems to be an extra requirement for converts to Islam:

If the applicant has converted to Islam, an Islamic certificate must be presented; this needs to be notarized by an Islamic Center. -- Mecca.net

I found the following image from the London Central Mosque Trust & The Islamic Cultural Centre:

Sample Islamic certificate

There seems to be a lot on there, and judging from the range of photos online, there's no worldwide standard.

Question: What are the necessary contents of an "Islamic certificate" required for a convert to perform Hajj pilgrimage?



Best Answer

There are simple requirements to convert to Islam; you simply have to say the Shahada (the below is the Sunni version, which is the one usually quoted):

??? ?????? ?????? ???? ????????? ??????? ????
l? ?il?ha ?ill? ll?h mu?ammadun ras?lu ll?h
IPA: [la? ???la?ha ???l.l?????? m??am?mad?n ra?su?l?l????]
There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.

Then confirm and declare yourself Muslim and follow the tenants of Islam.

The process does not require any witnesses, you can one day - sitting at home, decide to become Muslim, say the Shahada and follow the tenets of Islam.

Practically, however, such undertaking is done after consultation with an elder or Islamic religious scholar, usually done in front of witnesses (i.e. declared in public - but again, its not a requirement). Most often it is done after the weekly Friday prayers; however again there is no such strict requirement.

Since the process is so simple - for the purposes of admission to the Holy Cities, a certificate is required if you are convert and not born a Muslim. This certificate simply notes down the details of the date, time, the particulars of the witnesses and the certificate is usually signed by the Islamic Center (usually, the prominent Mosque in the area) administration; most often by the director or the designated Imam of the Mosque.

There are no hard and fast requirements, but the certificate serves as "proof" (for legal purposes) that you have converted to Islam.




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What are the necessary contents of an "Islamic certificate" required for a convert to perform Hajj pilgrimage? - Photo Of People Gathered At  Kaaba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
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What are the requirements to perform Hajj?

U.S. citizens resident in Saudi Arabia must travel with Saudi-government-approved sponsor groups to perform Hajj. Foreign Muslim residents of Saudi Arabia may perform the Hajj once every five years. Advance approval must be obtained from an immigration office and with the approval of their Saudi sponsor.

What do Muslims need to do to prepare for Hajj?

Rituals of the hajj include putting on a simple two-pieced cloth (ihram), prayers for forgiveness on the first day on the Plain of Arafat (20km from Mecca), a night visit and vigils at Muzdalifah on the way back to Mecca, then to Mina to throw pebbles at three pillars symbolising Satan, followed by a fast walk between ...

How do you perform Hajj qiran?

Qiran: A pilgrim wears Ihram for both Umrah and Hajj or he wears Ihram first for Umrah, then makes intentions for Hajj before his Tawaf for Hajj. The obligations on one performing Ifraad are the same as those on one performing Qiran, except that the latter must slaughter whereas the former is not obligated to do so.

What are the seven steps of Hajj?

7 Steps of Hajj \u2013 Complete Hajj Guide For Pilgrims
  • Step 1 \u2013 Ihram and Intentions.
  • Step 2 \u2013 Mina aka \u201cCity of tents\u201d
  • Step 3 \u2013 Mina to Arafat, 9th day of Dhul-Hijjah.
  • Step 4 \u2013 Muzdalifah.
  • Step 5 \u2013 Rami \u2013 Stoning the devil.
  • Step 6 \u2013 Nahr.
  • Step 7 \u2013 Farewell Tawaf.




Reproduction of Holy Pilgrimage Certificate to Masjid al-Haram (Ka'aba)




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Images: Haydan As-soendawy, Konevi, Ketut Subiyanto, Budgeron Bach