Every Muslim knows several, if not dozens, who chose to convert to Islam as a young adult or even later in life. According to Pew Research, “Two-thirds (67 percent) of all converts to Islam in the U.S. came from Protestant churches, 10 percent came from Catholicism, and just five percent from other religions. Nearly one-in-seven converts to Islam (15 percent) had no religion before their conversion.”

Not too long ago an old friend — let’s name him Adam — called me and dropped the hammer.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking… and I’ve decided to convert to Islam. Where do I begin?”

Adam’s call caught me off guard. Raised in a Catholic environment, Adam’s family was conservative and had little experience with Islam outside of news pundits and the media.

As a practicing Muslim who’s made the conscious choice to follow Islam, I figured I’d been down a road Adam was looking to begin traveling. So if you find yourself on a journey similar to Adam’s, then here are nine questions you should ask yourself before accepting Islam.

1. Have I thoroughly researched other faiths?

You must be asking, what does studying other faiths have to do with Islam? In a word, everything. You’re already on a journey to learn more about God. One of Islam’s Six Articles of Faith is “belief in all of God’s prophets.” So, from Adam to Zoroaster, it is important to study the various faiths.

My friend Adam will tell you what he, and many, experience while studying different faiths. First, all these faiths have much more in common than different. And second, Islam has created a system to truly unite humanity as it teaches its adherents to accept all these prophets of God.

Before accepting Islam, make sure you study as many different faiths as you can. That way, if you ultimately decide to accept Islam, you will have done so after experiencing various worldviews, rather than studying them later as a mere thinking exercise.

2. Have I prepared for the possible family and social backlash?

This was a reality for Adam, and is for many who accept Islam. And that doesn’t even account for the millions spent to promote Islamophobia to deter people from studying Islam in the first place.

Some find their families actually welcomed their choice, and others not so much. Some see their family research Islam for themselves to learn more, and others see family members become Google scholars to find all sorts of anti-Islam propaganda written by extremists and Islamophobes.

Be ready for whatever comes — good and bad. No one said it would be easy, just that it would be worth it.

3. Am I ready for the new lifestyle?

Islam is in fact a way of life. Every Muslim has two fundamental and equally important obligations — faith and works — both repeatedly mentioned in the Qur’an. Every Muslim has their duty towards God and their duty towards humanity. A Muslim is responsible to live a lifestyle upholding both obligations.

The duty towards God includes (but is not limited to) praying five times a day every day and on time, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and professing the declaration of faith that “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.” For Adam, fasting (especially last Ramadan with its 17-hour fasts) and praying five times a day on time were major adjustments.

The duty towards humanity includes giving charity regularly, paying the Zakaat when applicable, and living a life dedicated to the service of all humanity — Muslim or non-Muslim, believer or non-believer. In this tough economy, you better believe giving charity is a test of faith too.

Read more