Home Welcoming a new Muslim: a pack for masajid
Welcoming a new Muslim: a pack for masajid
How a masjid can welcome someone on the day they take their shahādah and in the weeks after: a checklist for the imam and volunteers, what to put in the printed pack, and the safeguarding basics.
The short version
- Ask the new Muslim how they would like the moment to go, and keep it calm and uncrowded.
- Introduce two or three people, not the whole congregation; women are welcomed by women.
- No photos, video or posts without their clear consent.
- Follow up within 48 hours, and give a written invitation to a class.
- Offer a mentor of the same gender, and keep the safeguarding basics below.
Someone walks into your masjid and says they want to become Muslim. For your community it is a joyful moment. For them it may be the bravest thing they have done in years, and they may be nervous, alone, or not yet ready to tell anyone at home.
What happens in the next hour, and in the next few weeks, often decides whether they stay. This pack sets out a simple, repeatable welcome that any masjid can run, however small. It is practical guidance, not a set of religious rulings: your imam leads on anything religious, and your board decides how it fits your masjid.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Make things easy and do not make them hard. Give good news and do not drive people away” (Bukhārī 69)1. Everything below is an attempt to live up to that.
Before anyone comes: get ready once
A good welcome is prepared in advance, so it does not depend on who happens to be in the building. Before you put “new Muslims welcome” on a poster, make sure you can actually provide what it promises.
Name a welcome lead and a woman welcome lead
At least one brother and one sister who have agreed to be called when someone comes, with a backup for each.
Name a safeguarding lead
One person the board has chosen to receive concerns, and a second person to go to if the concern is about the first.
Use institutional contacts
A masjid email address and phone number for new-Muslim contact, not volunteers’ personal mobiles.
Find a quiet space
A room or corner where someone can sit, ask questions and collect themselves, away from the main hall. Know where the women’s space is and who can open it.
Print the pack
Keep a few copies of the printed pack (listed below) ready, with your class times and contacts filled in.
Agree a class
Know which class or study circle you will invite them to, when it meets, and who runs it.
On the day: a checklist for the imam or volunteer
Keep the moment about them. A shahādah does not need a crowd, a stage or a phone held up in the air.
Ask how they would like it to go
Privately with the imam and one or two others, or in front of more people: let them choose. Many people prefer quiet.
Don’t crowd them
If people gather, gently ask them to give space. Hugs, gifts and advice from twenty strangers at once can overwhelm anyone.
No filming or photos without consent
Ask before any photo or video, explain where it would go, and accept “no” without question. Never post their name, face or story without clear permission, and take it down if they later ask.
Women are welcomed by women
If a woman comes, bring in your woman welcome lead to sit with her, show her the women’s space and be her first contact.
Introduce two or three people
The imam, the welcome lead of their gender, and the person who runs the class. That is enough for one day.
Offer the quiet space
Give them somewhere to sit afterwards, a drink of water, and time.
Don’t ask about their past
No questions about why, their old life, their relationships or their family’s reaction unless they bring it up. Do not ask them to tell their story.
Give the printed pack
Hand it over and point out the one or two things in it that matter today: the class invitation and who to contact.
Ask how to stay in touch, with consent
Ask for a first name and one way to contact them, and ask when it is safe to contact them. Some people cannot receive messages at home yet. Write down only that.
If prayer time is near
Invite them, without pressure, to pray beside the welcome lead of their gender and simply follow. Nobody expects them to know the words yet.
After the day: the first weeks
Most new Muslims who drift away do not leave in anger. They simply never hear from anyone again. A short, kind follow-up changes that.
Follow up within 48 hours
The welcome lead of their gender sends a short message or makes a short call: “We were so glad to meet you. How are you doing? The class is on [day] at [time]; I’ll be there.” Use only the contact method and times they agreed to.
Give a written invitation to a class
In writing, with the day, time, place, entrance, and the name of the person who will meet them at the door. A written invitation is easier to accept than a vague “come any time”.
Offer a mentor of the same gender
If they would like one, pair them with a trained mentor (see the mentor kit). Explain that they can say no, or ask for a different mentor at any time, without giving a reason.
Keep it light
A check-in every week or two is plenty. One message unanswered is not a crisis; two or three unanswered means try a gentle “We’re here whenever you’re ready” and then stop.
Respect “no thanks”
Some people want to learn elsewhere, or at another masjid. That is their right. Part warmly, and tell them the door is open.
What goes in the printed pack
Each item below is a printable on this site, in Letter and A4. Fill in your masjid’s details before you print.
Welcome letter
A short, warm letter from your masjid, signed by the imam, with the masjid’s institutional contact details.
“Your first days” card
A small card: you don’t have to learn everything this week; find someone to learn with; where to go next; safety lines.
Written class invitation
The class name, day, time, place, entrance, and who will meet them.
Your masjid’s first-visit facts
Address, entrances (including the women’s entrance), where shoes go, where the washing area is, prayer and class times, and who to ask for.
Mentor promises
The one-page list of what a mentor promises, so the new Muslim knows what to expect and what is not acceptable.
Safety lines
Emergency numbers and free helplines, labelled by purpose and hours.
Optional: a commemorative certificate
Only if they want one. It is a keepsake, not a legal or official document, and it does not imply acceptance by any authority.
Safeguarding basics
Reviewed by Hamza Abdul-Tawwaab (Imam). A specialist safeguarding review is in progress; follow your masjid’s own safeguarding policy and local law.
New Muslims can be vulnerable: newly isolated, eager to please, and unsure what is normal. A few firm rules protect them, your volunteers and your masjid.
No matchmaking
Nobody in a welcoming or mentoring role suggests, arranges or brokers a marriage for a new Muslim, and nobody pursues one romantically. If they ask for help with marriage later, refer them to the imam.
No isolation
Nobody becomes the gatekeeper of a new Muslim’s faith. Encourage their family ties and their wider community. Watch for anyone who tries to keep them to themselves.
Adults meet in open places
Mentors and volunteers meet adults at the masjid or another public place, not at home or in a car, and not late at night.
Two adults with anyone under 18
No adult is ever alone, one to one, with a child or teenager: not in a room, a car or a private message thread. Two vetted adults, in view of others. Follow your masjid’s child safeguarding policy and the law where you are.
Report concerns
Any worry about a new Muslim’s safety, or about how someone is treating them, goes to your safeguarding lead the same day. If anyone is in danger, call 911. If a child may be being abused, use your state’s child abuse reporting line (Childhelp lists them by state); Childhelp itself is for talking to a counsellor and is not a reporting line.2
Collect as little as possible
Keep only a first name and one contact method, given with consent, and the times it is safe to use. No addresses, documents, photos, conversion stories or notes on their family. Delete it when it is no longer needed.
Consent for chats and publicity
Never add someone to a group chat, mailing list or social post without asking first, and make leaving easy.
Their right to choose
Make it plain that they can change mentor, teacher or masjid at any time, and that this will not be held against them.
Safety
This is a starting point, not a full safeguarding policy. Your masjid should have its own written policy, a trained safeguarding lead, and background checks for anyone who works with children, in line with the law where you are. This site is not an emergency service.
Print the pack
The welcome pack and the mentor kit as one black-and-white file, in Letter and A4, with the first-days card and the certificate maker beside it.
Sources
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 69 (Kitāb al-ʿIlm) Anas ibn Mālik: the Prophet ﷺ said, “Make things easy and do not make them hard. Give good news and do not drive people away.”
- Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline Call or text 1-800-422-4453 (tel: and sms: links on the hotline page). 24/7. Talk to a counsellor; not a reporting line; the site lists each state’s CPS reporting number.
Read next
- The mentor kitA first-meeting script, a light rhythm for the first month, clear boundaries, when to refer to the imam or a professional, and a one-page list of mentor promises to print.
- Helping someone who has just become MuslimHow to stand beside a new Muslim without pressure: listen first, go one thing at a time, protect their family ties, connect them to a masjid and a mentor, look after yourself, and know when to worry.
- Your first daysA pocket card for someone who has just become Muslim: you don’t have to learn everything this week, find someone to learn with, where to go next, and who to call if you are not safe.
General guidance, not a fatwa. Ask your imam or a qualified teacher about your own situation. How we write. Something wrong? Tell us.