The Importance of Had Ta’lif and Social Support in Enhancing the Well-being of Muallaf in the State of Selangor

The life of muallaf (newly Muslim convert) as someone who is new to Islam is faced with certain challenges and conflicts. Understanding and practicing Islam in daily life, and subsequently remaining steadfast in the Islamic faith, are among the critical challenges faced by converts (muallaf). This is not an easy task due to factors related to a person’s ability to mastering the basic teachings of Islam within the period set by the religious authorities based on the enactment of the Islamic administration of the states in Malaysia. Strong social support may be able to speed up the process of muallaf to be taken out of hand ta’lif or the period of being considered as muallaf. This article discusses the had ta’lif muallaf and as well as the need for social support to enable mualaf to exit the status of muallaf and most importantly retain them in Islam. The writing of this article uses the method of document analysis by referring to the Qur’an, hadith, the kitab turath, journal articles and other literature related to the subject of the study. The method of data analysis is done thematically by forming certain themes that support the research topic. Findings show that the period or had ta’lif is necessary to facilitate matters related to the administration of religious authorities, especially zakat aid. Meanwhile social support whether in spiritual form such as religious guidances, advices or counseling or in a physical form such as material aids and security protection are needed by the converts to ensure the well-being of their lives as a Muslim. The implication of the study is that both had ta’lif and social support are significant to the lives of mualafs and it is the duty of the Muslim community to protect their lives.