Subject: A 'Revert' not a 'Convert'? Thu Jun 16, 2011 5:39 am
Why a 'Revert' not a 'Convert'?
In Islam, it is believed that everyone is created upon the fitra, i.e. nature. The natural state of a human being is a pure unadulterated state not polluted by external influences. This state is one that makes one inclined to accept Islam. (However, this does not mean that one is born as a 'Muslim' in the modern sense of the word, i.e. a follower of the religion established by the Prophet Muhammad, pbuh.) Then, later on, one can turn from that state under the influence of the parents who turn him into a Christisn, a Jew or whatever, and he/she grows to follow the practices of their parents habitually without thinking about them, or they themselves choose a different course of life when they grow up. About following the practices of the parents blindly, the Qur'an says, for instance:
[2:170]
And when it is said to them, 'Follow what God has revealed', they say, 'No; but we follow what we found our fathers doing'. What? Even if their fathers do not understand anything, and they were not guided?
But those who stop and think reject such beliefs and practices. That is why you find that Abraham instinctively rejected his fathers' pagan worship and sought Allah{SWT} in the universe. He kept contemplating until Allah{SWT} guided him since "he came to his Lord with a heart that was pure" [37:84]:
[6:74]
And when Abraham said to his father āzar, ‘Do you take idols as gods? I see you and your people in manifest error’.
[6:75]
And so We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and that he might be of those knowing with certainty.
[6:76]
When night descended upon him he saw a star and said, 'This is my Lord'. But when it set, he said, 'I love not those that set'.
[6:77]
And when he saw the moon rising, he said, 'This is my Lord'. But when it set he said, 'Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely become one of the folk who are astray'.
[6:78]
And when he saw the sun rising, he said, 'This is my Lord; this is greater!' But when it set, he said, 'O my people, surely I am innocent of what you associate.
[6:79]
Verily I have turned my face to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth; a hanīf, and I am not of those that associate others’.
[6:80]
But his people disputed with him. He said, 'Do you dispute with me concerning God when He has guided me? I have no fear of what you associate with Him, unless my Lord wills something. My Lord encompasses all things through His knowledge; will you not remember?
[6:81]
How should I fear what you have associated, and you fear not, that you have associated with God that for which He has not revealed to you any warrant?' Which of the two parties has more right to security if you have any knowledge?
[6:82]
Those who believe and have not confounded their belief with evildoing, theirs is security; and they are rightly guided. [This touched upon the idea of the necessity of coupling belief and good deeds that we talked about before, Bill]
In another chapter, the Qur'an refers to the same issue:
[21:51]
And verily We had given Abraham his rectitude before, and We were Aware of him,
[21:52]
when he said to his father and his people, 'What are these images to which you [constantly] cleave?'
[21:53]
They said, 'We found our fathers worshipping them'.
[21:54]
He said, 'Truly you and your fathers have been in manifest error'.
[21:55]
They said, 'Do you bring us the truth, or are you being frivolous?'
[21:56]
He said, 'Nay, but your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, [the One] Who originated them, and to that I am a witness.
[21:57]
And, by God, I shall devise [a stratagem] against your idols after you have gone away, with your backs turned'.
[21:58]
And so he reduced them to fragments, [all] except the principal one among them, that they might return to it.
[21:59]
They said, 'Who has done this to our gods? Truly he is an evildoer'.
[21:60]
They said, 'We heard a young man making [ill] mention of them - he is called Abraham'.
[21:61]
They said, 'Then bring him before the people's eyes that they may testify'.
[21:62]
They said, 'So, is it you who has done this to our gods, O Abraham?'
[21:63]
He said, 'Rather it was this principal one among them did it. So question them, if they can speak!'
[21:64]
So they turned [thinking] to themselves, and they said, 'Truly it is you who are the evildoers'.
[21:65]
Then they were turned on their heads, [and said], 'You are certainly aware that these [idols] cannot speak'.
[21:66]
He said, 'Do you then worship, besides God, that which cannot benefit you in any way, nor harm you?
[21:67]
Fie on you and what you worship besides God. Do you not comprehend?'
[21:68]
They said, 'Burn him and stand by your gods, if you are to do anything'.
[21:69]
We said, 'O fire! Be coolness and safety for Abraham!'
[21:70]
And they sought to outwit him, but We made them the greater losers.
[21:71]
And We delivered him, as well as Lot [and brought them] to the land which We have blessed for all peoples.
'Fitra' means roughly 'instinctive nature'. That is, we are all born to believe there is God, and people with good hearts have a tendency to seek Him. Why is this? This is based on this mysterious Qur'anic ayah:
[7:172]
And when your Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins their seed and made them testify against themselves, 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yea, indeed we testify', lest they should say on the Day of Resurrection, 'Truly, of this we were unaware'.
That is, somehow somewhere at time immemorial in eternity perhaps [we do not know details about how and when this happened exactly], Allah{SWT} identified Himself, presumably perhaps to all the Spirits of the progeny of Adam and made them testify to His oneness. So, we are born instinctively knowing there is a One God. The issue of Spirits and the world of Spirits is so mysterious, and we do not know about its secrets or details.
There is a hadith that explains this issue. It reads as follows:
"The prophet (SAW) related that when Allah{SWT} created Aadam(a.s), He took a covenant from him in a place called Na`maan on the day of `Arafaat then He extracted from him all of his descendants who would be born until the end of the world, generation after generation, and spread them out in front of Him in order to take a covenant from them also. He spoke to them saying: Am I not your Lord?`and they all replied,"Yes, we testify to it." Allah{SWT} then explained why He had all of mankind bear witness that He was their creator and only true God worthy of worship. He said, "That was in case you mankind should say on the Day of Resurrection, "Surely we were unaware of all this. We had no idea that You, Allah{SWT}, were our God. No one told us that we were only supposed to worship You". Allah{SWT} went on to explain that it was also in case you should say: "It was our ancestors who made partners (with Allah{SWT}) and we are only their descendants: will You, then destroy us for what those liars did?"
Hadith ref.: Authentic narration of Ibn `Abbaas collected by Ahmad.
The following video sheds more light on what it means to be born upon fitra:
Thu Jun 16, 2011 5:39 am