WHAT DRIVES PEOPLE TO CONVERT TO ISLAM?

WHAT DRIVES PEOPLE TO CONVERT TO ISLAM?

The various aspects of Islam which drives people to convert despite its neg=
ative portrayal in the media.



The nature of religious faith is quite mysterious. As part of their religi=
ous faiths, people believe in a variety of deities. There are people who h=
ave religious faith in the unseen supreme inimitable power, and then there =
are others who believe in some humans as Gods, or animals (e.g. monkeys), =
fire, idols made of stone, and the list goes on.

A lot is associated with having a religious =93faith=94. Part of it has to=
do with beliefs passed on through generations. People=92s identities ther=
efore get tied to it. Many times, these beliefs and associated feelings ar=
e not completely demonstrable by reason or any rational arguments. There i=
s nothing right or wrong with this, but that=92s just how the nature of rel=
igious faith has come to be.

Almost everyone thinks they are right in their faith and beliefs. Being wi=
th people and groups with similar faith further strengthens people=92s fait=
h, and they see it as right, even though logical reasoning and argument som=
etimes can=92t explain it all. That=92s simple human psychology.

Islam=92s arguments based on intellectual reasoning
Muslims believe however, that the Islamic religion is different in this con=
text. One may argue that similar to other faiths there are aspects of it w=
hich are not completely demonstrable by reason, but on the other hand the Q=
uranic text, which is God=92s words addressing humanity at large, uses inte=
llectual reason, critical thinking, and the process of reflection as a mean=
s not only to reinforce the faith of the believers, but also to call non-be=
lievers to ponder about the authenticity of Islam as the way of life for hu=
manity at large. Although no religious beliefs can be fully based on logic=
and reasoning, Islam and Quran provide more than enough examples and an op=
portunity to examine the truth and the soundness of its message through the=
lens of empirical evidence and knowledge.

No one (Muslim or otherwise) would argue that critical thinking and reflect=
ion can be a major catalyst for changing ones life. Critical thinking has =
been used by many to improve their lives simply because a critical thinker =
asks probing questions about a situation, collects as much information as p=
ossible, reflects on the ideas collected and generated in context of the in=
formation available, keeps an open and unbiased mind, and carefully scrutin=
izes assumptions and seeks alternatives. =20

This is the reason, therefore, that new Muslim converts would attribute the=
use of intelligent reasoning, reflection and critical thinking when explai=
ning their journey to Islam. Such people cut through the hysteria created =
in the media to view Islam from a critical lens and following the truth thu=
s comes naturally to them as part of this process. How else can one explai=
n the increase in conversions with the increase of anti-Islamic rhetoric? H=
ow else can one explain that more non-Muslim preachers have been converting=
to Islam than ever before? Although, as Muslims, we believe that guidance =
comes only from Allah, the use of a person=92s God-gifted intellectual reas=
oning has a very powerful role to play in Muslim converts making that desti=
ny changing decision. And once converted, they rarely go back to their old=
faiths, simply because a faith whose foundations are built on logic and re=
ason is much less likely to be shaken down than one which simply builds upo=
n a set of rites and sacraments.

Reasons attributed by new Converts
Some of the reasons given why people convert to Islam are the eloquence of =
the Quran=92s language, its overwhelming scientific evidence and proofs, ar=
guments rooted in intellectual reasoning, and the Divine wisdom behind vari=
ous social issues. The uniqueness and beauty of the Quran=92s text has be=
en marveled by the best of Arab linguists and scholars, both Muslim and oth=
erwise, from the days it was revealed until today. The more knowledgeable =
people are in the language, the more they appreciate the wonders of the tex=
tual fluency of the Quran. Revealed more than 1400 years ago, the Quran =
also has numerous scientific facts that are being validated by science only=
in this era. Furthermore, it is the only known religious text that chal=
lenges mankind to think, reflect and ponder over the creation at large, soc=
ial issues, God=92s existence, and more. The Quran, in many instances, cha=
llenges people to reflect and think on their own, rather than heeding the l=
oose talk of those whose criticism is based on baseless foundations. Fin=
ally, the Quran provides a solution to numerous social issues, deviation fr=
om which has been known to cause societal chaos at all levels.=20

The Quran is a confident assertion of a Supreme Being; the only known relig=
ious book that has a confident assertion of a Supreme Being on all issues r=
anging from the creation of the universe to most particular components of t=
he social milieu. Moreover, its Divine Text - the language and prose of t=
he Quran - is very different from the language in the Prophet=92s sayings, =
which demonstrates that the Quran is not from the creative imagination or i=
nspired words of Prophet Muhammad, as many doubters have alleged in the pas=
t, and continue to do even today.=20

We can see that most of these reasons can only be attributed to the process=
of critical thinking and intellectual reflection. However, cold reasonin=
g is not enough. The heart has to be engaged in the search: a search whos=
e aim is to reach for the truth at its core. No wonder, then, that when s=
uch sincere people hear the Quran for the first time, and understand it, th=
ey say:

=93We believe in it; surely, it is the Truth from our Lord. Indeed, even =
before it, we were Muslims!=94 (Quran 28:53)

The Quran challenges humanity at large to think, reflect and ponder over th=
eir affairs on numerous occasions. This is some of what the Quran states:

=B7 Thus do We explain the verses (and their signification) in detai=
l for the people who reflect. (Jonah, Quran 10:24)

=B7 Do they not think deeply about their own selves (being)? Allah =
has created not the heavens and the Earth and all that is between them exce=
pt with truth and for an appointed term. And indeed many of mankind deny t=
he Meeting with their Lord. (The-Romans, Quran 30:8)

=B7 He it is Who has appointed for you the night that you may rest t=
herein, and the day to make things visible. Verily, in this are signs for =
a people who listen. (Jonah, Quran 10:67)

=B7 Does man think that he will be left to no purpose? (The Resurrec=
tion, Quran 75:36)

=B7 Did you think that We had created you in play, and that you woul=
d not be brought back to Us?=94 (The Believers, Quran 23:115)

=B7 Or do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are o=
nly like cattle; nay, they are even farther astray from the Path. (The Crit=
erion, Quran 25:44)

=B7 Do they not reflect? There is no madness in their companion (Muh=
ammad). He is but a plain Warner. (The Heights, Quran 7:184)

=B7 Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would surely have=
seen it humbling itself and rending asunder for the fear of God. Such are=
the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect. (The O=
vercrowding, Quran 59:21)

When studying the many cases of new Muslim converts, we see that engaging i=
n critical thinking and intellectual reasoning have led people to change th=
eir non-Islamic faiths =96 the same faiths that would earlier supposedly ha=
ve moved mountains, but were diluted by the voice of reason easily heard in=
the roots of Islam. A mere process of thinking and reflection brings so m=
uch into light that otherwise would remain veiled by the distractions and f=
orces of anti-Islam pundits. Those who are bent on seeing only the negativ=
e fail to see the light of truth. Rather, they engage in a never ending sup=
erficial analysis to unsuccessfully prove their misguided philosophies.

There are many statistics in the media that highlight the phenomenal rate a=
t which people are converting to Islam. Although, the authenticity of all =
these sources has not been validated for the purpose of this article, some =
of them include the following:

=B7 According to =93The Almanac Book of Facts=94, the population inc=
reased 137% within the past decade, Christianity increased 46%, while Islam=
increased 235%.

=B7 100,000 people per year in America alone, are converting to Isla=
m. For every 1 male convert to Islam, 4 females convert to Islam

=B7 TV Report: 4,000 Germans Convert To ISLAM Each Year

=B7 About 25,000 people convert to Islam every year in the UK alone

=B7 =85many more examples exist.

What about Muslims?
If voices of reason embedded in the teachings of Islam are causing non-Musl=
ims to revert to Islam in droves, why is it that so many Muslims born into =
the religion usually fail to fully follow, and thus enjoy, the teachings of=
the religion? The fact is that it may just be the lack of critical thinki=
ng and reflection on the part of some Muslims that is forcing the Muslim wo=
rld to have a substandard way of life as a whole. Islam and its teachings =
hold the promise of a fulfilling and peaceful life for all. Yet Muslims co=
ntinue to ignore the basics and get mired in social and moral issues causin=
g unnecessary pain and suffering on themselves and their families. The fac=
t is that only if they would think and reflect on the teachings of their ow=
n religion, they could escape the many problems and challenges that face th=
em.

The Message
To non-Muslims who have only scratched the surface of Islam and may be gett=
ing distracted by those who are the wrong torch bearers of this religion an=
d by the biased voices in the media, the message is simple =96 try to view =
the teachings of Islam with a critical lens. It may be that you will be ab=
le to see more reason than you may initially have thought was not present. =
To Muslims, the message is that sometimes we do not appreciate the teachin=
gs of our own religion simply because we never think and grow beyond the fe=
w religious practices in our operating lives. A focused effort to learn, t=
hink and reflect more will help us get closer to the religious teachings in=
ways that can drastically improve our lives.



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rt_to_Islam?



thank you