Reverting To Islam

Something rare happened yesterday. After the evening prayers, but before the taraweeh, the Iman, man who leads the prayers, declared that a lady had come to the mosque and wanted to revert to Islam.

Everyone in the women’s area of the mosque got very excited and they ran out to greet the lady and help her utter the Declaration of Faith: “There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is His messenger”.

It is always very emotional to see someone revert to Islam. As a Muslim, I feel pride that people have seen the beauty of the religion I love. It also fills me with hope that people can see through all the negative press that is circulating about Islam.

I often get asked about the Declaration of Faith and why I refer to those who convert to Islam as reverts. Let me explain.

Firstly, Allah is not the name of the Muslim God, rather it is God in Arabic. Thus you can refer to the god of any religion as Allah.

Mohammad (pbuh) is the prophet of Islam and the one who the Quran was revealed to and who had guidance from God and was the most perfect example of what Muslims should be in their lives.

To truly follow Islam, Muslims must believe in only one God, that the Quran is the word of God and that his final prophet was Mohammad (pbuh).

Now, let me explain why it is I use the word “revert” when referring to this lady.

A Muslim is one who submits to the will of God regardless of whether or not he follows the basic tenets of faith or follows Islam. Therefore it is believed that as all babies have none to protect them except Allah, they are all Muslim until they choose to convert to another faith or to follow none.

Therefore if, in later life, they decide Islam is the right religion for them, they must revert to the religion of their birth and again submit their will to Allah, making them reverts.

Unlike some other religion, Islam has no real ceremony for people who choose to revert, as long as they say the Declaration of Faith with commitment in their hearts they are officially Muslim. Reverts are then asked to take a shower to cleanse their previous sins as they then start with a clean slate.

The real benefit of making the declaration in a mosque is to feel the community spirit and make friends with people who can help you along the way and teach you more about your new religion.

The lady yesterday prayed taraweeh with us, her first prayers as a Muslim. She also took down the numbers of many of the Muslim sisters who were offering her help and support through this time. Hopefully God will accept her in to His religion and help her follow it to the best of her ability. Amen.