One Never Converts to Islam, But Only Returns Back to Nature
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Every child is born with a true
faith of Islam but his parents convert him to Judaism, Christianity or
Magainism - like an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find its body
mutilated?" (Bukhari) And in the Quran, Allah says: We have indeed created
man in the best of moulds. (95:4) According to Islam, every child is born
with a nature of submission to the will of God. A newborn comes to the world
pure and sinless, free from any kind of stigma attached regardless of within
what race, religion or culture he or she was born or where on earth did the
mother deliver him or her. It is only afterwards that the child picks up the
tradition of the family or the society, or various other ideologies. Within
those outer shells of layers upon layers of ideologies, dogmas, and incorrect
ways of life, lies dormant the primordial characteristic of every soul:
worshipping God and obeying His will. It would be contrary to divine
justice to hold a child responsible for any wrong doing of its parents,
ancestors, or the society (or the first couple on earth). Indeed, in Islam, one
cannot inherit or bear the sin of another but is judged according to his or her
actions. Every soul draws the meed
Of its acts on none
But itself: no bearer
Of burdens can bear
The burden of another. (Qur'an 6:164) Instead, God implants the seed of
belief in every soul when he created it, thus setting it with a positive
beginning. Therefore, when one converts to Islam, which means submission to
the will of God, he or she only reclaims his or her originality - Fitra - the
state of pure and original nature. It is the state of obedience to God, of love
for what is good and sound, and of desire to be in harmony with the rest of the
creation. Welcome back to Islam.
