I’m not convinced converts think about this question more than a raised practising muslim. A convinced muslim is a convinced muslim and a nervous muslim a nervous muslim, regardless of which family he was brought up in. All the raised muslims i know of who then started practicing in their adolescence hae had to wrestle with this issue.

Although no doubt true, muslims definitely need to have a better answer than this. Otherwise we’ll just end up looking stupid. The answer can be viewed by others as the last resort of a coward, if it isn’t backed up by something more substantial.

Currently i frame my answer using a chronological template.

e.g.
before revelation: honest, people around him who knew him best later became believers
revelation: illiterate, yet superb arabic, able to memorise, talks about topics he woudn’t know
after revelation: lived acc to revelation (e.g. tahajjud); always helped by Allah; never exposed by allah to have had ulterior motives
after death: no other human’s history better preserved so no one else better placed to be example for mankind; followers still adore and follow him;

Its no big deal really. I interpreted the “how” question as being more of a “WHY are you (still) a muslim?”, since i thought that if it was merely asking about the events around the conversion then it wouldn’t be a hard question to answer, nor would he be talking about ‘comprehending that decision’ and ‘wisdom’. If it is the former, though, then the reasons for a convert being a muslim shouldn’t be any different to the reasons why a raised muslim would be.

Converts need to come back down to earth. May Allah bless them and all muslims.

@Gohar
It may be that the reasons for remaining a Muslim are the same as converting for a few. But considering that most people remain in the religion in which they were born and that few convert, it seems that those converting need something that pushes them from one religious framework to a new one, something that must be stronger than the inertia of remaining in one’s birth religion. In science terms, while no catalyst is necessary to remain in one’s present attractor space, there must be a catalyst to cross the threshold of moving from one attractor space to another, as when water becomes ice or vapor.

One way in which I think the reason is the same for a few is the shift that is made when a Muslim in name becomes a Muslim in truth, when something catalyzes their inner heart so that they move from surface practice to real “submission” to Allah.

Of course, we can’t judge internals from external appearance, and not all converts have the inner heart of submission to Allah. But with Lang, it would seem that a real religious shift, whether for convert or native Muslim, depends on more than reason: It depends on the catalytic mercy of Allah.

I was referring to what i had said in my post at 9.51am, namely that what converts go through is no different in severity to what raised muslims go through. Recognisong that raised muslims also go through difficulties may help them feel more a part of the wider muslim community, rather than being ‘converts’ all their lives.

@Gohar
The other point i want to make is that converts really need to stop thinking that the journey they went through to find Islam was somehow more emotional or difficult than what the raised muslim goes through. It implies a spiritual/emotional/intellectual superiority over raised muslims, which i do not believe exists.

I don’t disagree with this, especially the part about any “superiority”. Both native and convert Muslims have particular strengths and weaknesses so that they can learn from one another and make each other stronger in faith–just as different schools (nationalities, etc.) can learn from each other.

Surah Yunus (Verse 25 – 7:07)
English translations do no justice :)

Jazzak Allaahu Khayr for posting this. I have never read anything by Mr. Lang because I get the sense it’s not my cup of tea, but that passage was beautiful. It’s beautiful of course because it cuts through all the blah blah blah and just states the truth.

I remember Dr. Abdul-Hakim Jackson saying that he doesn’t “believe” conversion stories. I’m not 100 percent sure what he meant but I also thought he was hitting on something.

When people constantly ask a convert about their accepting of Islam, they are really asking how, not why? Just like when a non-Muslim asks about Ramadan, they are interested more so in the hows of it than the whys. Sometimes someone really close to you or an especially sincere or deep person will really want to know why but most of us are more interested in the superficial.

As a means of da’wah I know that some ‘converts’ will turn the question away from how they became Muslim in the past to answering why they are still Muslim today in an attempt to give a message to that person that may make them consider Islam or strengthen their emaan.

If someone started talking about stuff like Gohar mentions in the first comment, has this kinda stuff ever really put emaan into someone’s heart? I really can’t even conceive of that in real life, but I know people are all very different (for example I love books more than anyone I know but they’re are still a large percentage of books in any bookstore that I can’t imagine anyone wanting to buy). I don’t believe people develop faith as a result of rational argument.

Oh and Gohar, you are absolutely right that converts are not “superior” to “born Muslims.” (But at least for those of us from Ahl al-Kitab, we do get a double reward! :) May Allaah (swt) remove any pride or arrogance from all of our hearts. Seriously, though I think that people have different experiences and I think whenever assumptions are made about converts or “immigrant” Muslims or whatever, even if a lot of times it is done with a good and sincere intention to help, it makes me feel very uncomfortable. So, for example while I agree that efforts to provide support and assistance to converts are important, I hate most discussions of such efforts because they so often start with assumptions and generalizations about converts, many of which I don’t identify with or recognize.

Assalaamu Alaikum,

Just to say that ‘Even Angles Ask’ is areally worthwhile read, it’s not so much a book about how Lang became Muslim (i think he wrote another book covering that theme), rather he disscusses the very personal challenges he faced once he converted. It’s a really honest and sincere account of how he struggled to fit in to a community that made certain assumptions about converts, and funnily enough if you read the book Lang actually discusses instance where he becomes irrated with ‘born’ muslims constant enquiries as to how he accepted Islam. It’s as much a story about how Lang dealt with being labled a ‘convert’ as it is about how ‘born muslims’ dealt with and reacted to having a ‘convert’ in their community. He describes how he just wanted to be Jeffery Lang, a american guy who happened to be muslim – not a ‘convert’, or the american guy who accepted Islam.

Sunie – completely agree that ‘rediscovering’ your deen parallels ‘coversion’ one many levels .

Any how – really enjoying the discussion – so thank you!

Asalaamu Alaykum wa rehmatullah,
JazakhAllahu khairen for sharing with us that inspiring snippet. SubhanAllah! Whilst rationality does aid in comprehending the truth, the real ‘understanding’ is given by the Guidance of Allah, and that is something we can never overestimate no matter ho hard we try. Alhamdulillah we are Muslims!

@AbuAbdAllah : Brother could you please find the reference for that situation that arose between the sahaba and tabi’, i would like to share it with a brother of mine that i spoke to about this very topic. JazakhAllahu khairen.

Wassalaam

Assalaamu Alaikum all,
I don’t have time to read through all of this discussion, but I just wanted to say how much I appreciated the post. It brought me to tears as well. Today I ran into an old friend, one from long ago and I was asked this very question. It is not that it is difficult to answer… I mean, I know the answer. For the most part. But most of it didn’t come from me, really, and that is the part that is hard to articulate. Anything I say feels inadequate and shallow and entirely false. There is not one moment to point to, and only Allah knows how I became a Muslim.
Anyway, off to class. MashAllah this is a great topic.

Thanks for all the positive comments – glad you guys got it ;)

Woaa! Personality profiles? SubhanAllah, Allah guides and misguidance by his own will. Creating a personality profile is not befitting. Although I do understand that people who convert can sometimes ‘seem’ to exhibit certain traits. However, if its about personalities then Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, would never have found Islam, would he?

SubhanAllah