Converting

Salam.
My best friend is Christian but one of her parents are Muslim. All of my other friends pressure me to convert her or give her dowah. But I don't know what to do. Should I try, and what if she gets upset and gets offended. We always talk about the similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity. But I never cross the line and tell her to convert.

Walekum Salam,
If you come across as trying to preach Islam it will put her off. People don't like to be told what to do.
You can still give her Dawah by telling her all the wonderful things about Islam and the Quran and let her make the choice.
I had a similar experience myself.

jus be friends and invite kindly

the prophet sallallahi alaihi wasallam didnt jump people with his dawah, he done it with hikmah and understanding.

AnonymousGender said:

Salam.
My best friend is Christian.

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Surely if is allowed to have a best friend who is Christian it must also be allowed that she make up her own mind with pressure?

Thinker said:

Surely if is allowed to have a best friend who is Christian it must also be allowed that she make up her own mind with pressure?

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I don't think she wants to pressurise her..
As muslims though, we believe the only muslims will go to Heaven, so I think she wants what's best for her friend..With the hope that she realises herself that Islam is the one and only true religion

Thinker said:

Surely if is allowed to have a best friend who is Christian it must also be allowed that she make up her own mind with pressure?

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Yes. Forcing Islam on people is not reccomended from what I know. People need to understand this.

Islam should be your choice not someone elses.

And Subhan Allah every day thousands of people embrace Islam without the need for forcing it down their throats.

Any person with an open mind and a certain level of depth/intelligence will find it impossible to deny the core principles of Islam.

There are always those who will try to find insignificant faults with things that don't matter... Ignore them.

Musaafir said:

As muslims though, we believe the only muslims will go to Heaven, so I think she wants what's best for her friend..With the hope that she realises herself that Islam is the one and only true religion

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I think that's the dilemma of those religions who teach that only its own followers will reach Heaven.
By definition believers will want their loved ones and friends to reach that goal too ... and it can be hard to accept that if God has given people free will, then we have to allow them the same freedom.

My advice is to just be a good and caring friend.
You cannot convert your friend, only she can convert out of her own desire ...

glo said:

My advice is to just be a good and caring friend.
You cannot convert your friend, only she can convert out of her own desire ...

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Subhan Allah well said Glo.

Share the beauty of Islam with her in the most caring and polite way. The choice is hers to make but if you have passed on the knowledge to her your job is done.

[16:125] You shall invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kind enlightenment, and debate with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best who are the guided ones.

AnonymousGender said:

Salam.
My best friend is Christian but one of her parents are Muslim. All of my other friends pressure me to convert her or give her dowah. But I don't know what to do. Should I try, and what if she gets upset and gets offended. We always talk about the similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity. But I never cross the line and tell her to convert.

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The title of the thread sounds wrong (Converting). Remember in Islam we cannot force people to accept Islam, all we can do is convey the message, and if they want they can accept it. From the title it sounds a bit like putting her through a huge conversion machine, and at the end she will become a muslim.

Invite her to your home for iftaar and those sorts of things. Hang out with her with good muslim friends. Once in a while invite her to the masjid with the intent of some volunteer work that you may have signed up for, so that while she is doing these good things, she is not being taught much about the deen but the positive impact of the environment she will be in may lead her to ask questions.

Alhamdulilah I have had the opportunity to see and be a part of my friends converting to Islam. When they start asking questions is the time to do the most dawah. To get her to the point where she will be asking more and more, keep bringing her back into the Islamic environment. Maybe one day, in your room tell her that you would like to recite or listen to the Qur'an for a few minutes and put a surah on. After a few minutes turn it off and resume as normal. Don't ask her if she liked the recitation or what she thought of it or what she thought of the english translation(if it was playing as well). Just let it be. May her heart will be attracted to the Words of Allah.

If she is not responding to any of this by herself, don't despair. Keep good character and keep doing whatever you are doing.

You can also incline her to Islam through your character. For example, in a conversation she begins to backbite, tell her "man let's not talk about this, I don't like backbiting, it's big sin in Islam so I try to be as good of a person as I can." Just that much is good enough. She's being preached indirectly.

May Allah guide her to the right path and us all.

i did this to one person my dad to be nice to her take her out and stuff hang around a lil bit be friendly once you gain the trust show her lil by lil about islam soon inshallah she will get attracted to it.

glo said:

I think that's the dilemma of those religions who teach that only its own followers will reach Heaven.
By definition believers will want their loved ones and friends to reach that goal too ... and it can be hard to accept that if God has given people free will, then we have to allow them the same freedom.

My advice is to just be a good and caring friend.
You cannot convert your friend, only she can convert out of her own desire ...

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That's what I meant ..at the end of the day, what you want to believe in is your choice and yours only and no-one has the right to decide for you...

You should be to make sure Allah’s Message reaches people in a clear, proper and convincing way so that they are targeted according to their level of understanding, background and culture. Our sincere aim and focus should be to deliver dawah with wisdom and good manners. We should not be concerned with the results of our efforts, for that is in Allah’s Hands. And He, subhanahu wa ta’ala, has taught us in the Qur’an that it is not part of this responsibility to ensure that people be guided to the truth, and that there is no compulsion in religion, [2:255].

• Prioritize your objective according to importance and according to people’s responses. Give people what they need when they ask for it.
  
• Concentrate on teaching the basics, and avoid details and difference of opinions.
  
• Avoid talking about punishment in the grave, Day of Judgment, and torture of the fire; delay them for a later time.
  
• Avoid discussion of no interest to non-Muslims such detailed Fiqh issues or politics. They can distract one’s attention and focus.
  
• Avoid using names and terms unfamiliar to non-Muslims for they create confusion.