Considering becoming Muslim ... Any Catholic reverts?

[jenn2]

Salam. I am looking to see if there are any former Catholics who reverted to Islam. I am with a Muslim partner, and I am considering converting. However, it's a big decision and something I feel a lot of stress with. There is so much that I don't know, and there are things I know I'm not ready for yet.

Already I don't eat pork (or any meat actually, I'm vegetarian) or drink, etc. But there are things that I'm not ready to take the step for yet. For example, I know I'm not ready to start wearing a hijab. I'm not ready to tell my parents. I don't know how to pray in Arabic.

Is it wrong for me to convert and still do things in little steps? I am stressed because if I convert, and start practicing, but am not wearing a hijab I would be sinning as soon as I started. But also it might be better to convert now instead of wait. Can I start by praying in English? How do you connect and pray in a language you don't know?

I would also really appreciate anyone who was Catholic first to tell me their feelings on reverting/converting from Catholicism. I feel like I would be really losing something, and I was wondering if anyone felt the same way/how they got through it. I have always believed that Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship the same God, but as much as I pray to God, I have also been used to praying to Jesus. To be fair, the trinity concept has not always made sense to me, but I still grew up praying in a completely different way.

Any and all advice appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Sister_45644]

Asalaam Aleykum sister. I was a Catholic just like you and i converted to Islam. My parents are strong Catholics and still up to now they dont know i am muslim even though i continue to practice My Deen in secret.
Sister It feels so good to be a muslim and you just need to take every step slowly without rush. Everything is about your intention sister. Allah (SWA) sees even Deep within our hearts and reward us for all the efforts that We are trying to do to be closer to him.
Everything might be confusing to you at first but keep seeking knowledge..try to find out more about different concepts in Islam. Read books and listen to Islamic Lectures. Ask questions about Any Issues that rise in your mind , in that way you will be able to put everything in line.
Everything start with your Intention sister...I dont know Arabic yet but i can perform Salah and reading Quran by using Roman Transliteration form. I read the Meaning of every Dua and Surahs of Holy Quran online ..in this way it helps me to know what i am reciting or praying.
Please dont hesitate Sister ..It takes time to make efforts as a convert but Its worthy it. If you will have true intentions Allah will always make it easier for you sister.
May Allah bless you.

 

[moinudin]

Sister, I too am a Catholic revert. I love hearing of those who are in the process of reverting, and I'd love to support you however I can إن شاء الله.

I'll first encourage you to start small. You can even start praying before you revert. Learn the movements without the recitation (my understanding is that you cannot pray in English within the pray, but you certainly can after). Raise your hands to the sky and ask Allah for guidance (in your language), or whatever you are looking for. See if you can find a local mosque where you can talk with an Imam.

Once you accept, you have to understand that the reality is that Allah won't accept your prayer with a scarf. There's great wisdom behind the requirement: without it, you open yourself up to inevitable fitna (lustful thoughts in the hearts of men). Think of it as Allah protecting you. He knows what's good for us.

Christians, Jews and Muslims worship the same God with different beliefs and ways of worshipping. Christians don't really have a legal system like Jews and Islam do. I find myself far closer to Allah as a Muslim. The more I worship or learn about Him, the more inferior I feel and the more I want to do. I also find great peace and tranquility in worshipping.

I want to be upfront in warning you that if you revert without your partner, there's a possibility that your arriage dissolves as a Muslim woman cannot be married to a non-Muslim man.



I hope that helps, and I hope I haven't scared you with the above. I'd rather be upfront and truthful than you ind out later and get upset. Please feel free to ask any further questions.

 

[Ümit]

Salam. I am looking to see if there are any former Catholics who reverted to Islam. I am with a Muslim partner, and I am considering converting. However, it's a big decision and something I feel a lot of stress with. There is so much that I don't know, and there are things I know I'm not ready for yet.

Salaam aleykum Jenn. I am born muslim...but there is also so much that I do not know...I mean do not worry about how much you know or don't know...just take little steps and you will get there. Nobody expects to see a full educated experienced muslim from you right away. take the right decicisons first, then do the things you are comfortable with...and the rest will follow in time inshaallah.

Already I don't eat pork (or any meat actually, I'm vegetarian) or drink, etc. But there are things that I'm not ready to take the step for yet. For example, I know I'm not ready to start wearing a hijab. I'm not ready to tell my parents. I don't know how to pray in Arabic.

There are a lot of muslim woman who do not wear a hijab. I'm not saying that is a right choice to make...but hey, not being a muslim at all is more worse than that...but maybe to wear a hijab may be one of your later decisions too...just remember that during salaat..you HAVE to wear one...otherwise your salaat will be invalid.

But again...one step at a time...first your decision to convert, then learning to pray, etc....

Is it wrong for me to convert and still do things in little steps? I am stressed because if I convert, and start practicing, but am not wearing a hijab I would be sinning as soon as I started. But also it might be better to convert now instead of wait. Can I start by praying in English? How do you connect and pray in a language you don't know?

you are sinning right now too...whether you converted or not...so where is the problem? converting without hijab is always better than not converting at all.
about praying in English:
there are two thing that can be translated into "praying", which is "dua" and "salaat".
Dua is the kind of praying Christians are used to. you open your hands and just talk to Allah. you need nothing in between, no preacher, no objects, just your thoughts. you can ask whatever for help and guidance and in any language you like.
Salaat is the obligatory prayer you have to do 5 times a day and is strictly prescribed how to perform. you have to memorize some parts of the Quraan and recitate that during salaat and it has to be in Arabic. in the learning fase you can of course read it from a book...but it has to be in Arabic.
about connection, every person should speak for himself, and me personally, I connect with my religion through knowledge...not through language. everything makes much more sense...you know your on the right path...so, the connection is always there...it is not like...you connect, pray, and then disconnect and go back to your normal life...the connection is always there, you just have to open your hands and start praying.
I do not speak Arabic unfortunately...so I do not understand it either. but I do like to listen to a quraan recitation in Arabic. you can hear how poetic it sounds. and it calms me down.
For knowledge purposes I am very happy the Quraan is in Arabic...That way I have the guarantee the verses are original verses, and not translated ones. working with the original is always more accurate than working with translations of it.
I will then read the translated versions in English, Dutch and Turkish, and I will have a better understanding of it than when I only read the english version of it.

I would also really appreciate anyone who was Catholic first to tell me their feelings on reverting/converting from Catholicism. I feel like I would be really losing something, and I was wondering if anyone felt the same way/how they got through it. I have always believed that Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship the same God, but as much as I pray to God, I have also been used to praying to Jesus. To be fair, the trinity concept has not always made sense to me, but I still grew up praying in a completely different way.

Any and all advice appreciated. Thank you.

your feeling is right...we all worship the same God. "Allah" is just the arabic word for "God"...the Christian arabs also use the name Allah to refer to their God.

And yes, it is the same God that send Adam as, Noah as, Moses as, Solomon as, Jesus as and all the other prophets to us...to guide us.
and please...stop praying to Jesus...Jesus as was one of the best prophets of Allah. We muslims have great respect for him, but he was not a God himself. but that is a different discussion.

 

[IslamLife00]

Welcome to the forum and InshaAllah (Allah willing) I will welcome you to Islam as well someday

I left the church long before I accepted Islam, so I was without religion for a few decades before I became a muslimah (muslim woman). Words are not enough to describe how I felt the day I said my shahada.
It's both very personal yet there something common to every revert. If you watch revert stories videos, you will understand what I mean.
It's common that reverts feel that Allah has given a second life / a new start / born a new. And personally, it's like finding the Truth, the Light that I had been looking for my whole life and actually live in it day after day.
As long as I live Islam, I will never lose it and it will never leave me.
Yes, it's indeed better for you to accept Islam sooner than later.
As in wearing hijab, praying in Arabic, other things in Islam you have to do - do it like you everything else in life : Practice makes perfect.
Start with what you know, do what you can, keep learning and do more gradually.
It helps to have muslimah friends living near you, as you will be starting from scratch -
and you said you are with a muslim partner - so that's Allah blessing to make it easier for you practice Islam.
If you accept Islam, and marry him, you will be able to live Islam together and raise a family in Islam.
InshaaAllah (Allah willing) many more blessing if you do this.
Islam itself is already a great blessing.
As for telling your parents, take your time, don't rush. Start by telling them what you have learned about Islam, just mention it here and there, sporadically,
not too much at once because it may overwhelm them. Then when the time is right, you can tell them you want to, or have accepted Islam.
And no, you are not losing anything, you are actually gaining everything with Islam - you will understand this in time InshaAllah.
There is only Allah, One God - there never is 3 in 1.

 

[m4rouf]

Salam. I am looking to see if there are any former Catholics who reverted to Islam. I am with a Muslim partner, and I am considering converting. However, it's a big decision and something I feel a lot of stress with. There is so much that I don't know, and there are things I know I'm not ready for yet.

Already I don't eat pork (or any meat actually, I'm vegetarian) or drink, etc. But there are things that I'm not ready to take the step for yet. For example, I know I'm not ready to start wearing a hijab. I'm not ready to tell my parents. I don't know how to pray in Arabic.

Is it wrong for me to convert and still do things in little steps? I am stressed because if I convert, and start practicing, but am not wearing a hijab I would be sinning as soon as I started. But also it might be better to convert now instead of wait. Can I start by praying in English? How do you connect and pray in a language you don't know?

I would also really appreciate anyone who was Catholic first to tell me their feelings on reverting/converting from Catholicism. I feel like I would be really losing something, and I was wondering if anyone felt the same way/how they got through it. I have always believed that Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship the same God, but as much as I pray to God, I have also been used to praying to Jesus. To be fair, the trinity concept has not always made sense to me, but I still grew up praying in a completely different way.

Any and all advice appreciated. Thank you.

Please check out a Korean YouTuber called Daud Kim. He reverted after being a Catholic from a strong Catholic family. He posted lots of videos about his journey which I myself even as a born Muslim have been strongly inspired by. He took it very slowly and took the Shahada when he was ready.

 

[peaceandlove]

Salam. I am looking to see if there are any former Catholics who reverted to Islam. I am with a Muslim partner, and I am considering converting. However, it's a big decision and something I feel a lot of stress with. There is so much that I don't know, and there are things I know I'm not ready for yet.

Already I don't eat pork (or any meat actually, I'm vegetarian) or drink, etc. But there are things that I'm not ready to take the step for yet. For example, I know I'm not ready to start wearing a hijab. I'm not ready to tell my parents. I don't know how to pray in Arabic.

Is it wrong for me to convert and still do things in little steps? I am stressed because if I convert, and start practicing, but am not wearing a hijab I would be sinning as soon as I started. But also it might be better to convert now instead of wait. Can I start by praying in English? How do you connect and pray in a language you don't know?

I would also really appreciate anyone who was Catholic first to tell me their feelings on reverting/converting from Catholicism. I feel like I would be really losing something, and I was wondering if anyone felt the same way/how they got through it. I have always believed that Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship the same God, but as much as I pray to God, I have also been used to praying to Jesus. To be fair, the trinity concept has not always made sense to me, but I still grew up praying in a completely different way.

Any and all advice appreciated. Thank you.

Well you said "For example, I know I'm not ready to start wearing a hijab. I'm not ready to tell my parents. I don't know how to pray in Arabic."

Well, i am surprised with your question? Did you think any muslim or a revert start doing each and every steps of islam immediately after shahada? Its take some time to learn thing and use to with things. So donot think you can do each and every thing immediately,

But one thing , you believe in Islam i would say , say your shahada immediately, if you are not ready to tell your parents yet then you can just take shada alone in your room or in some mosque ,

Donot worry about sins and think on them yet, how you can stop sins, how you can wear hijab , etc they are the second steps came later, the basis is shahada

Let say some one wont pray, its a great sin but not big as not saying shahada, so my request just to say shahda then slowly and gradually you can start following islam.

and one thing keep in mind, me , you and other too , do not think we are good people, we can do wrong act , you can do wrong act, and just because you can not able to wear hijab yet or other bad habbit , its a worse idea not to say shahad

Its shatan who will try to keep you away from shahada, just say shahda and then even if yiou do wrong thing, try to repent , you might do the same wrong again , just repent, and might be you do the same wrong thing 1000s of time but try to repent every thing and one day that wrong thing will be in shah ALLAH over.

 

[Mandy]

Do not hesitate sister.
I was also catholic before me and my sons converted to islam a few years ago. It was actually much more easy than I originally thought. Once you take the first step, the other ones become easier and easier to take.

Do not delay taking shahada if you feel you are not ready for some steps. Hijab is just one aspect of islam (a visible one, probably why many people stress over it). Try it on at home and see how you like wearing hijab if you want, but you are not forced to wear it if you do not feel you want to. For me it came quickly after I first tried it on and I found out I loved wearing it. We are all different and do things at our own speed. The one truly important step is taking shahada.


I understand your un-easiness. The way you describe it, you feel like you are loosing a tradition of your family. Yet things change. If anything the times we live in right now have been teaching us that life has to change and things become different. There is nothing wrong with recognizing that islam has the true message of Allah. As you said before, we all pray to the same God. Non Muslims simply have not been listening to the full message of Allah.


Reading and speaking arabic is not mandatory at all. Like others have said, there are translations that exists. They are not perfect, but the lack of knowing a language should not prevent you from hearing Allah's word.