Convert vs Revert

  • Thread starter Thread starter convert
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 156
  • Views Views 21K

Convert or Revert?

  • Total voters
    0
C

convert

Elite Member
Messages
440
Reaction score
87
What do you prefer to be called? Why?

I will give my thoughts, with daleel, later on after there gets to be a healthy discussion going.
 
:sl:

I am a revert, I did not convert from anything. I was born Muslim but life lead me on a path that did not follow Islam. After 65 years of traveling down this path called life, I realized I was Muslim. I said the shahadah and returned to where I belonged. I was the long lost orphan who was finally reunited with my family.

It was a long twisted path, but it eventually lead me back to who I always was, but did not know.

Therefore I am a revert, I did not leave anything, it just took me a long time to learn I was Muslim.
 
I made a post once in my and The Ruler's blog, and there I first time heard of someone preferably being called 'convert'. Here's the comment:

*Converts. I’m Muslim but I don’t believe that everyone is born Muslim. They’re born in fitrah, that is a natural inclination towards the truth. The truth being Islam, obviously. Differences in opinion I guess. Allahu ‘alim.
Click to expand...
I told myself to try to read some more about it, but still haven't gotten to it. InshaAllah, I'm waiting for your post. :)
 
^ yh it goes back to what the 'fitrah' is. Being upon the 'fitrah', does that you're already Muslim? etc

"So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah . That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know." [Soorah Room, V.30]
 
:sl: Ali,
Ali. said:
To be honest I've always thought of the 'revert to Islam' business a strange one..

Let's take it in steps..

How are people born Muslim?

Muslim means submissive to the creator.. muselim.. I don't know the roots of this word fully.. so I'm not so sure if everything is born submissive to the creator.. surely they'd have to firstly find out if they believe in God and then see if they submiss/submit?
Click to expand...
Take a look at these two links Inshaa'Allah:

http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/DefinitionFitrah.htm
http://islamworld.net/docs/fitrah.html

Ali. said:
Islam comes from the word salam.. which means peace.. I believe it also has some accordance with submission..
Click to expand...
This is a common misconception. Salaam is not the root word of Islam. Rather, both words (Islam and Salaam) share a common root which is the triliteral root S-L-M (or Seen Laam Meem)

:w:
 
:w: Well didn't rasoolullah salAllaahu 'alayhi wasalam say, ''everyone is a born a Muslim, but they only change due to their parent's religion (ie. Hinduism, Christianity, Buudhism etc.)''? May Allaah forgive me if I am even slightly wrong.

Everyone is born upon the fitrah of Islaam, but your first years of life are inevitably influenced by your parents. So you end up following what they do, until you find Islaam again and come back, ''revert''.

Converting implies that you were never a Muslim to begin with, which is wrong, because we believe in fitrah.
 
Last edited:
^ Take a look at my second post, please.

I think I'll edit my first post to avoid any more confusion like this..
 
Greetings,
Ameena* said:
:w: Well didn't rasoolullah salAllaahu 'alayhi wasalam say, ''everyone is a born a Muslim, but they only change due to their parent's religion (ie. Hinduism, Christianity, Buudhism etc.)''? May Allaah forgive me if I am even slightly wrong.
Click to expand...

My parents are Christians, but I've never considered myself a Christian.

It's pretty strange to be told that I was born a Muslim, because I've never considered myself a Muslim either.

I believe that everyone is born with some sort of conscience, but that they are completely unaware of religion until someone mentions it to them in their life.

Peace
 
I am an atheist but assuming Islam is right and Adam was created by Allah and was the first man and phrophet then rever is the truth. Other wise cover. =D
Peace
Mick
 
czgibson said:
Greetings,


My parents are Christians, but I've never considered myself a Christian.

It's pretty strange to be told that I was born a Muslim, because I've never considered myself a Muslim either.

I believe that everyone is born with some sort of conscience, but that they are completely unaware of religion until someone mentions it to them in their life.

Peace
Click to expand...

we believe everyone is born in submission to the creator, i.e muslim. islam means submission, a muslim is the one who submits. you probably notice the simularity between the letters islam and muslim. another example, jihad is to struggle in the path of Allah against the evils and wrongs in the world, and the mujahid is the one on that path.

so every child is born in this natural state of submission, submitting to the creator and with an inbuilt natural reverence instinct to worship their creator.

however later on they are diverted away from this natural instinct or it is perverted into the worship of something else, but always there is a part of them which recognises islam as pure and simple, the truth about the creator which makes them want to return, to revert back to this natural state of submission - islam.
 
Dawud_uk said:
we believe everyone is born in submission to the creator, i.e muslim. islam means submission, a muslim is the one who submits. you probably notice the simularity between the letters islam and muslim. another example, jihad is to struggle in the path of Allah against the evils and wrongs in the world, and the mujahid is the one on that path.

so every child is born in this natural state of submission, submitting to the creator and with an inbuilt natural reverence instinct to worship their creator.

however later on they are diverted away from this natural instinct or it is perverted into the worship of something else, but always there is a part of them which recognises islam as pure and simple, the truth about the creator which makes them want to return, to revert back to this natural state of submission - islam.
Click to expand...

Can you show me that newborns are born submiting to Allah? please. Newborns have no concept of Allah/God ergo they are atheist. atheist does not beilive. A new born does not understand thw concept of Islam and Allah there for is an atheist.
 
Greetings,

Dawud_uk said:
so every child is born in this natural state of submission, submitting to the creator and with an inbuilt natural reverence instinct to worship their creator.

however later on they are diverted away from this natural instinct or it is perverted into the worship of something else, but always there is a part of them which recognises islam as pure and simple, the truth about the creator which makes them want to return, to revert back to this natural state of submission - islam.
Click to expand...

This is all just speculation with no necessary connection to the real world.

The explanations of words you posted are quite well known, I think.

Peace
 
Greetings,

I realise that your post wasn't directed at me but since Dawud_UK hasn't responded yet, I thought I would. :)

ATHEISTofPEACE said:
Can you show me that newborns are born submiting to Allah? please.
Click to expand...

If you are asking for scientific evidence/proof then I am not personally aware of any.

ATHEISTofPEACE said:
Newborns have no concept of Allah/God
Click to expand...

How do you know this?

ATHEISTofPEACE said:
A new born does not understand thw concept of Islam and Allah
Click to expand...

How do you know?

Realise that when we refer to Islam in this context, we are referring to it's fundamental principles i.e. Tawheed rather than the full religion of Islam in all it's complexity.

Regards
 
Greetings,

if you want to find out what understanding of god newborns might have, try asking several young children what they think about god. You'll get many different answers, and I guarantee that many of them will not be in line with the teachings of Islam.

Peace
 
Hi czgibson,
czgibson said:
if you want to find out what understanding of god newborns might have, try asking several young children what they think about god. You'll get many different answers, and I guarantee that many of them will not be in line with the teachings of Islam.
Click to expand...
Young children are not newborns though, are they. By the time they reach an age where you are able to sustain a meaningful conversation with them, there will have been plenty of time for their Fitrah to have been corrupted by parents and/or society.

Just out of curiosity, what makes you say that you would get many different answers and how are you able to make such a confident guarantee? Have you tried this yourself or something? :)

Regards
 
I am a convert. I think a lot of have a misconception of the word fitrah:

An explanation of the misconception of the fitrah by Riyadh ul-Haq

I will have to check again but I heard lecture by either Suhaib Webb or Ali at-Tamini where they mention that those in the first generations who left Islam were said to have reverted to kufr.

Also, I find the term revert is a very conceited, presumptuous term. It can give many converts complexes and make them think they are not good enough unless they change their name to Muhammad, wear thobe and imamah to work, and run off to the Arabian peninsula. It can also lead to an attitude where they cut off and alienate themselves from their families.

So, in short: I'm a convert.
 
Greetings,
Osman said:
Hi czgibson, Young children are not newborns though, are they. By the time they reach an age where you are able to sustain a meaningful conversation with them, there will have been plenty of time for their Fitrah to have been corrupted by parents and/or society.
Click to expand...

Young children are obviously not newborns, but they are as close as we can get. Interviewing a newborn baby is rarely successful and can often end messily...

Just out of curiosity, what makes you say that you would get many different answers and how are you able to make such a confident guarantee? Have you tried this yourself or something? :)
Click to expand...

Yes. I teach young children every day and I've had plenty of opportunities to find out what they think about all sorts of things. I never tell them what I think about god - it's best to let them form their own opinions.

Peace
 

Similar Threads

Back
Top