From: bv8bv8bv8@gmail.com   
      
   WHAT DRIVES PEOPLE TO CONVERT TO ISLAM?   
      
   The various aspects of Islam which drives people to convert despite its   
   negative portrayal in the media.   
      
      
      
   The nature of religious faith is quite mysterious.  As part of their religious   
   faiths, people believe in a variety of deities.  There are people who have   
   religious faith in the unseen supreme inimitable power, and then there are   
   others who believe in    
   some humans as Gods, or animals (e.g.  monkeys), fire, idols made of stone,   
   and the list goes on.   
      
   A lot is associated with having a religious “faith”.  Part of it has to do   
   with beliefs passed on through generations.  People’s identities therefore get   
   tied to it.  Many times, these beliefs and associated feelings are not   
   completely demonstrable by    
   reason or any rational arguments.  There is nothing right or wrong with this,   
   but that’s just how the nature of religious faith has come to be.   
      
   Almost everyone thinks they are right in their faith and beliefs.  Being with   
   people and groups with similar faith further strengthens people’s faith, and   
   they see it as right, even though logical reasoning and argument sometimes   
   can’t explain it all.     
   That’s simple human psychology.   
      
    Islam’s arguments based on intellectual reasoning   
   Muslims believe however, that the Islamic religion is different in this   
   context.  One may argue that similar to other faiths there are aspects of it   
   which are not completely demonstrable by reason, but on the other hand the   
   Quranic text, which is God’s    
   words addressing humanity at large, uses intellectual reason, critical   
   thinking, and the process of reflection as a means not only to reinforce the   
   faith of the believers, but also to call non-believers to ponder about the   
   authenticity of Islam as the    
   way of life for humanity at large.  Although no religious beliefs can be fully   
   based on logic and reasoning, Islam and Quran provide more than enough   
   examples and an opportunity to examine the truth and the soundness of its   
   message through the lens of    
   empirical evidence and knowledge.   
      
   No one (Muslim or otherwise) would argue that critical thinking and reflection   
   can be a major catalyst for changing ones life.  Critical thinking has been   
   used by many to improve their lives simply because a critical thinker asks   
   probing questions about    
   a situation, collects as much information as possible, reflects on the ideas   
   collected and generated in context of the information available, keeps an open   
   and unbiased mind, and carefully scrutinizes assumptions and seeks   
   alternatives.      
      
   This is the reason, therefore, that new Muslim converts would attribute the   
   use of intelligent reasoning, reflection and critical thinking when explaining   
   their journey to Islam.  Such people cut through the hysteria created in the   
   media to view Islam    
   from a critical lens and following the truth thus comes naturally to them as   
   part of this process.  How else can one explain the increase in conversions   
   with the increase of anti-Islamic rhetoric? How else can one explain that more   
   non-Muslim preachers    
   have been converting to Islam than ever before? Although, as Muslims, we   
   believe that guidance comes only from Allah, the use of a person’s God-gifted   
   intellectual reasoning has a very powerful role to play in Muslim converts   
   making that destiny changing    
   decision.  And once converted, they rarely go back to their old faiths, simply   
   because a faith whose foundations are built on logic and reason is much less   
   likely to be shaken down than one which simply builds upon a set of rites and   
   sacraments.   
      
     Reasons attributed by new Converts   
   Some of the reasons given why people convert to Islam are the eloquence of the   
   Quran’s language, its overwhelming scientific evidence and proofs, arguments   
   rooted in intellectual reasoning, and the Divine wisdom behind various social   
   issues.   The    
   uniqueness and beauty of the Quran’s text has been marveled by the best of   
   Arab linguists and scholars, both Muslim and otherwise, from the days it was   
   revealed until today.  The more knowledgeable people are in the language, the   
   more they appreciate the    
   wonders of the textual fluency of the Quran.    Revealed more than 1400 years   
   ago, the Quran also has numerous scientific facts that are being validated by   
   science only in this era.    Furthermore, it is the only known religious text   
   that challenges    
   mankind to think, reflect and ponder over the creation at large, social   
   issues, God’s existence, and more.  The Quran, in many instances, challenges   
   people to reflect and think on their own, rather than heeding the loose talk   
   of those whose criticism is    
   based on baseless foundations.    Finally, the Quran provides a solution to   
   numerous social issues, deviation from which has been known to cause societal   
   chaos at all levels.    
      
   The Quran is a confident assertion of a Supreme Being; the only known   
   religious book that has a confident assertion of a Supreme Being on all issues   
   ranging from the creation of the universe to most particular components of the   
   social milieu.   Moreover,    
   its Divine Text - the language and prose of the Quran - is very different from   
   the language in the Prophet’s sayings, which demonstrates that the Quran is   
   not from the creative imagination or inspired words of Prophet Muhammad, as   
   many doubters have    
   alleged in the past, and continue to do even today.    
      
   We can see that most of these reasons can only be attributed to the process of   
   critical thinking and intellectual reflection.   However, cold reasoning is   
   not enough.   The heart has to be engaged in the search: a search whose aim is   
   to reach for the    
   truth at its core.   No wonder, then, that when such sincere people hear the   
   Quran for the first time, and understand it, they say:   
      
   “We believe in it; surely, it is the Truth from our Lord.   Indeed, even   
   before it, we were Muslims!” (Quran 28:53)   
      
   The Quran challenges humanity at large to think, reflect and ponder over their   
   affairs on numerous occasions.  This is some of what the Quran states:   
      
   ·        Thus do We explain the verses (and their signification) in detail for   
   the people who reflect. (Jonah, Quran 10:24)   
      
   ·        Do they not think deeply about their own selves (being)?  Allah has   
   created not the heavens and the Earth and all that is between them except with   
   truth and for an appointed term.  And indeed many of mankind deny the Meeting   
   with their Lord. (   
   The-Romans, Quran 30:8)   
      
      
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