An Answer to a FAQ: Coming to Islam

I was raised in a fairly progressive Christian environment, one that did not follow a specific church dogma and was surrounded with an abundance of ideas. My parents both came from different Christian traditions, later finding a new route all together. They adopted the belief that the Bible itself outweighed any doctrine that was 'inspired' by it, contrary to many Christian sects, Catholicism, in particular.

When I reached age 18, I started questioning the faith I grew up with and began investigating others. I looked at the usual eastern philosophy, i.e., Buddhism, Hinduism, and of course, various forms of Christianity. It was during that search when I discovered that the central belief toward my knowing and understanding God (the mantra “The Word of God is the Will of God”) to be full of inconsistencies and overall inaccuracies- at least as far as applying it to the Bible is concerned. When I took up researching other faiths, I continued to run into the same problem; either doctrine outweighed actual Word or there were so many additions to the initial message that the intended meaning had be all together impossible to rediscover. Whether or not I agreed with or appriciated these additions was not the issue; I was in search of learning God’s Will though the message had been buried long before. Islam provided the cure to my dilemma.

It be should noted that I'm very analytical-overly so in the eyes of many- especially when it comes to issues of importance, in this case, the Word of Allah. The Quran’s integrity was beyond question- that being the most attractive quality of Islam. I have never questioned the existence of Allah- I simply wanted to learn the best way to please my Creator but in order to do so, I actually had to know what that message was.

People are always surprised when I tell them I came to Islam on my own accord, i.e., without having known any Muslims- I did know a Muslima from Turkey but she didn’t practice. Thus, it’s more accurate to say that Islam came to me; "Take one step toward Allah and Allah will take two towards you", as the teaching goes. As such, I was blessed with the opportunity to study without interference, i.e., people telling me I had to follow a particular set of fatwas, or school of thought, etc. In so doing, I believe I was at a great advantage for building a firm foundation for my iman. After having made Shahadda, declaration of faith, however, I began to read some the Saudi and Iranian propaganda that various brothers gave me and was briefly convinced of what I view now as corrupt ideologies, especially in regards to women. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before these concepts began to conflict with my personal ethics, at which point I distanced myself from many of the Muslims that surrounded me at that time. After a few years of nearly isolated practice and study, I began to realize that there were a lot of people with similar convictions and a wealth of material supporting my conclusions. Al-humdulilah, after a long re-thinking process, I developed a great inspiration that continues to strengthen my faith in Allah.


The Importance of Zain

Though I appreciate the genius of mathematics, I have never been great at its application. As a student, I always had a tutor to assist me. My university had a 24 hour study lounge where I often went to do my homework. One night, I called to see if my tutor/ex-girlfriend was there. When the phone picked up, I asked to speak with her. The person who happened to answer asked who was calling; I said, "Zain." My tutor came to the phone and I then proceeded to make arrangements to meet with her. When she hung up, Said, the person who answered the phone, asked her if I was Muslim. She said no but that I was interested in Islam and had been studying it for some time. When I arrived, Said introduced himself and offered to accompany me to the mosque for Friday prayers. Later that evening, I went to the Masjid and made Shahadda.

Here's were my name comes in. First of all, had Said not asked for my name, it would have been like any other night of studying. But, since he did, and because he recognized my name as being of Arabic origin, I was blessed with having been introduced into the ummah or community of faith.

So Far…

Over the last ten years, I have grown closer to Allah than I could have ever imagined. Despite all of the negative press Islam continues to be plagued with, I have never regretted my decision. The fact that there is a tremendous amount of injustice carried out in the name of Islam cannot be ignored. The truth is, as Muslims, it is our responsibility to overcome the negative stereotypes and demonstrate the actual meaning of our faith. That’s not to say that the press is unbiased in its reporting: it’s extremely biased. There is a definite agenda being followed but that does not overshadow the ills that we must correct. When more than half of our population, i.e., women, is subjected to second-class status and people are committing murder in the name of Allah, we must respond. The Taliban and Al-Queda is real (though their power and influence is extremely exaggerated) and what they did in Afghanistan was appalling. One of the biggest criticisms I have encountered has been from people who had not heard a condemnation of what took place on September 11th. In fact, there were several prominent voices that spoke out against it from amongst the Muslim leadership, as well as from the laity. Unfortunately, these voices were not given much attention in the media; therefore, they don’t exist in most people’s reality. Instead, the public was fed images of celebration among some pockets of the Muslim World (albeit some footage was admittedly taken out of context by way of using scenes from completely unrelated events).

What we have to do, as Muslims, is educate ourselves to make a necessary reformation. We must not allow extremists to speak using our voice. We must teach our children and the young people who are coming into this world to be proud of who they are. Seeking knowledge is a Divine command and is not limited to the male gender, contrary to what goes on in some countries. We are instructed that those whose faith in Islam is strongest are those who intervene in the sight of injustice. What could possibly be more detrimental than remaining silent in the face of an assault from within? To ignore our faults is to perpetuate our own demise. Islam is a wonderful blessing and if we allow its further decay, we will be held accountable. No imam, mullah, sheik, or alam will answer for our own negligence. What brought me to Islam was its message of freedom, justice and equality- none of these values can be upheld without truth, patience, and consistency.