Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asalamu Aleikum

 
I was wondering I have a friend who seems to be interested in Islam and possibly reverting to Islam aswell but theres a catch to this story...he likes  a muslim girl and he knows that she doesnt believe in courting and the only way Islam and she will allow him into her life is if he were Muslima and prepared to marry her..My thought is that i dont believe that he should become muslim for the sake of her being muslim..He does however claim that he doesnt want to revert BECAUSE of HER  and the thing is he feels more attracted to Islam as he doesnt know much about his own religion being Hinduism and being in her company and his other muslim friends it seems as though his been more attracted to what Islam has to offer as he says that it can answer many of the questions he has and His own religion cant....My concern is that personally i believe that in this situation He should 1st discover His own religion...become comfortable there with then find out more about Islam and Make an informed decision about which Deen he wants to follow...I dont want him to become muslim and then have this wonderment at the back of His mind and emptiness inside and regrett not having educated himself more about Hinduism...

 
So is it right that i as a Muslim encourage him to find out more about Hinduism and then later to focus on Islam...

 
Id love for him to become muslim as i believe its the True Deen...i just want him to discover that for himself

 
Plz when u reply to this mail add on my message too

 
Salaam

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Answer:

Learn own religion first before Islam

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: He does however claim that he doesnt want to revert BECAUSE of HER  and the thing is he feels more attracted to Islam as he doesnt know much about his own religion being Hinduism and being in her company and his other muslim friends it seems as though his been more attracted to what Islam has to offer as he says that it can answer many of the questions he has and His own religion cant....

When the person himself claims that he is attracted to the Truth of Al-Islam, and that Islam offers him the answers of many of the questions his own religion cannot; we, as believers, must accept his claims at face value; for Allah Subhanah has not given man the power to judge what exactly is the intention of the other persons’ heart!

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.706 Narrated by Umar bin Al Khattab

The Prophet (saws) said, "The (reward of) deeds depend on intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he intends. So, whoever migrated for Allah and His Messenger, then his migration will be for Allah and His Messenger; and whoever migrated for worldly benefits or for marrying a woman, then his migration will be for what he migrated for."

Your Question: My concern is that personally i believe that in this situation He should 1st discover His own religion...become comfortable there with then find out more about Islam and Make an informed decision about which Deen he wants to follow... So is it right that i as a Muslim encourage him to find out more about Hinduism and then later to focus on Islam...

Any person who has lived a period of his life on a particular path, knows the basics of that way of life, its rituals, its short-comings, its dogma, and its beliefs! It does not matter what religion one belongs to; if he sincerely and without any prejudice, compares his religion to the Way of Life approved by Allah Subhanah, he will find the perfect answers to all the questions his heart ever asked about creation, life, and the after-life!

There is one and only one Way of Life approved by the One Who Created everything in existence, and that is Al-Islam. All the others are paths or ways man has invented for himself!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Al Maidah verse 3:Today I (Allah) have perfected your deen for you and completed my Blessing on you and approved Islam as your way of life.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imran verse 19:Indeed, Islam is the ONLY right way of life in the sight of Allah.

It is only when one compares the ‘fake’ with the original, does he realize the Truth and the falsehoods! There is always One Original, and there might be many fakes; one may compare a fake to a fake, and the most he can say is that one fake is better than the other. It is only when the fake is compared with the Original, that the Truth will stand clear from all the falsehoods.

It is not necessary for a believer to guide the person to understand his own religion, before he invites a non-muslim to Al-Islam; for that is a thing the person will do naturally! The more he learns about Islam, the more he will realize the Truth; and the more he will realize and recognize the Truth, the more he will distance himself from the falsehoods of the religion he grew up in! It is only natural that even after he has, if Allah Wills, reverted to Al-Islam, he will keep on comparing his old religion to the Truth of Al-Islam; and everytime he compares he will have no choice but to confirm that the Truth is absolutely and perfectly in alignment with Al-Islam. On a personal note brother, I myself, by the Grace and Mercy of Allah Subhanah, am a revert to Islam. And Allah is my witness, I know more about the religion of my forefathers (which I left to become a muslim) today, than I knew when I reverted after understanding and accepting the Truth of the Quran and Sunnah! Its been a good 20 years since Allah blessed me to revert to the Truth of Al-Islam, but to this day I always compare everything to the religion I left behind; and every single time, and I repeat, every single time the Truth of Islam stands clear from the falsehoods of the religion of my forefathers! All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone, Who has guided the believers to the Truth of Al-Islam.

Thus brother, your fear that the person might waver after he has accepted Islam as his way of life, is non-consequential. The more the person compares, the more the Truth of Al-Islam will convince him that he is on the Right Path.

Thus the best thing to do would be to invite him to the Religion of Truth of Al-Islam, and give him a copy of the Divine Message which Allah Subhanah has revealed for the guidance of all mankind. This one 600-odd-pages Book, when truly understood, has compelled the hearts of billions of people to submit their will to the Will of their Creator; and if the person is truly seeking the Truth, his journey for the search of Truth will, if Allah so Pleases, end right here, Insha Allah.

Allah says in the Holy Quran: Chapter 16, Surah An-Nahl Ayat 125:Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and excellent admonition and argue with people in the best manner. Your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Way and who is Rightly guided.

Allah says in Chapter 2, Surah Baqarah aayat 185:"Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down: this Book is a Perfect guidance for mankind, and consists of CLEAR teachings which show the Right Way and are a Criterion of the Truth and falsehood."

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for inviting a person who does not believe, to the Truth of Al-Islam.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.192 Narrated by Sahl bin Sad

The Prophet (saws) said to Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.): “By Allah! If a single person embraces Islam at your hands (i.e. through you), that will be better for you than a great number of red camels (the most precious possession in those times)."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan