Becoming Muslim starts with a very personal decision to choose Islam as
your new lifestyle, not just your “religion”. Most newcomers to Islam
make this decision only after having read some Islamic literature and portions
of the Quran itself. For me, it was the
arguments of the first 8 chapters of the Quran and its explanations of the
purpose of life and death that convinced me that accepting Islam was
the right thing to do. There was no outside pressure from anyone.
As I have stated elsewhere, the Quran found me while
I was trying to convince myself that there was no God. I was also in mortal
dread of Death, with no hope for a Hereafter. I had already conceded that my
future was bleak and a waste of time. I also knew that worldly riches did not
bring happiness and wouldn’t last anyway because dying was inevitable and so haphazard.
It could happen at any time in one’s life.
So, internally, I was at my wit’s end despite my outward façade of
controlled chaos. Alcohol and drugs could only provide brief periods of blissful
oblivion, but I always had to eventually return to the internal strife that
accompanied my ignorant lifestyle.
Making the decision to accept Islam is not fear-free or painless. Despite
the bleak outlook with which I had been living, I argued strenuously with the
Quran about the lifestyle changes I would have to make if I decided to
become Muslim. The Quran gave me the very
first logical understanding of the term “God” that I had ever had. It made it
extremely clear to me that “God” is a title that could only be claimed
by the Being that created the Earth, all life and all the universes that exist.
It challenged me to provide my proof that such a Being did not exist (as I was
trying to convince myself). It also provided me with irrefutable arguments that
there was no other lifestyle, except Islam, that could simultaneously cater for
my physical and spiritual development from day to day. It boldly identified
itself as the lifestyle blueprint (guide), from this “God”, showing me how to
live and develop my human characteristics. It also gave me the choice to accept or
reject its offer of guidance.
I had always been dissatisfied with all the explanations of
human life I had encountered until then because they lacked definition of “being
human”. None could explain what a “human being” was, or what its
purpose was. Ridiculous, dogmatic statements like “God made us to love Him and
serve Him” created more questions than answers. The Quran not only gave me clear,
logical answers to those questions but offered to show me how to achieve my
humanity, if I really wanted to. It offered to help me adjust my
lifestyle from one of controlled chaos (based on ignorance) to one of guided
purpose (based on knowledge).
It made it quite clear to me that I
would always be responsible for my life and deeds, despite religious
myths to the contrary, and that I had to do the necessary acts to
make the adjustment. The message was clear and unequivocal. Accepting Islam meant that I would voluntarily
agree to live a guided, purposeful life, as defined by the Only True God in His
Message, the Quran. I would voluntarily accept the lifestyle example of His
Messenger, Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him) who had delivered the Message
to the world and change my personal behavior accordingly.
The Quran is brutal in its honesty and uncompromising in its terms of
assistance. In no uncertain
terms, it explained to me that I needed God but He did not need me.
I was but one creature amongst a host of similar creatures He had created. If I
allowed Him to teach me, I would benefit. If I didn’t allow Him to teach me, I
could return to the ignorant life I had been so joyfully living. It did
not promise me worldly wealth or unfettered happiness, but it did promise me a
satisfying, fulfilled life of purpose and a reward of exquisite bliss after I leave
this earth. It explained to me that this current life is not the totality of
existence. It heralds a bigger, better, more permanent and perfected
life and my limited existence on Earth is but a preparatory stage for it. It
promised to guide me through the uncertainty of current everyday living to a
successful exit from this stage and a glorious entrance into the future.
In return, I had to give up ignorant, impetuous, purposeless living.
Shamefully, it took me about 1 month to overcome my fears of leaving
my familiar beliefs and lifestyle. I had then read and argued with 8
chapters of the Quran and lost each argument. I had also stopped living as ignorantly as
before, but I desperately clung to the remnants of my bad habits as a
drowning man would to any flotsam that came his way. The opening verses of Chapter 9 of the Quran
shocked me into making my decision to accept Islam; a decision I have not regretted
since. Once the decision was made, I only had to make a simple, verbal declaration
of my new beliefs before a group of other Muslims (practitioners of
Islam) and my guided journey of purposeful living started. The Quran has been my constant
companion on this journey, pointing the way to a clearly-defined
destination for those who wish to find it.
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