2

I found a few interesting videos on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCguMu79vg4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyGvjA1nGXI

In the first video, the girl converted to Islam simply because she loved Muhammad's lifestyle. She didn't say anything about "being convinced that Islam is the truth".

In the second video, another girl converted to Islam because she found the muslim community to be very helpful and fasting in ramadan helped her with her smoking addiction. But nothing that convinced her that Islam is the truth.

What do you think? Are these girls muslims? Islamic scholars are always saying that "You need to become a muslim through logic and reasoning". But in these videos, there is no mention of logic or reasoning behind believing in Islam. Rather, these girls converted to Islam simply because they liked certain things about it. Do they count as muslims?

Improve this question
5
  • 1
    my friend "You need to become a muslim through logic and reasoning" , you miss a lot of things . what about those kids who born in islamic family they can't be muslims until they become scientists in evolution , philosophy , islamic siences , hadith , quran , history and other relegions !? the point view of islam is clear ; islam is a primordial human nature ( fitrah ) ! so people could accepted anytime and sometimes without any reasons ( just knowing it is enough ) because this is your nature ! then they get knowledge day by day !
    – melbx
    Dec 9, 2016 at 20:54
  • So many scholars disagree with you unfortunately. Read this: almasjid.com/a_leap_of_faith
    – user16329
    Dec 9, 2016 at 21:17
  • According to most Islamic scholars, Imaan is not accepted by Allah if it is without logic or reasoning.
    – user16329
    Dec 9, 2016 at 21:17
  • 2
    Are you sure? Wikipedia seems to contradict that: "Even though seeking knowledge in Islam is considered a religious obligation, the studying of 'Ilm al-Kalam is considered by Muslim scholars to fall beyond the category of necessity and is only permitted to qualified scholars, but not for the masses or common people."
    – Rebecca J. Stones
    Dec 9, 2016 at 22:36
  • I think you're asking about the wrong thing. The question isn't "how did you become convinced Islam's claims are true", the question is "are you convinced that Islam's claims are true". While you can have complete conviction about any claim without any reasonable justification whatsoever, you are unlikely to maintain that conviction when faced with evidence that undermines the claim.
    – G. Bach
    Dec 10, 2016 at 13:18

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

I have two points to make inshaAllah:

1 - People come to Islam in various ways.

Umar ibn Al Khattab accepted Islam after hearing the beautiful message of the Qur'an. Khalid bin Waleed accepted Islam upon the realization that Islam always triumphs and was going to triumph everywhere. رضي الله عنهم And many others accepted Islam because they knew Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to be upright and truthful.

My point: Every person today is drawn to Islam because of some aspect of it which they liked. Some are drawn to its superior logic, clarity and reason; others are drawn to it because of its beautiful teachings on charity, kindness, etc. Some are drawn to it because of the beautiful life/character of its Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). The list goes on!

The two girls in the video are just telling you what drew them to Islam. And those are valid reasons which they gave too, ie sister #1 loving the Sunnah of the Messenger and sister #2 loving the compassion/brotherhood of the Muslim Ummah (which is the fruit of Islam).

Also, just because a person does not verbally tell you "I'm convinced Islam is the truth" it does not mean that they are not convinced. The fact that they accepted Islam implies that they DO accept it as the truth.. after that initial attraction to it. Unless they say otherwise, then you don't know what's in their heart.. and we always assume the best about fellow Muslims [til they give reason otherwise].

2 - Yes.. people are Muslims if they accept Islam even if they are ignorant about aspects of Islam. You're not required to know everything from the beginning (not even required to know Arabic). You're just required to know what you're saying [Shahadah] and believe in it. However, it's not recommended to dive into it ignorantly. People should study and get a basic understanding of Islam. And thereafter, continue to seek 'ilm (knowledge) which is an Islamic obligation.

Improve this answer
11
  • In your answer, you said that it's not recommended to dive into Islam ignorantly. But what if one does? What if a person says shahadah without having conviction in what he's saying? Let's say a person doesn't have conviction in the oneness of Allah and the prophethood of Muhammad. But he says the shahadah simply because he feels that it MIGHT be the truth. Would Allah reject his shahadah due to his lack of conviction? Or would Allah say "I'll give him a chance. He is a muslim to me."?
    – user16329
    Dec 10, 2016 at 19:39
  • Diving into Islam ignorantly doesn't negate their Islam. On the other hand, if there is any 'doubt' in their mind, then they haven't accepted Islam properly. True doubt is Kufr (disbelief). A Muslim has to have conviction.
    – Muslimah
    Dec 10, 2016 at 22:00
  • What exactly is true doubt? Can doubts be dismissed as waswas? For example, let's say I'm a non-muslim. I want to convert to Islam, but I still have some doubts. But I just tell myself "This is just waswas of shaytan. I'll just ignore it". So I finally say the shahadah. Would Allah accept my Islam then?
    – user16329
    Dec 11, 2016 at 7:29
  • There is a difference between doubts vs. waswasa so no, it can't be confused or dismissed. Waswasa is where you are getting thoughts in your mind that suggest evil but you hate the evil suggestions from Satan and reject them wholly [and even having them disturbs you]. Hating that and never uttering the evil is actually a sign of faith. In contrast, doubt is where you are actually confused or entertaining the idea that Islam 'could' be wrong or agreeing with evil whispers. That is disbelief. --So either you are having one or the other.
    – Muslimah
    Dec 11, 2016 at 9:26
  • I keep having lots of doubtful thoughts about Islam. They cause me a lot of distress and anxiety. I want these thoughts to go away, but at the same time, a part of me keeps asking "What if these thoughts are right? What if I'm in the wrong religion". I hate having these thoughts. So am I suffering from doubts or waswas?
    – user16329
    Dec 11, 2016 at 9:30

You must log in to answer this question.