Islam: What is a "Revert"?
I'm on the mailing list for a local Islamic Center near my home here in Dubai. I haven't had the chance to go attend a lecture yet but I receive weekly updates on what's happening there.
A recent email announced that a lecturer what coming and it referred to him as a "revert". It brings to mind the word convert but is obviously different. I had some vague idea of what they might mean by it but decided to ask a good Muslim friend of mine. Here is his response.
Hey Brian
A revert is someone who goes back to what he originally was. In Islam we believe that everyone is born on "deen al fitrah", which means "the natural religion". That it is natural to believe in one God who is omnipotent, omniscient, infinite etc. and then it is his parents or people in society that take him away from it and make him a follower in another religion. So we believe that everyone is born a Muslim and then it is his parents or people around him that influence him and make him a Christian, Jew etc.. So if we have a Christian converting to Islam, we say that he REVERTED back to what he originally was and that is a Muslim.
I don't think there is anything comparable in Christianity except for the fact that we believe all people where created by God (eternally existing as one substance in three persons; Father, Son, and Spirit) and were designed to worship him, find their ultimate fulfillment and purpose in him and to bring him glory.
But we would disagree with our Muslim friends by saying that everyone is born into sin. Everyone is born with a sinful nature and will not choose to put faith in God except for God's intervention in their hearts and minds. As a parent I've never had to teach my children how to disobey. They seem to have known how to do that from the very beginning. It's obedience that has to be taught.
So we disagree about an original sinful nature. Muslims do not believe in this. Christians do.
My Muslim friends ask "why should I be responsible for my sin if I was born into it?" This is a hard question though there are answers. At the same time questions come to my mind as I write about the Muslim position. It seems I can ask the same question of them. If it is parents or society that ultimately leads the originally holy person astray then why should they be blamed by God for their sin or disobedience? What is it that brings that person to finally give in to the corruption around them? If it didn't start with them how can they be held responsible?
Something to think about. What do you say?
4 comments:
that's fascinating. I had never heard of that term being used before. the funny thing to me is, the description of a revert sounds like so many nominal Christians I know who are more like Deists then what I would call a follower of Jesus.
I'm just wondering what the "natural belief" really looks like. is it saving faith? how much knowledge of the god revealed by the Muhammad does one need?
Hey Berry,
I'm not sure how much knowledge you need to have. According to orthodox muslim belief, if you are a true muslim and really have faith in God and his prophet then you will go to heaven. Of course you may have to spend some time in a purgatory type of place. But you will go to heaven. I think the 'natural belief' has a lot to do with belief in one God.
Brian, you kind of gave the impression that all Muslims must go to some purgatory like place, which is not true. They are those Muslims who have committed those major sins and who did not repent or whose repentance was not sincere enough to be forgiven.
As for your short post, well yes Muslims believe that we are born with a sinful nature. However, this is different than what Christians believe regarding original sin and how we are condemned from the beginning because of the sin of Adam.
We are born pure in the sense that we are not polytheists. Even though I am a sinner, my heart is still pure in the sense that I affirm the oneness of God and that I follow the correct religion.
So just wanted to clarify that for you.
We can talk more about it over those yummy buffalo wings :) (man I am obsessed with Chilis)
Sorry about that Brian, I read your comment more carefully and realized that you made it clear that maybe a Muslim would go to a purgatory like place.
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