THE BENEFITS OF CONVERTING TO ISLAM
Many advantages are gained by converting to Islam, the most obvious one being the sense of calmness and well being that descends upon any person who realises they have discovered one of life’s most basic truths. Establishing a relationship with God in the most pure and simple way is liberating and exhilarating, and it results in serenity. Submission to the will of God is humankind in his or her most natural state. However it is not the only advantage of converting to Islam, there are other benefits that occur and we will discuss them here one by one.
1. Converting to Islam liberates a person from slavery to manmade systems and lifestyles.
Islam emancipates the mind from superstitions and uncertainties; it liberates the soul from sin and corruption and frees the conscience from oppression and fear. Submission to the will of God, does not curtail freedom, on the contrary it gives a very high degree of freedom by freeing the mind from superstitions and filling it with truth and knowledge.
Once a person accepts Islam they are no longer slaves to fashion, or consumerism, and they are free from the slavery of a monetary system designed to subjugate the people. On a smaller but equally as important scale Islam liberates a person from the superstitions that rule the lives of those not truly submitted to God. A believer knows that good and bad luck do not exist. Both the good and the bad aspects of our lives come from God and as Prophet Muhammad explains all the affairs of a believer are good, “If he is granted ease then he is thankful, and this is good for him. And if he is afflicted with a hardship, he perseveres, and this is good for him”.[1]
After a person is freed from manmade systems and lifestyles he or she is free to worship God in the correct manner. True worship allows a person to alternate between loving God and fearing Him. A believer is able to put his trust and hope in God and sincerely seeks His mercy.
2. Converting to Islam allows a person to truly experience God’s love.
Converting to Islam allows a person to achieve God’s love by following His guide to life - the Quran, and the authentic teachings and traditions of Prophet Muhammad. When God created the world He did not abandon it to instability and insecurity. He sent a rope, firm and steady, and by holding tightly to this rope an insignificant human being can achieve greatness and eternal peace. In the words of Quran, God makes His desires perfectly clear, however human beings have free will and are free to either please or displease God.
Say (O Muhammad to mankind): "If you (really) love God then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah), God will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Quran 3:33)
And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers. (Quran 3:85)
There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut[2] and believes in God, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And God is All-Hearer, All-Knower. (Quran 2:256)
3. A benefit of converting to Islam is that God promises Paradise to the believer.
Paradise, as described in many verses of Quran, is a place of eternal bliss and it is promised to believers for their belief in God and for their devotion to Him. God rewards the believers with paradise as compensation for their deeds in the world. Whoever denies God or worships something with, or instead of Him, or claims that God has a son or daughter or partner, will be doomed in the Hereafter to the hellfire. Converting to Islam will save a person from the torment of the grave, suffering on the Day of Judgement and eternal hellfire.
“And those who believe (in the Oneness of God) and do righteous good deeds, to them We shall surely give lofty dwellings in Paradise, underneath which rivers flow, to live therein forever. Excellent is the reward of the workers.” (Quran 29: 58)
4. Happiness, tranquillity and inner peace and can be achieved by converting to Islam.
Islam itself is inherently associated with inner peace and tranquillity. The words Islam, Muslim and salaam (peace) all come from the root word “Sa - la – ma” denoting peace, security, and safety. When one submits to the will of God he or she will experience an innate sense of security and peacefulness.
Perfect happiness exists only in Paradise. There we will find total peace, tranquillity and security and be free from the fear, anxiety and pain that are part of the human condition. However the guidelines provided by Islam allow us, imperfect humans, to seek happiness in this world. The key to being happy in this world and the next is seeking the pleasure of God, and worshipping Him, without associating partners with Him.
In the next article we continue our discussion about the benefits of converting to Islam by mentioning forgiveness and mercy, and trials and tribulations.
Many people around the globe spend countless hours reading and studying the principles of Islam; they pour over translations of the Quran and are held entranced by the life and times of Prophet Muhammad. Many need only a glimpse of Islam and convert immediately. Still others recognise the truth but wait, and wait and keep on waiting, sometimes to the point of putting their hereafter in peril. Therefore today we continue our discussion on, the sometimes not so obvious benefits of converting to Islam.
“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” (Quran 3:85)
5. Converting to Islam is the first step in establishing a lifelong connection to the Creator.
Every single member of the human race is born innately knowing that God is One. Prophet Muhammad said that every child was born in a state of fitrah[1], with the correct understanding of God.[2] According to Islam this is a natural state of being, instinctively knowing there is a Creator and naturally wanting to worship and please Him. However those who do not know God or establish a relationship with Him may find the human existence puzzling and sometimes even distressing. For many, allowing God into their lives and worshipping Him in a way that is pleasing to Him, gives a whole new meaning to life.
“Verily, in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest.” (Quran 13:28)
Through acts of worship such as prayer and supplication, one begins to feel that God is close at hand, through His infinite knowledge and wisdom. A believer is secure in the knowledge that God, the Most High, is above the heavens, and comforted by the fact that He is with them in all their affairs. A Muslim is never alone.
“He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. An’d He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And God is the All-Seer of what you do.” (Quran 57:4)
6. Converting to Islam reveals God’s mercy and forgiveness towards His creation.
As feeble human beings we often feel lost and alone. It is then we turn to God and seek His Mercy and Forgiveness. When we turn to Him in true submission His tranquillity descends upon us. We are then able to feel the quality of His mercy and see it manifest in the world around us. However in order to worship God, we need to know Him. Converting to Islam opens the gateway to this knowledge, including the fact that God’s forgiveness knows no bounds.
Many people are confused or ashamed of the many sins they have committed over the course of their lives. Converting to Islam completely washes those sins away; it is as if they never happened. A new Muslim is as pure as a new born baby.
“Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven.” (Quran 8:38)
If after converting to Islam a person commits more sins the door to forgiveness is still wide open.
“O you who believe! Turn to God with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)…” (Quran 66:
7. Converting to Islam teaches us that trials and tests are part of the human condition.
Once a person converts to Islam he begins to understand that the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of this life are not random acts of a cruel and unorganised universe. A true believer understands that our existence is part of a well-ordered world, and life is unfolding in exactly the way God, in His infinite wisdom, has ordained.
God tells us we will be tested and He advises us to bear our trials and tribulations patiently. This is difficult to understand unless one embraces the Oneness of God, the religion of Islam, where God has given us clear guidelines about how to behave when faced with trials and tribulations. If we follow these guidelines, to be found in the Quran and the authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad, it is possible to bear afflictions with ease and even be grateful.
“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient ones.” (Quran 2:155)
Prophet Muhammad said, “A man will be tested according to the level of his religious commitment, and the trials will keep affecting a believer until he is left walking on the face of the earth with no burden of sin whatsoever”.[3] A Muslim knows with certainty that this world, this life, is no more than a transient place, a stop on the journey to our eternal life in either the hell fire or the paradise. To face the Creator with no burden of sin is a marvellous thing, certainly worth the tests that befall us.
In the next article we will conclude this discussion by mentioning that Islam is a way of life. It clearly defines the rights, obligations and responsibilities we have towards other human beings, and our care towards animals and the environment. Islam contains the answers to all of life’s questions both big and small.
Footnotes:
[1] Saheeh Muslim
[2] Taghut – An Arabic word that covers a wide range of meanings. Basically it is anything worshipped other the one True God and includes satan, demons, idols, stones, stars, the sun or moon, angels, human beings, saints graves, rulers and leaders.
Footnotes:
[1] Fitrah – the most pure and natural condition.
[2] Saheeh Muslim
[3] Ibn Majah
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