How and why do people

’embrace Islam? ‘Part One

People embrace Islam in the West (USA, Canada,
UK, France and Germany), in the Middle Eastern
countries (Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Jordan), in
Africa and the Far East (Malaysia, Philippines,
Hong Kong) and many other countries all over the
.world

According to Islam, there is only one revealed

religion which has been revealed from the time of
Adam until the last of the prophets, Mohammad
(PBUH), yet it was revealed on stages.
Consequently, the essential message of all the
prophets was one and the same, Allah says in the
:Holy Qur’an

Verily, We have sent to every nation a messenger“

”.(saying), ‘Worship Allah and avoid false gods

All the Prophets that Allah has sent had one basic
messages, for indeed the purpose of creation is only
one, which is worshiping Allah. Allah says in the
Holy Qur’an

I did not create the jinn and mankind except for“

”.My worship

This message addressed a basic and essential need in

human beings; the need to worship. Such basic need
 was created in all human beings at the time of
.Adam’s creation

Man’s Natural Disposition : the Fitrah

As Allah made all human beings swear to His

Godhood when He first created Adam, this oath is
printed on the human soul even before it enters the
fetus in the fifth month of pregnancy. So when a
child is born, he has a natural belief in Allah. This
natural belief is called in Arabic the fitrah. If the
child was left alone, he would grow with the same
faith and believe in Allah. But what happens is that
all children get affected by their surroundings,
whether directly or indirectly. Prophet Mohammad
:(PBUH) said that Allah said

I created My servants in the right religion but the“

”.devils made them go astray

:Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) also said

Each child is born in a state of ‘fitrah’, but his“

parents make him a Jew or a Christian. It is like the
way an animal gives birth to a normal offspring.
Have you noticed any (young animal) born
”?mutilated before you mutilate them

And since the child’s body submits to the physical

laws which Allah has put in nature, his soul also
submits naturally to the belief that Allah is its Lord
and Creator. However, his family friends, and his
 surroundings affect him, and as he grows up, he
.may find himself following this or that’s way of life

The religion the child follows at early stages of his

life (childhood) is one of custom and upbringing,
and Allah does not punish him for this religion.
However, by reaching maturity one starts
differentiating between what’s right and what’s
wrong, an adult must now follow the religion of
knowledge and reason; Islam. At this point the devil
starts doing his best and trying hard to encourage
him to stay as he is ( encourage him to stay passive
and not do any good deeds), or bring down. Evils
are made pleasing to mankind and thus we live in a
constant struggle between our fitrah and our desires
.till we find the right road

If one chooses his fitrah, Allah will help him control

his desires, even though it may take most of his life
to do so; for example some people embraced Islam
.in their old age, yet it is never too late