CONVERSION TO ISLAM: REVERT MUSLIMS AND THEIR MOTIVATIONS

Converting to a religion may seem like changing your ideals, your lifestyle, and even your way of seeing the world. This is because religion is often tied to much more than belief; it is part of your childhood memories, your teenage dreams, and even your thoughts about death. And sometimes, the hardest part is not belief itself, but the thought of leaving behind your past and trying to build a new one. However, it does not always mean starting from zero or erasing everything you have experienced before. In fact, Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven.” [The Qur’an 8:38]

According to Islam, your new beginning is not a step backward but a chance to start fresh and live differently. Islam sees you as a newborn; pure, delicate, and given a clean page. You are not burdened by your past; rather, your sincerity is honoured.

As a Muslim community, we also have a duty: new Muslims should be welcomed with care and respect. They are no longer individuals walking alone but members of a family. It is our responsibility to support them, ease their journey, and help them feel at home.

Just as a child first crawls, then walks, and finally runs, a new Muslim also needs time and guidance to grow in faith. Islam is not about pressure or perfection. Allah is Most Merciful and does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Islam is a religion built on ease, designed to be lived at every stage of life.

And that’s exactly why, despite its challenges, Islam remains one of the fastest-growing religions in the world today. Moreover, this powerful spiritual journey has been the focus of many studies and research. In the next section, I’d like to briefly explore some of the motivations behind these conversions and give some examples:

Intellectual Motives:

The intellectual quest is one of the strongest reasons people embrace Islam. It arises when a person questions the principles of their own religion or tries to explain their existence within a meaningless gap.

A. Mental Dissatisfaction and Questioning the Current Religion: Some people occasionally reflect on religious principles, beliefs, and practices, trying to find explanations that satisfy them. When they are unable to find convincing answers, they may push these thoughts into the background of their minds. Over time, this can lead to growing doubts and a sense of mental unrest.

These doubts often arise when certain beliefs or practices seem difficult to explain through reason, or when people observe social injustice or inequality that appears justified in the name of religion. If they cannot find the knowledge or clarity to resolve these doubts, they may begin to feel disconnected from their current faith and search for perspectives or belief systems that feel more rational and meaningful.

Studies show that many who leave Christianity and accept Islam do so out of dissatisfaction with concepts such as the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, clerical authority, or the doctrine of original sin. These theological issues create conflicts that drive them to seek a faith that aligns more closely with reason and inner truth. Here’s the story of a revert woman:

“One point I could not understand was the belief in the ‘trinity’. This idea seemed contrary to my logic and common sense. I had nothing to say about the ‘holy spirit’, which constitutes the third part of Allah, and I could not accept that Jesus was the son of God. I could not believe that God, the creator of all life in the world and the universe, would need a simple body to create himself. Accor- ding to Christian belief, God was partially on earth only through his son, and the other part remained in heaven as the father. In this way, God became both his own father and son. "As I thought about all this, my mind was turning upside down.”

B. Experiencing a Lack of Meaning: As human beings, we have a natural desire to understand ourselves, the world, and the universe. We seek meaning in what happens around us and within us. When a person is able to make sense of life and existence in a way that feels emotionally and intellectually satisfying, they are more likely to live in harmony with themselves and others. In such cases, the need for further spiritual searching may not be very strong.

However, when someone feels disconnected from meaning, when life events seem random, or existence feels empty; this can lead to emotional fatigue, a lack of motivation, and a deep sense of dissatisfaction. In such cases, people often begin to explore new spiritual paths in the hope of finding peace, purpose, and clarity.

Emotional Motives:

A. Hatred of religious people and characters: For some, distrust or disappointment with religious leaders plays a role. Clergy who acts for personal gain or fails to live by the principles they preach may cause individuals to lose trust. This feeling of hatred settles in the subconscious and develops over time, causing the individual to lose faith and commitment to his religion or even move away from religion altogether.

B. Feelings of guilt: While the feeling of guilt is an important factor in terms of returning to religion and finding guidance, over time it can lead a person away from his religion and towards other searches. Living without a connection to a Creator, while indulging in worldly pleasures or harmful habits like alcohol, often leaves an inner emptiness. This growing emptiness can turn into a sense of guilt, leading a person to search for meaning, purpose, or a spiritual path that fills the void.

“I’ve been living in Turkey for two years now. Since coming here, I’ve visited many mosques and shrines, and I’ve read several books about Islam. Through this, I came to understand that Islam is a complete and logical religion that appeals to both the mind and the heart. One of the main reasons I chose Islam was because it allows me to pray directly to God without any intermediaries. That connection felt pure and meaningful to me. Actually, I had already left Christianity long before converting. I became distant from it because I saw that many Christian preachers asked people to follow teachings that they themselves didn’t practice. What disturbed me even more was how they behaved as if they had the authority to forgive people’s sins on behalf of God. That pushed me further away from the religion.”

Sociocultural Motives

a. Receiving help and favours from Muslims

b. Influenced by the Muslim society they are in

c. Marrying a Muslim Person

“My husband is Turkish and a Muslim. After we met, he would occasionally talk to me about Islam and its main principles. I already knew a bit about Christianity; I used to go to church with my family from time to time and listen to sermons. In Christianity, it is believed that Jesus is the son of God, and to be honest, I had never really questioned that. I believed it deeply and loved Jesus very much. But when I talked to my husband, he explained that Jesus cannot be the son of God, because God does not need a son. He told me that Jesus is a prophet, and that Islam teaches this clearly. He encouraged me to explore Islam on my own, saying it is the final and true religion. Eventually, I started to feel the same. I read a German translation of the Qur’an and other books to learn more for myself. Even after we got married, I kept learning and researching. I came to understand that Jesus is indeed a prophet, and that the last prophet is Muhammad (peace be upon him). I started practicing the basics of Islam. I fasted during Ramadan, and sometimes I even performed prayers. My husband never forced me to become Muslim. And in the end, twenty-five years after we got married, I officially accepted Islam.”

Simple and Clear Answers

“About the creator and the creation... How the universe is created perfectly... I was atheist then. Did not believe any creator. Never questioned about it. After reading Qur’an and started thinking about it, I found the idea of a creator makes sense”

Lastly, just like the ones whose stories you have read, many of the New Muslims does not use the term “conversion” to refer to their experience. Instead, they said that they had “reverted” to Islam”. This is rooted in the Islamic belief that all humans are born in a natural state of submission to God. Whereas humans have free will and can be led away from Islam. So, these reverts were born as Muslims, in a pure state upon faith, but were led astray by other sets of beliefs. Once they began to learn about Islam, they recognized the truth of Allah as being rediscovered from within. In making Shahada, the declaration of faith, they were not converting to Islam but rediscovering or returning to it.