OnIslam.net

According to an official statistics 75% of reverts to Islam leave the religion.

I tend to have a different opinion and would confidently say that only a small percentage leaves Islam while the majority becomes non-practicing Muslims just like born Muslims who believe in God and his Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) yet do not practice the 5 pillars of Islam.

I have been in the Islamic Community of Tempe, Arizona since 1983 and have experienced the ups and downs of the community. I was always interested in taking care and looking after reverts in order to eliminate any misconceptions that they had.

The Meeting Point

One day Manuel walked into the Mosque, unknowingly he goes to the ladies side, kneels and weeps his heart out. I noticed him and waited for him to complete his emotional prayer. As he starts to walk out I asked him if he is ok and we started talking. He said that he was just walking by and felt at peace to enter and offer a prayer. He asked many questions but was mainly astonished that Muslims do not drink Alcohol and do not take drugs. That seems trivial to a Muslim but Manuel was a drug addict and his prayers were dedicated that God relieves him from this addiction.

Manuel remained with the community for few years but started drifting when he was not able to control his addiction. The Muslims around him were intolerant of his behavior so it gave him an excuse to give up.

Jose was a good Muslim for over 5 years until one day he came to me and said that Islam is too difficult for him to practice. I asked what has changed over the years.  To my surprise, I learned that some Muslims asked him some personal questions to conclude that most of the things that his doing were unlawful according to Islam; they even mentioned to him that he should get rid of his car insurance which is mandatory by state law. Jose insisted that he needs to get away so I did not pressure him but emphasized that he should keep the main Islamic creed: “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is his final messenger”.  Jose promised that he will.

I pray that both Manuel and Jose have found their way back to Islam by Allah’s will and mercy. There are many more examples to mention; however from experience, I have concluded that whoever enters Islam full-heartedly does not leave it that easily.  Even when drifted away the foundation of Islam still remains in the heart and many times a return even after many years.

On the flip side of the coin, Muslims tend to overwhelm reverts. Just couple days after accepting Islam, I asked Zachary what he thinks. He frankly replied that there were too many rules. Excited about their new Muslim brother, Muslims tend to over teach and many times confuse reverts; expecting them to practice all aspects of Islam overnight.

We Can Be Better Than That…

God in his Book told his prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him):

{Say this is my way; I call to Allah upon certain knowledge, I and those who follow me} (Yusuf 12: 108)

A Muslim who is not knowledgeable in the ways of Dawah should refrain from talking about Halal and Haram to new Muslims. His Dawah should be portrayed in kindness and hospitality.

To keep reverts in the Muslim community there need to be at least a weekly program to gradually teach them about Islam. Reverts should be adopted by a Muslim family and need to be invited weekly to different Muslim homes to feel they are part of a big family who loves them and care for them. Finally Islamic Centers should have shelters to lodge some reverts who were rejected by their non-Muslim families and have nowhere to go and end-up leaving Islam when we don’t embrace them and take them in.

The first two propositions are very simple to implement and does not require any budget; all it takes is dedicating time and a little effort. For couple hours on the weekend, knowledgeable brothers and sisters can arrange for classes. The second is a coordination effort; families fill their names on a calendar and the program coordinator assigns reverts for visitations on weekly basis. This is obviously trivial; the main challenge is keeping it up. Many times families give up because it becomes a burden after sometime; forgetting about the tremendous reward from God.

As for shelters, many have been founded in North America and proven extremely successful especially for female reverts since they are the most vulnerable. A simple Google search can lead to many Muslim shelters that can be used as a foundation to start one in your community.

There are many other things that can be done to keep reverts in the family. Just to mention few; offer them jobs at Muslim businesses and for those who are single, find them a life partner. As for the latter, I found that this has become a taboo and no one likes to get involved in this issue. Match making is definitely a challenging task but we can always try. I remember during a youth talk at the Mosque, a revert stood up and asked what is the procedure to find a Muslim wife since he no longer has a girlfriend. This is definitely an important issue that needs to be addressed.

Another important yet ignored issue is counseling. This task has been mainly the Imam’s job around most communities. I think this is overwhelming for an Imam.  There should be many counselors, both males and females to discuss social pressures reverts are facing. Sometimes all it takes is someone to listen to.

In the past Muslim communities were enclosed and those who came to Islam came on their own by God’s will. At the present time, there are many Dawah programs and reverts are coming to Islam from many directions. Their number is considerably increasing. According to NBC news report, there are more than 20,000 reverts to Islam yearly in the United States alone. Our goal is to keep every single one of them inside the circle of the Muslim community.

We should use all means to accommodate them. I have only suggested and addressed few issues and solutions. This might or might not work in your community. Spend sometime to brainstorm about resolving your own community’s issues regarding reverts and dedicate a prayer in order for God to help you serve Islam and the Muslims better.

After all our lives are wasted if we ignore our duties and may Allah help us all in pleasing Him.