I have been blessed in that my family, practicing Christians, has been very accepting of my reversion to Islam. There are no horror stories of being rejected or disinherited, I have not had to deal with any prejudicial comments about Islam or Arabs and my parents and siblings, the most supportive of my family by far, have not only accepted the fact that I have become a Muslim but have been eager to learn more about what it means to me. My brother, who has also reverted to Islam, has been an irreplaceable treasure in my life over the years and my mother reads every article that I write about Islam. I am extremely grateful for their love and acceptance. It causes me to reflect upon society at large and I realize how much daily life and attitudes would be improved if Christians and Muslims could co-exist as harmoniously as we do in my family.
The journey to where we are now has not been completely smooth and there have been some bumps along the road. During the first few years of my reversion to Islam Christmas holidays and birthdays were tense. My son was the first grand-child on my side of the family and it was difficult to restrain my parents from “spreading the Christmas spirit.” It was just as difficult, however, for me to accept not being able to participate in decorating and cooking for Christmas Day or giving gifts for birthdays. The saving grace and common ground that we have been able to build upon is the reality that despite the change in our traditions, we are family, we love each other and that will never change.
Similarly, Christians and Muslims both believe in the One True God and accept the same prophets as messengers of the One True God, one difference being that Christians call God, God the Father and Muslims call God, Allah. There are other differences in philosophies and traditions, but the certainty that both Christians and Muslims worship the same God should be a source of love that provides us with a common ground to build upon.
In our family, we have learned to respect each other on a deeper level than we did before and have come to understand that although we do not celebrate with each other the way that we used to, we can still gather and enjoy one another’s company outside of our respective religions. We have reached a point in recent years where we do not feel threatened by our religions and our family is stronger for it. Instead of giving gifts for Christmas, we exchange gifts during Eid Al Fitr after the month of fasting for Ramadan. When we gather for family dinners and my husband and my son and I have to stop for prayer, the little children often want to make wudu and prayer with us. And hearing my nephews greet me with the Islamic greeting of As Salaamu Alaikum is one of the sweetest things that I have ever heard.
The most beautiful family experience for me thus far since reverting to Islam was when my parents, my sister and my nephews made salaat, the obligatory Islamic prayers, with our family. My mother stood on the right side of me and my sister stood at my left as we lined up for prayer behind my husband, my brother, my father and my nephews. The joy that I felt was palpable as we stood toe to toe and shoulder to shoulder. That for me was co-existence at its best, hands down.
Hi Isahah, Christians worship a triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, while Muslims worship a completely different God, who is above such personal concepts. Therefore, it is impossible that you and your accepting Christian relatives are worshiping the same God. My question is, do your relatives believe in the trinity? I’d love to know.
Raphael
Posted by bography | July 17, 2012, 3:25 amHello Brother, and yes, of course I understand that some Christians worship a triune god but as you may know, not all do so. According to the Holy Quran, Jewish people, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God (although differences have arisen over time in regards to the way each group worships) so I must disagree with you. As for whether my parents believe in the trinity, I have never heard them voice that to me. They are Protestant Christians, and it is primarily Catholics that believe in the Trinity. It is not my place to speak for them as far as what they believe in their hearts, but God-willing, maybe I can ask them and write about them in my next post and what it means to them to have a Muslim daughter. Insha’Allah (God-willing), I will try to do so. Thanks for your comments!
Posted by sisisahah | July 18, 2012, 4:48 pmMost Protestants do indeed believe in the trinity. I’d love to know what you Christian relatives believe about this, and what denomination they belong to.
Posted by bography | July 18, 2012, 5:17 pmMy parents are Baptists and I was raised Baptist and we never believed in the Trinity, it wasn’t until I was enrolled at Catholic School as a child that I even learned what the concept of Trinity was and it was always very confusing to me. My parents raised us as children to believe in One God, The God although they did teach us that Jesus (pbuh) was his son. They never spoke about the Holy Spirit either when raising us in the Baptist religion. Thanks again for your interest
Posted by sisisahah | July 18, 2012, 8:42 pmIf your parents were baptists in more than name, they must have believed in the trinity. It is fundamental baptist doctrine. If you disagree, I’d like to know more.
Posted by bography | July 18, 2012, 9:09 pmI do disagree and I am a bit offended by your assumption that my parents have to be Baptists in name only and that they must believe in the trinity. Insha’Allah, God-willing, I may perhaps write more about them in the future.
Posted by sisisahah | July 20, 2012, 8:40 pmDid your Baptist relatives say they do not believe in the trinity?
Posted by bography | July 20, 2012, 10:01 pmDear Isahah, I saw your article in my facebook feed and I immediately clicked on it and have enjoyed reading it. Today at Maryam Masjid after Friday prayers, a young lady accepted Islam. This is the first time I ever witnessed a ‘shada’ taking place in front of my eyes. I am so grateful that my 11 years old daughter was with me and witnessed this as well. I was very keen on meeting the young lady, Aisha, and congratulating her in person. Thankfully I had my chance, I gave her a big hug and told her how happy I was for her. My very next question was how her family is taking it and by Allah’s mercy she said her mother has accepted it though her father is still coming to terms with her decision ( They are Catholics). I gave her my phone number and took hers. I plan to have her over at my place after Ramadan, insh’Allah.
Isahah, I need your advice. Please tell me how can I be of meaningful assitence to her. Guide me as to what a newly reverted Muslim needs/seeks most from his or her religious community? Any advice, however simple or berif will be much much appreciated.
Hina
Posted by Hina | July 28, 2012, 12:25 amSalaams Hina, alhamdulilah about the new shahadah, Allahu Akbar! I am sure your hug alone meant alot, I will never forget the sister that greeted me and talked to me after my shahadah, Sister Naima; she still means alot to me. I’m certainly not an expert, but from experience, I can say that the knowledge and kindness that I’ve received from Muslim sisters is what I have most cherished and appreciated, and a gentle, guiding way. We as reverts have alot to learn, and how someone instructs you can have as much of an affect as what that person shares. Simple things like how to wear the hijab or the correct pronunciations for salaat also stand out in my memory. And friendship. It can be lonely sometimes when friends don’t understand the changes that we make so sometimes there can be an estrangement from that which was always so familiar. Jazak’allahu khair, dear sis, and please relay my salaams to the new sister. If I can be of assistance in any other way please let me know, insha’Allah. I don’t always have transportation to the masjid but I hope to visit again for jumaah soon, insha’Allah.
Posted by sisisahah | July 28, 2012, 1:36 am