{"_id":"684af6c4640aa0829df536b3","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Are all children born Muslim?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Are all children born Muslim? Does that mean that converts to Islam are really “reverting” to the way they were as children?\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"attributes\":{\"underline\":true,\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"The Hadiths on Fitrah\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: \"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"\\\"Every child is born upon the fitrah. Then his parents make him a Jew, Christian, or Magian.\\\" (Bukhārī and Muslim) [1] \"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"Muslim's narration includes the addition: \"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"\\\"Every newborn is born upon the fitrah until his tongue expresses itself. It is the parents who make him a Jew, Christian, or Magian. And if the parents are Muslim, the child becomes Muslim.\\\"  [2]\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"underline\":true,\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"What is Fitrah?\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"Fitrah refers to the natural human inclination to recognize and accept truth, it does not mean that a child is born with a full legal or theological identity as a Muslim. Al-ʿAllāmah al-Manāwī said in his commentary on al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr (5/333), explaining the hadith \"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"“Every newborn is born upon the fitrah”\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\":\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"\\\"The fitrah referred to is the natural disposition that Allah created people upon, a readiness to accept the religion, a disposition that is inclined toward truth, naturally rejecting falsehood, and able to distinguish between right and wrong.\\\"\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\" \"},{\"attributes\":{\"indent\":1},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"Then he said:\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"\\\"Al-Ṭībī said: The word fitrah implies a kind of primal origin, a beginning and innate creation. What is meant here is that human beings are naturally capable of guidance, built into their original nature, which leads to the acceptance of religion. If left upon that state, they would remain steadfast in it and would not turn away from it. This is because the beauty of this religion is embedded in the soul, and deviation from it only occurs due to human flaws or blind imitation.\\\" [3]\"},{\"attributes\":{\"indent\":1},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"underline\":true,\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"The Legal Status of Children in Islam\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"According to the sharīʿah, children legally take the religion of their parents until they reach the age of puberty, at which point they are capable of choosing their religion. Before this age, they are not held accountable for religious obligations or moral accountability. Fitrah simply gives a child the capacity and inclination for guidance, but it does not constitute faith or legal religious identity. True belief must be a conscious choice, made with understanding. Therefore, conversion to Islam is a new act of commitment, not a return to a former legal state. \"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"underline\":true,\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"Conclusion\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"Every human is born with fitrah, a natural, spiritual inclination toward God.\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"bullet\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"This does not mean they are born Muslim in a legal or theological sense.\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"bullet\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"Converts may be described as \\\"reverts\\\" in a spiritual or symbolic sense, not literally.\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"bullet\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"What matters most is a person's conscious return to God with knowledge and sincerity.\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"bullet\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"And Allah knows best.\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"[1] «كلُّ مولودٍ يُولَدُ عَلَى الفِطْرَةِ، فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهوِّدَانِهِ، أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ، أَوْ يُمَجِّسَانِهِ» \"},{\"attributes\":{\"align\":\"right\",\"direction\":\"rtl\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"[2] «كل مولود يولد على الفطرة حتى يعرب عنه لسانه، فأبواه يهودانه، أو ينصرانه، فإن كانا مسلمين فمسلم» \"},{\"attributes\":{\"align\":\"right\",\"direction\":\"rtl\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"[3]  \\\"والمعهود فطرة الله التي خلق الناس عليها من الاستعداد عليها لقبول الدين والنهي للتجلي بالحق، وقبول الاستعداد والتأبي عن الباطل والتمييز بين الخطأ والصواب.\\\"\"},{\"attributes\":{\"align\":\"right\",\"direction\":\"rtl\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"ثم قال: \\\"قال الطيبي الفطرة تدل على نوع من الفطر، وهو الابتداء والاختراع، والمعني بها هنا تمكن الناس من الهدى في أصل الجبلة، لتنتهي لقبول الدين، فلو ترك عليها استمر على لزومها، ولم يفارقها لغيرها، لأن هذا الدين حسنه مركوز في النفوس، وإنما يعدل عنه بآفة من الآفات البشرية والتقليد.\\\"\"},{\"attributes\":{\"align\":\"right\",\"direction\":\"rtl\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9ff10b76658b4c2329c4","tag":"Contemporary Life: Converts","count":38}],"createdOn":"2025-06-12T15:48:20.425Z"}