Many had encountered Islam through marriage. As a man set his eyes upon a modest girl, he became interested in her faith, started to learn about it, and later decided to become a Muslim.
But to his surprise, people told him “You can’t become a Muslim just because you want to marry her”. And he asked, “Why not?”.
They said, “you have to be a Muslim because of Allah”.
Now he’s left with utter confusion. Was he not intended by Allah to become a Muslim?
Marriage
“And among His signs is this: that He created for you mates from among yourselves so that you may dwell in peace and tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for those who reflect” (Quran 30:21).
Allah acknowledges the need for mankind to nurture happy families. Thus, marriage is instituted as a sacred way of binding the love of two people, a man and a woman. According to the above Quranic verses, marriage is to enable two souls to dwell in peace and tranquility.
So how could it be wrong to enter Islam through marriage?
Love
If Allah recognizes one’s need for a spouse, why would it be wrong for him to enter Islam through the gate of marriage?
Allah has many ingenious ways of bringing the heart of a person to Islam. One may enter Islam after listening to the Quran although he or she has no idea what the verse was talking about. Another may simply enter Islam after waking up from a beautiful dream about Islam.
Yet another may enter Islam because he or she falls for a fellow Muslim brother or sister. So why not? Everyday, Allah blesses us with hidayah. Hidayah is a God-given guidance to guard humans against their natural tendency to follow their own whims and to go astray. But when we actually make an effort to act on the hidayah, that’s tawfiq – the special acceptance and blessing of Allah (SWT) with which He enables us to achieve our goals and to be successful in what we do.
” … I want nothing but to set things right as far as I can. My tawfeeq comes from none but Allah. In Him alone I have placed my trust and to Him alone I turn in humbleness.” [Quran 11:88].
So if someone enters Islam after he or she set eyes on another Muslim, that’s only because Allah wants to guide him or her to Islam, using another Muslim. What’s important is that they learn to grow their faith and taqwa to Allah throughout their marriage. Everyone is on their own journey to increase their iman. If marriage is one of the methods to do so, do it under the mercy of Allah. May their marriage be blessed with sakinah (tranquility), mawaddah (love) and rahmah (mercy).
Know anyone who became Muslim by marriage? Share with us!
Sources: www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e837 and https://arabicdiaries.com/what-is-tawfeeq/
