Every individual is born into a
religious environment
that is not necessarily in accordance with his or her choice; children are raised to follow the
religion
or ideology of their family, society, or culture. Even as new-born babies, they are assigned either the
of their family or the ideology of the state; in some countries, the child's assigned
is even recorded on the birth certificate. By the time individuals reach their teens, they have usually accepted the beliefs of their parents or their particular society. Since these beliefs have come to feel normal to them, they may give no thought to examining and possibly changing them.
However, individuals often encounter, or are exposed to, various beliefs and ideologies throughout the course of their lives, leading many to question long-held beliefs, traditions, or
philosophical ideas
. They begin to question the
validity
of their own beliefs. Seekers of truth often reach a point of confusion, especially upon realizing that the believers of every
religion, sect, ideology,
and
philosophy
claim to profess the one and only truth.
There are only three possibilities: 1) everyone is
correct
, 2) everyone is
incorrect
, or 3) only one is
and the rest are
. It is impossible for all of them to be upon the true
because the fundamentals of all
religions
are different. On the other hand, to claim that they are all
is to deny that Allah (the
Exalted
) revealed His will to humankind. This proposition will seem absurd to those who believe in a wise
Creator
. After all, why would Allah create human beings and not reveal a way to the truth? So which
is the right one, and how can the seeker of truth come to know it? This is the main subject of this work.
When beginning the search for the true
, one should keep in mind the following four things: Firstly, Allah has given us the ability and the intellect to discover the answer to this
crucial question
, which is also a
life-changing decision
: What is the true
? Secondly, Allah, the
Most Compassionate
, has not left us to go astray without any guidance. Indeed, He sent us prophets with scriptures to show us the right path. Thirdly, we should always remember the underlying reason for this
search
: the
everlasting life
to come depends upon adopting the true
in this life. This should be our
ultimate motivation
and a driving force to keep us searching until we are completely satisfied. Fourthly, we can only determine the true path and make a rational and
correct decision
if we willingly put aside all the emotions and
prejudices
which often blind us to reality.
Table of Contents
What is motivating people to turn to Islam?Best decision she ever madeOther Muslims who were formerly ChristiansHow to become a Muslim