If You Were Born a Muslim…

I’ve always been a Muslim. I was born into a generation of Muslims, and it has always been the first label that I identify myself with.

Everything that has to do with Islam has become second nature to me, and people like me. Fasting, praying salah, using the hijab, saying the salaam, etc. This is everyday living for us.

But there is one danger with being born Muslim, and it is complacency. When you are so set in a way that you do not improve. You are comfortable with your level of faith and you hardly see the importance of seeking knowledge or improving your eeman.

If you were born a Muslim, chances are that your parents gave you a head start by giving you some form of Islamic education.

If you were born a Muslim, there is a chance that you can read the Qur’an, can recite your articles of faith, and say the shahadah by heart.

If you were born a Muslim, there is a chance that Islam has become such an integral part of you and that of those who surround you.

But as someone born into Islam, how do you maintain your eeman?

More importantly, how have you improved upon the foundation that your parents gave you?

Are you still the same Muslim that you were 10 years ago? What has changed? In a good way or in a bad way?

Sometimes, our faith is the last thing to improve in us. We buy new clothes frequently. We change jobs. We get new degrees.

But somehow, we still only know what our parents have taught us about Islam.

Do some personal reflection. Don’t be complacent with your faith.

Your soul is the only permanent thing that you have.