Islam Rediscovered
23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformation
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discovery. There is no conviction without discovery
and there is no religion without conviction.
The true follower of a religion is not one who is
simply born into it. Finding religion must be a
matter of conviction and is possible only after a
long period of self-analysis. Then the would-be
adherent should feel that he is rediscovering
something of which he is already in possession.
THE REALITY OF CONVERSION
Conversion does not mean just saying some formal
words, changing one’s name and leaving one
cultural group to join another. It entails not just an
outward change of religion, but a profound
alteration of the mindset after passing through
many stages of soul-searching and self-analysis.
Conversion, in essence, is the emergence of a new
individual—one of the most significant events of
human history, for it is only with the proliferation
of such spiritually reformed personalities that any
given society will attain true moral uplift, and reach
the highest levels of achievement.
