Coming Back to the Fold

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Some couples are together for so long that it seems inevitable that they end up married because those around them cannot imagine them with anyone else.  And they were a couple.  They were in a relationship since they were in school.  The girl was a Muslim.  The guy was Sikh.  Being together for such a long time, their respective families knew each other.  However, religion was still an issue.  Although there was pressure to, both of them could not get married since neither would convert to the other’s religion.

Heartbroken, the girl went for haj.  She made a du’a at the Ka’bah and those are amongst the most powerful of du’a.  She made up her mind that when she got back, if he were not a Muslim, she would forget about him and move on.  In this, the lesson is to be careful what we ask for.  Allah (s.w.t.) Grants it.  But it does not mean we understand what we have asked for.

When she got back to Singapore, to her shock, she found out he had converted to Islam.  The problem was, in her heart, she had already moved on.  They did get married, but she did not love him like before.  But she felt responsible since in her mind, it was her du’a in Makkah that resulted in his conversion.  That was the ego.  Everything is Written.  We are only the means Ordained.  He became a devout Muslim.  Her family loved him.  But she found love elsewhere and was caught having an affair.  It is the tragedy of the human condition.  And this eventually caused her family to turn against her and side with him.

Several years later, the marriage finally broke down irrevocably.  And she asked for a divorce so that she could marry the other man.  It was a painful break-up, and he lost his faith in Islam.  He refused to be addressed by his Muslim name at Shari’ah Court when he was there to drop the thalaq.  He formally left Islam soon after the divorce as finalised, a bitter man.  Soon after, she got married again.  Her family did not attend the wedding.

Years later, a friend of mine was in the mosque in Ramadhan.  They were getting ready for tarawih prayers, and he was trying to find a place when he bumped into the person behind.  It took a while but after the bitterness dissipated, he came back to Islam.  In his case, his relationship with his Muslim ex-in-laws was excellent and that was the catalyst for everything.

The lesson here is that as long as a link is maintained with at least someone in the community, there is a chance that someone who left the religion can come back.  In this case, the ex-in-laws accepted his decision and gave him support in a difficult time in his life.  We never give up on those who have left.  Until the day they die, they can still come back.  And verily Allah (s.w.t.) Loves the Return.  In the same vein, we must not be complacent in the Path.  Hold tightly to the rope of faith and remember that Shaythan deceives even until the moment the soul is taken.  The self is in rebellion even until the Day of Standing.