In this text, I share my reflections on the difference between being born Muslim and embracing Islam later in life - on the beauty, the struggles, and the daily decision that faith requires.

The Question

When I accepted Islam as my way of life many years ago, I often found myself asking:
What must it feel like to be born into Islam?
To carry faith within you from the very beginning, as something entirely natural and self-evident?

Is it then stronger, more grounded, more effortless - perhaps even purer?
Isn’t it easier when it has always been there, while we, as reverts, must first consciously internalize it and reshape our entire way of thinking and feeling?

Between Habit and Depth

I don’t mean simply the fact that someone raised in a Muslim family will almost automatically adopt certain rituals and values from an early age. Born Muslims, too, are tested in their faith and challenged along the way.

What I mean is something deeper: to carry in one’s heart from the very beginning that Allah is One - the Creator and Sustainer of everything.
This awareness of tawhid rests like a seed in the soul, long before reason and doubt can interfere. It is ready to grow. And it can already become, even in childhood, a steady anchor on which perception, thought, and understanding of the world rest from the very start.

The Path of Reverts

For us, who have consciously chosen this faith, the journey begins differently.
It is new, vague, and sometimes still unimaginable. We must discover it day by day, year by year, test it, and anchor it deep in our hearts.

That is easier said than done. Old patterns from previous convictions, personal experiences, and memories from a world where “seeing is believing” was the rule keep resurfacing. They have been etched into us since childhood. They pull at us, plant doubts, distract the heart. And often they make it harder to believe in the unseen - in something that exists even when it cannot yet be grasped.

Then there are moments of uncertainty. Or the feeling of having to find one’s place in a new, unfamiliar world.
Those inner battles where you feel alone.
Everything seems heavier. Everything requires deliberate effort.

The Daily Practice

Thus, faith becomes an active practice.
We first need to learn how to build trust before it feels natural.
Every single day we make the choice.
Every small step forward is a victory over old habits, fears, and inner resistance - often made harder by conflict with family or with the “old life.”

Like a fragile sapling in the wind, trying to stand firm - held up only by the conviction of doing what is right. By the inner pull of following the fitrah.

The Hidden Beauty

And yet, is there not a particular beauty in this very struggle - one we may only recognize much later?
Allah sees our effort - this continuous holding on and enduring to grow stronger.
Every moment of consciously chosen faith becomes especially precious.

Our path may indeed be more intense. It may require more strength. It may be accompanied by years of ups and downs, at times weighing heavily on the soul in the struggle against our own walls.
And yet it shapes a deep, personal foundation that cannot be formed in any other way. Precisely because it begins with ourselves - with our intention and our actions.

A Promise of Nearness

The Prophet ﷺ narrated in a Hadith Qudsi that Allah - exalted is He - said:
“Whoever draws near to Me by a handspan, I draw near to him by an arm’s length.
Whoever draws near to Me by an arm’s length, I draw near to him by two arm’s lengths.
And whoever comes to Me walking, I come to him running.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7405; Sahih Muslim, no. 2675)

A Daily Renewal

Faith is not merely a feeling that simply exists.
It is a daily decision. A constant striving, a steady struggle of wanting to believe.

Through this process, we draw closer to Allah in a way unique to each of us. Step by step, veils are lifted.
Our entire system undergoes a reset, a return to the original state of the soul.

And in this, there are as many paths and nuances as there are human beings.
It requires immense perseverance. Patience - especially with oneself. Time.
And the certainty that, if we surrender ourselves into His hands, we will be taken care of.

Have you ever wondered whether it might feel different to be born into Islam? I’d love to hear your thoughts - feel free to share them with me in the comments on Instagram.

Anna @ Min Sakinah