Why Do Converts Cry While Taking Shahadah?

If you type converts crying into the Google search bar, you will find no shortage of videos, images, and articles about people converting to Islam and being overcome by strong emotions.

These overwhelming reactions often result in tears and feelings of liberation, as if the soul has been unburdened and set free.

Those who have not experienced this emotional release have trouble understanding the deep response felt by those who repeat the Shahadah (testimony of faith) and find themselves part of the world wide Muslim community.

Many converts to Islam have described their experience. “And I was so overwhelmed with love for Him (God) and appreciation at all the beauty He has created that I burst into tears.”

“It is a very emotional moment to come to this realization and finally calling yourself a Muslim and submitting yourself to God…”

It is difficult to get up to date research about how many people convert to Islam, but statistics point to the majority of converts in western countries coming from Christian backgrounds.

In 2017 the Pew Research Center estimated that 77% of American converts to Islam were previously Christian

Finding the Truth

Many converts cry during and after taking their Shahadah, and it appears that having a Christian background is somewhat significant.

There is no going back, because once you know the truth, it cannot be unknown. It is an amazing experience and the convert’s world has been forever changed.

God rewards who converts to Islam in a particular way. Quran says in (5:85) that because of what they (the Christians who recognized the truth) said He will reward them with gardens under which rivers flow, where they will abide forever.

Tears are Power

While modern western culture might tell us that crying is a sign of weakness, Islam elevates the person who cries to a high status. Prophet Muhammad would remind his companions about the benefits of crying because of love, or fear, of God.

There are two eyes that will not be touched by the fire, the eye that weeps because of the fear of God and the eye that stands vigil at night guarding for the sake of God.

The Prophet and his companions were known to weep on numerous occasions. Prophet Muhammad once asked his companion ibn Mas’ud to recite chapter 4, The Women, and when he reached verse 41: (How will it be then when we bring from each nation a witness, and we bring you (Prophet Muhammad) as a witness against these people?), Prophet Muhammad began to weep, his eyes overflowing with tears.

This would describe the uncontrollable tears experienced by many converts to Islam. At times converts describe feeling the same joy and overwhelming emotions when listening to the call to prayer, or listening to the recitation of Quran.

Some even weep listening to Quran without understanding a single word of Arabic. Somehow God’s, by God’s Grace, words can be felt rather than heard and understood.

While their emotions surge through them, tears fall from their overflowing eyes and their bodies shiver with the strength of their feelings.

Tears are sign of a soft and supple heart, and soft hearts are open to the beauty of Islam.

In addition to this, the tears of the convert are a blessing from God, a most prized blessing. The companions of Prophet Muhammad knew the preciousness of this gift and would encourage those who did not feel moved enough to cry to pretend, or force themselves to cry, in order to soften their hearts.

The hearts of many converts fall effortlessly into the sweetness and pleasure of pure faith. Their weeping reminds us that Islam is an amazing gift.

لا تنسوا متابعتنا على الانستاغرام 

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