Growing up in a nonreligious household, Stephanie never thought twice about Islam. She had no connection to it. If anything, she considered herself opposed to what she thought she knew of the religion.
“If you grow up in an Agnostic, Atheist, or non-practicing background, sometimes the principles of Islam might seem a little too much at first,” says the 24-year-old.
Surely, it can be overwhelming to witness the outward practices of Islam when coming from a background in which there is no formal commitment to a religion. Islam can be very visual—the ritual prayers, a woman’s headscarf, a man’s long beard and skullcap—it’s all hard to miss in the Western world.
But as she interacted with more Muslims and befriended them in high school and then college, the initially foreign practices and concepts didn’t feel so foreign to Stephanie anymore.
A Six Year Journey
Stephanie says her conversion story is one that spanned six years from when she first began learning about Islam in high school to when she took her shahada, or declaration of faith proclaiming there is no God except Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of God be upon him) is His final messenger.
Throughout college, she slowly observed her Muslim best friend and would ask her questions to learn about Islam. It wasn’t until her senior year that the thought of converting crossed her mind.
“I was going through a really hard time with school. I didn’t like my studies. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after graduation,” Stephanie said.
At the same time, Stephanie moved out from her parents’ home and was feeling quite alone on her own. She leaned on her small group of Muslim friends and then also reached out to a local mosque, the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton in New Jersey. There, she was given a tour of the sacred space and was introduced to a girl her age who happened to attend the same school. She was now connected to a community as she learned more and more about Islam.
Gratitude to God
After graduating from university, Stephanie worked at her internship in the cardiology field rehabilitating patients. She witnessed people the same age as her parents and grandparents suffer life-threatening events every day. This sparked a need in Stephanie to express her gratitude to something—or someone.
“I needed something to be grateful to,” she said. “Something is giving me friends that support me and love me, and parents that support me and love me. It has to be something more than just the universe, right?”
These thoughts encompassed her mind and sparked the desire to search more. The answer Stephanie came to was gratitude towards the one who was there for her all along—Allah, God. She was being drawn closer to Islam, but was not yet ready to take the leap.
“Think About How You Want to Die”
Stephanie began to frequent her local mosque even before she accepted Islam. For years, she had implemented Muslim practices like refraining from pork and alcohol. Those things came easy to her. She felt at peace in the mosque, but she didn’t feel ready to convert. There were still some topics she hadn’t fully grasped.
She took a class from WhyIslam to learn more, and her teacher posed a few questions for her to think about. Do you believe there’s only one God? Do you believe Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of God be upon him) is the messenger of God? Do you believe in the prophets? She answered yes, and her teacher pointed out that in her heart, she already was a Muslim based on her affirmative answers.
The realization was eye-opening, to say the least. But there was one “final push” Stephanie’s teacher mentioned that gave her the confidence to declare her Islamic faith.
“He said, ‘Think about how you want to die because it’s one thing to die a Muslim, and it’s one thing to die a non-Muslim,’” she recalled.
Slowly, but Surely
With her teacher’s words sticking with her and her sense of gratitude toward God growing stronger, Stephanie came closer and closer to converting to Islam. But she struggled with second thoughts and fears. She saw many families practicing in ways she thought would be too much for her to handle. How would she do that? Would she even want to?
Her friend reminded her about the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of God be upon him). The Quran, the holy book of Islam, was revealed over a period of time. Those first Muslims had years upon years of implementing Islamic practices into their lives.
“That was the moment when I was like, ‘Okay, I can still be me,’” Stephanie said. “Allah will still accept and love me. Everything over time will start to fall into place. You don’t have to be the perfect, believing-in-every-single-thing, practicing-every-single-thing-Muslim right when you convert.”
Becoming Muslim
After six years of learning, implementing, and believing, Stephanie declared her Islamic faith in March 2023.
In the religion she initially thought she was against, Stephanie found her opportunity to be grateful to God for her healthy parents, supportive friends, and peaceful mosque that always offered her a safe space when she felt most alone. When she finally found the courage to declare the Islam that was already affirmed in her heart, she no longer felt paralyzed by the need to be a perfect Muslim, but saw the journey to better herself as one that brings peace and purpose.
“Don’t feel like you have to be perfect right away,” Stephanie said. “I’m still not perfect. I’m striving.”
If you have questions about Islam, need help connecting with Muslims, or want to find your local mosque, reach out to 877-Why-Islam.