Are we taking care of our revert brothers and sisters?
Ramadan is the time for many things. Many personal goals, and self-growth, breaking bad habits and forming good ones, and all that good stuff.
But that’s everything we do for ourselves. Ramadan is also a time to take care of fellow Muslim brothers and sisters (and making this a regular habit). Of our many Muslim brothers and sisters there is a group many of us exalt for their courage and the way they have found guidance, yet forget to follow up with a little while after their Shahadah.
The reverts.
These blessed members of the Muslim community who were not raised as Muslims yet found their way to Islam had the courage, the sheer bravery, to take Shahadah and come out to the world as proud Muslims from that point on. SubhanAllah.
We commend them on their bravery and in the beginning we take them to the masjids, Islamic conferences and events, and we give them the Spark Note’s version of what we have been learning our entire lives.
And then we forget.
Not purposely of course, but well, who doesn’t get caught up in the busyness of life, right?
And we assume that these new reverts are running at the same rate as everyone else, but really if we think about it, they’re just beginning to sit up. This is no easy task. Every revert is different, and comes from a different situation. Some reverts may have wonderful support from their family, but what about the ones who don’t have that support? What about the reverts that are shunned or disowned by the ones they love? What about the reverts who are not even able to tell their families about this monumental change in their lives? Learning to sit with situations like these must feel like trying to breathe underwater – I can only imagine. We should be there to help them sit, and then stand, and eventually run Insha Allah. We should be there every step of the way.
Ramadan is a month of improvement, so let’s improve our involvement in the lives of our revert brothers and sisters. Invite them over to spend Iftar with you and your family. Invite them over for Suhoor too – it can get lonely waking up in the morning to eat alone, to fast alone. Ask them to join you for Taraweeh, for Ramadan Recharge nights and IHOP Suhoors. Celebrate Eid together. Everything.
And once Ramadan is over, don’t forget them. Take care to call regularly, go to the masjid, go to events. Remember that any change, positive or negative, takes a conscious effort.
This Ramadan let’s set a goal to play a bigger part in the lives of our revert brothers and sisters, and then let’s make a conscious effort to continue playing that role to the best of our abilities Insha Allah.
The 30 Days of Ramadan series is written by Sobia Siddiqui, CAIR-TX Communications Intern. Enjoy more of her writing on her personal blog, Religion in the Melting Pot.
