Is it better to hasten to accept a disbeliever who wants to enter Islam, or should we give him a chance to learn and provide him with tapes and books about Islam before he converts?
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The questioner : Your Eminence! Regarding disbelievers who want to enter Islam, some of the brothers see that one should not hasten their entry into Islam. Rather, they see that they should be given books and tapes and left for a month or two so that they can learn and understand the Islamic creed. They want Islam; the man comes and says, "I want to enter Islam," and then you tell him what acts of worship are obligatory upon him. Is it better that we hasten and let him enter Islam, or should we give him a chance to learn and then convert?
The Shaykh : The reality is that, as you mentioned, some people say: These who have come to us as visitors, one of them might say, "I want Islam," but he is ignorant of it. If he enters Islam and then does not like it or does not appreciate the rituals of Islam, he will turn back on his heels. In that case, the calamity will be greater, because if he enters Islam and then turns back, he becomes an apostate. But if he remains on his religion, he is an original disbeliever. The apostate is greater than the original disbeliever, because the original disbeliever is left on his religion, while the apostate is not left on his apostasy. He is called to Islam, and if he repents, well and good; otherwise, he is killed. So some of the brothers see that we should not hasten.
Also, some of these workers may claim to be Muslim for a worldly purpose, not out of love for Islam. So it is better for us to establish the proof against him by explaining Islam and then for him to enter with insight, rather than for us to hasten. Accordingly, one should look at the circumstances. If we see that this man is a worker among a group of Muslims, and he observes their purity, their prayers, their remembrance of Allah, and their conduct, then from the moment he says he is interested in Islam, we accept it from him. But if he is ignorant and has only recently come and knows nothing about Islam, then it is good to explain Islam to him first, and then accept his claim of Islam.
The Shaykh : The reality is that, as you mentioned, some people say: These who have come to us as visitors, one of them might say, "I want Islam," but he is ignorant of it. If he enters Islam and then does not like it or does not appreciate the rituals of Islam, he will turn back on his heels. In that case, the calamity will be greater, because if he enters Islam and then turns back, he becomes an apostate. But if he remains on his religion, he is an original disbeliever. The apostate is greater than the original disbeliever, because the original disbeliever is left on his religion, while the apostate is not left on his apostasy. He is called to Islam, and if he repents, well and good; otherwise, he is killed. So some of the brothers see that we should not hasten.
Also, some of these workers may claim to be Muslim for a worldly purpose, not out of love for Islam. So it is better for us to establish the proof against him by explaining Islam and then for him to enter with insight, rather than for us to hasten. Accordingly, one should look at the circumstances. If we see that this man is a worker among a group of Muslims, and he observes their purity, their prayers, their remembrance of Allah, and their conduct, then from the moment he says he is interested in Islam, we accept it from him. But if he is ignorant and has only recently come and knows nothing about Islam, then it is good to explain Islam to him first, and then accept his claim of Islam.