I have always held the religion of Mohammed in high esteem because of its wonderful vitality. To me it seems the only faith able to adapt to life under different conditions in a way which makes it attractive to every people and every age - Sir Bernard Shaw

As most converts to Islam will explain, the reason for their conversion is not usually pinpointed to one set reason, but several, with each individuals journey being unique. Islam has appealed to many because of its simple and intellectually satisfying creed. In the Byzantine controlled lands, Islam offered freedom from imperialist and racist oppression and the cult of priesthoods; in India, the fact of intrinsic human worth, nobility and equality attracted a society steeped in caste division; in Indonesia and Africa, Islam displaced a complex mythology which often pictured the world as alien, frightful, and full of spirits which had to be appeased and a social order which tolerated infanticide and never saw the nakedness of the body and the need to clean it.

According to "The Almanac Book of Facts", the population increased 137% within the past decade, Christianity increased 46%, while Islam increased 235%.

In a recent poll in the (US), 100,000 people per year in America alone, are converting to Islam. For every 1 male convert to Islam, 4 females convert to Islam,

Who says that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world? Some people say that Islam was just spread by the sword, and there is nobody to accept it now. Others say that the current growth rate of Islam is due to a massive, Muslim "baby boom" around the world. Here are a collection of links from reputed news services around the world which refutes such claims.

http://www.menj.org/fastest/ - http://www.menj.org/fastest/

Jazzak Allahu Khairan Egyboy, this helps a lot to support the claim...

Islam is growing in the west because it has grabbed the attention of people who had either never heard of it or who had been misled to believe that it was a pagan religion that promotes horrendous abuse against women.  With all of the media attention in the last 15 years, more and more people are doing their own research to find the truth, whether to prepare themselves against "such an evil enemy" or to try to convert "the pagans" to Christianity, or just to understand why Muslims seemed to have gone crazy around the world lately.

Another reason, the main reason more women than men are embracing Islam is because exposure to higher numbers of Muslim men in the workplace, in the clubs, and at school.  Families overseas are sending their sons here to get a better education and career, so that they can support extended families back home, and these poor guys are quite often seduced by the money, the women, the lifestyle, and they are taking women here for girlfriends.  Such women often look into his religion (not only to understand him, but often because they know that he will never marry them if they are not Muslim), and their research leads them to enlightenment.  Most of my convert friends have entered Islam in exactly this manner.

For the Christian, the Qur'an is like drinking clear cold water after trying to survive on the muddy lukewarm water of the Bible.  The Qur'an purifies the scriptures and the Gospel still contained in the Old and New Testaments.  It not only makes sense of the accounts of the Prophets, purifying the moral of the stories,  it vindicates the Prophets from the horrendous lies and accusations of unspeakable sins lobbied against them.  For any Christian trying to understand the message of the Old Testament accounts, it is a painful experience to try to derive any moral lesson from them, as they have been so abused, the wisdom behind them has been hidden behind the slander.

The New Testament is full of wonderful accounts of what Issa alaihi assalam said and did, but having been translated so many times, they have lost the tafsir or the proper meanings in his actions and words, and Christians today think his Message is open to personal interpretation, they take words out of context to prove their own twisted beliefs, and they put more emphasis in their worship toward what Paul preached than what Issa alaihi assalam taught.  Christianity is not following Jesus (Issa) alaihi assalam, but rather they are following Paul, leaving circumcision, eating haram pork, worshipping on Sunday instead of Saturday, abandoning the sacrifice, praying to Jesus and accepting him as God's son (authu billah).

For the sincere, searching Christian, the Qur'an is what the Bible should have been had Allah not allowed it to be corrupted.  Any sincere Christian can immediately see the truth and the light in the Qur'an, and cannot help but leap and laugh and cry and exclaim "Eureeka!!!" everytime the read further into the Qur'an. 

Just as the King in Ethopia cried and accepted the muhijiroon from Mecca when he heard the ayats of Qur'an recited, the sincere open hearted Christian MUST accept Islam, not because someone tells them to, but because their heart will not allow them not to.

Assalamualaikum brothers and hello to friends,

I, like yourselves, have also read and heard reports about the significant increase in the Muslim population, not only in the U.S. & Canada but globally, in recent years.  I expect most of you, as I did, felt a sense of pride when you heard this or now as you read about it for the first time here.  But why?

That's what I asked myself.  Why?   Did I somehow see this as Islam 'winning' and since I am a Muslim it must mean that I am a part of a 'winning team?'  Yes, to a certain degree I can say that's what I felt.  However as time went on and the situations concerning Muslims in the world grew, the answer above appeared incomplete.  If we're 'winning', how can we be 'losing?'  Then it dawned on me brothers and sisters, it is the only good news we have. 

With all the events happening in the world, seemingly non-stop, we have been eager, in fact craving, some good news that this faith, that we regard and believe with all our hearts which in fact is so deeply a part of our being, is spreading as a message and fulfilling something in others hearts.  New brothers and sisters bound by one faith and its success is our personal success.  I know now that you read this and perhaps agree that it is some 'good' news that you and I can be comforted with.  But again, as you study and come across our knowledge passed on from Prophet (pbuh), what does he say concerning population?

He says, and I am paraphrasing and may God forgive me if I get any part of it incorrect, that his followers will one day be more than the foam(bubbles) that arise when a wave crashes against the shore.  He knew that all that time ago and someone wrote that down when he said it so that means we're supposed to know it.   Here's the kicker guys, what does he say after he speaks about our numbers?  Do you know?  He says, and again I am paraphrasing, that eventhough the number of his followers will increase dramatically, the quality of the followers will be low and as a result the strength of the community as a whole will be weak.   What is happening today?  When I learned of this, even though it is not good news at all, you know what I felt?  I felt and continue to feel more excited, privileged, and thankful that I follow such a man as the Slave of Allah (pbuh) than I ever did the first minute I heard this report about 'Islam being the fastest growing religion.' 

Brothers and sisters, this is not a numbers game.  We do not win a prize when we hit a certain collective number.  We are not 'competing' with other religions.  We have but one central purpose which all other things are secondary and that is to improve our character, to be near to God's guidance.   We will all be judged one day as individuals.  Someone cannot say that they committed a harmful act, be it to himself/herself or to others, because someone else told them to do it or even because in this person's mind he/she believes that they are doing it for the collective good.   To be nearer to God is to have greater faith.  Remember all the knowledge to be nearer is there for you...it is for you and only you.  We were born alone and when we depart, we will do so alone and your spirit will be graded simply by what you did.  You know what you did and didn't do.  Do you think we will be moved to the 7th level of heaven when our collective number hits 2 billion..or 3? 

Brothers and sisters the facts about this current growth in population is all about perspective.  Perspective.  All of the real growth in the world population, not only Muslim, is occuring in the developing world, mostly in Asia.  The technology that used to be in the hands of the European, U.S., and other economically successful nations is now open to every nation as the world is more connected now than ever before.  Medicine, sanitation, and urban infrastructure are some of the major technologies that help people live longer.  Most of the world's population was already in Asia before this surge in growth.  So we're seeing more and more cities built and developing better health care and housing for the people....so what do you think would happen?  More people are living longer, more babies are surviving birth and infancy, and less people are dying from diseases than before.  The population has nowhere to go but up.  And who lives in Asia?  How many Muslims? Most of the world's Muslims that's who lives there.  And they have a lot of work to do because their growth rates are so incredible that it is difficult to provide for all the people.

In Europe, we have a lot of Muslim migration to these countries over the last several decades because Europe needs workers to grow their economies.  Without immigration, Europe's population would be shrinking as it is normal for each family to have only one child and there is a growing trend of couples not having any children.  On the other hand, the Muslim's living here have more than three children leading to that increase.  Conversion does play a role but minimal in comparison.

In the U.S. and Canada, most of the Muslim population are immigrants and African-Americans.  The first generation children of the immigrants is reaching adulthood now and many do not know much about their faith.  Sure there are conversions and significant in comparison to our relative small number, especially in areas with strong communities and infrastructure (mosques, schools, outreach).  And again our numbers here have only one way to go but up.  We cannot compare our growth rate with any other faith because of the simple fact that this country of 300 million + 25 million Canadians is mostly Christian (Protestant majority;Catholic growing minority due to Hispanics).  And for those that call the US bad names and especially those that live and whose parents live in the United States remember this.  Your parents came here for a reason.  Yes I know it is a difficult time and we have a lot of work to do to better our situation, but you still live here and if your convictions are so strong I suggest that you plan to move.  Our parents came here precisely because things are going incredibily wrong in what we call Muslim countries.  God bless and guide the people, but it is not the place to be.  There is corruption and a rise in frustration amongst the people.  I notice a popular trend that is slowly gaining momentum of people going away from the 'rope of Allah.'  The name of the game is quality in faith.  Remember that all land on this earth is God's and that whoever is on that land holds it in trust for a while.  Now for those of us who live in the U.S. and Canada, this land that our two feet are touching right now is in our trust.  We do have a say in things here, but we need to get smart about it.  Not mad or frustrated, but determined and quickly.  Our brothers and sisters abroad have the resources and manpower to do what is in their best interest.  How many Muslims live in the countries near Israel/Lebanon?  100 million.  Are these poor countries? No of course not, they are amongst the wealthiest.  So what can we do to help? What is your part in this?  To build this community here with all the help your faith allows and give a voice to the world's Muslims, our brothers, in the most powerful and influential country in the world: the United States of America.   This country is not our foe; they are simply not our friends yet.  If you have not been to the US, you will not see that most people are kind and compassionate and religious.  They are not bruts or 'evildoers.'  They just do not know us.  They have not grown up knowing us.  In the 50 signs to the day of Judgement, where does it say that the true foe of all believers will come from?  Christians call him the Antichrist.  He will come out of the land that is today Israel.  So what does that mean?  We have to do our part in helping the righteous here and abroad and in Israel itself through influence and assistance.  Remember the righteous will succeed.  We already know that from who?

One note: If you are concerned about glory, such as if you envision a vast Muslim force conquering land and succeeding militarily, you may not realize it but you are being drawn away, not nearer, to God.  Why?    Simply put: all glory is God's.  And when the idea creeps back into your mind about the 'good old days' of so called Islamic conquest beware my brother/sister.  Why do I say this?   Beware of pride and beware of focusing on the illusion.   When I look back at that time, what really impresses me and puts me in ever awe of God and this faith was not only the military, but what the people did.  They were nearer to God, they had a strong sense of community, and good character that not only built a distinct civilization but attracted others to join in humanity.  Humanity.  What military could do that?  Our strength is our faith.  The center of what we hope to call Islamic civilization is our faith.

Wasalam and My Warmest Regards

jabedi wrote: They were nearer to God, they had a strong sense of community, and good character that not only built a distinct civilization but attracted others to join in humanity.  Humanity.  What military could do that?  Our strength is our faith.  The center of what we hope to call Islamic civilization is our faith.

Assalamu Alaikum,

Well said. Jazak Allah Khair.

Peace