UDL: "Are You a Natural Muslim or A Conscious Muslim?"

"It is very important for us to understand something that I have come to realize and perhaps many of you had come to realize it before me. And that is the recognition of two states of Muslim. The proper recognition of the state of a Muslim is a conscious Muslim following the religion as revealed to Prophet Muhammad and as established by his leadership. That is the "proper" state of the Muslim.

However, there is another state of the Muslim that was proper before this state came about, and that state is the natural inclination in Allah's creatures to obey Him. Let us repeat, "...the natural inclination in Allah's creatures to obey Him." Therefore, the Prophet, the peace and blessings be on him, said, "Everyone is born Muslim, and he becomes Christian, Jew or something else because of the situation he is put in. That is, if the baby is born in a Christian environment then most likely the baby will come up Christian. If a baby is born in a Jewish environment, then most likely the baby will come up to be a Jew. And on, and on."

Imam W. Deen Mohammed (ra) ATLANTA'S FIRST TRIBUTE TO LEADERSHIP DINNER SATURDAY EVE., DECEMBER 10, 1988