When arguing for God’s existence, it is sometimes said that dependency is a better angle to argue with than creation. As when a thing depends on something else, it is in constant need of it, whereas if it was simply created by something else, then it may no longer need its creator after some time. For example, when a child is born, it needs its parents for some years to feed it, raise it, and shelter it. But upon reaching adulthood, it no longer needs its parents to do these things, having become self-sufficient.
But let’s take a plant, for example, which will always depend on the sun’s light to let maintain its growth. And the sun’s rays will always depend on the sun to keep on generating them.
Similarly, we should not only thank Allah ﷻ that we are born Muslim, but more importantly, we should thank Him for His continued Mercy on which we depend to stay Muslim.
Allah ﷻ says:
وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
We have commanded man to be good to his parents: his mother struggled to carry him and struggled to give birth to him– his bearing and weaning took a full thirty months. When he has grown to manhood and reached the age of forty he [may] say, ‘Lord, help me to be truly grateful for Your favours to me and to my parents; help me to do good work that pleases You; make my offspring good. I turn to You; I am one of those who devote themselves to You.’ (46:15)
He describes the earlier stages of life, and shows that the human who lives through all this, perhaps now no longer depending on his parents, still acknowledges his dependency on his Sustainer, and devotes himself to Him.
As the Dua goes:
رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ
Our Lord, pour steadfastness upon us and let us die in devotion to You.’ (7:126)
Of course, being born Muslim does mean something. But can we guarantee that Allah will keep allowing His rays of Mercy to shine upon us? No.
We must seek them as the plant does. Once it receives light, it does not settle down content with what it has, it aims to grow further and competes to become taller than all the other plants around it to reach and obtain more of the light that sustains it.
And so must we also compete. As Allah ﷻ says:
سَابِقُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ
So race for your Lord’s forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers: that is God’s bounty, which He bestows on whoever He pleases. God’s bounty is infinite. (57:21)
And All Praise is due to Allah ﷻ. And He knows best.