Fitra


"Fitra" or "fitrah", is the state of purity and innocence Muslims believe all humans to be born with. Fitra is an Arabic word that is usually translated as "original disposition," "natural constitution," or "innate nature."
According to Islamic theology, human beings are born with an innate inclination of tawhid, which is encapsulated in the fitra along with compassion, intelligence, ihsan and all other attributes that embody the concept of humanity. It is for this reason that some Muslims prefer to refer to those who embrace Islam as reverts rather than converts, as it is believed they are returning to a perceived pure state.
It has also been suggested that the religious meaning can be translated into the logical equivalence in philosophy, as Kant's concept of 'ought'.

Use in the Quran and Hadith

In the 30th Chapter of the Quran, verse 30, the word is used in the context of the following verse: "Set thy Face to religion as a Hanif in the primordial nature from God upon which originated mankind there is no altering the creation of God; that is upright but most mankind know not." Fitra in the Quran is closely linked to the concept of Hanif and Nabbi Al Ummi. In a Hadith, the prophet Muhammad states that children are born upon Fitra and are then socialized into various religions. The Hadith states as follows, "The Prophet Muhammed said, 'No one is born except according to intrinsic nature, but their parents make them Jews, or Christians, or Magaians, just as a cow gives birth to a calf that is whole do you find it mutilated?'"

Sunni interpretation

According to Sunnism, fitra refers to the nature, in which God created humans and jinn, that means, they are neither created with Islam, nor with unbelief, but are guided by God. In contrast to the Muʿtazila view, who argue that "fitra" simply means Islam.

Root of word