When it is said that he was born upon the fiṭrah (original, innate disposition) or that he was created ḥanīf (upright) and what is similar, the intent behind this is not that when he leaves his mother’s womb that he knows this religion and desires it, for Allāh the Exalted said: “And Allāh brought you out of the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing.”^[2]

However, his fiṭrah requires and necessitates the religion of Islām, having knowledge of it and loving it. The fiṭrah in itself necessitates affirmation of his Creator, loving Him and making religion sincerely for Him alone. Such requirements of the fiṭrah are attained gradually [as a child grows] in accordance with the perfection of the fiṭrah when it is free from what clashes with it.