How a Church Leader's Daughter Accepts Islam
Maryam was born in a Christian home in the Philippines. Her father was a Preacher of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Head of this church is called a Preacher/Church Leader or a Pastor, but not a Priest. In other sects of Christianity, a Christian can confess his/her sins before a Priest and the Priest can forgive those sins. In the Seventh-day Adventist church, a Preacher cannot forgive sins; rather, only God can accept the repentance of the sinner. Maryam described her life to me as follows:
MY RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING:
I completed my Elementary and High School education in my hometown and proceeded to take up a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Medical Technology. Since my father was a Preacher, my mother, myself and my three sisters took an active part in church activities. For example, I used to sing religious songs with my sisters accompanied by a piano or join a church choir. My father was very talented. He used to write religious poems and often invited me to recite these poems to the church audience. Hence, I enjoyed a very respected and graceful position in my community. We were very proud of the teachings of my church, which were very different from some other Christian churches.
TEACHINGS OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH:
1. Smoking and drinking liquor are prohibited.
2. Eating pork and certain other animals is prohibited.
3. Making pictures or some form of images of Jesus is not allowed.
4. Fresh vegetables should be preferred for home cooking.
5. Eating fish only with scales is allowed.
6. Wearing gold and artificial ornaments is not allowed so that God's wonderful creation is not changed.
7. Bad habits like using bad language, malicious talk and cursing are not allowed.
8. If a church member commits a mistake, the church leader tries to reform him/her on a one- to-one basis.
9. If someone displays bad habits consistently, his/her name is removed from the church register but can reform and rejoin afterwards.
10. We are not allowed to work on Saturdays; rather, we should attend church services and devote our time only to religious matters.
Maryam says that she followed these teachings wholeheartedly and led a very religious life.
EMPLOYMENT IN IRAN:
In 1975, I accepted a job in an Iranian Hospital as a Medical Technologist. The Head of the my Department was a Pathologist, also from the Philippines. She suddenly resigned from her job and I was appointed as in-charge of the Laboratory. Meanwhile, our hospital hired Dr. Minhaj, an Indian Doctor, and hence, I handed over the responsibility to him. Dr. Minhaj tried to introduce Islamic teachings to me from time to time and invited me to embrace Islam. I told him firmly and somewhat rudely, "I shall never accept Islam since Muslims in our Country are considered low, disgraceful, trouble-makers and sometimes killers.
AMERICAN DREAM:
Like many other people, I was also dreaming to work in America. I applied for a job in a few American Hospitals. I received a job offer in a Hospital near Los Angeles. I took two- months leave from my job in Iran and went to America. I stayed there with friends from my country. While I was considering to join this new job, I somehow did not like the American lifestyle and hence, I hurriedly headed back to Iran and resumed my job there. The Administrator of the American Hospital was surprised and said, "People are craving for such jobs and you are turning this down". Perhaps God Almighty had something else in store for me.
SOME GLIMPSES OF ISLAMIC ACTIVITIES:
I used to hear the recitation of the Quran on Iranian T.V. I thought these were Iranian songs. I also used to hear Allah-o-Akbar again again in the call for prayer. I thought Muslims worshipped Allah and also Akbar, i.e., two gods. In the meantime, Dr. Minhaj introduced me to the daughter of his Muslim friend. I liked her nature
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Timothy Sesinyi (A business student of Kingdom of Lesotho)
Early Education
Timothy comes from the Kingdom of Lesotho. This small country lies just north of South Africa. He described his story as follows:
I was born in 1972 in a village about twelve kilometers away from the capital called Maseru. I received my elementary and secondary education in a Catholic school near my village. While in school I was supposed to attend a Catholic church every Sunday but I often dodged. I, however, occasionally went to a Protestant church with my grand mother.
For higher secondary education I got admission in a boarding school about eighty kilometers away from my home town. This school was run by Lesotho Evangelical church. This church was originated in France and was known as Parish Evangelical Missionary Society or P.E.M.S. There was a young priest who used to give us Christian education very diligently. He said to his students, “If the church did not spend money on my education I would become a Muslim because it was the only religion in the way of Christianity.” Until then I did not know anything about Islam. The Principal of this school was a good man since he encouraged us to take part in debates on topics like celibacy is better than matrimony. I used to take part in these debates very enthusiastically.
College Education
I received a scholarship from my government to attend a technical college for two years. This college was situated near Johannesburg in South Africa. I received a diploma in Marketing Management from this college. Many interesting things happened during my college education.
P.E.M.S churches had special building style. I found one P.E.M.S church near my accommodation. I joined this church and started teaching youth group what I had learnt in my previous church. I was not good at singing. Hence I proposed that some debates should be held in the church. They sought permission from the local priest. He agreed and was very excited to promote this activity.
Debates
Eight teams were formed. Each team had four members, two boys and two girls. The priest chose the topics. The debates were held every Sunday in the presence of the congregation. The winners were given prizes like Bible translation in Lesotho language.
A neighboring P.E.M.S church also formed four debating teams. They used to have competitions with the winners of our church. I took part in these debates. The topic of first debate was ‘Trinity.’ My team was to prove that Trinity was a wrong concept.
By chance I met a young man at a friend’s home. His name was Ndavu. He gave me exact quotations from Bible to support our point of view. It was amazing that Ndavu knew these verses by heart. I had read King James Version of Bible from Genesis to Revelations. After reading these quotations I realized that I did not understand Bible. I gave some verses to my team mates. They were quite happy. My team won the debate.
The topic of the second debate was ‘Jesus-is he son of God?’ My team opposed the above proposition. I again met Ndavu and he gave me exact quotations the next day. We won this debate too.
The topic of the third debate was ‘Authenticity of Bible’. My team was to prove that it was not authentic since there were many contradictions in it. Ndavu helped me again and we won the third debate as well. The congregation took the debates casually or considered them as just an intellectual exercise.
I became aware of many contradictions in King James Version of Bible. There were also many contradictions between English Bible and the translation of Bible in Lesotho language. This shook my faith.
I asked Ndavu, “What church you go to?” He said, “I do not go to any church since the Priest do not teach truth and they do not quote some verses.” He asked me, “What is your belief in godship?” I told him, “I believe in godship as mentioned in the first commandment of Moses. For example in Mark 12:28-30 says ‘The first commandment reads: Hear O Israel, the Lord of thy God is One Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord, thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.’”
When he understood my point of view about godship he talked to some of his friends about me.
A Strange Visitor
One Saturday in March 1996 a young man came to my relative’s home. He was wearing white clothes and white cap. I saw an African for the first time dressed like some Indians. The young man said, “I have come to see you, my Muslim brother.” I said, “I am not a Muslim because I know nothing about Islam except that Islam is the religion of Indians.” He insisted, “I am informed that you are a Muslim.” I offered him a chair to sit so that we could relax and chat. It was easy to talk to him since he spoke my local language. I sent my niece to buy him soft drink. He refused to use the glass which we were using. He preferred to drink from the bottle directly. I asked him, “Why did you refuse to use our glass?” He said, “I suspected that the glass might have been used for drinking alcohol.” He was right. I sent my niece to buy new glasses since I also hated alcohol, which I quitted in 1988.
He asked me, “How do I believe in God?” I said, “I believe in God as a Creator, as the only one to be worshiped, as one who does not have wife and does not need food or drinks for His survival. He does not have parents. All this is given in Bible.”
He asked me about Trinity. I told him, “Among the things which my father taught me were God is one and He is not to be compared to any one. I believe my father more than anybody else. I think Father, Son and Holy Ghost in Trinity are contradicting each other.” This young man said, “This is Islam.” I was shocked since my concept of Islam was that it was the religion of Indians only.
The young man added, “If we check in the Bible, the teaching of Christ are Islamic. The contradictions in the teaching of the church and the teaching of Christ are due to Paul who gave many rules and laws in his epistles (or letters).” I believed the young man. He asked me, “Do you want to be a Muslim or learn about Islam?” I said, “Yes, indeed.” He said, “I have a friend who is his teacher and he knows better about Islam.” I said, “I would like to meet him.” We both proceeded to visit his friend since it was just thirty minutes walk from my house.
Islamic Pledge
I saw this man teaching to a group of students in English. I listened to his lecture with great interest. They stopped after about one hour and then prayed. I sat there and watched them. After prayer the students went to their homes. I, the teacher and my visitor were left alone. We introduced ourselves. Teacher’s name was Abdur Rahman. My visitor’s name was Haroon. Sheikh Abdur Rhaman explained to me the meaning of Shahada. When I learnt the meaning of Shahada in English I started believing in it from my heart. Sheikh said to me, “You can go home and think about it. You may attend the lectures as and when you like.” I told him, “I now understand Shahada and hence I want to become a Muslim.” He told me, “Do not take a hasty decision.” I said to him, “What you and Haroon have told me about Islam is the same what my father told me about true Christianity. Hence I want to take the Islamic pledge.” At this time I recited Shahada and thanks God, became a Muslim. Sheikh taught me how to do wadhu or ablution. He advised me to go home, take a bath and return here at 4 P.M. to make Islamic pledge in front of the congregation. I chose my Islamic name Abdullah Sesinyi.
Sheikh taught me daily from Asr to Maghreb for two weeks. After this he left for overseas for his advanced education. I only learnt Surah Fatiha in English, which I continued reciting in my prayers for about one year. It was very hard to find a teacher in this area.
One day I was window shopping and I came across an Indian young man who ran a ready-made garments shop there. I asked him, “Are you a Muslim?” He proudly said, “Yes.” I told him, “I am a Muslim too.” I wanted some information from him about Islam. He said, “I have very poor knowledge of Islam.” I asked him, “Is there any mosque in this area?” He said, “There was one but you can offer Dhuhar salat with me in my shop.” He also invited me to ride with him for Jumah salat every week. I followed this routine for a year.
My First Eid
So far I did not know anything about fasting and Eid. One day Haroon called me and informed me about Eid Salat next morning. I attended the Eid Salat and Eid festival. I met many African Muslims and Muslims from my tribe. I also met Ndavu there and first time learnt that he had embraced Islam too. His Muslim name was Bilal. I asked Bilal, “How did you learn those quotations from Bible to help me in my debates.” He said, “Those quotations are written in the two books of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat.” He presented me these two books and an English translation of Holy Quran by Abdullah Yousuf Ali. This was my first Islamic social event. I found every body extremely happy and they were very nice to me. After Dhuhar Salat, we went back to our residences. I finished college in July 1997 and went back to Lesotho.
Elementary Islamic Education
I knew that my neighbor in my village used to write Arabic. I asked him, “Are you a Muslim?” He said, “Yes”. He added, “Unfortunately I am not practicing Islam.” He informed me about Thabong Mosque in the capital. One morning we both walked twenty kilometers to visit this mosque for Islamic education. The mosque had weekend Islamic school. I and my neighbor, Basheer, attended this school since the mosque arranged for our transportation. With the guidance and recommendation of my teacher, Mr.Mahmood, I was accepted in a full time residential school called Assalam Educational Institute in Braemar, which is about 150 kilometers from Durban. I attended this institute for eight months and then returned home. The Deputy Principal gave me a copy of the Noble Quran, an English translation by Dr. Mohsin Ali.
Propagation of Islam
I started selling clothes for my living and preached Islam in cooperation with my neighbor, Basheer. By the Grace of Allah in one year twelve families embraced Islam through our humble efforts.
I and Basheer requested our radio station to allocate some time to us for the introduction of Islam. The government radio permitted representatives of Muslim, Christian and Bahai faiths to make a brief presentation on radio. It was followed by telephonic calls from the listeners and all the three religions could defend their points of view.
Lesotho T.V invited me and Basheer to give a presentation to people about Eid-ul-Fitr. It was well accepted by all the Muslims and many Christians became anxious to know more about Islam. Meanwhile, Abdul Karim, a Tunisian brother, bought time in one private radio station, called Joy F.M. Voice of America, in our capital. He invited me and another brother, Rafiq, to offer weekly program in it about Islam. We ran this program for about one year.
A Saudi delegation visited our capital. With the guidance and help of brothers Mahmood and Abdul Karim, I applied for the admission to Islamic University Madina Munawwara in 1999. Nothing was heard for a year and a half. I started working for a road construction company away from my home. My supervisor made life miserable for me due to my Islamic thinking. Abdul Karim advised me to fast and recite more Quran so that Allah may remove my difficulties. I started fasting Mondays and Thursdays and recited more and more Quran.
I also started a class for about one hundred prisoners every Sunday afternoon with the permission of the officials. The prisoners managed to expel their priest from the Assembly of God since he did not permit them to ask any questions. I taught there for three months and then I had to move away from that area.
I was excited to find an acceptance letter from Islamic University of Madina Munawwara in July 2001. Thanks God, I joined this university in September 2001. Here I am supposed to learn Arabic for two years before proceeding to my formal Islamic education in this university.
I am very happy in Madina Munawwara . A few of my relatives have embraced Islam through my preaching. May Allah accept these humble efforts of mine and strengthen my faith and practice.
My Appeal
As I review the events of my life I conclude that the facilities for the Islamic education in African countries are very minimal. The quality of education is also very poor. Hence the rate of progress in preaching is awfully slow. It disheartens many new Muslims. It is very hard to find qualified and sincere teachers of Islam.
Therefore I appeal to parents to make at least one of their bright children a teacher. Only teachers can change the fate of a nation. I also appeal to the affluent Muslims to establish more Islamic Institutions wherever they can, and run them professionally. This is, indeed, the best investment and the reward is tremendous. May Allah (swt) guide us to His straight path. Ameen
Timothy comes from the Kingdom of Lesotho. This small country lies just north of South Africa. He described his story as follows:
I was born in 1972 in a village about twelve kilometers away from the capital called Maseru. I received my elementary and secondary education in a Catholic school near my village. While in school I was supposed to attend a Catholic church every Sunday but I often dodged. I, however, occasionally went to a Protestant church with my grand mother.
For higher secondary education I got admission in a boarding school about eighty kilometers away from my home town. This school was run by Lesotho Evangelical church. This church was originated in France and was known as Parish Evangelical Missionary Society or P.E.M.S. There was a young priest who used to give us Christian education very diligently. He said to his students, “If the church did not spend money on my education I would become a Muslim because it was the only religion in the way of Christianity.” Until then I did not know anything about Islam. The Principal of this school was a good man since he encouraged us to take part in debates on topics like celibacy is better than matrimony. I used to take part in these debates very enthusiastically.
College Education
I received a scholarship from my government to attend a technical college for two years. This college was situated near Johannesburg in South Africa. I received a diploma in Marketing Management from this college. Many interesting things happened during my college education.
P.E.M.S churches had special building style. I found one P.E.M.S church near my accommodation. I joined this church and started teaching youth group what I had learnt in my previous church. I was not good at singing. Hence I proposed that some debates should be held in the church. They sought permission from the local priest. He agreed and was very excited to promote this activity.
Debates
Eight teams were formed. Each team had four members, two boys and two girls. The priest chose the topics. The debates were held every Sunday in the presence of the congregation. The winners were given prizes like Bible translation in Lesotho language.
A neighboring P.E.M.S church also formed four debating teams. They used to have competitions with the winners of our church. I took part in these debates. The topic of first debate was ‘Trinity.’ My team was to prove that Trinity was a wrong concept.
By chance I met a young man at a friend’s home. His name was Ndavu. He gave me exact quotations from Bible to support our point of view. It was amazing that Ndavu knew these verses by heart. I had read King James Version of Bible from Genesis to Revelations. After reading these quotations I realized that I did not understand Bible. I gave some verses to my team mates. They were quite happy. My team won the debate.
The topic of the second debate was ‘Jesus-is he son of God?’ My team opposed the above proposition. I again met Ndavu and he gave me exact quotations the next day. We won this debate too.
The topic of the third debate was ‘Authenticity of Bible’. My team was to prove that it was not authentic since there were many contradictions in it. Ndavu helped me again and we won the third debate as well. The congregation took the debates casually or considered them as just an intellectual exercise.
I became aware of many contradictions in King James Version of Bible. There were also many contradictions between English Bible and the translation of Bible in Lesotho language. This shook my faith.
I asked Ndavu, “What church you go to?” He said, “I do not go to any church since the Priest do not teach truth and they do not quote some verses.” He asked me, “What is your belief in godship?” I told him, “I believe in godship as mentioned in the first commandment of Moses. For example in Mark 12:28-30 says ‘The first commandment reads: Hear O Israel, the Lord of thy God is One Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord, thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.’”
When he understood my point of view about godship he talked to some of his friends about me.
A Strange Visitor
One Saturday in March 1996 a young man came to my relative’s home. He was wearing white clothes and white cap. I saw an African for the first time dressed like some Indians. The young man said, “I have come to see you, my Muslim brother.” I said, “I am not a Muslim because I know nothing about Islam except that Islam is the religion of Indians.” He insisted, “I am informed that you are a Muslim.” I offered him a chair to sit so that we could relax and chat. It was easy to talk to him since he spoke my local language. I sent my niece to buy him soft drink. He refused to use the glass which we were using. He preferred to drink from the bottle directly. I asked him, “Why did you refuse to use our glass?” He said, “I suspected that the glass might have been used for drinking alcohol.” He was right. I sent my niece to buy new glasses since I also hated alcohol, which I quitted in 1988.
He asked me, “How do I believe in God?” I said, “I believe in God as a Creator, as the only one to be worshiped, as one who does not have wife and does not need food or drinks for His survival. He does not have parents. All this is given in Bible.”
He asked me about Trinity. I told him, “Among the things which my father taught me were God is one and He is not to be compared to any one. I believe my father more than anybody else. I think Father, Son and Holy Ghost in Trinity are contradicting each other.” This young man said, “This is Islam.” I was shocked since my concept of Islam was that it was the religion of Indians only.
The young man added, “If we check in the Bible, the teaching of Christ are Islamic. The contradictions in the teaching of the church and the teaching of Christ are due to Paul who gave many rules and laws in his epistles (or letters).” I believed the young man. He asked me, “Do you want to be a Muslim or learn about Islam?” I said, “Yes, indeed.” He said, “I have a friend who is his teacher and he knows better about Islam.” I said, “I would like to meet him.” We both proceeded to visit his friend since it was just thirty minutes walk from my house.
Islamic Pledge
I saw this man teaching to a group of students in English. I listened to his lecture with great interest. They stopped after about one hour and then prayed. I sat there and watched them. After prayer the students went to their homes. I, the teacher and my visitor were left alone. We introduced ourselves. Teacher’s name was Abdur Rahman. My visitor’s name was Haroon. Sheikh Abdur Rhaman explained to me the meaning of Shahada. When I learnt the meaning of Shahada in English I started believing in it from my heart. Sheikh said to me, “You can go home and think about it. You may attend the lectures as and when you like.” I told him, “I now understand Shahada and hence I want to become a Muslim.” He told me, “Do not take a hasty decision.” I said to him, “What you and Haroon have told me about Islam is the same what my father told me about true Christianity. Hence I want to take the Islamic pledge.” At this time I recited Shahada and thanks God, became a Muslim. Sheikh taught me how to do wadhu or ablution. He advised me to go home, take a bath and return here at 4 P.M. to make Islamic pledge in front of the congregation. I chose my Islamic name Abdullah Sesinyi.
Sheikh taught me daily from Asr to Maghreb for two weeks. After this he left for overseas for his advanced education. I only learnt Surah Fatiha in English, which I continued reciting in my prayers for about one year. It was very hard to find a teacher in this area.
One day I was window shopping and I came across an Indian young man who ran a ready-made garments shop there. I asked him, “Are you a Muslim?” He proudly said, “Yes.” I told him, “I am a Muslim too.” I wanted some information from him about Islam. He said, “I have very poor knowledge of Islam.” I asked him, “Is there any mosque in this area?” He said, “There was one but you can offer Dhuhar salat with me in my shop.” He also invited me to ride with him for Jumah salat every week. I followed this routine for a year.
My First Eid
So far I did not know anything about fasting and Eid. One day Haroon called me and informed me about Eid Salat next morning. I attended the Eid Salat and Eid festival. I met many African Muslims and Muslims from my tribe. I also met Ndavu there and first time learnt that he had embraced Islam too. His Muslim name was Bilal. I asked Bilal, “How did you learn those quotations from Bible to help me in my debates.” He said, “Those quotations are written in the two books of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat.” He presented me these two books and an English translation of Holy Quran by Abdullah Yousuf Ali. This was my first Islamic social event. I found every body extremely happy and they were very nice to me. After Dhuhar Salat, we went back to our residences. I finished college in July 1997 and went back to Lesotho.
Elementary Islamic Education
I knew that my neighbor in my village used to write Arabic. I asked him, “Are you a Muslim?” He said, “Yes”. He added, “Unfortunately I am not practicing Islam.” He informed me about Thabong Mosque in the capital. One morning we both walked twenty kilometers to visit this mosque for Islamic education. The mosque had weekend Islamic school. I and my neighbor, Basheer, attended this school since the mosque arranged for our transportation. With the guidance and recommendation of my teacher, Mr.Mahmood, I was accepted in a full time residential school called Assalam Educational Institute in Braemar, which is about 150 kilometers from Durban. I attended this institute for eight months and then returned home. The Deputy Principal gave me a copy of the Noble Quran, an English translation by Dr. Mohsin Ali.
Propagation of Islam
I started selling clothes for my living and preached Islam in cooperation with my neighbor, Basheer. By the Grace of Allah in one year twelve families embraced Islam through our humble efforts.
I and Basheer requested our radio station to allocate some time to us for the introduction of Islam. The government radio permitted representatives of Muslim, Christian and Bahai faiths to make a brief presentation on radio. It was followed by telephonic calls from the listeners and all the three religions could defend their points of view.
Lesotho T.V invited me and Basheer to give a presentation to people about Eid-ul-Fitr. It was well accepted by all the Muslims and many Christians became anxious to know more about Islam. Meanwhile, Abdul Karim, a Tunisian brother, bought time in one private radio station, called Joy F.M. Voice of America, in our capital. He invited me and another brother, Rafiq, to offer weekly program in it about Islam. We ran this program for about one year.
A Saudi delegation visited our capital. With the guidance and help of brothers Mahmood and Abdul Karim, I applied for the admission to Islamic University Madina Munawwara in 1999. Nothing was heard for a year and a half. I started working for a road construction company away from my home. My supervisor made life miserable for me due to my Islamic thinking. Abdul Karim advised me to fast and recite more Quran so that Allah may remove my difficulties. I started fasting Mondays and Thursdays and recited more and more Quran.
I also started a class for about one hundred prisoners every Sunday afternoon with the permission of the officials. The prisoners managed to expel their priest from the Assembly of God since he did not permit them to ask any questions. I taught there for three months and then I had to move away from that area.
I was excited to find an acceptance letter from Islamic University of Madina Munawwara in July 2001. Thanks God, I joined this university in September 2001. Here I am supposed to learn Arabic for two years before proceeding to my formal Islamic education in this university.
I am very happy in Madina Munawwara . A few of my relatives have embraced Islam through my preaching. May Allah accept these humble efforts of mine and strengthen my faith and practice.
My Appeal
As I review the events of my life I conclude that the facilities for the Islamic education in African countries are very minimal. The quality of education is also very poor. Hence the rate of progress in preaching is awfully slow. It disheartens many new Muslims. It is very hard to find qualified and sincere teachers of Islam.
Therefore I appeal to parents to make at least one of their bright children a teacher. Only teachers can change the fate of a nation. I also appeal to the affluent Muslims to establish more Islamic Institutions wherever they can, and run them professionally. This is, indeed, the best investment and the reward is tremendous. May Allah (swt) guide us to His straight path. Ameen
Janet Rose (A Canadian Teacher)
Janet was born in Edmonton City, Canada where her family has been residing for several generations.She described her brief story to me as follows:
My family belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, so I was educated in a Roman Catholic institution. In Catholicism I often wondered how Jesus could be the son of God. The more I looked into it, the more I got confused. Nobody had a clear-cut answer to this question. Ironically, the responder was more confused than the questioner.
Shortly after finishing high school, I met Mr. Khaled, a Pakistan citizen, in Edmonton. Since there was a Canadian law that permitted marriages for immigration purposes, Mr. Khaled married me in order to become a Canadian citizen. After a few years of marriage, I became an expectant mother. I wanted to decide about the continuity of our marriage before the coming of the child.
My husband was highly educated and had exquisite manners. I was surprised that he never compelled me to embrace Islam. He rather gave me total freedom to raise the coming child as a Christian or as a Muslim. Khaled’s open-mindedness and exemplary behavior encouraged me to educate myself about Islam. From these studies I noticed that Islam was very similar to Christianity. Above all, I learned that Jesus(pbuh) was not the son of God. He was a prominent prophet of God. This solved the riddle of my life.
My family belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, so I was educated in a Roman Catholic institution. In Catholicism I often wondered how Jesus could be the son of God. The more I looked into it, the more I got confused. Nobody had a clear-cut answer to this question. Ironically, the responder was more confused than the questioner.
Shortly after finishing high school, I met Mr. Khaled, a Pakistan citizen, in Edmonton. Since there was a Canadian law that permitted marriages for immigration purposes, Mr. Khaled married me in order to become a Canadian citizen. After a few years of marriage, I became an expectant mother. I wanted to decide about the continuity of our marriage before the coming of the child.
My husband was highly educated and had exquisite manners. I was surprised that he never compelled me to embrace Islam. He rather gave me total freedom to raise the coming child as a Christian or as a Muslim. Khaled’s open-mindedness and exemplary behavior encouraged me to educate myself about Islam. From these studies I noticed that Islam was very similar to Christianity. Above all, I learned that Jesus(pbuh) was not the son of God. He was a prominent prophet of God. This solved the riddle of my life.
Ibrahim Sulieman (A Nigerian Student of Religion)
Every religion tries to convince individuals about its truth and superiority. Such activities are going on in many countries. Conversion from one religion to another is a big decision for an individual. In many societies the decision of the head of the family affects many of his generations. Many people follow a religion merely out of respect for their parents and ancestors. Social and cultural bonds are very strong and it is generally considered rude and impolite to break or weaken such bonds. These forces are so strong that even many intelligent people dare not explore and compare other religions with an open mind. Such prejudices haunt and occupy their minds. Yet, they claim that they do not hold any form of prejudice against other religions. This feeling keeps them at ease, even if they hold prejudice against their inner conscience. The Creator, however, definitely shows the true path to those who do not exercise prejudice when they seek the truth. An abundance of God’s Mercy is showered on such individuals. The story of Ibrahim is a good illustration of this point. Ibrahim described his story to me as follows.
I was born and raised in Nigeria. My grandfather was a Muslim. His name was Sulieman. He had three sons. One of his sons became a Christian at the age of twelve through the activities of Christian missionaries. He eventually married a young Muslim lady who he converted to Christianity. Both of them worked in a high school in Kano. He was in the Library Science Department, while she was a caterer at this school. They had a large family. I was the youngest in the family. My mother died about a week after my birth. We were altogether six brothers and one sister. We were Christians following the religion of my father. Our grandfather had, however, given all of us Muslim names. My Muslim name was Ibrahim, which I liked very much. Whenever my grandfather visited us, my father behaved like a non-practicing Muslim. We also had tribal names. We were commonly known by these names.
Under the direct influence of my father all the members of the family practiced Christianity, although we were living in a community dominated by Muslims. We followed our father’s thinking and dared not cross the line. Most of my brothers and my sister married into Christian families. Interestingly, one of my older brothers wished to marry a Muslim girl. He was told that a Muslim girl is not allowed to marry a non-Muslim. He, therefore, embraced Islam. He is a non-practicing Muslim and has never talked to any of his brothers or sister about Islam.
I was studying in the high school where my parents worked. A Saudi delegate used to visit our town every year for a conference. My father found a job for me there. He wanted me to support the delegate in every possible way during the conference. I did not know a word of Arabic. I did not understand what they presented in the conference. I, however, served them diligently through the instruction of a translator. They were satisfied with my services. This delegate visited Kano the next year. Once again, he asked me to be of assistance at this yearly conference. We developed a mutual sense of appreciation for each other. Sheikh Fahd, an organizer of the conference, asked me, “Are you a Muslim?” I said, “No, I am a Christian.” He explained the basics of Islam to me during his stay in Kano. Upon departure, he asked me, “Do you believe that Islam is the truth?” I said, “Yes.”
Then, he inquired, “Do you want to become a Muslim?” I told him, “I shall first get permission from my father.”
I was born and raised in Nigeria. My grandfather was a Muslim. His name was Sulieman. He had three sons. One of his sons became a Christian at the age of twelve through the activities of Christian missionaries. He eventually married a young Muslim lady who he converted to Christianity. Both of them worked in a high school in Kano. He was in the Library Science Department, while she was a caterer at this school. They had a large family. I was the youngest in the family. My mother died about a week after my birth. We were altogether six brothers and one sister. We were Christians following the religion of my father. Our grandfather had, however, given all of us Muslim names. My Muslim name was Ibrahim, which I liked very much. Whenever my grandfather visited us, my father behaved like a non-practicing Muslim. We also had tribal names. We were commonly known by these names.
Under the direct influence of my father all the members of the family practiced Christianity, although we were living in a community dominated by Muslims. We followed our father’s thinking and dared not cross the line. Most of my brothers and my sister married into Christian families. Interestingly, one of my older brothers wished to marry a Muslim girl. He was told that a Muslim girl is not allowed to marry a non-Muslim. He, therefore, embraced Islam. He is a non-practicing Muslim and has never talked to any of his brothers or sister about Islam.
I was studying in the high school where my parents worked. A Saudi delegate used to visit our town every year for a conference. My father found a job for me there. He wanted me to support the delegate in every possible way during the conference. I did not know a word of Arabic. I did not understand what they presented in the conference. I, however, served them diligently through the instruction of a translator. They were satisfied with my services. This delegate visited Kano the next year. Once again, he asked me to be of assistance at this yearly conference. We developed a mutual sense of appreciation for each other. Sheikh Fahd, an organizer of the conference, asked me, “Are you a Muslim?” I said, “No, I am a Christian.” He explained the basics of Islam to me during his stay in Kano. Upon departure, he asked me, “Do you believe that Islam is the truth?” I said, “Yes.”
Then, he inquired, “Do you want to become a Muslim?” I told him, “I shall first get permission from my father.”
Joe Paul Echon (A Filipino Computer Engineer)
Many people came to Saudi Arabia primarily for financial gains. There was, however, something else in store for them. Joe Paul Echon was one of them. His story is full of cultural and spiritual conflicts and their step-by-step solutions. Intelligence, hard work and sincerity of purpose always lead to enviable triumphs. The road to success is very long. More hard work brings about more firm faith and lasting success. Exploration and sound knowledge produce sound results. Ignorance and guesswork leads to a very fragile foundation. In fact, seeking knowledge with an open mind wins half the battle of life. The other half is won through courage and honest commitment to the call of one's conscious.
Joe belonged to a very strict religious family. He participated in church activities from childhood and was always proud of it. He described his Christian training and background as follows.
Christian Background
I was born in a Roman Catholic family and we attended church services very regularly. As an elementary school student, I was the volunteer child who cleaned the chapel. I was also the assistant to the priest during the communion. As a high school student, I was a choir member who played the guitar and sometimes the piano. I was also a member of the Legion of Mary, which is a group that discusses how to love and worship Mary. We had different statues of Mary; for example, Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Immaculate Conception, etc.
During religious gatherings, our priest used to read the Bible and we simply listened to it. I always wondered why we were not allowed to participate in reading the Bible.
First Major Change in My Life
As a college student, there was a big change in my life with regard to religion. One of my classmates invited me to a non-sectarian group for observation of their activities. It was not easy for me to understand what they were doing and what they were preaching. In my church the priest held the Bible and read it to us. In this Protestant Christian group every member had a Bible in his hand to read. To my surprise, the Bible stressed over and over again not to worship any statue or idol. This was a major lesson for me. I, therefore, switched from being a Roman Catholic to being a Protestant Christian to avoid worshipping any statue. I was the first Protestant Christian in my family. My family also started exploring the teachings of Protestant Christianity and they readily accepted them. We were very active in this church. I started my formal training as a preacher of the Bible. In this way I acquired a sound knowledge of the Bible and was like a small pastor or priest.
The Image of Muslims in the Philippines
I had no idea about Islam. During my school life I did not recognize any Muslim child probably because they were not practicing Islam and hence, could not be distinguished from others. I had a few Muslim teachers during my college life, but they were also just Muslims by name only. I did not care for Muslims since the media had painted a very bad picture of them. For example, they are terrorists. If one Muslim committed a crime, the media used to blame all the Muslims. We were told not to cross in front of Muslims because they might kill you. We were also advised not to deal with Muslims since they are bad persons. I must add here that our priests and pastors never said anything about Muslims since they were always busy criticizing other Christian sects.
My Work Experience
After completing a Bachelor's of Science degree in Computer Engineering, I joined a company called Intel in the Philippines. We manufactured chips for computer hardware. After a month I shifted my job to another computer company where most of my schoolmates were working. It provided me with professional growth and valuable experience. After five years, I decided to open my own company in a partnership with four other individuals. The company, however, failed because it was run inefficiently. I was the first to resign and leave this firm.
New Job Hunting
A friend suggested that we should try to find a job in Saudi Arabia in order to get more capital. After a few years we would be able to start our own business. We contacted an agency. It had demands for computer engineers from a Saudi Arabian Bank and the manager happened to be in Manila for recruitment. Shortly thereafter, an interview was arranged for us. We were accepted but the salary was not attractive. I declined the offer. The agency kept calling me again and again. Finally, my friend compelled me to join him in this adventure. Thus, I accepted the offer to show respect to my friend and we went to Saudi Arabia.
My Initial Impression of Saudi Arabia
I did not know Arabic and I didn’t like it because I thought it was not useful for the world. Likewise, I did not want to learn Arabic since all my colleagues spoke good English. Regarding our new job, we maintained the computers and the communication’s network for a bank in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. I lived with a Filipino group in an apartment. The life in Saudi Arabia was very different; it had many social restrictions imposed on us even though we were non-Muslims. Thus, I experienced great stress and felt homesick.
One day I rented a cab in Dammam and agreed to pay fifteen Riyals. The cab driver was well dressed and had a large beard. He changed his mind during the journey and demanded more money from me. At the end of the journey, he again insisted that I pay him more money. It annoyed me. I jumped out of the car and asked him, "Don't you pray five times a day?" He immediately said, "Please give me fifteen Riyals only." I gave him fifteen and he left quietly. I started reflecting on this incident. I concluded that this cab driver must have a good heart. This was my first positive experience. I started thinking that Saudi's are basically very good people. It was like a silver lining in a dark cloud.
Another positive thing that happened was related to food. I never tried Saudi food. One time we were in a remote area to complete a project. We were very hungry. There was no chance to get any Filipino food. I ate kabsa(chicken and rice) for the first time. It was very delicious. I was always looking for places that served kabsa. It developed my taste for other Saudi dishes.
Critical Dialogue
Abdullah Al-Amar was my Saudi supervisor in the bank. He had good English skills since he was trained overseas. He was also very talkative. He started telling me a story. During his speech the word Jesus(pbuh) came out of his mouth. I told him, “Stop, just stop here. Jesus(pbuh) is my God. How come you know about him?"
This was the first time I heard the word Jesus(pbuh) from a Muslim. It shocked me. During my two-year stay in Saudi Arabia nobody ever talked to me about Jesus(pbuh). Since my childhood, I believed that the sun is the god of the Muslims because they worship when the sun rises. Similarly, they worship when the sun sets and they also worship when sun is high up in the sky.
Abdullah paused momentarily. He then started sharing the names of various Prophets with me, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and others. He said, "They are our Prophets as well." I knew the names of these Prophets from the Bible. On hearing this I realized that the Jews, Christians, and Muslims must have some connection.
Investigation of Islam
At this point in time, I started investigating Islam and the religion of Abdullah. I went to Jarir Bookstore in Dammam to buy some books regarding Islam. I started browsing all the bookshelves. I was surprised to see many books on comparative religion, including books on Christianity. The title of one book surprised me a lot. Its title was 'Jesus, not God, son of Mary'. I bought at least five books on comparative religion and went home to study them. The books had many quotations from the Bible. Soon after that, I asked Abdullah, "Is there any Islamic propagation center in this town?" He pointed one out, which happened to be very near to my home. I went there to see and observe. It seemed to be a new Islamic Propagation Center, so I just stopped in for a while and went back home. Al-Khobar City in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia has a very high concentration of Filipinos. Once I went there for window-shopping and learned through a Filipino that there was also an Islamic Center in Khobar. I found this center easily and decided to buy some more books since I had finished the other books. I saw many books on comparative religion in the Islamic Propagation Center that I wanted to buy. The receptionist there told me that these were free for non-Muslims and new Muslims. I insisted to pay for the books. He tried to give me the books as a gift. I again insisted to pay for them. They accepted the money and I walked out of the Center with the new books. I rushed home to investigate their contents. I wanted to discover the twists and tricks they were playing in quoting the Bible in their literature. I had my Bible with me. I hurried to crosscheck the first quote. To my surprise it was correct. I thought it was only to trick me. I compared other quotations one by one. All of them were exactly the same as given in my Bible. This puzzled me. I was still not convinced about Islam. I, however, visited the Propagation Center again. One gentleman invited me to watch a video of Ahmad Deedat. I had decided to be fair in viewing this video. I said to myself that in no way I shall exercise any prejudice. In this video there was a debate between a Muslim scholar and a Christian scholar. Clearly, the Christian scholar failed to defend his faith. After viewing the video, I asked myself, if this famous Christian scholar could not defend his faith, what about me? I am only a follower. At that moment my faith started to collapse. It was as if I had lost a great battle and did not know where to run for help.
There’s No Compulsion in Religion
One day I was playing darts with a Filipino friend who happened to be a Muslim. His name was Radwan Abdus Salam and he was the only Filipino Muslim I knew. I briefly asked him about Islam in a corner while the rest of my friends were busy playing. He did not give me a long lecture. I accompanied him to his home and he gave me an English translation of the Qur'an and a few brochures on comparative religion. My Filipino Muslim friend did not try to persuade me to embrace Islam. I must also add that Brother Abdullah never persuaded me to accept Islam either. Similarly, nobody at the Islamic Propagation Center ever tried to convince me to change my faith. Everybody provided me with the information and left the choice up to my heart and mind. In this way I felt comfortable interacting with Muslims. Had they forced the teachings of Islam on me, I would have been driven away from the Muslims. Nevertheless, I wondered why nobody had ever talked to me about Islam during my first two-year stay in an Islamic country like Saudi Arabia.
The Call of My Conscience
Through extensive study and investigation, three things became very clear to my mind.
(a) Jesus is not God.
(b) The Bible is not in its original form. It is corrupted because of many contradictions. My religion was based on book information. I wondered, if the book is corrupted, how can the religion be correct? If I tried to resolve the contradictions, it would become more complex and confusing. Hence, the religion of Christianity was like a dogma; take it as it is without any ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ about it. This confusion created an internal pressure on my mind.
(c) The statement, 'There is no god worthy of worship except one God' was very simple, straightforward and extremely easy to understand. It removed all the pressure from my mind and I felt like a free man. This ease and comfort enabled me to reflect on it again and again. I was pondering over it in my room and also during long distance drives in my car. I used to listen to various cassettes, which I bought from the Islamic Propagation Center. The idea of the Unity of God was becoming more and more clear to me. An internal force was telling me again and again to make a conscientious decision. The truth was so clear to my mind that I did not care what friends and family members would do to me. All I wanted to know was how to become a Muslim. Therefore, I went to the Aqrabiya Islamic Propagation Center in Khobar to accept Islam. As I entered the center, Islamic lectures were in progress in different rooms and in various languages. I joined the Filipino group. Brother Fareed Oquendo was the lecturer. After his lecture I asked him "How can a person become a Muslim?" He asked me, "Do you want to become a Muslim?" I promptly said, "Yes, indeed." Everybody was surprised since it was my first time to attend an Islamic lecture at this center. Mr. Fareed asked me, "Are you sure you want to accept Islam? Have you read enough about Islam?” I said, “Yes, I have.” I was again surprised that nobody was forcing me or trying to talk me into embracing Islam. I came across a Saudi brother there. He said to me, “Your face is that of a Muslim.” Mr. Fareed gathered the participants of all the lectures and instructed me, “Please repeat what the Saudi brother says in Arabic. It will then be repeated in English announcing that there is no god but One God and Prophet Mohammad(pbuh) is His Messenger. This simple statement makes you a Muslim." After this brief and simple ceremony all the participants made a line and hugged me one by one and congratulated me from the core of their hearts. They were saying loudly over and over, Takbir! Allahu Akbar, i.e., God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest.
When Joe was describing this incident to me, he was crying with happiness. He said, "I never expected anything like this to happen to me. This sweet and peaceful remembrance of the past always touches my heart. All praise is due to Allah, since Satan was not able to scare me away from saying the testimony to become a Muslim because of any bad reactions that might occur from friends or family members.”
Islamic Name
After the shahada or the above pronouncement, Brother Fareed asked me, "What Muslim name would you like to have?" I thought to myself that I would like to have the name of the person who talked to me about Islam during my first visit to this center. This person was very polite, logical and informative. He impressed me by his manners, brief presentation and precise explanations. I did not know his name. I, however, recognized the person I argued with to pay for some books and cassettes. I asked him, "What was the name of that person who talked to me after purchasing the books from you?" He said, "I recall that he was Sheikh Saleh. I told them that Saleh would be my name from now on. The brother instructed me to go home, take a bath and supplicate to Allah to show my gratitude to Him.
My First Salat(Prayer)
I took a bath that evening and had a sound sleep. I went to the mosque for Fajr Prayer the next morning. I was shy to enter the mosque since I did not know what to do. One Sudanese brother passed near me and noticed my hesitation. He said to me, "Come right in. What's stopping you?" I told him, "I became a Muslim last night. I don't know how to pray." He said, "Come in I shall show you." He explained how I should clean myself in the toilet. He also demonstrated how to make ablution. He added, "Just follow us in salat and make a dua'(supplication) at the end." When I made my first sojood(forehead touching the floor while kneeling down), I felt so great that I could never explain that feeling again. I always pray to Allah to give me back my first sojood. Since that day, I've been performing my sala five times a day.
Islamic Education
I started going to the Islamic Propagation Center regularly every evening. I learned the Arabic alphabet and how to read and write Arabic. Gradually, I started reading the Qur'an. The primary goal of my life was to learn how to read the Qur'an correctly and fluently. I also learned the Pillars of Islam and the Pillars of Faith in detail. General lectures were very inspiring. Brother Ahmad Ricalde was our teacher. He made the lectures interesting and fascinating. I did not like to disrupt these educational activities. I, therefore, postponed my vacations to visit parents and my homeland. Among many other things, it was made clear to me that involvement in usury in any form is forbidden in Islam. It is also prohibited to eat any meals upon which any kind of supplication is made to other than Allah. I took all the teachings of Islam very seriously and I tried my best to follow them. I was content and was very proud of my lifestyle. However, my colleagues and housemates did not know about this big change in my life.
A Funny Accident
One day our Supervisor, Mr. Abdullah, assigned a job to us in a remote area. We were supposed to go home, eat lunch and proceed to the site of the project. I slipped away and did wudhu(ablution) to offer the afternoon salat. On the way I ran into Mr. Abdullah. He saw my hands and face wet with water. He asked me, "What is this?" I told him that I did wudhu to offer salat. He asked me, "Are you a Muslim?" I said, "Yes." He was overjoyed. He told me not to go to the project and see him in the office after salat. Mr. Abdullah called his family on the phone to break the news. He took me with him to his home and there was a big celebration with his family. I immediately felt like part of the family.
Reaction of Friends
I was living with five other Filipino friends in a house. Two persons shared every room. I shared a room with my close friend and classmate from college. All of us cooked and ate dinner and lunch together. Two incidents took place during this time.
My friends were celebrating New Year’s Day and so a sumptuous dinner was prepared. I was invited to join in on the dinner. However, I put a condition on my participation. I demanded that they not pray during the dinner. They agreed. I, however, noticed that they prayed before the dinner, as is done in the Christian faith. They broke the promise they made with me. I, therefore, walked out of the dinner.
Another similar incident happened. As I mentioned earlier, we used to eat lunch together. I, however, used to slip away to perform my afternoon prayers and join them a bit late. One day I was later than usual. They finished their lunch. I only saw my roommate there. He asked me jokingly, "Were you praying?" I told him, "You really put me on spot. Yes, I was praying.” He said, "Are you kidding?" I told him, "I am a Muslim.” He spread the word among our Filipino friends. It caused a big change in my friendship with my housemates.
All of them gathered in my room and the first thing they said to me was that I was a backslider. Then they asked me the usual questions one is asked as a new Muslim. What is Islam? How did you find it? Whatever they asked me, I opened the books and shared the answers with them. This was my first experience of talking to others about Islam. They were trying to revert me back to Christianity. I answered their questions nicely and without any annoyance. Finally, one person closed his Bible and said to me, "What are you trying to prove?" I told them, "It is clear that Islam is the true religion. It is also true that Jesus(pbuh) is not God but a messenger of Allah." Consequently, they left since they were disappointed. There was no more discussion among us. They were always going together for their activities. I was left alone. I, therefore, started looking for my Filipino friend, Abdus Salam, but he changed his residence. I discovered his new home through some contacts, so I visited him. Abdus Salam had just returned from Hajj. I said salam(peace) to him. He was surprised. I told him that I embraced Islam and suggested that we share a room to lead an Islamic life. Abdus Salam's roommate was a non-Muslim, so Abdus Salam found a new apartment and we moved there immediately. We were friends and enjoyed our life there. We used to go to the Islamic Propagation Center together for education and advancements. We supported each other as true brothers.
Dream Came True
Our teacher for Quranic recitation at the Propagation Center was Mr. Mohammad, a middle-aged Egyptian brother. This was his volunteer job. He was working full-time as an office boy with a firm to make both ends meet. One day Abdus Salam and I paid him a courtesy visit. We found that he was living in a very tiny room with very deplorable conditions. We also noticed that one wall of his room was full of Quranic cassettes stacked on various shelves. We suggested and requested him to move into our room. There would be no rent or utilities for him. He should, however, promise to teach us Quran. Brother Mohammad eagerly accepted the offer. He was teaching us Quran every day after Fajr. In this way we learned the recitation of the Quran from a professional reciter. Thank God our dream came true.
My Hobbies
I used to play and sing with the guitar since elementary school. I also learned how to play piano when I was in high school. I had my guitar and mouthpiece instrument with me in Saudi Arabia. I had a large collection of music recorded on high-quality cassette tapes. On top of this I was a chain smoker. I voluntarily stopped smoking as soon as I embraced Islam. One day I saw one person smoking at my job. My tongue curled inside my mouth and tempted me to taste a cigarette. I, however, did not touch one for fear of Almighty Allah. I sold my guitar and cassette tapes for petty coins, since I wanted to get rid of these as fast as I could. One person pointed to my mouthpiece instrument. I told him that he could have it free. Now I had more time to devote to my Islamic growth.
First Visit to Parents
I was planning to visit the Philippines during my vacation. Abdus Salam informed me that his wife and daughters had accepted Islam and that I should visit his family during my stay in the Philippines to impart some Islamic education to his family. When I arrived to Manila, my parents received me. Christian priests had taught us to put the hand of each parent on our foreheads to show respect to them. I did not do it when I met my parents at the airport. Alternately, I kissed their foreheads. They were surprised. We, however, drove home in high spirits.
My father was a former military man and always wore a serious face. He was somewhat reserved in his disposition. My mother was a college graduate and worked as a teacher. It was usually easier to talk to my mother. I said to my mother, "I am a Muslim and I shall not eat pork." It was a big surprise for my parents. They told me that they had especially bought pork ribs for me. Pork ribs are considered a great delicacy in the Philippines.
It would not be inappropriate if the writer described one of his experiences with pork ribs. I was a mathematics teacher in America and my students used to ask me the difference between Islam and Christianity. I told them, "Apart from other things, Muslims do not eat pork." One of my students said, "Mr. Ahmad, you don't know what you’re missing. Pork barbecue ribs are finger-licking good." After this remark, all of them laughed boisterously and kept saying, "Mr. Ahmad doesn't know what he is missing."
Saleh's faith was very strong. He flatly declined pork and pork products. Saleh said to me, "My parents had no other choice but to give me halal(Islamically permissible) food."
During my stay in the Philippines I tried to impart Islamic teachings to my parents and other relatives. I was very aggressive and wanted them to see the truth very quickly. It created a lot of arguments and the climate in my house remained tense throughout my stay there. I was an inexperienced preacher and wished to have quick results. I realize now that my approach was wrong. I really feel sorry about it since I put them through much aggravation due to my faulty approach. Furthermore, the success of guidance is according to the Will of Allah and not the preacher. Thus, the preacher should not be upset.
I did visit Abdus Salam's family and shared with them what little I knew. On my return to Saudi Arabia I advised Abdus Salam to relocate his family near the Islamic Propagation center in Cavite City near Manila. In this way his family would be able to receive Islamic teachings and it would be easier for them to practice Islam in an Islamic environment. Abdus Salam liked the idea and moved his family near this center.
Second Visit to the Philippines
The next year Abdus Salam and I went to the Philippines at the same time. I was very happy to see that his family had acquired a lot of Islamic education. This time I noticed that his wife and daughters were wearing the Islamic veil and displayed a great deal of advancement in practicing Islamic teachings. So much so that Abdus Salam asked me to marry his daughter. I told him that I would give him an answer soon. Unfortunately, the environment in my house was so tense that I could not return to brother Abdus Salam's house in time. He left for Saudi Arabia. I told his wife, "I accept the proposal but give me one year." I called Abdus Salam in Madina Munawwara, Saudi Arabia and explained to him the reason of my inability to see him before his departure from the Philippines. I also told him that I accepted the proposal and, God willing, the marriage would take place next year.
Dialogue with Pastors
My mom was trying her best to revert me to Christianity. She invited a pastor to our home and I had a lengthy dialogue with him. He failed to convince me.
My mom invited another pastor and sat with us to hear the arguments. My father was watering plants nearby and simultaneously listened to our dialogue with a keen ear. I gave answers to the pastor from my books on comparative religion. He had no sound argument. He left saying that he would bring a senior pastor with him. I told him, " I am waiting anxiously for your visit.” They never returned. My father walked up to my mother and said, “Your son has more knowledge than your pastor." I told my father politely, “Perhaps he needs to collect his facts and figures together." I said this to not hurt her feelings since he was her pastor and teacher of religion.
Priority of My Life
The priority of my life at this time was not marriage. My first goal was to quit my job with the bank. I sought advice from many scholars. I appreciated their excellent counseling. They said, "Make the sincere intention for a change to a more suitable job, but don't quit the present job now. In that case, you would have to leave the country and we would lose you. Look for a new job and make the change as soon as possible." I looked for advertisements in the Arab News. There was a job for a Fax operator. I went for the interview. The interviewer asked me why I left the present job since it offered me much more salary. I told him that it was a personal reason. He told me that I was over qualified for this job and so he rejected me.
Another company was hiring support engineers. The salary was again less than my present salary. I went for an interview and told them that I shall not argue about salary. I just need a change for a personal reason. I was accepted and moved to this new company. It was a great blessing in disguise since I started working as a maintenance engineer in one of the most holy places on earth, the Prophet's Mosque in Madina, Saudi Arabia.
Islamic Marriage
After one year Abdus Salam and I went to the Philippines together and the marriage took place. I explained to my parents and other relatives that it would be an Islamic marriage. They agreed to take part in it. The formal marriage ceremony took only five minutes. After that, I told my parents that is it. My grandmother said very loudly, "I have not yet seen the bride and the bridegroom together as in a Christian marriage." My mother pacified her stating that it was an Islamic marriage. My parents became much more understanding. I was still in the Philippines during a few days of Ramadhan. My mother was cooking food for me to break my fast.
After my vacation I left for Madina and my wife joined me there. Allah has blessed us with two daughters, Safa and Marwa.
At present, I have a full-time job and I attend the Islamic Propagation Center in Madinah as a volunteer to help new Muslims. May Allah accept my humble contribution and strengthen my iman(faith) and make, my wife, children and me God fearing.
Joe belonged to a very strict religious family. He participated in church activities from childhood and was always proud of it. He described his Christian training and background as follows.
Christian Background
I was born in a Roman Catholic family and we attended church services very regularly. As an elementary school student, I was the volunteer child who cleaned the chapel. I was also the assistant to the priest during the communion. As a high school student, I was a choir member who played the guitar and sometimes the piano. I was also a member of the Legion of Mary, which is a group that discusses how to love and worship Mary. We had different statues of Mary; for example, Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Immaculate Conception, etc.
During religious gatherings, our priest used to read the Bible and we simply listened to it. I always wondered why we were not allowed to participate in reading the Bible.
First Major Change in My Life
As a college student, there was a big change in my life with regard to religion. One of my classmates invited me to a non-sectarian group for observation of their activities. It was not easy for me to understand what they were doing and what they were preaching. In my church the priest held the Bible and read it to us. In this Protestant Christian group every member had a Bible in his hand to read. To my surprise, the Bible stressed over and over again not to worship any statue or idol. This was a major lesson for me. I, therefore, switched from being a Roman Catholic to being a Protestant Christian to avoid worshipping any statue. I was the first Protestant Christian in my family. My family also started exploring the teachings of Protestant Christianity and they readily accepted them. We were very active in this church. I started my formal training as a preacher of the Bible. In this way I acquired a sound knowledge of the Bible and was like a small pastor or priest.
The Image of Muslims in the Philippines
I had no idea about Islam. During my school life I did not recognize any Muslim child probably because they were not practicing Islam and hence, could not be distinguished from others. I had a few Muslim teachers during my college life, but they were also just Muslims by name only. I did not care for Muslims since the media had painted a very bad picture of them. For example, they are terrorists. If one Muslim committed a crime, the media used to blame all the Muslims. We were told not to cross in front of Muslims because they might kill you. We were also advised not to deal with Muslims since they are bad persons. I must add here that our priests and pastors never said anything about Muslims since they were always busy criticizing other Christian sects.
My Work Experience
After completing a Bachelor's of Science degree in Computer Engineering, I joined a company called Intel in the Philippines. We manufactured chips for computer hardware. After a month I shifted my job to another computer company where most of my schoolmates were working. It provided me with professional growth and valuable experience. After five years, I decided to open my own company in a partnership with four other individuals. The company, however, failed because it was run inefficiently. I was the first to resign and leave this firm.
New Job Hunting
A friend suggested that we should try to find a job in Saudi Arabia in order to get more capital. After a few years we would be able to start our own business. We contacted an agency. It had demands for computer engineers from a Saudi Arabian Bank and the manager happened to be in Manila for recruitment. Shortly thereafter, an interview was arranged for us. We were accepted but the salary was not attractive. I declined the offer. The agency kept calling me again and again. Finally, my friend compelled me to join him in this adventure. Thus, I accepted the offer to show respect to my friend and we went to Saudi Arabia.
My Initial Impression of Saudi Arabia
I did not know Arabic and I didn’t like it because I thought it was not useful for the world. Likewise, I did not want to learn Arabic since all my colleagues spoke good English. Regarding our new job, we maintained the computers and the communication’s network for a bank in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. I lived with a Filipino group in an apartment. The life in Saudi Arabia was very different; it had many social restrictions imposed on us even though we were non-Muslims. Thus, I experienced great stress and felt homesick.
One day I rented a cab in Dammam and agreed to pay fifteen Riyals. The cab driver was well dressed and had a large beard. He changed his mind during the journey and demanded more money from me. At the end of the journey, he again insisted that I pay him more money. It annoyed me. I jumped out of the car and asked him, "Don't you pray five times a day?" He immediately said, "Please give me fifteen Riyals only." I gave him fifteen and he left quietly. I started reflecting on this incident. I concluded that this cab driver must have a good heart. This was my first positive experience. I started thinking that Saudi's are basically very good people. It was like a silver lining in a dark cloud.
Another positive thing that happened was related to food. I never tried Saudi food. One time we were in a remote area to complete a project. We were very hungry. There was no chance to get any Filipino food. I ate kabsa(chicken and rice) for the first time. It was very delicious. I was always looking for places that served kabsa. It developed my taste for other Saudi dishes.
Critical Dialogue
Abdullah Al-Amar was my Saudi supervisor in the bank. He had good English skills since he was trained overseas. He was also very talkative. He started telling me a story. During his speech the word Jesus(pbuh) came out of his mouth. I told him, “Stop, just stop here. Jesus(pbuh) is my God. How come you know about him?"
This was the first time I heard the word Jesus(pbuh) from a Muslim. It shocked me. During my two-year stay in Saudi Arabia nobody ever talked to me about Jesus(pbuh). Since my childhood, I believed that the sun is the god of the Muslims because they worship when the sun rises. Similarly, they worship when the sun sets and they also worship when sun is high up in the sky.
Abdullah paused momentarily. He then started sharing the names of various Prophets with me, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and others. He said, "They are our Prophets as well." I knew the names of these Prophets from the Bible. On hearing this I realized that the Jews, Christians, and Muslims must have some connection.
Investigation of Islam
At this point in time, I started investigating Islam and the religion of Abdullah. I went to Jarir Bookstore in Dammam to buy some books regarding Islam. I started browsing all the bookshelves. I was surprised to see many books on comparative religion, including books on Christianity. The title of one book surprised me a lot. Its title was 'Jesus, not God, son of Mary'. I bought at least five books on comparative religion and went home to study them. The books had many quotations from the Bible. Soon after that, I asked Abdullah, "Is there any Islamic propagation center in this town?" He pointed one out, which happened to be very near to my home. I went there to see and observe. It seemed to be a new Islamic Propagation Center, so I just stopped in for a while and went back home. Al-Khobar City in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia has a very high concentration of Filipinos. Once I went there for window-shopping and learned through a Filipino that there was also an Islamic Center in Khobar. I found this center easily and decided to buy some more books since I had finished the other books. I saw many books on comparative religion in the Islamic Propagation Center that I wanted to buy. The receptionist there told me that these were free for non-Muslims and new Muslims. I insisted to pay for the books. He tried to give me the books as a gift. I again insisted to pay for them. They accepted the money and I walked out of the Center with the new books. I rushed home to investigate their contents. I wanted to discover the twists and tricks they were playing in quoting the Bible in their literature. I had my Bible with me. I hurried to crosscheck the first quote. To my surprise it was correct. I thought it was only to trick me. I compared other quotations one by one. All of them were exactly the same as given in my Bible. This puzzled me. I was still not convinced about Islam. I, however, visited the Propagation Center again. One gentleman invited me to watch a video of Ahmad Deedat. I had decided to be fair in viewing this video. I said to myself that in no way I shall exercise any prejudice. In this video there was a debate between a Muslim scholar and a Christian scholar. Clearly, the Christian scholar failed to defend his faith. After viewing the video, I asked myself, if this famous Christian scholar could not defend his faith, what about me? I am only a follower. At that moment my faith started to collapse. It was as if I had lost a great battle and did not know where to run for help.
There’s No Compulsion in Religion
One day I was playing darts with a Filipino friend who happened to be a Muslim. His name was Radwan Abdus Salam and he was the only Filipino Muslim I knew. I briefly asked him about Islam in a corner while the rest of my friends were busy playing. He did not give me a long lecture. I accompanied him to his home and he gave me an English translation of the Qur'an and a few brochures on comparative religion. My Filipino Muslim friend did not try to persuade me to embrace Islam. I must also add that Brother Abdullah never persuaded me to accept Islam either. Similarly, nobody at the Islamic Propagation Center ever tried to convince me to change my faith. Everybody provided me with the information and left the choice up to my heart and mind. In this way I felt comfortable interacting with Muslims. Had they forced the teachings of Islam on me, I would have been driven away from the Muslims. Nevertheless, I wondered why nobody had ever talked to me about Islam during my first two-year stay in an Islamic country like Saudi Arabia.
The Call of My Conscience
Through extensive study and investigation, three things became very clear to my mind.
(a) Jesus is not God.
(b) The Bible is not in its original form. It is corrupted because of many contradictions. My religion was based on book information. I wondered, if the book is corrupted, how can the religion be correct? If I tried to resolve the contradictions, it would become more complex and confusing. Hence, the religion of Christianity was like a dogma; take it as it is without any ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ about it. This confusion created an internal pressure on my mind.
(c) The statement, 'There is no god worthy of worship except one God' was very simple, straightforward and extremely easy to understand. It removed all the pressure from my mind and I felt like a free man. This ease and comfort enabled me to reflect on it again and again. I was pondering over it in my room and also during long distance drives in my car. I used to listen to various cassettes, which I bought from the Islamic Propagation Center. The idea of the Unity of God was becoming more and more clear to me. An internal force was telling me again and again to make a conscientious decision. The truth was so clear to my mind that I did not care what friends and family members would do to me. All I wanted to know was how to become a Muslim. Therefore, I went to the Aqrabiya Islamic Propagation Center in Khobar to accept Islam. As I entered the center, Islamic lectures were in progress in different rooms and in various languages. I joined the Filipino group. Brother Fareed Oquendo was the lecturer. After his lecture I asked him "How can a person become a Muslim?" He asked me, "Do you want to become a Muslim?" I promptly said, "Yes, indeed." Everybody was surprised since it was my first time to attend an Islamic lecture at this center. Mr. Fareed asked me, "Are you sure you want to accept Islam? Have you read enough about Islam?” I said, “Yes, I have.” I was again surprised that nobody was forcing me or trying to talk me into embracing Islam. I came across a Saudi brother there. He said to me, “Your face is that of a Muslim.” Mr. Fareed gathered the participants of all the lectures and instructed me, “Please repeat what the Saudi brother says in Arabic. It will then be repeated in English announcing that there is no god but One God and Prophet Mohammad(pbuh) is His Messenger. This simple statement makes you a Muslim." After this brief and simple ceremony all the participants made a line and hugged me one by one and congratulated me from the core of their hearts. They were saying loudly over and over, Takbir! Allahu Akbar, i.e., God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest.
When Joe was describing this incident to me, he was crying with happiness. He said, "I never expected anything like this to happen to me. This sweet and peaceful remembrance of the past always touches my heart. All praise is due to Allah, since Satan was not able to scare me away from saying the testimony to become a Muslim because of any bad reactions that might occur from friends or family members.”
Islamic Name
After the shahada or the above pronouncement, Brother Fareed asked me, "What Muslim name would you like to have?" I thought to myself that I would like to have the name of the person who talked to me about Islam during my first visit to this center. This person was very polite, logical and informative. He impressed me by his manners, brief presentation and precise explanations. I did not know his name. I, however, recognized the person I argued with to pay for some books and cassettes. I asked him, "What was the name of that person who talked to me after purchasing the books from you?" He said, "I recall that he was Sheikh Saleh. I told them that Saleh would be my name from now on. The brother instructed me to go home, take a bath and supplicate to Allah to show my gratitude to Him.
My First Salat(Prayer)
I took a bath that evening and had a sound sleep. I went to the mosque for Fajr Prayer the next morning. I was shy to enter the mosque since I did not know what to do. One Sudanese brother passed near me and noticed my hesitation. He said to me, "Come right in. What's stopping you?" I told him, "I became a Muslim last night. I don't know how to pray." He said, "Come in I shall show you." He explained how I should clean myself in the toilet. He also demonstrated how to make ablution. He added, "Just follow us in salat and make a dua'(supplication) at the end." When I made my first sojood(forehead touching the floor while kneeling down), I felt so great that I could never explain that feeling again. I always pray to Allah to give me back my first sojood. Since that day, I've been performing my sala five times a day.
Islamic Education
I started going to the Islamic Propagation Center regularly every evening. I learned the Arabic alphabet and how to read and write Arabic. Gradually, I started reading the Qur'an. The primary goal of my life was to learn how to read the Qur'an correctly and fluently. I also learned the Pillars of Islam and the Pillars of Faith in detail. General lectures were very inspiring. Brother Ahmad Ricalde was our teacher. He made the lectures interesting and fascinating. I did not like to disrupt these educational activities. I, therefore, postponed my vacations to visit parents and my homeland. Among many other things, it was made clear to me that involvement in usury in any form is forbidden in Islam. It is also prohibited to eat any meals upon which any kind of supplication is made to other than Allah. I took all the teachings of Islam very seriously and I tried my best to follow them. I was content and was very proud of my lifestyle. However, my colleagues and housemates did not know about this big change in my life.
A Funny Accident
One day our Supervisor, Mr. Abdullah, assigned a job to us in a remote area. We were supposed to go home, eat lunch and proceed to the site of the project. I slipped away and did wudhu(ablution) to offer the afternoon salat. On the way I ran into Mr. Abdullah. He saw my hands and face wet with water. He asked me, "What is this?" I told him that I did wudhu to offer salat. He asked me, "Are you a Muslim?" I said, "Yes." He was overjoyed. He told me not to go to the project and see him in the office after salat. Mr. Abdullah called his family on the phone to break the news. He took me with him to his home and there was a big celebration with his family. I immediately felt like part of the family.
Reaction of Friends
I was living with five other Filipino friends in a house. Two persons shared every room. I shared a room with my close friend and classmate from college. All of us cooked and ate dinner and lunch together. Two incidents took place during this time.
My friends were celebrating New Year’s Day and so a sumptuous dinner was prepared. I was invited to join in on the dinner. However, I put a condition on my participation. I demanded that they not pray during the dinner. They agreed. I, however, noticed that they prayed before the dinner, as is done in the Christian faith. They broke the promise they made with me. I, therefore, walked out of the dinner.
Another similar incident happened. As I mentioned earlier, we used to eat lunch together. I, however, used to slip away to perform my afternoon prayers and join them a bit late. One day I was later than usual. They finished their lunch. I only saw my roommate there. He asked me jokingly, "Were you praying?" I told him, "You really put me on spot. Yes, I was praying.” He said, "Are you kidding?" I told him, "I am a Muslim.” He spread the word among our Filipino friends. It caused a big change in my friendship with my housemates.
All of them gathered in my room and the first thing they said to me was that I was a backslider. Then they asked me the usual questions one is asked as a new Muslim. What is Islam? How did you find it? Whatever they asked me, I opened the books and shared the answers with them. This was my first experience of talking to others about Islam. They were trying to revert me back to Christianity. I answered their questions nicely and without any annoyance. Finally, one person closed his Bible and said to me, "What are you trying to prove?" I told them, "It is clear that Islam is the true religion. It is also true that Jesus(pbuh) is not God but a messenger of Allah." Consequently, they left since they were disappointed. There was no more discussion among us. They were always going together for their activities. I was left alone. I, therefore, started looking for my Filipino friend, Abdus Salam, but he changed his residence. I discovered his new home through some contacts, so I visited him. Abdus Salam had just returned from Hajj. I said salam(peace) to him. He was surprised. I told him that I embraced Islam and suggested that we share a room to lead an Islamic life. Abdus Salam's roommate was a non-Muslim, so Abdus Salam found a new apartment and we moved there immediately. We were friends and enjoyed our life there. We used to go to the Islamic Propagation Center together for education and advancements. We supported each other as true brothers.
Dream Came True
Our teacher for Quranic recitation at the Propagation Center was Mr. Mohammad, a middle-aged Egyptian brother. This was his volunteer job. He was working full-time as an office boy with a firm to make both ends meet. One day Abdus Salam and I paid him a courtesy visit. We found that he was living in a very tiny room with very deplorable conditions. We also noticed that one wall of his room was full of Quranic cassettes stacked on various shelves. We suggested and requested him to move into our room. There would be no rent or utilities for him. He should, however, promise to teach us Quran. Brother Mohammad eagerly accepted the offer. He was teaching us Quran every day after Fajr. In this way we learned the recitation of the Quran from a professional reciter. Thank God our dream came true.
My Hobbies
I used to play and sing with the guitar since elementary school. I also learned how to play piano when I was in high school. I had my guitar and mouthpiece instrument with me in Saudi Arabia. I had a large collection of music recorded on high-quality cassette tapes. On top of this I was a chain smoker. I voluntarily stopped smoking as soon as I embraced Islam. One day I saw one person smoking at my job. My tongue curled inside my mouth and tempted me to taste a cigarette. I, however, did not touch one for fear of Almighty Allah. I sold my guitar and cassette tapes for petty coins, since I wanted to get rid of these as fast as I could. One person pointed to my mouthpiece instrument. I told him that he could have it free. Now I had more time to devote to my Islamic growth.
First Visit to Parents
I was planning to visit the Philippines during my vacation. Abdus Salam informed me that his wife and daughters had accepted Islam and that I should visit his family during my stay in the Philippines to impart some Islamic education to his family. When I arrived to Manila, my parents received me. Christian priests had taught us to put the hand of each parent on our foreheads to show respect to them. I did not do it when I met my parents at the airport. Alternately, I kissed their foreheads. They were surprised. We, however, drove home in high spirits.
My father was a former military man and always wore a serious face. He was somewhat reserved in his disposition. My mother was a college graduate and worked as a teacher. It was usually easier to talk to my mother. I said to my mother, "I am a Muslim and I shall not eat pork." It was a big surprise for my parents. They told me that they had especially bought pork ribs for me. Pork ribs are considered a great delicacy in the Philippines.
It would not be inappropriate if the writer described one of his experiences with pork ribs. I was a mathematics teacher in America and my students used to ask me the difference between Islam and Christianity. I told them, "Apart from other things, Muslims do not eat pork." One of my students said, "Mr. Ahmad, you don't know what you’re missing. Pork barbecue ribs are finger-licking good." After this remark, all of them laughed boisterously and kept saying, "Mr. Ahmad doesn't know what he is missing."
Saleh's faith was very strong. He flatly declined pork and pork products. Saleh said to me, "My parents had no other choice but to give me halal(Islamically permissible) food."
During my stay in the Philippines I tried to impart Islamic teachings to my parents and other relatives. I was very aggressive and wanted them to see the truth very quickly. It created a lot of arguments and the climate in my house remained tense throughout my stay there. I was an inexperienced preacher and wished to have quick results. I realize now that my approach was wrong. I really feel sorry about it since I put them through much aggravation due to my faulty approach. Furthermore, the success of guidance is according to the Will of Allah and not the preacher. Thus, the preacher should not be upset.
I did visit Abdus Salam's family and shared with them what little I knew. On my return to Saudi Arabia I advised Abdus Salam to relocate his family near the Islamic Propagation center in Cavite City near Manila. In this way his family would be able to receive Islamic teachings and it would be easier for them to practice Islam in an Islamic environment. Abdus Salam liked the idea and moved his family near this center.
Second Visit to the Philippines
The next year Abdus Salam and I went to the Philippines at the same time. I was very happy to see that his family had acquired a lot of Islamic education. This time I noticed that his wife and daughters were wearing the Islamic veil and displayed a great deal of advancement in practicing Islamic teachings. So much so that Abdus Salam asked me to marry his daughter. I told him that I would give him an answer soon. Unfortunately, the environment in my house was so tense that I could not return to brother Abdus Salam's house in time. He left for Saudi Arabia. I told his wife, "I accept the proposal but give me one year." I called Abdus Salam in Madina Munawwara, Saudi Arabia and explained to him the reason of my inability to see him before his departure from the Philippines. I also told him that I accepted the proposal and, God willing, the marriage would take place next year.
Dialogue with Pastors
My mom was trying her best to revert me to Christianity. She invited a pastor to our home and I had a lengthy dialogue with him. He failed to convince me.
My mom invited another pastor and sat with us to hear the arguments. My father was watering plants nearby and simultaneously listened to our dialogue with a keen ear. I gave answers to the pastor from my books on comparative religion. He had no sound argument. He left saying that he would bring a senior pastor with him. I told him, " I am waiting anxiously for your visit.” They never returned. My father walked up to my mother and said, “Your son has more knowledge than your pastor." I told my father politely, “Perhaps he needs to collect his facts and figures together." I said this to not hurt her feelings since he was her pastor and teacher of religion.
Priority of My Life
The priority of my life at this time was not marriage. My first goal was to quit my job with the bank. I sought advice from many scholars. I appreciated their excellent counseling. They said, "Make the sincere intention for a change to a more suitable job, but don't quit the present job now. In that case, you would have to leave the country and we would lose you. Look for a new job and make the change as soon as possible." I looked for advertisements in the Arab News. There was a job for a Fax operator. I went for the interview. The interviewer asked me why I left the present job since it offered me much more salary. I told him that it was a personal reason. He told me that I was over qualified for this job and so he rejected me.
Another company was hiring support engineers. The salary was again less than my present salary. I went for an interview and told them that I shall not argue about salary. I just need a change for a personal reason. I was accepted and moved to this new company. It was a great blessing in disguise since I started working as a maintenance engineer in one of the most holy places on earth, the Prophet's Mosque in Madina, Saudi Arabia.
Islamic Marriage
After one year Abdus Salam and I went to the Philippines together and the marriage took place. I explained to my parents and other relatives that it would be an Islamic marriage. They agreed to take part in it. The formal marriage ceremony took only five minutes. After that, I told my parents that is it. My grandmother said very loudly, "I have not yet seen the bride and the bridegroom together as in a Christian marriage." My mother pacified her stating that it was an Islamic marriage. My parents became much more understanding. I was still in the Philippines during a few days of Ramadhan. My mother was cooking food for me to break my fast.
After my vacation I left for Madina and my wife joined me there. Allah has blessed us with two daughters, Safa and Marwa.
At present, I have a full-time job and I attend the Islamic Propagation Center in Madinah as a volunteer to help new Muslims. May Allah accept my humble contribution and strengthen my iman(faith) and make, my wife, children and me God fearing.
Donald Flood (An American English Language Instructor)
Every culture has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is well known that American life has a considerable amount of personal freedom. So much so that many parents give a long rope to their children. They generally do not interfere in religious matters and in the personal pursuits of their children. As such, the personal activities of parents and children tend to be mutually accepted and respected. Don was the product of one such liberal home. He related his life story to me as follows.
My Religious Background
My religious background was as a typical American. I was a Christian and occasionally attended church with my family when I was growing up. It appeared that morality was the most important thing in Christianity. My lack of Christian knowledge and practice helped me to keep an open mind for other religions and cultures.
Experience with New Cultures
There is lot of mobility in American life. My father moved from place to place to follow his professional job. Fortunately, we had the chance to live in Latin America for several months when I was a high school student. I encountered a new culture and language there. I fully comprehended that there were other lifestyles in the world, not just the American lifestyle. This experience broadened my mind and outlook. I was, therefore, curious to know more and more about other cultures and languages. I returned back to America with my family and completed my high school in Indiana. Thereafter, I joined the University of Texas in El Paso, which is on the border of Texas and Mexico, as a Business Administration major.
Camping Trip
After a few years of study, I knew that this major
was not for me. I felt I needed something more interesting and cultural. It was during this time that a friend invited me to go with him on a three-month camping trip all over the USA and Western Canada. I cheerfully accepted because I knew this experience in the marvels of nature would be an appropriate setting to reflect upon personal goals and objectives. As a result of this experience, I didn’t arrive at any decisions regarding my academic pursuits, but I did realize that this world could not have been created by mistake, and that it was clearly a wonderland of signs pointing to its Creator. I was, however, not sure how to worship or appreciate our Creator.
Then one day while sunbathing, I suddenly realized that I could combine my interests in business and culture by majoring in Latin American Studies. I went back to the university at the beginning of the next academic year and transferred to this major.
Social Activities
While back in the university, my Hindu friend invited me, along with his Saudi friend, to a church gathering, which included sports activities and a home-cooked meal. As a student, you do take advantage of every opportunity for a home-cooked meal. The dinner was very sumptuous. At the end of the evening something unexpected happened. The leader of the church started singing a song scribbled on the blackboard in Hebrew. He wanted us to repeat it after him. We noticed that our Saudi friend, Abu Hussein, suddenly stood up and asked us to leave the gathering with him. The host tried to persuade us to stay, but we hurriedly left the church. Ironically, this incident made us closer friends. A few weeks later Abu Hussein and I decided to rent a house together, along with a student from Kuwait and one from Iran.
This new living arrangement provided me with a closer interaction with their cultures. I loved their meals and tried to prepare some of them. I noticed that my housemates often liked to eat with their right hand without the use of silverware. They also preferred sitting down on the floor to eat instead of sitting at a table. I did not know why they took a pitcher of water with them to the toilet for cleaning purposes. I also noticed that they offered their guests unparalleled hospitality. Regarding their character, I was impressed with their high level of self-confidence, which seemed to stem from some special kind of certainty about what they were doing and where they were going in life. I understood later that most of these mannerisms were according to the teachings of Islam and not necessarily cultural behavior.
By partially experiencing both the Latin American and Arab cultures, I observed many distinct similarities. Moreover, these findings were confirmed through my university studies on Latin America. I learned this affinity resulted from the 800-year influence of the Islamic civilization on Spain and medieval Europe. Thus, through their historical bond with the Arabs, some Islamic practices continue to be part of the Latin American culture of today.
Overseas Trip
After graduation, my housemates went back to their respective countries. I remained in touch with Abu Hussein. One year after our graduation he invited me to visit Saudi Arabia for two weeks. I accepted his invitation and traveled to Saudi Arabia where I was received like a king. I spent most of the time in a village situated a few hours south of Riyadh. I came across a very different lifestyle. I slept in an open space under the stars on big beautiful red carpets. Abu Hussein sacrificed several sheep and invited all the villagers for a dinner. I never had attention like this in my whole life and we were mutually appreciative of each other. One evening after dinner, we went out to the desert to look at their camels. One of the boys milked a camel and offered me some of this fresh milk. After drinking some, I commented that this camel milk was absolutely delicious. Then Abu Hussein’s father said to me, “If you become a Muslim, I shall give you ten camels.” I responded promptly, “If you become a Christian, I shall give you ten camels.” After briefly experiencing life in the desert of Saudi Arabia, I returned back to America.
My New Career
After working for two years as a marketing representative for a publishing company in America, I found a job as an English as a foreign language instructor in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I really enjoyed this kind of work. I decided that teaching English as a foreign language would be my career from then on. Moreover, this two-year experience provided me with more exposure to Arab culture. As with my former Muslim roommates, I also found the people in this country to be extremely generous, confident and social. Nonetheless, I was feeling a bit homesick and decided to return home.
My Experience in Las Vegas
After a short time, I went to Las Vegas, Nevada since it has a high concentration of foreign immigrants who mostly work in the casinos. I put an advertisement in a newspaper offering to teach English as a foreign language. Fortunately, I got a few students quickly. I taught them in my kitchen with the use of a small blackboard placed on the wall. At that time I realized that Las Vegas didn’t have an English language institute, so my colleague and I established one in the heart of the city. The business of the institute flourished. However in my free time, I took part in some of the sinful activities of Las Vegas. This kind of lifestyle made me sick of myself. I soon got tired of these social evils in the society. Life appeared meaningless and confused. I wanted to have a change again so I faxed my resume to Abu Hussein for him to help me find work in Saudi Arabia. To my surprise, I was offered a job to teach English to employees of a petrochemical company in Jubail. Within one month I was there.
Repentance
I took many books to Jubail on various topics. One day I was reading a book on philosophy. The book suggested the need for making sincere repentance to God. I had never made repentance in my life. I started recalling all people I had wronged and the wrong I did to myself in that process. Then, I repented hoping for the best. After a short time, I thought that perhaps God had accepted my repentance. A clear indicator of this acceptance was that God put specific people in my life and allowed certain situations to occur that guided me to the right path. I would like to share some of these circumstances with the reader.
The Meaning of Freedom
I was with Abu Hussein. He also had a friend visiting him. I mentioned to them that I was used to having a lot more freedom in America than what was present in their country. The visitor said, “It depends on what you mean by freedom. In your part of the world, no matter how well parents teach morality to their children inside the home, as soon as they go outside, they generally encounter the society in contradiction to that morality. On the other hand, in most Muslim communities, the morals taught to the children at home are very similar to what they find away from home. So who really has the freedom here?” Like it or not, I was inclined to agree with his interpretation of freedom in which immorality tends to be prevalent in societies that are overly liberal. In this case, too much freedom often becomes a negative aspect of society, not a positive one. From his analogy, I also understood that the Islamic guidelines and restrictions sanctioning human behavior in Muslim societies are not meant to curtail human freedom; rather, they serve to define and dignify human freedom.
The Game of Roulette
A further opportunity to learn about Islam arose when I was invited to sit with a group of Muslims over dinner. After mentioning to the group that I had been living in Las Vegas, Nevada before coming to the Middle East, a Muslim from America said, “You must make sure you die as a good Muslim.” I immediately asked him to explain what he meant. He said, “If you die as a non-Muslim, it is like playing the game of roulette in which you put all of your chips (all of your life, including your deeds and your particular belief in God) on only one number, just hoping that perhaps by the Mercy of God, you will enter Paradise on Judgement Day. In contrast, if you die as a good Muslim, it is like spreading your chips all over the roulette board, so that every number is covered. In this way, no matter what number the ball falls on you, you’re safe. In other words, living and dying as a good Muslim is the best insurance you will not go to Hell, and at the same time, it is the best investment that you’ll go to Paradise.” As a former resident of Las Vegas, I could directly relate to this example with the game of roulette.
At this point, I recognized that it is the duty of all human beings to seek the truth to this life and not just blindly accept the religion that their society or parents follow. I also determined that I would not find the truth until I established a relationship with God. That being the case, I decided to concentrate on those religions emanating from Divine revelations linked with specific prophets and messengers. Hence, I chose to continue my search for the truth within Judeo-Christianity and Islam.
Even though I grew up as a Christian, I had been bewildered about Christianity. I felt like I inherited a mysterious religion beyond understanding. I believe it was for this reason that I was a Christian by name but not in practice. What’s more, I realized my confusion about Christian beliefs caused me to be in a state of non-religiousness. Nevertheless, while I was searching for the truth, I had a chance to sincerely re-examine those beliefs I inherited from my parents, yet never bothered to scrutinize.
Not an Ordinary Picnic
Some Muslims in Jubail arranged a special picnic for non-Muslims. After playing some games, we ate a delicious dinner. Finally, we heard a short lecture about Islam. I was shocked to learn that the Muslims believe in all the prophets and also in all the revelations of God in their original form. Moreover, I learned the Qur’an was the last revelation sent for the sake of all mankind, and Mohammad(pbuh) was the last Prophet and Messenger who received this revelation. As the Seal of Prophets, he has served as the best example for all to follow.
Upon leaving the picnic, they gave us a few booklets on comparative religion. One of them contained a dialogue between a Muslim and a Christian. The following conclusions were evident from the study of this booklet.
a) The real competition in this life is racing with one another to do good deeds to please the Creator, not the competition of pursuing more and more wealth or fame.
b) Hell is surrounded by lustful desires. These desires lead you to nothing else except to the roaring flames of Hellfire. On the other hand, Paradise is surrounded by challenges and if you look beyond them, you will find Paradise.
c) I found out that the Bible warns against adding or removing information from its teachings, which is evidently what happened. (See Jeremiah 8:8-9; Revelations 22:18-19). God addresses this point in the Qur’an as well, “So woe to those who write the “scripture” with their own hands, then say, “This is from God,” in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.” (2:79) Consequently, I was surprised to find out about hundreds of verses in the Bible which reveal a lack of harmony in Christian beliefs. According to these materials, God was One prior to Jesus(pbuh). Likewise, Jesus(pbuh) propagated the belief in One God. However, after Jesus(pbuh), Christianity emphasized the Trinity instead of the Oneness of God. Also, before Jesus(pbuh), God was without sons and equals. Similarly, Jesus(pbuh) said he was God’s messenger, whereas after his time, Christianity stressed that he is God’s son or God Himself.
After reading these booklets, I finally determined that the Christian perception of God is very illogical indeed: God becomes man, which He created, and then allows himself to suffer and die as a sacrifice at the hands of His very own creation to cleanse mankind of sin inherited from Adam(pbuh) and his descendants. Belief in this concept became the source of salvation according to the Church.
Visiting a Mosque as a non-Muslim
I happened to be shopping with Abu Hussein and another friend when it was the time for prayer. We went to a mosque where they advised me to wash up in a certain way and then follow them in the rituals of the prayer. I did this by looking out of the corner of my eye. I sat still after this peaceful experience and was somewhat nervous since I did not know what else to do. I, however, realized that non-Muslims are allowed to enter mosques under certain conditions. My friends asked me to wait outside the mosque during the congregational prayer to avoid any misunderstandings with the Muslims.
Correspondingly, I was with my Saudi friends on another occasion when it was again prayer time. They said, “Why don’t you pray with us? Ask God for forgiveness, guidance to the truth and express gratitude to Him.” At the end of the prayer I felt relief and contentment, which I had never felt before. From that point, I was always looking forward to praying with them, even though I was not a Muslim and I was not praying correctly.
Overcoming Obstacles
There were several obstacles preventing me from converting to Islam. The fear of losing life-long friends and family members was predominantly on my mind. Furthermore, leaving certain vices in one go was not easy since conversion demanded a total change in lifestyle. I was mentally not yet ready to overcome these hurdles, even though Islamic practices were very soothing to me both mentally and spiritually. I admitted to an American Muslim friend in Jubail that I was very close to embracing Islam, but I needed a push forward. Consequently, he gave me an Islamic video to watch.
An Inspiring Video
Once again I was invited to a gathering at Abu Hussein’s residence. There were many young Saudi men in this group. After dinner they engaged in conversation, but I wasn’t able to speak Arabic. I noticed that there was a TV and VCR in this room. I remembered I had that video from my American Muslim friend in the car. Shortly thereafter, I started watching this video which posed a very important question: What is the purpose of life? I was uncertain just as many other people in the world are unsure about the answer to this question. Needless to say, I learned a few important points from this video.
The lecturer in the video commented very precisely on what the purpose of life is. He said that the purpose of life is Islam or total peaceful submission to the Will of Allah(God). I was surprised to hear such a short answer to what I thought was such a complex question.
An additional point was that, unlike other religions or beliefs, the term ‘Islam’ is not associated with any particular person or place. God has named the religion in the following Qur’anic verse: “Indeed, the Religion in the sight of God is Islam…” (3:19) Anyone who embraces Islam is called a Muslim regardless of that person’s race, sex or nationality. This is one of the reasons why Islam is a universal religion.
Prior to my search for the truth, I had never seriously considered Islam as an option because of the constant negative portrayal of Muslims in the media. Similarly, it was disclosed in this video, that although Islam is characterized by high moral standards, not all Muslims uphold these standards. I learned the same can be said about adherents of other religions. I finally understood that we should not judge a religion by the actions of its followers alone because all humans are sinful. On that account, we should not judge Islam by the actions of its proponents, but by its revelation (the Qur’an) and by the sayings and actions of Prophet Mohammad(pbuh).
Lastly, the lecturer guided the viewer in decision making by presenting simple examples, as in the following: “If you are a Christian and want to become a Muslim, it is like having an expensive suit that is a bit too large. Instead of throwing it away, you just make certain alterations so it fits you better. In other words, you do not cast away all your previous beliefs and practices that you’ve had since your childhood. You rather take them with you to Islam and incorporate them into your life as a Muslim, with modifications and due refinements.”
The Aftermath
After viewing the video my heart and mind were absolutely convinced that Islam is the truth. I experienced the weight of disbelief and sins flying off my body. I felt so light as if I were rising above the earth. This experience, coupled with the long process of reasoning, solved the ‘purpose of life puzzle’. It revealed Islam as the truth, thereby replenishing my ‘spiritual landscape’ with belief, purpose, direction and action. From this experience, I deduced that man might neglect the guidance of God and establish his own standards of living. Ultimately, however, he will discover it was only a mirage that eluded him.
My Insistence on Accepting Islam
I called Abu Hussein and walked with him to the passage leading to another room in order to get away from the gathering. I told him that I wanted to accept Islam right now. He advised me to study more about Islam before embracing it. I insisted that I wanted to accept it now and then without any delay. On my insistence he led me in saying the shahada or the formal testimony of faith to become a Muslim. Abu Hussein then announced my conversion to the group. They were surprised and overjoyed. Everybody hugged me one by one. They advised me to take a bath for purification purposes and start offering prayer as best as I can. I started praying regularly in the mosque the next day.
I was subsequently reminded that this formal testimony to become a Muslim confirms one’s belief in all the prophets of God, along with all of His Divine revelations in their original forms, thereby updating and completing one’s religion to the last of the prophets [Muhammad(pbuh)] and to the final revelation of God[the Qur’an]. The following point became overwhelmingly clear to me: Had Jesus(pbuh) been the last prophet of God and had the Gospel been the final book of revelation, I would have just followed that creed. As a result, I have naturally chosen to follow Islam, which represents the final revelation from the Creator with Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) as the seal of the prophets, who is the best example for mankind to follow.
Muslim Name
After two days I went to the mosque to participate in
the Friday congregational prayer. Abu Hussein suggested that I repeat the shahada again in front of the congregation to have more of an impact. I agreed. We were both sitting in the mosque waiting for the sermon. Abu Hussein asked me, “What Muslim name you would like to have so that the Imam(prayer leader) can introduce you with your Muslim name?” I told him, “I am not sure. He should introduce me with my American name.” Abu Hussein kept reciting the Quran sitting by my side. Then he came across the word ‘Yahya’. He touched me with his elbow and said quietly to me, “How does Yahya sound to you as your name?” I asked, “What does it mean?” He said, “John the Baptist. Its other meaning is to live.” I said, “That will do since I know of John the Baptist from the Bible. Furthermore, this name signifies a new life for me in Islam. It is, indeed, an appropriate Muslim name for me.” After the prayer, the Imam invited me to repeat the shahada in front of the very large congregation. About three hundred people congratulated me and hugged me individually waiting anxiously for their turns. Many people said, “Accepting Islam is the best decision you have ever made in your life.” I was surprised that all the people cared to personally congratulate me. It raised my morale and spirits very high.
When I look back on this experience of becoming a Muslim, I believe it happened because it was the Will of Allah that I had an intense curiosity to learn about other cultures, followed by a sincere desire to find the truth of this life. Allah knows best and all Praise is due to Him!!!
Goal of Life
I was told to learn more about Islam every day and try to put it into practice. I was also told that I was not responsible for what I didn’t know about in Islam initially. I appreciated this flexibility in Islam. After a short time, I understood that Islam is in direct contrast to the western focus on the self. Islam tells us to look beyond ourselves and our vain desires. Islam guides and motivates us to focus on Allah. By doing so, we begin to fulfill the purpose of our life, which is to believe in and worship Almighty God and thus attain peace with our Creator and ourselves. Hence, Islam serves as the goal and the purpose of life.
Islamic Education and Growth
I was fortunate to be in an Islamic country when I accepted Islam because of the presence of many knowledgeable Muslims along with an abundance of Islamic materials. I could readily understand and appreciate what I was learning because Islamic teachings were being put into practice in the society. I attended a weekly Islamic meeting with individuals from many lands. We met once a week for four years. We studied Qur’anic reading and interpretation, along with some memorization of the Qur’an. We also received extensive education in various aspects of Islam at a basic level. This Islamic education provided me with a good foundation upon which to further purify myself.
Islamic Marriage
Marriage is highly recommended in Islam. I realized that by marrying an Arabic-speaking Muslim, I would be giving my children one of the best possible gifts, which is the Arabic language. Hence, I married a Syrian lady, and with the Mercy of Allah, our children are doing well in Arabic and are learning the Quran. When I visited America, my family inquired about marriage in Islam. I explained to them that the obligations of spouses are assigned by the Creator and are not man-made rules. For that reason, these guidelines are perfect and there is no fear of any foul play if we adhere to them sincerely.
Reaction of the Family
My acceptance of Islam stunned my family initially. Finally they said, “If Islam makes you happy, we are happy for you.” Thus, we mutually respected each other.
The Shahada of My Mother
My sister called me from America and said that our mother was extremely ill. My wife and I rushed from Saudi Arabia to America. During our stay there, I asked my mother, “ Do you believe in one God?” She said, “ Yes.” I said to her say, “La ilaha illa Allah.” She repeated this in Arabic. She also repeated the translation of this sentence in English, ‘There is no deity but Allah’. After a few days I asked her, “Do you believe in all the Prophets like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad?” She said, “ Yes.” I said, “Then repeat after me, “La ilaha illa Allah Mohammadan Rasoolu llah.” She also said it in English, i.e., ‘There is no deity but Allah and Mohammad is His Messenger.’ She left us about five days after her acceptance of Islam. I thank Allah for guiding my mother to the right path during her last few days in this world. When I reflect upon it, I recall that she usually cared for others’ needs more than her own. Evidently, Allah has been very merciful to her. Allah knows best!!!
Her Extraordinary Observation
It was amazing what my mother said to me during her last days in this world. She said, “There is a golden light coming out of your forehead.” I told her that it is there because we believe in and pray to Allah. Her observation is described in the Holy Qur’an: …the Day that Allah will not disgrace the Prophet[(Mohammad(pbuh)] and those who believe with him. Their light will run forward before them… They will say: “Our Lord! Keep perfect our light for us [and do not put it off till we cross over the Sirat(a slippery bridge over the Hell) safely] and grant us forgiveness…” (66:8)
My Religious Background
My religious background was as a typical American. I was a Christian and occasionally attended church with my family when I was growing up. It appeared that morality was the most important thing in Christianity. My lack of Christian knowledge and practice helped me to keep an open mind for other religions and cultures.
Experience with New Cultures
There is lot of mobility in American life. My father moved from place to place to follow his professional job. Fortunately, we had the chance to live in Latin America for several months when I was a high school student. I encountered a new culture and language there. I fully comprehended that there were other lifestyles in the world, not just the American lifestyle. This experience broadened my mind and outlook. I was, therefore, curious to know more and more about other cultures and languages. I returned back to America with my family and completed my high school in Indiana. Thereafter, I joined the University of Texas in El Paso, which is on the border of Texas and Mexico, as a Business Administration major.
Camping Trip
After a few years of study, I knew that this major
was not for me. I felt I needed something more interesting and cultural. It was during this time that a friend invited me to go with him on a three-month camping trip all over the USA and Western Canada. I cheerfully accepted because I knew this experience in the marvels of nature would be an appropriate setting to reflect upon personal goals and objectives. As a result of this experience, I didn’t arrive at any decisions regarding my academic pursuits, but I did realize that this world could not have been created by mistake, and that it was clearly a wonderland of signs pointing to its Creator. I was, however, not sure how to worship or appreciate our Creator.
Then one day while sunbathing, I suddenly realized that I could combine my interests in business and culture by majoring in Latin American Studies. I went back to the university at the beginning of the next academic year and transferred to this major.
Social Activities
While back in the university, my Hindu friend invited me, along with his Saudi friend, to a church gathering, which included sports activities and a home-cooked meal. As a student, you do take advantage of every opportunity for a home-cooked meal. The dinner was very sumptuous. At the end of the evening something unexpected happened. The leader of the church started singing a song scribbled on the blackboard in Hebrew. He wanted us to repeat it after him. We noticed that our Saudi friend, Abu Hussein, suddenly stood up and asked us to leave the gathering with him. The host tried to persuade us to stay, but we hurriedly left the church. Ironically, this incident made us closer friends. A few weeks later Abu Hussein and I decided to rent a house together, along with a student from Kuwait and one from Iran.
This new living arrangement provided me with a closer interaction with their cultures. I loved their meals and tried to prepare some of them. I noticed that my housemates often liked to eat with their right hand without the use of silverware. They also preferred sitting down on the floor to eat instead of sitting at a table. I did not know why they took a pitcher of water with them to the toilet for cleaning purposes. I also noticed that they offered their guests unparalleled hospitality. Regarding their character, I was impressed with their high level of self-confidence, which seemed to stem from some special kind of certainty about what they were doing and where they were going in life. I understood later that most of these mannerisms were according to the teachings of Islam and not necessarily cultural behavior.
By partially experiencing both the Latin American and Arab cultures, I observed many distinct similarities. Moreover, these findings were confirmed through my university studies on Latin America. I learned this affinity resulted from the 800-year influence of the Islamic civilization on Spain and medieval Europe. Thus, through their historical bond with the Arabs, some Islamic practices continue to be part of the Latin American culture of today.
Overseas Trip
After graduation, my housemates went back to their respective countries. I remained in touch with Abu Hussein. One year after our graduation he invited me to visit Saudi Arabia for two weeks. I accepted his invitation and traveled to Saudi Arabia where I was received like a king. I spent most of the time in a village situated a few hours south of Riyadh. I came across a very different lifestyle. I slept in an open space under the stars on big beautiful red carpets. Abu Hussein sacrificed several sheep and invited all the villagers for a dinner. I never had attention like this in my whole life and we were mutually appreciative of each other. One evening after dinner, we went out to the desert to look at their camels. One of the boys milked a camel and offered me some of this fresh milk. After drinking some, I commented that this camel milk was absolutely delicious. Then Abu Hussein’s father said to me, “If you become a Muslim, I shall give you ten camels.” I responded promptly, “If you become a Christian, I shall give you ten camels.” After briefly experiencing life in the desert of Saudi Arabia, I returned back to America.
My New Career
After working for two years as a marketing representative for a publishing company in America, I found a job as an English as a foreign language instructor in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I really enjoyed this kind of work. I decided that teaching English as a foreign language would be my career from then on. Moreover, this two-year experience provided me with more exposure to Arab culture. As with my former Muslim roommates, I also found the people in this country to be extremely generous, confident and social. Nonetheless, I was feeling a bit homesick and decided to return home.
My Experience in Las Vegas
After a short time, I went to Las Vegas, Nevada since it has a high concentration of foreign immigrants who mostly work in the casinos. I put an advertisement in a newspaper offering to teach English as a foreign language. Fortunately, I got a few students quickly. I taught them in my kitchen with the use of a small blackboard placed on the wall. At that time I realized that Las Vegas didn’t have an English language institute, so my colleague and I established one in the heart of the city. The business of the institute flourished. However in my free time, I took part in some of the sinful activities of Las Vegas. This kind of lifestyle made me sick of myself. I soon got tired of these social evils in the society. Life appeared meaningless and confused. I wanted to have a change again so I faxed my resume to Abu Hussein for him to help me find work in Saudi Arabia. To my surprise, I was offered a job to teach English to employees of a petrochemical company in Jubail. Within one month I was there.
Repentance
I took many books to Jubail on various topics. One day I was reading a book on philosophy. The book suggested the need for making sincere repentance to God. I had never made repentance in my life. I started recalling all people I had wronged and the wrong I did to myself in that process. Then, I repented hoping for the best. After a short time, I thought that perhaps God had accepted my repentance. A clear indicator of this acceptance was that God put specific people in my life and allowed certain situations to occur that guided me to the right path. I would like to share some of these circumstances with the reader.
The Meaning of Freedom
I was with Abu Hussein. He also had a friend visiting him. I mentioned to them that I was used to having a lot more freedom in America than what was present in their country. The visitor said, “It depends on what you mean by freedom. In your part of the world, no matter how well parents teach morality to their children inside the home, as soon as they go outside, they generally encounter the society in contradiction to that morality. On the other hand, in most Muslim communities, the morals taught to the children at home are very similar to what they find away from home. So who really has the freedom here?” Like it or not, I was inclined to agree with his interpretation of freedom in which immorality tends to be prevalent in societies that are overly liberal. In this case, too much freedom often becomes a negative aspect of society, not a positive one. From his analogy, I also understood that the Islamic guidelines and restrictions sanctioning human behavior in Muslim societies are not meant to curtail human freedom; rather, they serve to define and dignify human freedom.
The Game of Roulette
A further opportunity to learn about Islam arose when I was invited to sit with a group of Muslims over dinner. After mentioning to the group that I had been living in Las Vegas, Nevada before coming to the Middle East, a Muslim from America said, “You must make sure you die as a good Muslim.” I immediately asked him to explain what he meant. He said, “If you die as a non-Muslim, it is like playing the game of roulette in which you put all of your chips (all of your life, including your deeds and your particular belief in God) on only one number, just hoping that perhaps by the Mercy of God, you will enter Paradise on Judgement Day. In contrast, if you die as a good Muslim, it is like spreading your chips all over the roulette board, so that every number is covered. In this way, no matter what number the ball falls on you, you’re safe. In other words, living and dying as a good Muslim is the best insurance you will not go to Hell, and at the same time, it is the best investment that you’ll go to Paradise.” As a former resident of Las Vegas, I could directly relate to this example with the game of roulette.
At this point, I recognized that it is the duty of all human beings to seek the truth to this life and not just blindly accept the religion that their society or parents follow. I also determined that I would not find the truth until I established a relationship with God. That being the case, I decided to concentrate on those religions emanating from Divine revelations linked with specific prophets and messengers. Hence, I chose to continue my search for the truth within Judeo-Christianity and Islam.
Even though I grew up as a Christian, I had been bewildered about Christianity. I felt like I inherited a mysterious religion beyond understanding. I believe it was for this reason that I was a Christian by name but not in practice. What’s more, I realized my confusion about Christian beliefs caused me to be in a state of non-religiousness. Nevertheless, while I was searching for the truth, I had a chance to sincerely re-examine those beliefs I inherited from my parents, yet never bothered to scrutinize.
Not an Ordinary Picnic
Some Muslims in Jubail arranged a special picnic for non-Muslims. After playing some games, we ate a delicious dinner. Finally, we heard a short lecture about Islam. I was shocked to learn that the Muslims believe in all the prophets and also in all the revelations of God in their original form. Moreover, I learned the Qur’an was the last revelation sent for the sake of all mankind, and Mohammad(pbuh) was the last Prophet and Messenger who received this revelation. As the Seal of Prophets, he has served as the best example for all to follow.
Upon leaving the picnic, they gave us a few booklets on comparative religion. One of them contained a dialogue between a Muslim and a Christian. The following conclusions were evident from the study of this booklet.
a) The real competition in this life is racing with one another to do good deeds to please the Creator, not the competition of pursuing more and more wealth or fame.
b) Hell is surrounded by lustful desires. These desires lead you to nothing else except to the roaring flames of Hellfire. On the other hand, Paradise is surrounded by challenges and if you look beyond them, you will find Paradise.
c) I found out that the Bible warns against adding or removing information from its teachings, which is evidently what happened. (See Jeremiah 8:8-9; Revelations 22:18-19). God addresses this point in the Qur’an as well, “So woe to those who write the “scripture” with their own hands, then say, “This is from God,” in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.” (2:79) Consequently, I was surprised to find out about hundreds of verses in the Bible which reveal a lack of harmony in Christian beliefs. According to these materials, God was One prior to Jesus(pbuh). Likewise, Jesus(pbuh) propagated the belief in One God. However, after Jesus(pbuh), Christianity emphasized the Trinity instead of the Oneness of God. Also, before Jesus(pbuh), God was without sons and equals. Similarly, Jesus(pbuh) said he was God’s messenger, whereas after his time, Christianity stressed that he is God’s son or God Himself.
After reading these booklets, I finally determined that the Christian perception of God is very illogical indeed: God becomes man, which He created, and then allows himself to suffer and die as a sacrifice at the hands of His very own creation to cleanse mankind of sin inherited from Adam(pbuh) and his descendants. Belief in this concept became the source of salvation according to the Church.
Visiting a Mosque as a non-Muslim
I happened to be shopping with Abu Hussein and another friend when it was the time for prayer. We went to a mosque where they advised me to wash up in a certain way and then follow them in the rituals of the prayer. I did this by looking out of the corner of my eye. I sat still after this peaceful experience and was somewhat nervous since I did not know what else to do. I, however, realized that non-Muslims are allowed to enter mosques under certain conditions. My friends asked me to wait outside the mosque during the congregational prayer to avoid any misunderstandings with the Muslims.
Correspondingly, I was with my Saudi friends on another occasion when it was again prayer time. They said, “Why don’t you pray with us? Ask God for forgiveness, guidance to the truth and express gratitude to Him.” At the end of the prayer I felt relief and contentment, which I had never felt before. From that point, I was always looking forward to praying with them, even though I was not a Muslim and I was not praying correctly.
Overcoming Obstacles
There were several obstacles preventing me from converting to Islam. The fear of losing life-long friends and family members was predominantly on my mind. Furthermore, leaving certain vices in one go was not easy since conversion demanded a total change in lifestyle. I was mentally not yet ready to overcome these hurdles, even though Islamic practices were very soothing to me both mentally and spiritually. I admitted to an American Muslim friend in Jubail that I was very close to embracing Islam, but I needed a push forward. Consequently, he gave me an Islamic video to watch.
An Inspiring Video
Once again I was invited to a gathering at Abu Hussein’s residence. There were many young Saudi men in this group. After dinner they engaged in conversation, but I wasn’t able to speak Arabic. I noticed that there was a TV and VCR in this room. I remembered I had that video from my American Muslim friend in the car. Shortly thereafter, I started watching this video which posed a very important question: What is the purpose of life? I was uncertain just as many other people in the world are unsure about the answer to this question. Needless to say, I learned a few important points from this video.
The lecturer in the video commented very precisely on what the purpose of life is. He said that the purpose of life is Islam or total peaceful submission to the Will of Allah(God). I was surprised to hear such a short answer to what I thought was such a complex question.
An additional point was that, unlike other religions or beliefs, the term ‘Islam’ is not associated with any particular person or place. God has named the religion in the following Qur’anic verse: “Indeed, the Religion in the sight of God is Islam…” (3:19) Anyone who embraces Islam is called a Muslim regardless of that person’s race, sex or nationality. This is one of the reasons why Islam is a universal religion.
Prior to my search for the truth, I had never seriously considered Islam as an option because of the constant negative portrayal of Muslims in the media. Similarly, it was disclosed in this video, that although Islam is characterized by high moral standards, not all Muslims uphold these standards. I learned the same can be said about adherents of other religions. I finally understood that we should not judge a religion by the actions of its followers alone because all humans are sinful. On that account, we should not judge Islam by the actions of its proponents, but by its revelation (the Qur’an) and by the sayings and actions of Prophet Mohammad(pbuh).
Lastly, the lecturer guided the viewer in decision making by presenting simple examples, as in the following: “If you are a Christian and want to become a Muslim, it is like having an expensive suit that is a bit too large. Instead of throwing it away, you just make certain alterations so it fits you better. In other words, you do not cast away all your previous beliefs and practices that you’ve had since your childhood. You rather take them with you to Islam and incorporate them into your life as a Muslim, with modifications and due refinements.”
The Aftermath
After viewing the video my heart and mind were absolutely convinced that Islam is the truth. I experienced the weight of disbelief and sins flying off my body. I felt so light as if I were rising above the earth. This experience, coupled with the long process of reasoning, solved the ‘purpose of life puzzle’. It revealed Islam as the truth, thereby replenishing my ‘spiritual landscape’ with belief, purpose, direction and action. From this experience, I deduced that man might neglect the guidance of God and establish his own standards of living. Ultimately, however, he will discover it was only a mirage that eluded him.
My Insistence on Accepting Islam
I called Abu Hussein and walked with him to the passage leading to another room in order to get away from the gathering. I told him that I wanted to accept Islam right now. He advised me to study more about Islam before embracing it. I insisted that I wanted to accept it now and then without any delay. On my insistence he led me in saying the shahada or the formal testimony of faith to become a Muslim. Abu Hussein then announced my conversion to the group. They were surprised and overjoyed. Everybody hugged me one by one. They advised me to take a bath for purification purposes and start offering prayer as best as I can. I started praying regularly in the mosque the next day.
I was subsequently reminded that this formal testimony to become a Muslim confirms one’s belief in all the prophets of God, along with all of His Divine revelations in their original forms, thereby updating and completing one’s religion to the last of the prophets [Muhammad(pbuh)] and to the final revelation of God[the Qur’an]. The following point became overwhelmingly clear to me: Had Jesus(pbuh) been the last prophet of God and had the Gospel been the final book of revelation, I would have just followed that creed. As a result, I have naturally chosen to follow Islam, which represents the final revelation from the Creator with Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) as the seal of the prophets, who is the best example for mankind to follow.
Muslim Name
After two days I went to the mosque to participate in
the Friday congregational prayer. Abu Hussein suggested that I repeat the shahada again in front of the congregation to have more of an impact. I agreed. We were both sitting in the mosque waiting for the sermon. Abu Hussein asked me, “What Muslim name you would like to have so that the Imam(prayer leader) can introduce you with your Muslim name?” I told him, “I am not sure. He should introduce me with my American name.” Abu Hussein kept reciting the Quran sitting by my side. Then he came across the word ‘Yahya’. He touched me with his elbow and said quietly to me, “How does Yahya sound to you as your name?” I asked, “What does it mean?” He said, “John the Baptist. Its other meaning is to live.” I said, “That will do since I know of John the Baptist from the Bible. Furthermore, this name signifies a new life for me in Islam. It is, indeed, an appropriate Muslim name for me.” After the prayer, the Imam invited me to repeat the shahada in front of the very large congregation. About three hundred people congratulated me and hugged me individually waiting anxiously for their turns. Many people said, “Accepting Islam is the best decision you have ever made in your life.” I was surprised that all the people cared to personally congratulate me. It raised my morale and spirits very high.
When I look back on this experience of becoming a Muslim, I believe it happened because it was the Will of Allah that I had an intense curiosity to learn about other cultures, followed by a sincere desire to find the truth of this life. Allah knows best and all Praise is due to Him!!!
Goal of Life
I was told to learn more about Islam every day and try to put it into practice. I was also told that I was not responsible for what I didn’t know about in Islam initially. I appreciated this flexibility in Islam. After a short time, I understood that Islam is in direct contrast to the western focus on the self. Islam tells us to look beyond ourselves and our vain desires. Islam guides and motivates us to focus on Allah. By doing so, we begin to fulfill the purpose of our life, which is to believe in and worship Almighty God and thus attain peace with our Creator and ourselves. Hence, Islam serves as the goal and the purpose of life.
Islamic Education and Growth
I was fortunate to be in an Islamic country when I accepted Islam because of the presence of many knowledgeable Muslims along with an abundance of Islamic materials. I could readily understand and appreciate what I was learning because Islamic teachings were being put into practice in the society. I attended a weekly Islamic meeting with individuals from many lands. We met once a week for four years. We studied Qur’anic reading and interpretation, along with some memorization of the Qur’an. We also received extensive education in various aspects of Islam at a basic level. This Islamic education provided me with a good foundation upon which to further purify myself.
Islamic Marriage
Marriage is highly recommended in Islam. I realized that by marrying an Arabic-speaking Muslim, I would be giving my children one of the best possible gifts, which is the Arabic language. Hence, I married a Syrian lady, and with the Mercy of Allah, our children are doing well in Arabic and are learning the Quran. When I visited America, my family inquired about marriage in Islam. I explained to them that the obligations of spouses are assigned by the Creator and are not man-made rules. For that reason, these guidelines are perfect and there is no fear of any foul play if we adhere to them sincerely.
Reaction of the Family
My acceptance of Islam stunned my family initially. Finally they said, “If Islam makes you happy, we are happy for you.” Thus, we mutually respected each other.
The Shahada of My Mother
My sister called me from America and said that our mother was extremely ill. My wife and I rushed from Saudi Arabia to America. During our stay there, I asked my mother, “ Do you believe in one God?” She said, “ Yes.” I said to her say, “La ilaha illa Allah.” She repeated this in Arabic. She also repeated the translation of this sentence in English, ‘There is no deity but Allah’. After a few days I asked her, “Do you believe in all the Prophets like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad?” She said, “ Yes.” I said, “Then repeat after me, “La ilaha illa Allah Mohammadan Rasoolu llah.” She also said it in English, i.e., ‘There is no deity but Allah and Mohammad is His Messenger.’ She left us about five days after her acceptance of Islam. I thank Allah for guiding my mother to the right path during her last few days in this world. When I reflect upon it, I recall that she usually cared for others’ needs more than her own. Evidently, Allah has been very merciful to her. Allah knows best!!!
Her Extraordinary Observation
It was amazing what my mother said to me during her last days in this world. She said, “There is a golden light coming out of your forehead.” I told her that it is there because we believe in and pray to Allah. Her observation is described in the Holy Qur’an: …the Day that Allah will not disgrace the Prophet[(Mohammad(pbuh)] and those who believe with him. Their light will run forward before them… They will say: “Our Lord! Keep perfect our light for us [and do not put it off till we cross over the Sirat(a slippery bridge over the Hell) safely] and grant us forgiveness…” (66:8)
Renda Toshner (A Turkish-American Architect)
Renda was born in America in a Turkish home. He was not a new Muslim, but he didn’t have any idea of Islam until his youth.His life story has many lessons for us.
Let me first describe the Turkish community living around Detroit in Michigan. Turks started migrating to America in the 1970’s. Now their third generation is thriving in America. They hold very high professional jobs and successful businesses. Most of them live in the rich suburban areas of Detroit. They are financially well established and socially well connected with government officials. I was introduced to them recently, as I participated in a few of their funeral services at the Tawheed Mosque in Farmington Hills, Michigan. I had closer interaction with them when I was invited to visit their homes and their Turkish social club. I found out that as Muslims they had melted into American society. This trend is not unique with the Turkish community. Many Muslim immigrants have come to America from different lands and have melted into American society, thereby losing their Islamic identity. On the other hand, we observe that many Muslim immigrants are better practicing Muslims in America than in their homelands. Their children even outshine their parents in the practice of Islam due to the religious freedom in America.
Renda’s parents were prominent members of this American Turkish community. They were both physicians and did very well financially. Thus, Renda was born in an affluent family. Nevertheless, they brought up their son without any kind of Islamic education.
Renda completed his high school and joined a university. He had no idea about Islam until he started mixing with overseas Muslim students at his campus. America and American universities offer a great deal of freedom of choice and do not interfere with such personal choices. Since Renda had a very gentle nature, the Islamic teachings and practices attracted him. He was surprised to discover that he was born in a Muslim family, but family circumstances kept him far away from the knowledge and practice of Islam. Renda learned more and more about Islam every day and tried to put it into practice.
Let me first describe the Turkish community living around Detroit in Michigan. Turks started migrating to America in the 1970’s. Now their third generation is thriving in America. They hold very high professional jobs and successful businesses. Most of them live in the rich suburban areas of Detroit. They are financially well established and socially well connected with government officials. I was introduced to them recently, as I participated in a few of their funeral services at the Tawheed Mosque in Farmington Hills, Michigan. I had closer interaction with them when I was invited to visit their homes and their Turkish social club. I found out that as Muslims they had melted into American society. This trend is not unique with the Turkish community. Many Muslim immigrants have come to America from different lands and have melted into American society, thereby losing their Islamic identity. On the other hand, we observe that many Muslim immigrants are better practicing Muslims in America than in their homelands. Their children even outshine their parents in the practice of Islam due to the religious freedom in America.
Renda’s parents were prominent members of this American Turkish community. They were both physicians and did very well financially. Thus, Renda was born in an affluent family. Nevertheless, they brought up their son without any kind of Islamic education.
Renda completed his high school and joined a university. He had no idea about Islam until he started mixing with overseas Muslim students at his campus. America and American universities offer a great deal of freedom of choice and do not interfere with such personal choices. Since Renda had a very gentle nature, the Islamic teachings and practices attracted him. He was surprised to discover that he was born in a Muslim family, but family circumstances kept him far away from the knowledge and practice of Islam. Renda learned more and more about Islam every day and tried to put it into practice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)