Abdullah (An American Arm soldier embraces Islam)

Abdullah was a young man with basic high school education. He was on active duty in the U.S. Army for a few years where he learned some technical skills. At present he earns his living by repairing photocopy and fax machines.

How he accepted Islam is interesting. Yet, it is more fascinating to know how he went through the Islamization process. During the Gulf War between the United Forces and Iraq he was posted in Saudi Arabia. Abdullah was shopping in a Saudi market. He picked up an item from the shop and agreed to pay its price to the shopkeeper. However, when he was about to pay for the article, the call for prayer was heard from a nearby mosque. The shopkeeper said, “That’s it,” and refused to do any business until after the prayer was over. He then closed his shop and hurriedly went to the mosque. Abdullah was stunned and wondered about this incident. Why did this man not take the money when there was a mutual agreement on the price?

James Abiba (An American teenager finds Islam)

I was teaching Mathematics from the 9th to the 12th grades at Fort Mead High School in Maryland. I had to teach five groups of students daily. Each group consisted of about forty students. James Abiba was not enrolled in any of these classes. He contacted me through one of my students seeking permission to see me. I readily agreed. He asked me a few basic questions about Islam. I briefly answered them. Later he came with more questions. I asked him, “Are these questions from your Social Studies classwork?” He said that he happened to read a book about Islam in his school library. It made him somewhat curious about Islam. I made him aware of the conflict between religion and state and hence, the government school was not the right place for such detailed discussions. I invited him for a snack in a fast-food restaurant. We had a very positive discussion there. James was only sixteen years old at that time.