Why Islam? Stories of New Muslims

[Cordoba]

Sumeyra Dyer (Australia)

I shall start by describing myself, my life and how I was brought to Islam. I was born 44 years ago in Port Lincoln, Adelaide. My parents are Anglican Christian and I was educated at Port Lincoln Infant, Primary and High Schools. As a little girl I loved going to Sunday School, learning about Christian teachings and the life of Jesus (Peace be upon him).

As I grew older I was confirmed into the Anglican Church, which means to have accepted Jesus (pbuh) as our Saviour. We were never told anything about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). However, as I grew older I drifted away from the Church, married and had two children; a son named Damien who is now 23 and a daughter Megan who is 21.

Port Lincoln is a small city of about 15,000 people. It is situated on the west coast of South Australia. The main industry is fishing. Tuna fish, cray-fish, prawns, abalone, scallops, salmon and shark are all caught in this area. It is on the coast and not far away we have a large island named Boston Island.

Alhamdullillah, it is the following event which changed my whole life from which I have never looked back.

In 1991 I was working in the riverland in NSW on a table grape property. I was very lonely and home sick. I had been given The Holy Qur'an by a friend of mine and thought it was the most beautiful book I had ever read. At that time it was Ramadan (the Holy fasting month) and there were many Muslims working in the packing shed, packing grapes. Yet I could not understand why only one of them, a young Turkish sister was fasting. One day my curiosity got the better of me so I asked another Muslims sister why she wasn't fasting to which she replied that the Muslims were working hard and the day was very hot so they were not expected to fast. That night I took my Qur'an and read about Ramadan.

At that time I had not become a revert but I thought that I would try to fast. I managed it for 5 days only. The young Turkish sister amazed me, her faith was so strong, but she soon left and went to Melbourne to live.

By this time I had decided that 'Islam' was the faith that I wanted to follow because I had only really ever believed in one God and Christian teachings are quite different in this regard. I wrote to the Islamic Society and asked them to send me a prayer book. I then taught myself how to pray, 5 times a day, first in English and then in Arabic. I asked Allah (swt) many times to lead me to a Muslim who would show me the way to Islam.

Then, one day, a Turkish couple came to work on the farm. I had not met them nor seen them before. I went off for a while and went behind an orange tree and prayed and then the most wonderful thing happened. Alhamdullillah, Allah (swt) lead me over to those wonderful people. It was as if Allah (swt) took my hand and said 'Come with me'. I spoke to them and told them of my search. They made me welcome into their home and two weeks later I made my Shahadah (testimony) saying "I bear witness that there is only One God who is Allah and I also bear witness that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah''.

Many of the Australian people with whom I worked were very cruel to me. I decided very quickly that I wanted to be covered and I took pride in wearing my hijab (scarf). I shall never forget the first day I stepped outside with my hijab on. Many of my so called friends laughed at me and told me I looked stupid. They told me I had gone crazy. People can sometimes be nasty but I held tight to my faith and in fact it made me a lot stronger knowing that Allah (swt) is my Protector and He is always there watching over me.

Coming from a very strong Christian family, I did expect a few things to be said however my family accepted my conversion with no nastiness whatsoever.

May Allah's (swt) love reach out to all reverts and especially our sisters who find it difficult to wear hijab for the first time. May they hold tight to their belief knowing that Allah (swt) is with them all the way and forever-more.

Alhamdullillah, I was so happy to have the support of MCSGA as I previously had no contact with any Muslim sisters or any Muslims except my husband Yahya who is also a revert. Imagine how thrilled I was when the MCSGA newsletter and free Islamic literature/books arrived. May Allah (swt) love and guide you all.

http://www.aslamt.com/stories/32.html

 

[Cordoba]

Aminah Vanderdrift (Australia)

I was also known as Aminah Abdullah. I was raised as a strict Roman Catholic. My father is Dutch and my mother is an Australian.

I was educated at St. John Vianney's Catholic School in Springvale and went to Killester College for Ladies in Springvale. At a young age I had a strong belief in God and I also felt that Jesus (pbuh) was a Prophet and not God. ...


I came from a broken family and my parents are divorced. Since I was in the Roman Catholic religion, I was taught as a child that both my parents will be in hellfire forever because they were divorced. My education was about the fire and brimstone threat of disobeying God.

It was very difficult for me to believe that God would create mankind and then once they were married, enforce a law on them that they should stay married forever for the rest of their lifetime even when obviously they were not suited and they will go to hell forever, if they broke up.

I started reading at the age 12 to 14, on Buddhism, Hinduism and other spritual paths by different groups in which I was very much interested. I became very involved with reincarnation, I was consciously looking for something to fill the void in my life. I knew that there was something missing.

I used to live near a cemetery. A crematorium in Springvale. It used to be our playground. You couldn't possibly visit or play on the graves over the years without reflecting that we are also going to be a skeleton buried beneath the soil and that's the reason for our existence. SubhanAllah, it's from Allah (swt) that I reflected on these things very seriously at a very young age. May be it's due to the fact that I have been brought up by my father and left alone a lot. He worked 2 jobs and my companion was to read. I was constantly searching but in the end I found everything was too alien compared to my Christian doctrine. I believed very much in prophets and in the revelations that they brought.

I also believed that another Prophet would come after Jesus. When I was 14, a number of us sat in college and used to ask about the trinity concept and explain to our teacher that it was very difficult for us to understand. We are constantly told to accept without asking. Our questions were quite persistent. Finally we were told that we would be excommunicated by the Church. I thought "How is that God has given us a mind and we can't use it freely?" By the time I was 16, I thought there was no answer to the missing link in my search.

I decided to travel overseas alone at 16. I came back 6 months later. I wanted to know what life was about - the meaning of our existence. I wanted to do something valuable, to contribute something to mankind. I travelled again when I was 19. I met Muslims everywhere I went, in Holland and U.K. I worked in a Muslim family restaurant in London during the oil crisis in 1974. Hundreds of people were put off work for a short period. I was one of them, I took advantage of this to travel again until the crisis was over.

I visited Egypt. As soon as I arrived at Cairo Airport I was hit by this enormous spiritual atmosphere. while I was waiting to be collected from the Airport, I heard the azan (Call to prayer). It was a sudden impact on me. It went to my inner core. My body started to shiver. I was facinated by this beautiful sound and even today the azan has the same affect on me. I was there for six weeks and I started to ask the students questions on Islam.

They told me that they believed in all the previous prophets, the miraculous birth of Jesus (pbuh), that there is no original sin, there is no need for a mediator, that Jesus (pbuh) was a prophet and that there was another Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). I found that I had discoverd all the missing pieces that I had been searching for. It just fitted like a glove. I thought I had been born in the wrong country and that I should have been born in a Muslim country.

I went back to London shortly afterwards and I did my shahadah to myself. It was between me and Allah (SWT). I wanted it to be official, so I went back to Egypt to Azhar in 1974 and said my shahadah in front of Muslim witnesses. I didn't become very active Islamically until some years later due to lack of Islamic english literature. The important thing for a Muslim to know is the Tawhid (oneness of God). I didn't learn the importance of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), shariah (Islamic Law) and hadith (Sayings of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)) until much later.

10 years ago I made a conscious decision to spend the rest of my life learning Islam and committing myself to Islam. 6 or 7 years ago, I gave up work so that I could commit myself to spreading the word of Allah. SubhanAllah; Allah answered my prayers and provided for all my financial needs.

21 years ago when I accepted Islam, the mosque in Preston, Victoria was just a weatherboard house on a block of land. There were no Qur'ans translated in English. There were hardly any books in English and it was very difficult for me to learn about Islam. I managed to obtain a copy of the Qur'an with English translation from the Minister of Religious Affairs in Egypt. This was his own personal copy. Alhamdulillah now it's easily available in every mosque and Islamic Centre.

The majority of people would agree that the problems of today's society stem from a lack of spirituality. This creates a painful void in their lives. I believe that this void can only be filled by Islam.

http://www.aslamt.com/stories/41.html

 

[Cordoba]

Diana Beatty (USA)

My name is Diana Beatty, some call me Masooma Amtullah but most do not. I am almost 23 and converted nearly 3 years ago now.

I am a college student studying physics and training to become a teacher. I am a native of Colorado, USA. My father and brother are electricians. I have only one sibling, my brother, who is 27 and is married with two young children. He lives just two houses down from my parents.

My mother is a legal secretary for the county attorney's office. No one in my family before me has gone to college. My father is an alcoholic and smokes a lot and his habits make the household very stressful and unhappy at times because he tends to be very selfish and angry. He is like a living dead man. My mother is bitter about him often and lives in a loveless marriage, I think. But to most appearances they are an ideal family. They keep dogs at the house, and that along with the alcohol makes visiting difficult but I try to go when I can.

My mother says I never go home enough, that is in part because she has few friends as my father prefers it that way. The family has been through a lot over the years and at least we have come to a point where we do not abandon each other even though things are not ideal. I have no children of my own yet and do not plan to right away but eventually.

When I came to college I met a Muslim for the first time. Only after meeting some Muslims did I slowly come to realize how ignorant I was about Islam and Muslims; a lot of what I had learned growing up was quite erroneous, but for the most part I just never heard anything at all about it. I became curious about the religion because the good manners of the Muslims I met appealed to me, as well as the sincerity and worship aspect of the Muslim prayer. The idea of a religion which guided us in every aspect of life was something I had been looking for. I was raised Christian and at the time of meeting the Muslims was quite religious and studying the bible seriously. But the questions the bible left unanswered for me, the Quran answered. ...

And what Quran said about God and our purpose and all these things I found more logical and easier to understand, and I knew that I believed God would provide us with a religion that we could understand and that was fair. It was a difficult time but over a period of several months I studied the two religions and Islam won out, I became convinced that it was the true religion that Allah had sent for us and so I reverted. At that time I still was not sure about everything, I still was not sure about hijab in particular, and I did not know anything like how to pray etc. but in time I started to learn.

It was very difficult to conclude that everyone I had ever known, my teachers, my parents, my grandparents, my friends, my preachers, were all wrong. It was hard to decide to go against my family and do something I knew they would hate and would not understand. I was terrified to make the wrong choice, but Christianity teaches if you do not believe Jesus (pbuh) died for your sins then you go to hell (at least so the religious leaders told me), so I was afraid of being misled. I was afraid that my peers and coworkers and bosses would react negatively and even that I might be disowned from my family.

My family did hate the choice but did not disown me. Our relationships was forever changed. Whenever I talk to my mother she complains about my Islamic dress, that seems to bother them more than anything, and she will send Christian religious literature to me, etc. When I first put on hijab she cried for literally a week and was so hurt, she wrote me a letter saying it was a slap in the face and I was abandoning how they raised me and trying to be an Arab. They convinced themselves that I was doing it only for my Muslim husband (I ended up marrying a Muslim man) and so they didn't like him and wished for our relationship to end. I was told by family members that I was going to hell. It was not hard to give up the nonhalal food, the alcohol, to start praying, to wear hijab (after some initial difficulty), the only thing that was really hard was hurting my family and being constantly pushed by them.

In this process, I did lose a few who just could not handle the change but most of my friends did not really mind. Nor did I have any problem obtaining multiple jobs of my choice in hijab. I am generally not discriminated against at all on the college campus, although you do have to get used to stares and a more formal relationship with coworkers. I find most respect me a great deal for doing what I believe. It is only my family who has a great difficulty, because it is THEIR daughter. Well, and men never know what to think when I decline to shake their hand.

It is difficult to describe to someone who has never felt it how Islam can change and improve one's life. But Islam changed me totally. I now have no doubt about our purpose in this world and that I am following the right path, I have a certainty I never knew before, and a peace that goes with it. God's plan makes much more sense to me and I feel I have an idea where I belong. Plus, through Islam, it is rarely an ambiguous question if something is right or wrong, unlike my Christian friends who often doubt if they are doing the right thing. I finally have a hold on the things that really matter and am not lost anymore. I didn't even really know I was lost before, but when I found Islam and looked back it was so clear to me that I had been searching for years. Alhumdooleluh I was guided.

Islam also improved my life as a woman in that I find good Muslim men treat women with so much more respect than is found in American society that I am raised in. I feel special to be a woman, before I was always a little uncomfortable as a woman because I felt my life would be easier if I had been a man because as a woman I found myself faced with incredible responsibility of working full time and raising a family and cooking and cleaning and never fitting in fully to any of those roles. As a Muslim woman I feel freer to look at myself and choose the path which truly suits my nature and have others accept that, and I feel like a woman and it feels good; like coming home. Reverting to Islam feels like coming home.

http://www.islamicity.com/Mosque/MyJourney/Diana_beatty.htm

 

[Cordoba]

Dr. Jeffrey Lang (USA)

Dr. Jeffrey Lang is an associate professor of Mathematics at the University of Kansas.

He started his religious journey on Jan 30, 1954, when he was born in a Roman Catholic family in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The first 18 years of his life were spent in Catholic schools, which left him with many unanswered questions about God and the Christian religion, Lang said, as he narrated his story of Islam. “Like most kids back in the late 60s and early 70s, I started questioning all the values that we had at those times, political, social and religious,” Lang said. “I rebelled against all the institutions that society held sacred including the Catholic Church,” he said.

By the time he reached the age of 18, Lang had become a full-fledged atheist. “If there is a God, and he is all merciful and all loving, then why is there suffering on this earth? Why does not He just take us to heaven? Why create all these people to suffer?" Such were the questions that came up in his mind in those days.

As a young lecturer in mathematics at San Francisco University, Lang found his religion where God is finally a reality. That was shown to him by a few of the Muslim friends he had met at the university. “We talked about religion. I asked them my questions, and I was really surprised by how carefully they had thought out their answers,” Lang said.

Dr. Lang met Mahmoud Qandeel, a regal looking Saudi student who attracted the attention of the entire class the moment he walked in. When Lang asked a question about medical research, Qandeel answered the question in perfect English and with great self assurance. Everyone knew Qandeel-the mayor, the police chief and the common people. Together the professor and the student went to all the glittering places where “there was no joy or happiness, only laughter.” Yet at the end Qandeel surprisingly gave him a copy of the Qur’an and some books on Islam. Lang read the Qur’an on his own, found his way to the student-run prayer hall at the university, and basically surrendered without much struggle. He was conquered by the Qur’an. The first two chapters are an account of that encounter and it is a fascinating one.

“Painters can make the eyes of a portrait appear to be following you from one place to another, but which author can write a scripture that anticipates your daily vicissitudes?... Each night I would formulate questions and objections and somehow discover the answer the next day. It seemed that the author was reading my ideas and writing in the appropriate lines in time for my next reading. I have met myself in its pages...”

Lang performs the daily five-time prayers regularly and finds much spiritual satisfaction. He finds the Fajr (pre-dawn) prayer as one of the most beautiful and moving rituals in Islam. “It is as if you temporarily leave this world and communicate with the angels in singing God’s praises before dawn.”

To the question how he finds it so captivating when the recitation of the Qur’an is in Arabic, which is totally foreign to him, he responds; “Why is a baby comforted by his mother’s voice?” He said reading the Qur’an gave him a great deal of comfort and strength in difficult times. From there on, faith was a matter of practice for Lang’s spiritual growth.

On the other hand, Lang pursued a career in mathematics. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Purdue University. Lang said that he had always been fascinated by mathematics. “Maths is logical. It consists of using facts and figures to find concrete answers,” Lang said. “That is the way my mind works, and it is frustrating when I deal with things that do not have concrete answerers.” Having a mind that accepts ideas on their factual merit makes believing in a religion difficult because most religions require acceptance by faith, he said. The Muslim religion appeals to man’s reasoning, he said.

As faculty advisor for the Muslim Student Association, Lang said he viewed himself as the liaison between the student and their universities. He gets approval from university authorities to hold Islamic lectures. “The object of being their faculty advisor is to help them get their needs met as far as adjusting to the American culture and to procedures of the university. They appreciate the opportunity to have misconceptions corrected,” he said.

Lang married a Saudi Muslim woman, Raika, 12 years ago. Lang has written several Islamic books which are best sellers among the Muslim community in the US. One of his important books is “Even Angels ask; A journey to Islam in America”. In this book, Dr. Lang shares with his readers the many insights that have unfolded for him through his self discovery and progress within the religion of Islam.

http://islamicweb.com/begin/newMuslims/convert_lang.htm

 

[Cordoba]

Amal (USA)

This is my story of coming to love Islam and becoming Muslim, it is a long one so please be ready to sit for a few minutes!!!

Well this all started at the age of seventeen when I started to talk to a man who was selling newspapers and I asked him as to what he was selling it for...and somewhat explained to me what it was about but couldn’t go into details as to why he was. Then I saw him every so often selling the newspapers I sometimes would buy them so I could get some information out of him about what he believed in....didn’t get anything but him telling me that we all believe in the same god.... after figuring he wasn’t gonna tell me anything about Islam since I was an average white American, I went back to what I believed in which was Christianity ...

I still was having some doubts about all that was being said in the bible ...off and on I would ask myself am I really gonna go to hell if I don’t do what my pastor says ...I always had this fear of god inside of my soul I always strived to please him with whatever it was I was doing in my life ...I also had fallen off and on to as what I knew was the right thing to do with my life I was just glad that Allah had kept protecting me although I was doing his will or submitting to it when I knew that is what I needed to do or what I should be fallowing !!!!!, Years went on and I tried even harder to do all the things that I knew was right cuz I realized life was just too short to waste whatever talents Allah gives you ....

About Feb. of 2002 I had broken up with my boyfriend of a little over a month when I went online to look for a new pen pal in the jails near or around my state (I live in Massachusetts)...I found a few of them but only two of them wrote back to me ....that is when I met Frank he was really shocked to have gotten my letter in the mail ,,,, He sent me a picture of himself along with a two and half paged letter that had made me smile from ear to ear and I haven’t been able to feel that way about someone in so long. So as the letters went back and forth ...and the calls got deeper not for like three weeks we didn’t once talk about religion or our beliefs ...we just got to know each other very well..

Then when he asked me if I would think about marrying him I said I would love for the next man I am with to take me to that level!!!! So I got a letter in the mail a few days later explaining to me that he was Muslim and a little bit about Islam ....how it had no compulsion in it ....after reading that letter I went online to search on some stuff about Islam and being a Muslim , not only that I was talking in chats then I came upon this site called www.whyislam.org it had this toll free hotline number so I said what the heck I will call it so I can find some info out on Islam and becoming Muslim plus at that point I told myself I was going to convert cuz I was gonna end up marrying a Muslim ...

Then the most kindest person I have ever met in my life came on the phone her name was AMINA....she helped me with answering some questions about Islam ...but at that point I was so comfortable being a Christian my intentions were just to learn about Islam and what the Muslim believed so I could better understand why my Frank believed what he believed in or on !!!!

As I was being given links to pages that would help me study more about Islam I started to think this is all making sense to me and it is clicking in my head !!! I prayed and pondered about it for two weeks wondering if this would be the right decision to make ....at that point it was not about frank it was all about me I wanted Islam for me ...to give me a better peace and understanding about life.

After I realized that Islam was the way of life that I needed to live I fought with myself for three days I felt like I was fighting with a force beyond my control, it was hard I couldn’t sleep for anything at all during them three days, so on the third day I was getting ready for work and I was in on of the Islamic chat rooms that I usually would go into....

I had a friend online help me take shahada in there although I don’t even remember her screen name may Allah bless her and reward her for what she did to help me come back to my natural nature Allahu Akbar, then on I have had some sisters help me be the best Muslim that I can be teach me all the pillars of Islam after four days I decided to give Amina a call to let her know about the amazing news of me becoming Muslim in a chat room ...she was very thrilled to hear my news and was ready to do all that she could do to help me in my beginning of being in the folds of Islam.....not only that I took shahada in Arabic with her I felt even more Muslim at that point cuz I had a valid witness to testify I said it loud and clear ....... now it has been only nine days since I took shahada and I feel more at peace with myself than I have ever been in my life !!!

As salaamu Aliakum

Amal

http://www.whyislam.org/877/New_Muslims/Amal.asp

 

[Cordoba]

Themise Cruz

If anyone were to ask me when I became Muslim, I guess the only feasible answer would be that I was born Muslim, but just wasn't aware of it. We are all born into a state of Islam, but what is unfortunate is that many people never recognize this fact, and live lost in other circles of religion and lifestyles.

I was horribly lost, and I suppose this was a good thing, because Allah felt my suffering and reached out to me. (al humd dulilah)

My first introduction to Islam was through a course at the University where during Ramadan we were invited to Juma prayer. It was here where I met a wonderful Muslim sister who invited me to her home for study and food. I declined at the time because it seemed too foreign to me. I had built up so many stereotypes that I was not willing to open my mind to anything surrounding Islam, even an invitation to knowledge.

The next message Allah sent me came by my friendship with several Arab Muslims at one of the Technical Colleges near my home. This is where I was exposed to the Islamic lifestyle. I was amazed at the fact that they refused invitations to wild parties and drinking alcohol. How could they sit and pray so many times a day. And fasting for a whole month, what had gotten into these people? From that point forward, I thought I was the American authority on Islam. But in actuality I knew nothing. The height of my confusion hit at this point. I was an observer, but never had any understanding of what it all meant.

So, when I became a Muslim it was like Allah found me and gave me the answers to all the confusion that ran around in my head. It is so mind boggling to me that I was oblivious to the fact that I was so miserable. I was successful in the material aspects of life, but my mind and heart were uneasy. I was so weak in spirit that I tricked myself in believing that the material things that laid at my feet, were enough to cushion any hurtful blow that life dealt me. I was wrong.

My mother died when I was 23, and all the money, my home, my education, the cars, jewelry, they all meant nothing. I tried to go on with life as though her death was just another event. But it was at this point that I could no longer ignore Allah. If I went on in my current state of mind, then my mother's life had been in vain. What purpose did she serve here on this earth? To what greater significance did her life have in this world? I could not believe that she meant so little. It was at this point that I began to hunger for this knowledge, and I opened all of myself to Allah.

It is almost too difficult to describe what it is like for someone who begins to feel Allah in their heart. Islam means so much more than rituals, language, culture or country. Islam is a glorious state of being, and it is a fundamentally different experience than what I had previously been learning. My husband taught me much of what I know about Islam today.

While observing, listening and opening my heart, I slowly began to understand. Allah presents himself to people in different ways, and Allah impacts everyone's life differently. I had to come to an understanding of what Allah meant to me, and why it was necessary that I follow this path of life. I began to learn the meaning and significance behind the rituals I had only before observed at a primitive level.

I began to read Koran for hours at a time. Allah began to reach out to me and fill the vast hole that was in my heart. For when an individual does not follow the path of Allah, they are in a constant search for that missing element. And once I stopped refusing the knowledge of Islam and opened my heart to my fellow Muslims and the teachings of the Koran, the transition was as easy as eating a piece of pecan pie.

Since then I have had contact with the original Muslim sister who I met in my university class. Many of the Muslim sisters get together once a month for study, prayer and informational sessions. I also visit the Masjid during Juma prayers and any other time that my schedule permits. Of course my husband and myself study Koran and Hadith, and are on a constant quest for knowledge.

When you become a Muslim it is the beginning of a new path, a new way of life. Everyday Allah reveals himself to me in some way. Sometimes it is with a new piece of knowledge, or maybe he grants me patience or understanding, and some days it is perseverance or a peaceful state of mind. No matter what the case I am always aware of the blessings that Allah presents to me, and I continuously work to live the way he has intended all of us as human beings to live, in submission to his will.

I have also struggled throughout this search. My family is not accepting of my new way of life, nor are they accepting of my husband. I had a co-worker ask me one time, "How can you abandon Jesus, I love Jesus?" My response confused her I am sure. I simply explained that in Islam we abandon nobody. And in fact it is only now that I can read and understand the true significance of Jesus. Islam allows the follower to study the messages that Allah has sent throughout the ages, through the teachings of Jesus, Abraham and Mohammed. (Peace and Blessings be upon them) Because of this fact, as Muslims, knowledge is never hidden from us, and we are free in our search for truth and closeness to Allah.

My struggle is far from over. Western culture is not accepting or understanding of Islam, and it is mostly out of ignorance that this is so. They think that we are fundamentalists or terrorists, or some other form of monster here to wreak havoc in a peaceful Christian world. The way in which I combat the unkind comments and glares is through kindness and understanding. I remember a point when my understanding was so low that I closed my mind and heart to anything that the Muslim community had to say. And to think that if they had turned me away because of my ignorance, I would not be where I am today. So it is up to all Muslims to have patience and compassion for those who do not understand our way of life.

Eventually Allah reveals himself to those who seek true knowledge and understanding.

February 27, 1997

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/newmuslims/themise.html

 

[Cordoba]

Prof. Arthur Alison (UK)

"In the course of my study of psychology and related subjects as the President of the British Society for Psychological and Spiritual Studies, I got acquainted with religions. I studied the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and some other religions and creeds. When I studied Islam, I compared it to other religions.

"During the Conference on 'Medical Inimitability in the Qur'an,' I could realize that the difference was great. Then I was convinced that Islam is the most proper religion that befits my inborn nature and conduct. In my heart, I had felt that there is a God controlling the Universe. He is the Creator.

"Therefore, when I studied about Islam, I found that it did not conflict with reason and science. So, I believed that it was the revealed religion from One and Only Allah. As I witnessed the truth, I uttered it, I was overwhelmed by a strange and ineffable feeling mingled with ease, comfort and satisfaction."

http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=33747

 

[Cordoba]

Rene Guenon (France)

Rene Guenon; Sheikh Abdul Wahid Yahya was a well-known French Scholar, writer, philosopher and mystic. He was born on the 15th November, 1886 to a well off Catholic family of France. His father was an engineer of repute. So, Rene Guenon was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He got his early education from Blois. From his childhood, he was an extra-ordinary intelligent and made distinction amongst his classmates. He got his Bachelor's degree with distinction and joined the University of Paris where he studied mathematics for about two years.

During his study, he did not restrict his activities to formal education only but started searching for the 'Ultimate Truth', because he was not satisfied with his ancestral religion; Christianity. He did not accept the so called Christian dogmas and rituals. Consequently, he had not only a thorough and deep comparative study of religions, but also he held discussions and had meetings with thinkers and philosophers of fame.

Even then, his thirst for Truth was not quenched. Due to this spiritual journey and mental chaos, he left the university even though his education was incomplete. This state of affairs lasted up to 1909. In the meantime, he met two 'Reverts to Islam' who were not only well acquainted with Islam, but also competent in sociology.

The first of these two scholars was Sheikh Abdul Haq, formerly Schamrino of French origin. He was a scholar of repute and edited a magazine namely 'Al-Tareeq". The Christian name was Iavon Gustav. After his reversion to Islam, he learned Arabic and had full command over it. He used to contribute articles to 'Ansari' magazine which was being published from Egypt.

In 1909, Rene Guenon started a magazine entitled "Al-Maarifat" (Knowledge of God) with the collaboration of these scholars. Discussions, discourses and critical articles relating to comparative study of different religions were published in this comparative study of different religions were published in this journal, which covered Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

This journal remained active for about four years and ceased publication in 1912, the year in which Rene Guenon entered the fold of Islam. He took the Islamic name Abdul Wahid Yahya. His 'Reversion to Islam' was the result of his own continuous search for Truth coupled with the cooperation and guidance of Sheikh Abdul Haq and Sheikh Abdur Rahman Elish El-Kebir (El-Alim El-Maliki School of Thought in Egypt), a mystic and competent in Islamic Jurisprudence. As a token of respect, Rene Guenon dedicated his book: "Symbolism of the Cross" to the venerated memory of Sheikh Abudur Rahman who gave him the first idea of the book.

In February 1930, Rene Guenon went to Cairo and settled there permanently. Before his departure to Cairo, his father, mother and wife died, so he left for Cairo with a heavy heart. In 1937, Rene Guenon married Karima Bint Abdur Rahman, which proved a sort of solace and comfort for him. He dedicated the rest of his life for the cause of Islam and Muslims. It is note-worthy that through his writings and personnel contacts a large number of European scholars embraced Islam. Among his disciples who entered the fold of Islam is Sheikh Isa Nuruddin, formerly Frithjof Schuon. (Born 1907). He is a well known Professor of philosophy and is regarded an authority on 'comparative study of Religions'. He has written a number of books.

The following books have won fame for him: Islam and the perennial philosophy, Understanding Islam, Dimensions of Islam, in the Tracks of Buddhism, Spiritual Perspectives of the Self, Genosis: divine Wisdom, Stations of Wisdom, In the face of Absolute, Survey of Metaphysics and Esotericism, To have a Center, Christianity: Islam.

Then comes the name of a great mystic Abu Bakr Sirajuddin, formerly Martin Lings, who has full command over English and Arabic and is considered as a specialist on mysticism.

He is not only a religious scholar but also a poet and translator of repute His writings include: Muhammad: his life based on the earliest sources; The Qur'an; Catalogue of an exhibition of Qur'an manuscripts at the British Library; The Qur'anic Art of Calligraphy and Illuminations; What is Sufism? A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century; The Secret of Shakespeare. Commenting on the life of Prophet Muhammad, Prof. Hamid Dabashi of Temple University writes: "In Reading Lings and Muhammad", we detect an alchemical effect in his narration and composition which so evenly combines scholarly accuracy with poetic passion. Lings is a scholar-poet. His life of the Prophet is a biographical 'qasida "poem". It is a historical ghazal (a type of poetry); a spiritual triumph; it is a majestic display of impassioned scholarship". This book was awarded the first prize of 5,000 dollars - by two-day 8th International Seerat Conference held in Islamabad… This book was adjudged as the best work in English in the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) published in 1983.

Titus Burchhardt is another scholar who embraced Islam after being inspired and impressed by Rene Guenon. He has made a thorough research on Ancient Civilization and written a marvelous book on mysticism. His book "On 'Chemistry" is regarded the best one on this subject. He is a multi-linguist and has full power over German, English, French, Swiss, Arabic and Persian Languages.
His books include; Sacred Art in East and West; Moorish Culture in Spain; Art of Islam; and Al-Karim Al-Jili's De l' Homme Universal; extraits du liver al-Insan al Kamil.

In addition to the above-mentioned scholars, there are a lot of other personalities who entered the fold of Islam under the persuasion and guidance of Rene Guenon and are busy in the propagation and preaching of Islam in Europe and America.

Rene Guenon breathed his last on 7th January, 1951 at the age of 65. His death was mourned throughout the world. He had devoted his life for the cause of Islam. He wrote countless articles and numerous books. East and West; Reign of Quantity; The Crisis of the Modern World; Symbolism of the Cross, and The Multiple States of Being are his best writings.

http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=29386

 

[Cordoba]

Erin Fanoun

I have been Muslim now for seven years, Alhamdu Lillah (all praise is for Allah, [God]).

I first learned of Islam while attending University, from a Muslim friend of mine. I had managed to get out of a very good, college-prep high school believing that the Qur'an was a Jewish book, and that Muslims were idol worshipping pagans. I was not interested in learning about a new religion. I held the ethnocentric view that if since the US was "#1", we must have the best of everything, including religion. I knew that Christianity wasn't perfect, but believed that it was the best that there was. ...

When I began to research and study Islam, I didn't have a problem with praying to God directly, it seemed the natural thing to do. However, I feared forsaking Jesus, and spent a lot of time contemplating the subject. ...

At about the same time, a friend of mine ... found a good translation of the meaning of the Qur'an for me to read, which I did. I still remember sitting alone, reading it, looking for errors, and questioning.

The more I read, the more I became convinced that this book could only have one source, God. I was reading about God's mercy and His willingness to forgive any sin, except the sin of associating partners with Him; and I began to weep.

I cried from the depth of my soul. I cried for my past ignorance and in joy of finally finding the truth. I knew that I was forever changed. I was amazed at the scientific knowledge in the Qur'an, which is not taken from the Bible as some would have you believe.

I was getting my degree in microbiology at that time, and was particularly impressed with the description of the embryological process, and so much more. Once I was sure that this book was truly from God, I decided that I had to accept Islam as my religion. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.

I learned that the first and most important step of becoming Muslim is to believe in "La illaha il Allah, wa Muhammad arasool Allah", meaning that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. After I understood that Jesus was sent as a prophet, to show the Jews that they were going astray, and bring them back to the path of God, I had no trouble with the concept of worshipping God alone.

But I did not know who Muhammad was, and didn't understand what it really meant to follow him. May Allah bless all those people who have helped me to understand and appreciate the life of the Prophet Muhammad, (peace be upon him), throughout these last seven years. I learned that Allah sent him as an example to mankind. An example to be followed and imitated by all of us in our daily lives. He was in his behaviors, the Qur'an exemplified. May Allah guide us all to live as he taught us.

Erin/Sumaya Fanoun

April 12, 1998

http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=235

 

[Cordoba]

Amber (USA)

Well for starters my name is Amber. I live in Illinois, about two hours away from Chicago.

My mom's side of the family is Christian and my dad's side does not believe in god what-so-ever. I have two brothers and a sister. My brothers are 7 and 8 and my sister is 6.

I first discovered Islam by accident really... You see, I want to be a civil rights lawyer/attorney when I get older and I thought there was no better time then the present to become more cultured about other peoples lives. I started reading up on them but Islam really caught my eye.

I started reading up constantly on it and really didn't pay much attention to the other two religions that I was researching. It amazed me because never have I felt this passionately about something. Even if I already knew something about Islam, and someone wanted to tell me about it like I didn't know, it would still be as interesting as the first time I was learning it. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal but knowledge came so easy to me about Islam. I didn't have to work to learn...which is pretty unusual for me.

I have tried talking to my mom about it actually. About a month ago I sat her down and told her that I was very interested in Islam and that I wanted to learn more about it. She thought it was a good idea, not knowing that I wanted to do more than just learn about Islam, I wanted to convert. When I mentioned converting she got very defensive and walked away. I asked her if she would hate me if I did convert and she said nothing...

Now, I have to dedicate a whole paragraph to my step dad because then you will realize why it is so hard for me to practice the religion I love. My step dad comes from a family of "Gung-Ho" Christians. His grandfather was a pastor and so was his father. A lot of men in his family are men of the church and the woman are very involved in the ministries also. His father died when he was only 6 years old (don't quote me on that...either 6 or 7) so it has always been a very shady subject. He loves Jesus and if you don't too, well, then too darn bad. My mom talked to him about Islam and by what she tells me he got very angry. Ever since then he really hasn't talked to me and is very short if he does (even though this doesn't bother me because I don't really have a relationship with him or anything). After she told my step dad, my mom came up to me and told me that she would try and be more accepting but she doesn't know how much she can take. She also said (like before) that my step dad was angry. I got scared and said that I was just trying to learn about Islam and wasn't really doing to convert...which I think was actually a good idea because if this would have got around to my family my life would be hell....

I've thought about talking to my grandma and/or my dad but I know they would take it just as my mom did, or even worse. The only person I have talked to about it is my best friend Jessica. She said no matter what I did she would always be my friend, so thank Allah for her.

School has also come to mind many times when thinking of ways to be social about my religion but it's simply too difficult. No one at my school wears hijabs or anything so it's not really obvious who is and who isn't a Muslim. When I talked to people online they said that pretty much anyone Pakistani would be Muslim but how can I be sure? I don't want to make such an obvious generalization about someone and then have it turn out that they aren’t Muslim.

I looked into visiting a Mosque ( and I want to very very very badly ) but again, it really doesn't seem like a possibility. Number one, I don't have a ride so even if I did have permission no one would take me. Number two...I don't have permission lol. Some people I have talked to online said I should go behind my moms back and visit a Mosque but I wouldn't feel right doing that....I know it would come back and haunt me.

As for practicing Islam in my daily life....I do as much as I can, though I fear I could try harder. When I first started praying, about a month ago, I actually used two long sleeved shirts to cover my head and neck...it's sad, I know lol, but it was all I knew. I still pray wrong (because the prayers are complicated!!) but I try. I don't really know what to say either so most of the time I just talk to Allah from my point of view. Which isn't right, I know, but what else can I do? ( See...this is why I need to go to a Mosque lol )

That is not all of my story but it is all my poor fingers can handle at the time being so I will write later.

Amber

http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=380

 

[Cordoba]

Adam Wilson (USA)

A couple of years went by and I eventually fooled myself into thinking that I was happy being agnostic.
I DISCOVER THE MOST IMPORTANT TRUTH OF ALL


About three years after the above incident I was delivering Pizzas in a small town located in Northern Michigan. It was 1:00 a.m. in the morning and there was about two and a half feet of snow on the ground.

The sky was clear and the stars were glowing with a magnificent splendor. Delivering pizzas is a lonely process and the loneliness often directed my thoughts to spiritual realms. On this particular delivery I was trying to decide whether or not I believed in God. I drove over a small hill and at the peak of it I could see the night sky in what seemed like its entirety. At that very moment, I witnessed a falling star (meteor). It gave me the shivers one-second and an amazing feeling of calmness the next second. The very first thing that I thought was, ‘there really is a God.’ I had resolved the most important issue of all issues. However, the transition from knowing that a God exists to knowing about the One and only God was still in progress.
THE ONE AND ONLY GOD

My discovery and eventual acceptance of Islam happened over a ten-month period. I met an American convert to Islam in February of 1997. We worked together and often discussed issues about religious and non-religious topics. I was impressed with this particular brother because he had a wonderful ability to apply logic to many different situations. In addition to this he was young, married and had a child on the way. These are responsibilities that I had not seriously considered and I respected him a great deal for his actions. After about nine months, I became more and more interested in Islam. I knew that I had to take action but I was not sure which action to take. My thought process was changing and my desire to learn more increased.

In November of 1997 I was invited to the Mosque for an open house. I did not attend the open house because of a family obligation, however the brother was compassionate and patient enough to invite me again that very same week. After going to the Mosque and speaking to several other brothers, I was to the point that I knew accepting Islam was my destiny. The next day I used my newly acquired prayer book and began praying five time a day. Taking the shahadah (bearing testimony) that God alone deserves to be worshipped and Muhammad is His Messenger, is the not the final step, it is only the first step. Today, my path to God continues. ...



http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=210

 

[Cordoba]

Ali Mori (Japan)

About 18 years ago I was in Manchuria where Japan was still wielding power.

It was in a desert near Pieching that I first came across a group of Muslims. They were leading a pious life and I was deeply impressed by their way of living and by their attitude on life. This impression became deeper and deeper as I travelled into the interior of Manchuria.

I returned to Japan --- a defeated country --- in summer of 1946 and I found that the situation in Japan had changed altogether. There was tremendous change in the realm of thinking of the people. Buddhism which was the faith of the majority of Japanese, was thoroughly corrupted and instead of providing salvation it was exerting an evil influence upon society.

Christianity, after the war had made rapid strides in Japan although it existed there for the last 90 years but it had remained as a formal religion only. At first Christianity seemed to be accepted by the innocent, pure and simple young people who in a way had `killed' their love for Buddhism, but to their great disappointment they soon found out that behind the cover of Christianity there existed the network of British and American capitalist interest. Christianity which has been given up in Christian contries is now being used for export, to serve their capitalistic interest.

Japan is geographically located between Russia on the one hand and America on the other and both wish to exert their influence on the Japanese people. None can offer a lasting and happy solution to the spiritually disturbed Japanese people.

To my mind it will be the doctrine of Islam and none other that undoubtedly offers the much sought solution. Particularly I am appreciative for the fraternity in Islam. All Muslims are brethren unto one another and God has enjoined that they should live in peace and harmony with each other. I believe that it is this type of `Brotherhood' which is so vital and needed most by the world today.

Last summer three Muslims visited Tokushima. They had come from Pakistan and it was from them that I learnt a great deal about Islam and what it stands for. Mr Motiwala in Kobe and Mr. Mita in Tokyo came to my help and I embraced Islam.

Last but not the least, I eagerly hope that one day the bonds of Islam will infuse new spirit amongst Muslims from every nook and corner of the world and this great message of God will resound once again with full glory from every land, so that the Earth becomes a Heaven to live in and God's creatures be really happy --- both materially and spiritually elevated as God does intend.

http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=216

 

[Cordoba]

Abdullah Reda (USA)

"As I got older, I could feel myself drifting away from Catholicism and any religious belief in general. I was still attending Mass every Sunday, but it was a burden to go and give even one hour a week.

After I left the church, I had no faith at all and started to form my own opinions and theories about God and world religions. One theory was that all religions are an extension of one religion and that if you are a good person, i.e. do not physically hurt or kill anyone, you can go to heaven. I think it’s a common belief that most people have because it gives them comfort. It gave me comfort when I was drinking, taking drugs, womanizing and giving my parents heartache.

All these liberal and radical thoughts started taking their toll on me. I was asking myself difficult questions that I could not answer. I wanted to know the reason for my existence. Why was I born? And what is my destiny?

While I was having these thoughts, I was a photo journalist for a weekly newspaper. One day I received an assignment to cover the Muslim holiday after Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

When I got to the location, the first thing that took place was the sermon, then the prayers, followed by the festival. As I looked out at the thousands of Muslims, the first thing that struck me was the diversity of the crowd. Black, brown, white, Arabs, Americans, Pakistanis, Indonesians, people from all over the world. I never saw anything like this in any church I attended nor heard of any church like it in America.

Listening to the sermon I thought, “This is what I’ve been looking for all my life.” After the prayer, I asked someone how one becomes a Muslim. This person grabbed my hand and introduced me to someone who teaches Islam to non-Muslims. I attended two weeks of classes.

On March 17, 1995, believing without question that this is the only true religion from the one true God, I accepted Islam.

Islam is much more than a religion; it is a way of life. There is no such thing as keeping religious life separate from business or personal life, because Islam permeates all aspects of life. One of the beautiful things about Islam is that you stay in contact with God all day long. Five daily prayers keep you coming back to the One who sustains and provides.

In Islam, we are encouraged to ask questions and learn about our faith. The more I learn, the more this religion makes sense. For example, Islam teaches that all the prophets, starting with Adam, to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and the seal of the prophets, Muhammad, peace be upon them, were all Muslim. When you understand that the word “Muslim” means one who submits to God, you can see how the statement about the prophets is true.

And I finally found the answer to the age-old question of the meaning of life and that recurring question, the meaning of my life. The answer is simple: to worship God. Islam has changed my life 180 degrees.

I finally feel that I have reached my true destiny, and I’m trying to live life as God intended which is for humans to achieve their potential as spiritual beings."

http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=203

 

[Cordoba]

Richard Leiman (USA)

My Childhood:

As a child I always had access to a short-wave radio. I used to listen to the BBC World Service and the Middle East. I also loved the music from that part of the world and I probably was listening to the Qur’an being recited, but did not know it at the time.

As I grew older:

As I grew older I still listened to the BBC World Service mostly. Back then, they had a programme called "Words of Faith" where they had a 5 to 8 minute talk given by a different religious speaker each day of the week representing all the major religions in the UK. Out of all the speakers, I loved it when the Muslim spoke.

Every time he spoke, I wanted to find out more about Islam. My impression of the Islam was one in which the person who practices Islam was a happy person, not like the mean people portrayed by the American media. I just refused to believe people that loved Allah so much could be like the people portrayed by the media. Since I come from a Jewish background, the thing that united me with Islam was the belief that Allah had no partners.

Working in the UK:

Then came an important time in my life where I was about to meet a real Muslim, but did not know it yet. I was doing contracting computer programming work in New York state when the urge to visit the UK was very strong.

I took a visit to London and loved it. During my visit I went to several employment agencies without luck. One of the agencies gave me several trade magazines. When I arrived back in the states I started to send more CV’s to companies and other agencies in the magazines. Again I came to the UK because one of the companies wanted to interview me. Then I started to visit more companies and agencies when I landed a position even though I was on a visitors visa. The company applied for a work permit and the Department of Employment told us that I had to leave the country in order to process the paperwork. Again I went back to the states. Another Agency obtained a temporary work permit and hired me to the company called LogoTech, at that time was in Egham, Surrey.

Meeting a real Muslim for the first time:

Some time after I was working at LogoTech, I found out that my supervisor Anis Karim was Muslim. I asked him if he knew how I could get a copy of the Holy Qur’an. To my surprise, I had a copy of the Qur’an within a few days. He also asked me to make a pledge. I pledged to make sure that I would have a bath before I read from the Qur’an and that I would never show it to anyone who may make blasphemous remarks about it. The next day, I took my morning bath and made breakfast. Then whilst eating breakfast I started to read. Later I found out that READ is what Allah had the angel Gabriel instruct our beloved prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to do, even though HE COULD NOT READ OR WRITE!

Well, words can't describe how I felt when I read just that small portion of the worlds most holy book. It took only 10 pages when I told myself that this religion was for me. This was around 1990. The more I read, the more I wanted to know and loved what I was reading. Also at the time I did not know anything about how to pray or any of the details of Islam. If Anis had invited me to go the Masjid in London, I would have gone with him. The only thing I knew about praying to Allah was the Shazute position. At the time I knew that Muslims prayed several times a day and I started to do so at night before I went to bed and in the morning when I woke up.

Back to the states again:

When the work permit ran out. I had to come back to the states and was unemployed for several years. I visited my father in Huntsville, Alabama and created a database application for him. I saw that Huntsville was a high tech cosmopolitan city and decided to try and land a programming position there. My father told me that if I did not get a position, I would have to go back to New Jersey to my mother. They moved from New York to New Jersey. About a fortnight before I was going to go back to New Jersey, I landed a programming position at a company in Huntsville.

Planning a trip to a Muslim country:

My sister and I were planning a trip to Indonesia because we had a pen-pal on the internet. My sister asked me if I could help her find Islamic Jewelry as a gift. At that time I had no idea that there were Muslims in Huntsville.

My first trip to a Masjid (Mosque):

Then Allah put things into place. I remembered that there was a shop called Crescent Imports which I thought was run by Muslims. It was not. It was run by the group called Nation Of Islam. Now here is the strange part in which only Allah could be put in place. We spoke to the owner of the shop and told him that we wanted to find Islamic jewelry. He directed us to the Huntsville Islamic Center.

I do thank Allah for having them direct me to the Masjid. We went to the building, but there was only one car parked there. I spoke to a man in the car, and he told us that we should speak to the Imam about where to find the Jewelry. I was still afraid to go into the building because to me it is such a holy place.

Invitation to pray with other Muslims:

I saw a lady at work wearing a Hijaab. I told her about my accepting Islam personally and she said "why don't you visit the Masjid in Huntsville?" We eventually went back to the Masjid after I summed up enough courage to go into that a holy place. We spoke to the Imam and he invited me to make Salat with the Brothers. This was a turning point in my life. I loved it and started to come to the Masjid once a week at night. Then I started to come several times a week at night. The urge to come more times was stronger and now I make all 5 prayers each day mostly at the Masjid, except Asr and Margrib when at work.

I officially accepted Islam!!!!!!!!!!

In November of 1996 I publicly made Shahada. At work I pray Duhur and Asr by myself or with other brothers in a small Mosque right in the work place! I proudly carry my prayer mats in the work hallways in an attempt to get people to ask me what they are (a form of Dawah). When this happens I tell them that I am Muslim and the mats are what I use for prayers. Also, my work area has Islamic decorations all over the place, and that includes my computer where the graphic on the screen is that of the Kabah or our Masjid.

Conclusion:

I am also a member of the Dawah Committee at the Masjid and am also trying to make Dawah by providing [a] web page.

Now that I am a Muslim, (One who submits to Allah) there is no turning back to unbelief!!!!!

http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=239

 

[Cordoba]

Aaron William Shank (USA)

My path to the religion of Islam was long and difficult, but I believe much can be learned from the experience. I was born Aaron William Shank from a third generation Christian Syrian.

As a child I remember watching television coverage of events in the Middle East with curiosity. My mother had told me that my father's side is Arabian, so I looked at these people and wondered exactly who they were. When I heard the word Muslim I never thought of anything extra-ordinary or strange. I saw Islam as a religion that held essentially the same views as Christianity or Judaism, but was stronger in some way. At that time I was about ten-years old, and never thought I would become a Muslim one day. It was not until I entered middle school that my curiosity reached new heights. ...

That same year I read a book that nearly convinced me that Islam was the absolute truth. During a study hall I started to leaf through a book called, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." The thing that shocked me most about this book was a chapter entitled Mecca. In that chapter Malcolm described the Hajj in great detail. To this day I read that chapter and it brings tears to my eyes. I couldn't believe the unity and brotherhood that he was describing! And at the same time I was learning so much about this new religion, Islam. Out of all the different ideologies in the world, Communism, Capitalism, Hinduism, none of them had anything similar to this. No other belief system in the world was successful in uniting an entire rainbow of individuals. The problems that I encountered in school made me truly believe Islam was the only path to equality.

For the next three years I would live a life of deep secrecy. I was too scared to tell anyone that I had an interest in this strange new religion called Islam. Anything I could find about Islam I immediately read. One of the books I remember reading was written by a Christian entitled, "Muhammad: Prophet of Islam." I would even read encyclopedia entries of "Islam", "Muhammad", or "Muslim" just to find some new fact about this religion. During my final year of secondary school I went through some serious problems. As a Christian I remembered praying to God and getting no response. With this new knowledge of a God named "Allah", I was desperate to try anything . . . I estimated to the best of my ability which direction was east and made a request for Allah (SWT) to solve my problems. All praise is due to Allah, within a couple days I was okay. To me, this was another sign that Islam was more than a concept or idea, but that it was the truth.

My years of secondary school were far from perfect. I nearly failed my final year, not because I didn't have the ability, but because I was too foolish to act correctly. During the summer of 1994 I was exposed to something new called the Internet. Immediately I had the chance to learn things about Islam that I never could before. The information I obtained about Islam up until then was limited to my school library. I was too frightened bring any books about the religion of Islam into the house for fear of what my parents would think. For the first time I had solid information about this religion. ...

After learning from the Internet that summer I began to take my life more seriously. I read something that said to the effect, "whatever a Muslim does, he should do his best." When I went back to school in the Fall I attempted to get my grades up. I was definitely not a star student, but I was at least making an effort. I was living my life as a Muslim in complete secrecy. I knew no other Muslims except the ones I chatted with on the computer. I did not know how to pray or perform ablution correctly, but I would make an effort.

The summer of 1996 I kept begging my parents to take me to a Mosque. At that time I had no idea that there were any Muslims in my area. The closest Mosque I knew of was forty-five miles away in Pittsburgh. ...

All Praise is due to Allah; I was able to chat with a brother from Kuwait on the Internet. His name was Ali and he was patiently trying to make me understand what I was doing wrong. Still without accepting Islam, he explained to me the fundamentals of tawheed (Islamic monotheism). This brother did not give a scientific or philosophical explanation about Islam, but he explained it to me in terms of the Qur'an and way of the prophet. He didn't mislead me, he taught me true Islam, the Islam of Muhammad and his predecessors. In my heart, I knew what he was saying was right, but I was too stubborn sometimes to admit it. ...

Finally they told me, "If you can find some Muslims in the area, we will support you." Immediately, I went on the Internet and tried to find Muslims at the local university. With no visible Muslim student groups on campus, I just searched for names that appeared to be Arabic. Finally, I was able to find a brother from Kuwait and he spent some time with me then took me a week later to the Friday prayer held on campus.

A week later when I attended the Friday prayer I was extremely happy. I was very shy and too afraid to speak to anyone. In my heart, I wanted to greet and hug every single person I saw. I couldn't believe it, Muslims who lived in my area and I've never even seen them. I could barely get out "As Salaam Alaikum" to anyone, I just couldn't believe I was finally so close to becoming a Muslim. When the next week came I was once again attended the Friday prayer and officially accepted Islam.

To raise money for the Umrah I sold almost everything in my house that was musically related. In less than three or four weeks I had exactly twelve hundred dollars. Praise is to Allah; there was no need for me to borrow any money. When I decided to give up something that was so dear to me, Allah (SWT) gave me something more valuable, a chance to visit the holy cities of Mecca and Medinah.

In the past people had offered for me to make Umrah, but most of these offers fell through. I could not believe that I was actually boarding a plane and on my way to Saudi Arabia. When I saw the Saudi Arabian Airlines logo at the airport in Washington, I wanted to cry. I could not believe I was finally going to a place I only dreamed of.

My visit to Saudi Arabia was during the last two weeks of last Ramadan. Not more than thirty-minutes passes in each day that I don't think about something that happened to me while staying in the holy lands. When arriving at the airport in Jeddah it dawned on me, there is no one here but Muslims! For the first time in my life while struggling to find Muslims or find the right Muslims, I finally had nothing around me BUT Muslims. ...

While making my farewell around the Kabbah, I cried. I cried while leaving the Mosque as well. I truly did not want to leave this land, it was like I just found home. While in both of the holy cities I never slept more than three or four hours daily. The only thing that kept me from crying on the way home was the hope that one day I would return.

http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=323

 

[Foxy]

Interesting point raised by Karla on the first page. I too studied R.E. and i found that Islam was perhaps the most interesting of all faiths, and certainly one that requires a lot of conviction. I always find it interesting to see that it seems to me, that Islam and also Judaism require a lot more "sacrifice" of time and comforts, of ordinary folk than i reckon Christians do. I may be wrong but i always get the impression that Christianty has nothing to compare to something like the five pillars of Islam, although there is of course the sacraments they dont seem to be so i dunno probably the wrong word but...dedicated? Just seems that unless you have a vocation in the church there doesnt need to be so much effort involved for ordinary people in christianity as in Islam and Judaism in particular.

 

[Cordoba]

Hello Foxy:

If you take Jesus peace be upon him as an example, don't you think his life was all about dedication?

 

[Cordoba]

Muhammad Yahya (UK)

"My reversion to Islam is only Allah's mercy and his guidance upon myself, otherwise I would never have been guided to Islam. As an undergraduate of Western history, I became disillusioned with an unending story of exploitation and materialism. There seemed no one of selfless good, willing to aid mankind for no fee.

I never thought of God or religion, except to satirize them in my ignorance. I remember starting across night-club dance floors wishing for more than just mindless hedonism and a lifetime of chasing the next job promotion. One point, however, which had provoked my curiosity was the contentment I observed in the faces of the religiously inclined. I often wondered how they had achieved that.

A fellow student, who was a muslim, came to be an inspiring example for me. In the four years that I knew him before embracing Islam, it was his actions, more than anything, which convinced me of the truth. He looked after me like I was his younger brother, he was full of patience and concern. He never became angry. He was kind, solicitous, generous and hospitable.

I often watched him perform his prayers in such a way that I instinctively felt that such devotion could not be false. Gradually I realized that his fulfillment in life came from the awareness that Allah is One and He has created us to worship Him alone. I saw that goodness for oneself and for mankind could only come from the ultimate source of goodness, Allah.

Every year has brought new certainty to my faith. My reversion to Islam was instinctive, a recognition of the heart. Continuing studies show the unfathomable depth of understanding of human nature that lies within Islamic teachings and the comprehensive reformation that it brings; proof upon proof of its Divine origin.

That there is no contradiction in its teachings shows the oneness of Allah. ... The knowledge of our All Powerful and All Merciful Creator, who has no partner, is in harmony with human reason.

Upon the open declaration of:" I testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah, and I testify that Muhammad, (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is the servant and Messenger of Allah" the heart expanded.

A Muslim is one who has surrendered to the will of Allah, and through this submission comes peace. A secular society, which has made personal desires its God, satisfaction can never come to it as desire will never be fulfilled. The chase for material well-being has brought the exploitation of whole continents and the destruction of the environment.

Man, as vice-regent of Allah, cannot walk arrogantly on the earth, and must fulfill the rights of the Creator and of all of Allah's creation. The true believer values all life, opposes injustice, protects the weak, leads a simple life, content with what Allah has ordained for him, enjoins righteousness, forbids evil, and remains in ever constant consciousness of his Lord.

One might ask, show me such a person? There are many examples throughout Islamic history; but even they are but dim reflections of the last and final Prophet of Allah, Muhammad, (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). One may see him as a universal man, described as "the walking Qur'an" by his wife. His life is the most exemplary life with all the virtues, it is among the signs of Allah. His greatest miracle given to him from Allah, the Qur'an, remains unblemished and incomparable, a challenge to all deviant ways of thinking until the end of time.

Anyone, considering embracing Islam, should not pause to think of negative reactions from friends, family, or from society at large. Those who love you truly, will accept you, in time, and if you reflect the teachings of Qur'an in your life, they may accept Islam also. Once the truth is perceived, to deny it would be like denying ourselves.

True refuge is with Allah and the real life is in the Hereafter. To die without true faith is to be eternally unsuccessful. Death is certain whilst the span of our life is not. Also the unity and fellow feeling amongst Muslims is such that you would feel your family to number in millions on declaring your Islam.

http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=344

 

[Foxy]

Hello Foxy:

If you take Jesus peace be upon him as an example, don't you think his life was all about dedication?

of course, and in that christians are to try their best to follow the example that Jesus leads, but even having said that i don't think that dedication is there to such an extent, even though it probably should be, in the Christain world to any large extent as to which can be found in Islam and Judaism.

 

[Cordoba]

Ismail Godwin (USA)
(Extracts from Interview)

My name is Ismail Goodwin. I am a 47 year old white American. I work for Pacific Bell in San Francisco and I live in South San Francisco. I became a Muslim on May 15, 1991 at the Islamic Center in San Francisco.

Before embracing Islam I was not really unhappy, there just seemed to be something missing from my life. I considered myself to be a typical American bachelor. I had examined other religions and philosophical systems, but for one reason or another found something lacking in them.

After embracing Islam, my life has changed in very positive ways. My experience is the same as many others that I have heard of; I feel that I have been a Muslim my entire life and it is difficult for me to understand thoughts and actions prior to my conversion.

Q: Would you kindly tell us how your interest in Islam began?

A: Although I had an interest in philosophy and religion, I had always avoided material about Islam for some reason. It took a war to arouse my curiosity about Islam and Muslims. On the night that the United States started bombing Baghdad, I left for a two week vacation in Mexico. I encountered no support for this action in Mexico and I wondered why. I made an agreement with myself that when I returned to California, I would read 10 books about the Middle East to try to understand what led to this action by my government. These 10 books referred to Islam often enough that my curiosity was aroused.

So I became interested in the religion of Islam because of the situation in the Gulf Region. I read a couple of books on Islam. There were a few times in which I was alone in my apartment in which I kept repeating the 5 pillars of Islam. I knew that in my heart I did believe in these 5 pillars of Islam, which are the basic principles of Islam. I also remember reading a Hadith or saying of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) which had a huge impact on me. The Hadith goes as follows:

"If you take one step towards Allah, He will take two towards you. If you walk towards Allah, He will run towards you."

I was a person without much faith. After reading this Hadith, I made a decision that I would pray to God to give me guidance. I truly believed that I should have faith and therefore I wanted to be given some guidance.

A short time later, I wrote the Islamic Center of San Francisco and asked for some literature on Islam. After receiving this literature, I read it and it was like a door had been opened for me. These were the first literature that I read by Muslim writers so therefore, they were written from a totally different perspective. Although the prior books I had read were not anti-Islamic, they just didn't have the same effect on me. Perhaps the wording that was used was somewhat different. It was then that I realized that Islam was my chosen path. I sincerely hope that all people who are interested in Islam read books written by Muslim writers.

Q: Did you feel anything holding you back from Islam?

A: No, I do not think so. I had reached the point in my life in that I felt there was something missing. I just couldn't deny it. Islam was a very seductive thing for me. I was ready for Islam and therefore very receptive to it. I felt in my heart that I was a Muslim. I could, therefore, either follow my true feelings or be untrue to my myself and pretend that I wasn't.

Q: How difficult was it to suddenly stop and give up many things that you had been doing?

A: I think one of my difficulties had been that I never knew how to behave. I had beliefs of right and wrong but it was too easy to rationalize and justify my errant behavior. Islam provides you with an entire framework for life and a code of conduct. This makes it easier to let inappropriate behavior drop away. I know what I should do! I know what is most pleasing to God! So this makes the process of reforming my behavior easier.

Now let me also say that I still struggle with many aspects of my life. I am certainly not perfect, but I now know where to look for guidance. I humbly request that anyone reading this will pray for me.

Q: How did you feel the first time you went to the Masjid?

A: I wasn't afraid to go to the mosque the first time. I just didn't know how to act. Everybody really made me feel welcomed and was very nice to me. I remember the first night I attended the masjid, I heard the men referring to each other (one another) as "Brother". This really gave the atmosphere one of unity. That made a special impact on me because it showed the acceptance of all the men as being equal--all the men were brothers. This really impressed me because it seemed so sincere.

Q: Did anyone notice a difference or change in you after you accepted Islam?

A: The change was gradual. I am still changing today. However, I have noticed a change in the way I see things and also I am a much more tolerant person today. I seldom cuss these days nor do I use the same kind of language that I use to. I am still learning many things and therefore still changing and improving my behavior.

Q: What impressed you most when you read the Holy Quran?

A: The single most impressive aspect for me, is the purity of the text. Whether or not you believe the Quran to be the word of God, if you are honest, you must admit that these are the words that Muhammad (SAW) recited to the people in the Arabian Peninsula 1400 years ago. Maurice Bucaille, a french surgeon, wrote a book in which he examines scientific information contained in the Quran. Dr. Bucaille's conclusion is that a man living in 7th century Arabia could not have had some of the information contained in the Quran.

I have been studying Arabic for two years and feel that my efforts are finally paying off. The most impressive thing to me is that I can be absolutely certain when I read the Quran, in the original Arabic, that these are the words that Muhammad (SAW) actually spoke and which I believe to be from God.

So if you have doubts about the Holy Quran, you can learn Arabic and examine it yourself. The text has not been corrupted, it exists in the original words of revelation.

Q: Have you ever felt that it was all part of a plan--the path you have taken in life to finally reach Islam?

A: Yes, I do believe it was God's plan. Perhaps I needed to go through some of the negative experiences I did in life to finally reach and appreciate the point I am at now. Ten years ago, if a Muslim person knocked on my door trying to explain the teachings of Islam to me, I probably would have thought that he was crazy. But at the point where I am now in my life, I was confronted with the beliefs of Islam and ready to accept them. It was a very easy transition at the time that I made the transition. I feel that I wouldn't have been able to make this transition at any other point in my life.

Let me conclude by inviting everyone, who is not a Muslim, to examine Islam and decide for yourself about this religion which is practiced by one out of every five people in the world. As a Muslim, I invite you and encourage you to seek out a Muslim and initiate a dialogue.

http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=329