When I am asked how I became a Muslim I always reply that I always felt myself to be a believer in the ONE AND ONLY, yet I first realized what that meant when I heard about a religion called Islam, and a book called Quran.

But let me first start with a brief synopsis of my American overwhelmingly traditional Irish Catholic background.

Catholic I was Indeed

My dad left the seminary after a three-year stint to train as a missionary.  He was the oldest of thirteen children, all born and raised in the Boston area.  Two of his sisters became nuns, as was his aunt on his mother’s side.  My dad’s younger brother was also in the seminary and quit after 9 years, just before taking his final vows.  My grandmother would wake at dawn to dress and climb the hill to the local church for early morning mass while the rest of the house was sleeping.  I remember her as being a very stern, kind, fair, and strong woman, and rather deep - unusual for those days.  I’m certain she never heard mention of Islam, and may God judge her as to the beliefs she held in her heart.  Many who never heard of Islam pray to the One by instinct, although they have inherited labels of various denominations from their ancestors.

I was enrolled in a Catholic nursery school at the age of four and spent the next 12 years of my life surrounded by heavy doses of trinity indoctrination.  Crosses were everywhere, all day long - on the nuns themselves, on the walls of the classroom, in church which we attended almost daily, and in almost every room of my house.  Not to mention the statues and holy pictures - everywhere you looked there was baby Jesus and his mother Mary - sometimes happy, sometimes sad, yet always classically white and Anglo featured.  Various and sundry angels and saints pictures would make their appearances, depending on the holyday approaching.

I have vivid memories picking lilacs and lilies of the valley from our yard to make bouquets which I placed in the vase at the base of the largest Mother Mary statue in the upstairs hallway next to my bedroom.  There I would kneel and pray, enjoying the pleasant scent of the freshly picked flowers and serenely contemplating on how lovely was Mary’s long flowing chestnut hair.  I can unequivocally state that I never once prayed TO HER or felt that she had any powers to help me.  The same was true when I would hold my rosary beads at night in bed.  I repeated the ritual supplications of the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, all the while looking upward and saying with my true heart—I know its only You, one almighty You-I’m just saying this stuff because it’s all I ever learned.

On my twelfth birthday, my mom gave me a Bible.  As Catholics we were not encouraged to read anything except our Baltimore Catechism, sanctioned by the Vatican.  Any comparative introspection was denied and disparaged.  Yet I fervently read, seeking to know what I hoped would be a story from and about my creator.  I got even more confused.  This book was obviously the work of men, convoluted and difficult to grasp.  Yet, once again, that’s all that was available.

My prior faithful church attendance dropped off in my mid teens, as was the norm for my generation, and by the time I reached my twenties, I had basically no formal religion.  I read a lot on Buddhism, Hinduism and even tried out the local Baptist church for a few months.  They were not enough to hold my attention, the former too exotic and the latter too provincial.  Yet all through the years of not formally practicing, a day never passed when I didn’t “talk to god” especially as I fell asleep I would always say thanks for all my blessings and seek help for any problems I was experiencing.  It was always the same certain ONE AND ONLY whom I was addressing, sure He was listening and confident of His love and care.  No one ever taught me anything about this; it was pure instinct.

Source: www.islamreligion.com

To read the next part, click Here

BY SUMAYYAH MEEHAN

The headscarf, or hijab, is just a small piece of fabric but the controversy that often surrounds it is immeasurable. Muslim women who wear the hijab are often socially stigmatised, in non-Muslim and sometimes even Muslim countries, as being mindless drones who are under the thumbs of their domineering husbands.

This could not be further from the truth. The reason Muslim women wear the hijab is because Allah commands us to do so.

"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (Quran 33:59)

The hijab, and the outer cloak or abaya, fulfills the requirement of modesty in Islam that applies not only to women but men as well. By wearing the hijab a woman is actually liberated and not oppressed. Think about all of the ads on TV and the trailers for this summer's hottest movies. They all include ads with women dressed scantily with bulging bosoms and voluptuous bodies and hair, the things that make a woman a woman, right?

However, these are also the things that turn thinking and living souls into nothing more than sexual objects — glorified 'eye candy' for men. The hijab removes sexuality from the equation. When a woman is dressed modestly and her hair is properly covered, she can only be seen for what she truly is, which is an intelligent woman with ideas and a voice of her own. She is not a piece of meat to be drooled over and defamed.

It's surprising that Islam is consistently slammed in the popular media as being anti-women when in fact Islam is the pioneer of true feminism. Islam raised women up out of the wilderness of Arabia over 1400 years ago when Allah Almighty chose Muhammad, peace be upon him, as His Final Messenger. During this time, women were bought, sold and often traded as commodities. Women were inherited when their husbands died which meant that their own sons could do with them as they pleased. Women also had zero rights in the marriage.

She was not entitled to hold property and her husband could divorce her at his whim without compensating her. He could also simply throw her out of the home, not divorcing her, which meant she would spend the rest of her life in limbo unable to remarry. And she had no voice in her society either. Women were not even allowed to seek an education. All of this changed when the Quran was revealed to the Last Prophet and women were given their rightful voices. With the advent of Islam, women were able to vote, seek a divorce and receive alimony, get an education and have her own property amongst other things.

The debate over the hijab will rage on regardless of the true nature in which it is worn in obedience to Allah Almighty and for self-preservation. I have often had conversations with my own family who simply do not understand it calling the hijab a 'towel' that I wear on my head. However, it is very interesting to note that the command for women to wear the hijab can also be found in the Bible as well as the other books of Allah.  This verse can be found in the Bible: "But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head-it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil." (Corinthian 11:5-6)

The majority of Christians ignore this command. However, some Catholics do wear a simple lace veil on their heads when they attend Mass.

All women have the right to wear what they choose even if it is not the hijab because Allah is the One and Only judge. Allah alone will judge between humans on the Day of Judgment and we will all receive recompense for our deeds dependant upon whether they were good or bad. It would be unfitting for anyone to slander another just because she chooses to reveal her body, however it would also be unfitting for others to judge women who wear the hijab simply because she chooses modesty in obedience to Allah.

Muslim women are often ridiculed for wearing Islamic clothes or 'garb' as is the popular term in the media. What other piece of clothing screams, "I am a Muslim!' more so than the hijab? Quite often this makes Muslim women unwanted targets of ridicule and contempt, however there is a stern warning in the Quran for those who would poke fun at the expense of Muslims living their lives in accordance with Allah's Divine Decree:

"Was it Allah, and His Signs and His Messenger you were mocking? Make no excuse, you have disbelieved after you had believed. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others among you because they were sinners."(Quran 65:66)

The hijab is not meant to be restrictive in anyway. Quite the contrary, it gives the woman wearing it more freedom of movement than any other piece of clothing she could buy in the trendiest boutique.

Sumayyah Meehan is a Kuwait-based American writer who embraced Islam. She can be reached at  abidhjs@msn.com

Source: Email

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

Source: http://www.imtiazahmad.com

By Caroline Corda 

Growing up in Dubai and being around Muslims all the time never made me feel different towards them, they seemed to blend in, and yes sometimes I would see hijabis and niqaabis in malls but gave little or sometimes no attention to it at all. I had Muslim friends that I could divide in 2 groups, one who either were practicing but never showed it much and the others who didn’t practice, I don’t think I had the third group who were open about their beliefs and came about doing dawah work.

I’m very fond of nature and animals, discovery channel and animal planet till today fascinate me. I was so content within to see things around me take its own course without worry, unlike people who were always caught up by some or the other stress.

Sitting alone on the patio looking up at the moon and stars, enjoying the sounds of the waves rushing towards the shore or sometimes being so calm that I would doubt I was at the same place. I would feel the sand in my feet and touch the rocks that I would sit on little did I realize that this content that I felt within would bring about a question in my life. That would take me to a whole different level that still takes my breath away.

I would bring home injured birds because I could not keep a dog or cat, ‘my house was too small and it would not be fair for the animals to be in such a confined space’ my mom would say, so I somehow forced her to buy me a rabbit, I got so attached to having pets around that learning their habits and watching shows on animal planet got me even more caught up with all of this. I would read about their habits and how they would take care of their young ones, and what mainly amazed me was that how I never heard on these shows of how animals would go in search of food and always come back without something, so who was taking care of them and their needs? I did believe in God so this just pierced my heart so deep and I started looking at all this in a much deeper way, I would look out of the window of my car not to see the buildings but to see the sky, the clouds, the trees, the flowers bloom, and when I would come to a point where I would be so filled with it inside me I would research more about this.

I was a girl who would attend Mass (Church Service) and Bible Study and I was even given a Quran but I guess I wasn’t so bothered about both, for me they were books from different religions and people are different they believe in different things and all that was fine for me. I never pushed it I never asked even though I then started to have Muslims who were getting too personal with their questions something I didn’t like and as such I would tell them to stay away with their beliefs. At the same time when I was given the Quran I showed it a friend who is a Hindu and she said don’t read it I have heard that people who do they become Muslim (she thought there was some spell in it) and I laughed and said well I don’t believe that a book would bewitch me and now that I have the Quran I will read and see what’s in it that was a challenge I took on but I didn’t care as much to read it from cover to cover I read in between and was ok with what I read.

But mainly all I did was ponder over what fascinated me, and all that fascinated me was creation, questions like how is it that my rabbit can understand me and my sparrow, but I can’t understand a single noise they make unless it’s a very disturbing noise then too I am I guessing what it is? So my sparrow likes to take an afternoon nap and would screech so loud if the TV was disturbing her. Yea that was funny but it also made me think about her intellect, it made me think about mans intellect how much he changed his life from the age of having no gadgets to the most sophisticated ones today, I enjoyed discovery channel because of this it gave me insight on how man progressed in various fields such as medicine, law, etc.

I was a rebel according to some or most people, I had a mind of my own did my own thing, I guess I never wanted to ever regret saying that if only I made that decision on my own I would not be upset of having taken that persons decision and as such I never asked for advice but asked for opinions. And in our families this is not respected unless you take a decision that would favor them.

As time went by then I started to look into religions and I made my decisions that Islam was the right one. Simple and made sense – tawheed never made sense in any other better than it did here. Cause I had to connect this to the most important thing that I admired so much…. I couldn’t believe that there had to be more that one who created this and manages it all so smoothly subhan Allah I still am amazed today.

So what really got me come to Islam was Allahs creation the beauty in it, Allahs wisdom in creating so much that I can feel to some extent but not fully understand. Why it is till date new species are still being found, strange species and how they survive in the places even man can’t go subhan Allah.

So please guys give some reverts a break and ask them the reason and not ask them with a question like I get all the time.

So Caroline how did you come to Islam is it because you didn’t believe Jesus was God, is it because you lived in a Muslim country and saw how the Muslims were?

Well my question to that I didn’t care at that time if it made sense of Jesus being God, and I grew up in a Muslim country where every second person was a Muslim, that too didn’t affect me either.

Allah chose to guide me differently and when I read the ayahs mentioning about the verses of how He created the moon, the earth, the animals and man that’s when I tear up cause that was my path to this beautiful religion. And it still works till today I admire nature but when my emaan is low I give few minutes to myself and just look at a tree or the sky (how difficult it is to find that thank Allah for that some don’t even have that) and subhan Allah that reminds me how Great our Creator is, so perfect in every way.

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Something to laugh about…

Spanish dog

My neighbors dog chases my cat and I stand in between both so he doesn’t attack my cat and tell him “No! No!” he doesn’t understand and his owner yells from the other side saying “He understands only Spanish”

Gift for you

One of my cats will bring a bug from the garden home, and I would joke with my mom and say “ see Ronnie has brought you a gift”, no one was there to see a bug he brought home one day so he went to the basement where my mom was walked in front of her she had to tell him to go upstairs and throw it he listened and walked up with it (no idea what he did with it then) so what I said to my mom about the gift was true he always brought it to show it to her.

Bodyguard and my little miracle

Zizou my other cat who is very attached to my mother never leaves her side unless she is sleeping alone in the room then he may leave the room depending on his mood. He sleeps on the bed touching his back towards her, don’t even bother to touch my mom or even move towards her side or he will snap at you, but if she is sleeping alone on the bed he might not even be there. He even chases the other cats from them… its more like “shes all mine”

One thing that is really good about him is that he like an alarm clock, at 10:45 - 11pm he comes to the bedroom cause that’s my moms time to head to bed so no matter where he is in the house at that time he comes to my moms bedroom and wakes her sharp at 7am.

Why is he my miracle boy!?…notice he never comes to wake anyone else up except my mom and he wakes her walking around her till she pets him.

For me it was different I had trouble with fajr I was not used to getting up and praying and my alarm was not really helping me get out of bed, those days he would come and wake me for fajr and would keep tapping my face slowly I never felt his paws, I would always cover my face completely under the covers, he would continue doing that till I showed him my face and got up that’s when he would go. He never walked around me to be petted there was no reason for him to come to my bed (with my mom he wants to be petted, Ronnie my other cat goes to my mom in the morning for her to put food, Bentley the 3^rd cat wait for my mom to get out of bed to let him out in the backyard)

But why did Zizou wake me, there was no reason I noticed that stopped as soon as my emaan got stronger and I was able to get up without much trouble Alhumdullah. He doesn’t do it any more

By Maryam Abdullah

This is the 1st and the 2nd part of Maryam's struggle to find her way to Islam.

I finally pulled it together and asked my husband to take three steps back. I told him that he almost succeeded in killing me the last time. I told him that he can kill me now, if he wants to, but that he will have to live with that and answer to God. I will be in a better place.

I then told him again to take three steps back. He did, I ran, picked up the little baby, and told my two year old and three year old to run, and they did. We went to the neighbor's house, and called a shelter. They picked us up. We never looked back. Allah saved us.

I was 27 years old. I started a journey of survival for my little family. I was in a new county, and new city. There were no mosques in the area. I was at the mercy of the hands that were willing to help us. I went to the churches that we were told to go to. And we continued to survive.

During those years, I worked full time, and eventually went to school while rearing my children. I never forgot what the sisters had taught me. There were so many times when we needed a miracle, to get food, or keep our heat, and little by little, miracle by miracle, one day at a time, we found ourselves doing better. It was 20 years of a very rocky road.

And the dramas of life did not end at the shelter. But Allah was there for us, every step of the way, even if we did not know how to worship Him or understand Islam. And I never forgot the story of Lady Hajar. That is what kept me going when I did not have enough money for food, or shoes for my children.

I remembered. But I did indeed venture off. I dedicated myself to learning the truth about God. I studied every religion I could, and read every scripture I could find. I was not satisfied with contemporary Christianity. I studied the history of Christianity, and found the truth.

The history will teach the inquirer, about how the Abrahamic religion was reintroduced by a wonderful teacher and messenger, and this message became merged with the other religions of the land.

A man and prophet who will one day return to us. The hope is to understand the real message through all of the layers of additions and omissions to the teaching that he wanted his followers to understand. And it may be impossible to grasp it from what we have left.

So, where do we turn for truth? I had studied Sikhism, Buddhism, several versions of Christianity, Hinduism, and read so many scriptures. All of which had become distorted over time. I continued to have an unquenchable hunger to live a spiritual life...but I was lost. I even tried new age philosophy and how to direct my own life… but this too was futile.

My life had improved dramatically. I was now employed as a doctor and able to pay my bills, and my children were older now. By the time I was ready to graduate, I was also ready to make one final search of my heart and my mind.

But I wanted something more than just another religion. I wanted a way to live close to God… in Reality. And the only way to do that is to submit to the will of God. The ultimate secret. And I had forgotten my Islam, the Quran through this search. So strange. But my journey led me to a friend that is truly the friend of Allah. I know that Allah has been leading my journey all the while.

In July of 2006, I started my post doc position at a state mental hospital and worked on a unit with a clinical team. On the team was a Muslim psychiatrist. We had to work together and discuss patients. Somehow, our conversation turned from patient care to religion, and I shared with this person my history with Islam.

We began talking some more, and the memory of those days, more than 20 years ago. I began remembering all the years of struggle, and all the times when "Divine Order" seemed to take over and care for me and my children when we could not care for ourselves.

I wondered how in the world I made it this far. And my heart once again turned to God, Allah. I determined to settle my mind as to the right path once and for all. I had been studying most of the world religions, and the history of religion. And I did conduct one last "investigation", if you will.

Nothing made more sense to me than acknowledging that there is only one God. No matter how you look at it, that is what you will realize. You can realize this truth through humanities, science and religion. All paths lead to the one god. There just isn’t any getting around it. It isn't a theology. It is All-theology. So, my intellect was finally at rest. And after a long intellectual journey, this was truly a blessing.

But was the Quran truly a revelation? Was Muhammad a messenger? I pondered. I compared some o the other religious scriptures to the Quran. I reviewed what I had learned about the history of the contemporary "Bible" that contemporary Christians consider the "word of God". And I knew that the religion of Abraham was the one that put an end to the illusions and confusions of deluded people.

And I am aware of cycles and how we humans can have a realization, then lose all sight of it very quickly, and how Moses had to tell people to stop worshiping cows. And when I read the Quran again, with the knowledge that the Arabic version is still pure and authentic… I knew both intellectually, and in my heart, that the Quran was a revelation to Muhammad, Muhammad was/is our messenger.

To tell us again, what we have forgotten and to show us the way back to peace. Then I had no reason not to want to submit to the will of Allah. We are so much better off aligning our will with the will of Allah, and putting our heart, our hope and our life in Him.

I had come full circle. This is what I knew at age 8. And now, I had so much to reflect on. Why didn't I die? With an extensive background in cognitive challenges, I had to ask myself why I did not have brain damage. My children had been provided for through all the years.

This is the Grace and Mercy of Allah. I realized that I had been living from the Grace of Allah, and only Allah. And now, I had the compass that I was looking for. I reverted back to my original faith. I reverted back to my original awareness. And I am now making a concerted effort to submit to the will of Allah.

It is a daily work for me to let go of programming and mental and attitudinal habits that I picked up along the way, that get in my way of submission… but every day gets better. The prayers really help me to surrender and stay in that "consciousness" where I can let go, and allow Allah to unfold my life according to his will.

I know and have a true trust now, that this is in my best interest, and I experience Allah as my protector, my provider, and a love that transcends comprehension. For me, this is my first step into Islam, and I am wondrous and excited to follow deeper, as Islam is fathomless and eternal.

I am so grateful to Allah for bringing me here… bringing me home. My colleague and his wife brought me into their home, and treated me like family. They took me to Ramadan every day. And they taught me. I declared Shahada, testimony of faith, on Oct 1, 2007. Back home to Islam. On that day, our community Imam named me Maryam.

It was a new start to an eternal journey back to God.

Source: www.readingislam.com

Source: www.islamtomorrow.com 

Many people ask me how a preacher or priest in Christianity can ever go to Islam, especially considering all the negative things that we hear about Islam and Muslims everyday. Some people are simply curious, while others take a profound exception to my "conversion" to Islam. Some have asked how I could have turned my back on Jesus, or if I truly understood the Holy Ghost and some even questioned whether or not I considered myself as "born again" or had ever really been saved at all. These are good questions to which I will offer answers to at the end of this writing. I would like to thank everyone for their interest and offer my humble story, God Willing.

One very nice Christian gentleman asked me in email why and how I left Christianity for Islam. This is more or less a copy of the letter I sent to him.

Introduction
My name is Yusuf Estes now, but in years past my friends used to call me Skip. I have preached Christianity and worked in the entertainment and music industry since I was a boy in the 1950's. My father and I have established music stores, TV and radio programs and outdoor entertainment for fun (and profit). I was a music minister and even used a pony ride and entertained the children as "Skippy the Clown."

Once, I have served as Delegate to the United Nations Peace Conference for Religious Leaders. Now I am a retired former Muslim Chaplain for United States Bureau of Prisons, Washington, DC. and I join alongside many American Muslims, working with Muslim student and youth organizations as well as schools for Muslim children. As such, I travel around the entire world lecturing and sharing the message of the Christ of the Quran in Islam. We hold dialogs and discussion groups with all faiths and enjoy the opportunity to work alongside rabbis, ministers, preachers and priests everywhere. Some of our work is in the institutional area, military, universities and prisons. Primarily our goal is to educate and communicate the correct message of Islam and who the Muslims really are. Although Islam has grown now to nearly tie Christianity as the largest of religions on earth, we see many of those who claim Islam as Muslims, that do not correctly understand nor properly represent the message of "Peace, Surrender and Obedience to God" [Arabic = 'Islam']

Dear me, I am afraid that I got a bit ahead of myself. I was trying to give a bit of background of our work perhaps to see if it would in anyway benefit those who may being going through what I experienced while trying to resolve some of the issues of Christianity.
How It Happened
This may seem quite strange, while we perhaps may share a few different perspectives and concepts of God, Jesus, prophethood, sin and salvation. But you see, at one time I was in the same boat as many folks are today. Really, I was. Let me explain.

Born A Strong Christian
I was born into a very strong Christian family in the Midwest. Our family and their ancestors not only built the churches and schools across this land, but actually were the same ones who came here in the first place. While I was still in elementary we relocated in Houston, Texas in 1949 (I'm old). We attended church regularly and I was baptized at the age of 12 in Pasadena, Texas. As a teenager, I wanted to visit other churches to learn more of their teachings and beliefs. The Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Charismatic movements, Nazarene, Church of Christ, Church of God, Church of God in Christ, Full Gospel, Agape, Catholic, Presbyterian and many more. I developed quite a thirst for the "Gospel" or as we say; "Good News." My research into religion did not stop with Christianity. Not at all. Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Metaphysics, native American beliefs were all a part of my studies. Just about the only one that I did not look into seriously was "Islam". Why? Good question.

Music Minister
Anyway, I became very interested in different types of music, especially Gospel and Classical. Because my whole family was religious and musical it followed that I too would begin my studies in both areas. All this set me for the logical position of Music Minister in many of the churches that I became affiliated with over the years. I started teaching keyboard instruments in 1960 and by 1963 owned my own studios in Laurel, Maryland, called "Estes Music Studios."

Business Projects In Texas, Oklahoma and Florida
Over the next 30 years my father and I worked together in many business projects. We had entertainment programs, shows and attractions. We opened piano and organ stores all the way from Texas and Oklahoma to Florida. We had earned millions of dollars during those years, but could not find the peace of mind that can only come through knowing the truth and finding the real plan of salvation. I'm sure you have asked yourself the question; "Why did God create me?" or "What is it that God wants me to do?" or "Exactly who is God, anyway?" "Why do we believe in 'original sin?" and "Why would the sons of Adam be forced to accept his 'sins' and then as a result be punished forever." But if you asked anyone these questions, they would probably tell you that you have to believe without asking, or that it is a 'mystery' and you shouldn't ask - "Just have faith, brother."

Trinity Concept
Strangely enough, the word "Trinity" is not in the Bible. And it has been a concern for religious scholars as early as 200 years after Jesus was raised up by Almighty God. I would ask preachers or ministers to give me some sort of an idea how 'one' could figure out to become 'three' or how God Himself, Who can do anything He Wills to do, cannot just forgive people's sins, but rather and had to become a man, come down on earth, be a human, and then take on the sins of all people; keeping in mind that all along He is still God of the whole universe and does as He Wills to do, both in and outside of the universe as we know it. They never seemed to be able to come up with anything other than opinions or strange analogies.

Father - Ordained Non-Denominational Minister
My father was very active in supporting church work, especially church school programs. He became and ordained minister in the 1970s. He and his wife (my stepmother) knew many of the TV evangelists and preachers and even visited Oral Roberts and helped in the building of the "Prayer Tower" in Tulsa, OK. They also were strong supporters of Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker, Jerry Fallwell, John Haggi and the biggest enemy to Islam in America, Pat Robertson.

Distributing "Praise" Tapes for Jesus
During the early 1980's my Dad and his wife worked together and were most active in recording "Praise" tapes and distributing them for free to people in retirement homes, hospitals and homes for the elderly. We were really "winning souls to the Lord - for Jesus" day after day.

Met A Man From Egypt
It was early in 1991 when my father began doing business with a man from Egypt and told me that he wanted me to meet him. This idea appealed to me when I thought about the idea of having an international flavor. You know, the pyramids, sphinx, Nile River and all that.

He Was A "Mozlem"

Hijackers; Kidnappers; Bombers, Terrorists - and who knows what else?
Then my father mentioned that this man was a 'Moslem.' First, I hated the idea of meeting an "infidel, hijacker, kidnapper, bomber, terrorist, non-believer." Any normal person would be repulsed at the idea. I couldn't believe my ears. A 'Moslem?' No way! I reminded my dad of the various different things that we had heard about these people.

Lies Against Muslims & Islam - They Told Us, Muslims:
They don't even believe in God
They worship a black box in the desert.
And They kiss the ground five times a day.
No Way! I Did Not Want to Meet Him!
I did not want to meet this 'Moslem' man. No way! My father insisted that I meet him and reassured me that he was a very nice person. This was too much for me. Especially since the evangelists that we used to travel around with all hated Muslims and Islam very much. They even said things that were not true to make people afraid of Islam. So, why would I want anything to do with these people?

Idea - "Change Him To Christian"
Then an idea came to me, "We can change this man to Christian." So, I gave in and agreed to the meeting. But on my terms.

Met Him With A Bible, Cross and Cap with "Jesus Is Lord!" on it.
I agreed to meet him on a Sunday after church so we would be all prayed up and in good standing with the Lord. I would be carrying my Bible under my arm as usual. I would have my big shiny cross dangling and I would have on my cap which says: "Jesus is Lord" right across the front. My wife and two young daughters came along and we were ready for our first encounter with the 'Moslems.'

Where Is He?
When I came into the shop and asked my father where the 'Moslem' was, he pointed and said: "He's right over there."
I was confused. That couldn't be the Moslem. No way.

Turban & Beard?
I'm looking for a huge man with flowing robes, a big turban on his head, a beard half way down his shirt and eyebrows that go all the way across his forehead with a sword or a bomb under his coat.

No Turban - No Beard - [No Hair at All!]
This man had no beard. In fact, he didn't even have any hair on his head at all. He was nearly bald. Best of all, he was very pleasant with a warm welcome and handshake. This didn't make sense. I thought they are terrorists and bombers. What is this all about?

He Needs Jesus
Never mind. I'll get right to work on this guy. He needs to be 'saved' in the 'Name of Jesus' and me and the Lord are going to do it.

Introduction & Interrogation
After a quick introduction, I asked him:

"Do you believe in God?"
He said:
"Yes." - (Good!)

Then I said:
"Do you believe in Adam and Eve?"
He said:
"Yes." - (Very Good!)

I said: "What about Abraham? You believe in him and how he tried to sacrifice his son for God?"
He said:
"Yes." - (Even better!)

Then I asked:
"What about Moses?"
"Ten Commandments?"
"Parting the Red Sea?"
Again he said:
"Yes." - (Better still!)

Then:
"What about the other prophets, David, Solomon and John the Baptist?"
He said:
"Yes." - (Great!)

I asked:
"Do you believe in the Bible?"
Again, he said:
"Yes." - (OK!)

So, now it was time for the big question:
"Do you believe in Jesus? That he was the Messiah (Christ) of God?"
Again the said:
"Yes." - (Fantastic!)

Well now - "This was going to be easier than I had thought."
He was just about ready to be baptized only he didn't know it.
And I was just the one to do it, too.

Shocking Knowledge - Muslims Believe in the Bible?
One day in the Spring of 1991, I came to know that the Muslims believed in the Bible. I was shocked. How could this be? But that's not all, they believe in Jesus as:

* A true messenger of God;
* Prophet of God;
* Miracle birth without human intervention;
* He was the 'Christ' or Messiah as predicted in the Bible;
* He is with God now and most important;
* He will be coming back in the Last Days to lead the believers against the 'Antichrist.'

After "winning souls to the Lord for Jesus" day after day, this would be a big achievement for me, to catch one of these 'Moslems' and 'convert' him to Christianity.

Cup of Tea - Discuss Beliefs
I asked him if he liked tea and he said he did. So off we went to a little shop in the mall to sit and talk about my favorite subject: Beliefs. While we sat in that little coffee shop for hours talking (I did most of the talking) I came to know that he was very nice, quiet and even a bit shy. He listened attentively to every word that I had to say and did not interrupt even one time. I liked this man's way and thought that he had definite potential to become a good Christian. - Little did I know the course of events about to unravel in front of my eyes.

Agreed to Do Business
First of all, I agreed with my father that we should do business with this man and even encouraged the idea of him traveling along with me on my business trips across the northern part of Texas. Day after day we would ride together and discuss various issues pertaining to different beliefs that people have. And along the way, I could of course interject some of my favorite radio programs of worship and praise to help bring the message to this poor individual. We talked about the concept of God; the meaning of life; the purpose of creation; the prophets and their mission and how God reveals His Will to mankind. We also shared a lot of personal experiences and ideas as well.

Moved to Our Home
One day I came to know that my friend Mohamed was going to move out of the home he have been sharing with a friend of his and was going to be living in the mosque for a time. I went to my dad and asked him if we could invite Mohamed to come out to our big home in the country and stay there with us. After all, he could share some of the work and some expenses and he would be right there when we were ready to go to out traveling around. My father agreed and Mohamed moved in.

Continued Ministry & Preaching
Of course I still would find time to visit my fellow preachers and evangelists around the state of Texas. One of them lived on the Texas -- Mexico border and another lived near lived Oklahoma border. One preacher liked to a huge wooden cross that was bigger than a car. He would carry it over his shoulder and drag the bottom on the ground and go down the road or freeway hauling these two beams formed in the shape of a cross. People would stop their cars and come over to him and ask him what was going on and he would give them pamphlets and booklets on Christianity.

Preacher Has Heart Attack
One day my friend with the cross had a heart attack and had to go to the Veterans Hospital where he stayed for quite a long while. I used to visit him in the hospital several times a week and I would take Mohamed with me with the hopes that we could all share together in the subject of beliefs and religions. My friend was not very impressed and it was obvious that he did not want to know anything about Islam. Then one day a man who was sharing the room with my friend came rolling into the room in his wheelchair. I went to him and asked him his name and he said that it didn't matter and when I asked him where he was from he said he was from the planet Jupiter. I thought about what he said and then began to wonder if I was in the cardiac ward or the mental ward.

Man in Wheelchair - Needed the Lord
I knew the man was lonely and depressed and needed someone in his life. So, I began to 'witness' to him about the Lord. I read to him out of the book of Jonah in the Old Testament. I shared the story of the prophet Jonah who had been sent by the Lord to call his people to the correct way. Jonah had left his people and escaped by boat to leave his city and head out to sea. A storm came up and the ship almost capsized and the people on board threw Jonah over the side of the ship. A whale came up to the surface and grabbed Jonah, swallowed him and then went down to the bottom of the sea, where he stayed for 3 days and 3 nights. Yet because of God's Mercy, He caused the whale to rise to the surface and then spit Jonah out to return back home safely to his city of Nineveh. And the idea was that we can't really run away from our problems because we always know what we have done. And what is more, God also always knows what we have done.

Catholic Priest
After sharing this story with the man in the wheel chair, he looked up and me and apologized. He told me he was sorry for his rude behavior and that he had experienced some real serious problems recently. Then he said that he wanted to confess something to me. And I said that I was not a Catholic priest and I don't handle confessions. He replied back to me that he knew that. In fact, he said: "I am a Catholic priest."
I was shocked. Here I had been trying to preach Christianity to a priest. What in the world was happening here?

Priest in Latin America
The priest began to share his story of being a missionary for the church for over 12 years to south and Central America and Mexico and even in New York's 'Hell's Kitchen.' When he was released from the hospital he needed a place to go to recover and rather than let him go to stay with a Catholic family, I told my dad that we should invite him to come out and live with us in the country along with our families and Mohamed. It was agreed by all that he would so, he moved out right away.

Priests Must Study ISLAM? - YES!
During the trip out to our home, I talked with the priest about some of the concepts of beliefs in Islam and to my surprise he agreed and then shared even more about this with me. I was shocked when he told me that Catholic priests actually study Islam and some even carry doctors degrees in this subject. This was all very enlightening to me. But there was still a lot more to come.

Different Versions of the Bible
After settling in, we all began to gather around the kitchen table after dinner every night to discuss religion. My father would bring his King James Version of the Bible, I would bring out my Revised Standard Version of the Bible, my wife had another version of the Bible (maybe something like Jimmy Swaggart's 'Good News For Modern Man." The priest of course, had the Catholic Bible which has 7 more books in it that the Protestant Bible. So we spent more time talking about which Bible was the right one or the most correct one, than we did trying to convince Mohamed about becoming a Christian.

Quran Has Only ONE Version - In Arabic - And Still Exists
At one point I recall asking him about the Quran and how many versions of it there were in the last 1,400 years. He told me that there was only ONE QURAN. And that it had never been changed. Yet he let me know that the Quran had been memorized by hundreds of thousands of people, in it's entirety and were scattered about the earth in many different countries. Over the centuries since the Quran was revealed millions have memorized it completely and have taught it to others who have memorized it completely, from cover to cover, letter perfect without mistakes. Today, over 9 million Muslims have memorized the entire Quran from cover to cover.

How Could This Be?
This did not seem possible to me. After all, the original languages of the Bible have all been dead languages for centuries and the documents themselves have been lost in their originals for hundreds and thousands of years. So, how could it be that something like this could be so easy to preserve and to recite from cover to cover.

Priest Goes to the Mosque
Anyway, one day the priest asked the Mohamed if he might accompany him to the mosque to see what it was like there. They came back talking about their experience there and we could not wait to ask the priest what it was like and what all types of ceremonies they performed. He said they didn't really 'do' anything. They just came and prayed and left. I said: "They left? Without any speeches or singing?" He said that was right.

Priest Enters Islam!
A few more days went by and the Catholic priest asked Mohamed if he might join him again for a trip to the mosque which they did. But this time it was different. They did not come back for a very long time. It became dark and we worried that something might have happened to them. Finally they arrived and when they came in the door I immediately recognized Mohamed, but who was this alongside of him? Someone wearing a white robe and a white cap. Hold on a minute! It was the priest. I said to him: "Pete? -- Did you become a 'Moslem?'
He said that he had entered into Islam that very day. THE PRIEST BECAME A MUSLIM!! What next? (You'll see).

My Wife Announces Her Islam!
So, I went upstairs to think things over a bit and began to talk to my wife about the whole subject. She then told me that she too was going to enter into Islam, because she knew it was the truth.

Shocked!
I was really shocked now. I went downstairs and woke up Mohamed and asked him to come outside with me for a discussion. We walked and talked that whole night through.

Truth Had Come!
By the time he was ready to pray Fajr (the morning prayer of the Muslims) I knew that the truth had come at last and now it was up to me to do my part. I went out back behind my father's house and found an old piece of plywood lying under an overhang and right there I put my head down on the ground facing the direction that the Muslims pray five times a day.

Guide Me! O God! Guide Me!
Now then in that position, with my body stretched out on the plywood and my head on the ground, I asked: "O God. If you are there, guide me, guide me."

Sign Inside of Me
And then after a while I raised up my head and I noticed something. No, I didn't see birds or angels coming out of the sky nor did I hear voices or music, nor did I see bright lights and flashes. What I did notice was a change inside of me. I was aware now more than ever before that it was time for me to stop any lying and doing anything sneaky. It was time that I really work at being an honest and upright man. I knew now what I had to do.

Wash Away the "OLD"
So I went upstairs and took a shower with the distinct idea that I was 'washing' away the sinful old person that I had become over the years. And I was now coming into a new, fresh life. A life based on truth and proof.

And Become New!
Around 11:00 A.M. that morning, I stood before two witnesses, one the ex-priest, formerly known as Father Peter Jacob's, and the other Mohamed Abel Rehman and announced my 'shahadah' (open testimony to the Oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him).

"I bear witness, there is no deity to worship, except Almighty Allah, alone and He has no partners and I bear witness that Mohammad is His messenger and servant."

My Wife Was Next
A few minutes later, my wife follow along and gave the same testimony. But hers was in front of 3 witnesses (me being the third).

Then My Father
My father was a bit more reserved on the subject and waited a few more months before he made his shahadah (public testimony). But he did finally commit to Islam and began offering prayers right along with me and the other Muslims in the local masjid (mosque).

Children Too!
The children were taken out of the Christian school and placed in Muslim schools. And now ten years later, they are memorizing much of the Quran and the teachings of Islam.

Father's Wife (Stepmother) Next
My father's wife finally acknowledged, before she died, that Jesus could not be a son of God and that he must have been a mighty prophet of God, but not God. She passed away within a few months of this statement at age 86. May Allah accept her statement of faith, ameen.