How I came to Islam

Radko, Ex-Atheist, Czech

I once knew an atheist who claimed he'd never believed in God's existence. In his view, believers were supposed to be people of weak character who felt the necessity to find a crutch for their inability and laziness, so they attended church. He felt agitated if, when the debating religion, he could not persuade the opponent with his arguments. He despised believers in an almost hysterical way. He had, however, a very good friend who believed in God. They agreed to refrain from discussing religion whenever together.

One day this man, probably in a rare moment of weakness, accepted the invitation of his friend to visit his church. To himself, he laughed at the thought of speaking out in the middle of mass and laughing and pointing his finger at the believers from the pulpit. However, as we know, God works in mysterious ways. He went to church, stood in the back benches, and stared at the people praying.

My Journey to Islam - Raphael Narbaez, Jr. – Former Jehovah’s Witness Minister

A forty-two-year-old Latino, Raphael, is a Los Angeles-based lecturer. He was born in Texas where he attended his first Jehovah’s Witness meeting at age six. He gave his first Bible sermon at eight, tended his own congregation at twenty, and was headed for a position of leadership among the 904,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the United States. But he traded in his Bible for a Qur’an after having braved a visit to a local mosque.

On November 1, 1991, he embraced Islam. He speaks with the urgency of a new convert, but one who can make immigrant Muslims laugh at themselves.

He told his story mimicking a cast of characters.

I remember vividly being in a discussion where we were all sitting in my parents’ living room and there were some other Jehovah’s Witnesses there. They were talking about : “It’s Armageddon! The time of the end! And Christ is coming! And you know the hailstones are going to be out here as big as cars! God is going to use all kinds of things to destroy this wicked system and remove the governments! And the Bible talks about the earth opening up! It’s going to swallow whole city blocks!”

INTERVIEW WITH SILVIA: HER ISLAM SHOOK ITALY

Silvia Romano, an Italian aid worker was kidnapped in November 2018 by gunmen linked to the Somali armed group al-Shabab in northeast Kenya. At the time of the attack, Romano was volunteering for an Italian NGO in an orphanage.

Finally, word surfaced in May that she had been released after 18 months in captivity. Italians were overjoyed after weeks of gloomy coronavirus-driven news. The joy, however, was short lived.

When she stepped off the Italian government plane wearing a full green hijab, her welcome not only turned ugly, but also dangerously hostile.

The conversion of Silvia to Islam opened the door of insults on social media. She has also been met with threats. Right wing media and politicians left no stone unturned in criticizing and spewing hate against Silvia.

MY JOURNEY TO ISLAM

My name is Aysha, and I am from Northern Hungary. My interest in Islam began from the history lessons we took at my secondary school. I learned that Hungary had been a territory of the Ottoman Caliphate for 150 years. My interest increased when I met Muslims at my university. I took molecular biology, and met many Muslim foreign students. Looking at them, I always wondered why they were so proud to be Muslims! I was Catholic, a good one, but I always had my reservations towards my faith. I didn’t agree with some parts of my religion such as, Jesus being the Son of God and the issue of Trinity, which was simply not believable for me.

I made many Muslim friends and began engaging with them. Once, when we were having dinner the Adhan (call to prayer) started and one of my friends wanted to stop it, but I insisted to listen to it. It mesmerized me and truly touched my heart. During that summer, I downloaded a Quran program, I don’t know why I really did this, but I would listen to the Quran in Arabic and read its meanings in English. I was thinking a lot about Islam and I was reading many books about it.

VIRTUES OF HAJJ

Even though there wont be many Muslims performing Hajj this year, the virtues below should encourage us to make a firm intention to go for Hajj, apply for Hajj if we haven’t, and to make an abundance of Dua that Allah Ta’ala take us for Hajj over and over again. We should also start saving for Hajj even if it is small amounts.

Allaah, the Most High, said: “ And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant [mountain] pass.” (al-Hajj: 27)

Ibn Umar (radiyallaahu ‘anhumaa) said that Allaah’s Messenger (salallaahu `alaihi wassallam) said: “Islaam is built upon five: To testify that none has the right of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah; to establish the Salaah; to pay the Zakaah; to perform Hajj and to fast the month of Ramadaan.” (Bukhaaree, no. 8. Muslim, no. 16)

A MESSAGE FROM MRS. MARYAM PETRONIN TO THE FRENCH PRESIDENT MACRON

Mr. Macron

Peace be upon those who followed the guidance and, as for what follows… I received that you are in astonishment at how Sophie Petronin, a French woman of pure white race, Catholic Christianity, had converted to Islam after 75 years of Christianity and during 4 years of captivity among Muslims!

Let me simplify things for you Mr. Macron…

Yes, I was a prisoner of the Muslims … but they never touched me badly and their treatment of me was all appreciation and respect. They used to offer me food and drink and influence me on themselves despite the scarcity of resources .. and they respected my privacy. No one ever subjected me to verbal or physical harassment, and they did not insult my religion, Jesus or the Virgin Peace be upon them both as you do with the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him
They did not impose Islam on me, but I saw in their morals people who purify themselves with water and pray the Lord the five prayers and fast the month of Ramadan

HOW I CAME TO ISLAM

By Sariya Islam

My story starts in 1979 when God bought me into this world into a very religious and spiritually aware family. We were Orthodox Roman Catholics before our reversion to Islam. My family being quite well to do was actively involved in Church and Parish affairs. And so we had, and still do have Priests, Nuns and Missionaries (They still try their antics, but we know how to handle them) as part of our family. My grandfather has even built a church in our native Kerala, India. But my family was one that stuck to its ideals, we loved our Creator albeit misguidedly and always tried to be good human beings. We prided ourselves to be pious people and the best among us was my mother. There were many times when our Parish priest would make her an example to the other ladies.

AMINAH ASSILMI – MY JOURNEY TO ISLAM

I was completing a degree in Recreation when I met my first Muslims. It was the first year that we had been able to pre-register by computer. I pre-registered and went to Oklahoma to take care of some family business. The business took longer than expected, so I returned to school two weeks into the semester (too late to drop a course).

I wasn’t worried about catching up my missed work. I was sitting at the top of my class in my field. Even as a student, I was winning awards in competition with professionals.

Now you need to understand that while I was attending college and excelling, ran my own business, and had many close friends, I was extremely shy. My transcripts actually had me listed as severely reticent.  I was very slow to get to know people and rarely spoke to anyone unless was forced to or already knew them. The classes I were taking had to do with administration and city planning, plus programming for children. Children were the only people I ever felt comfortable with.

I WAS FORCED TO ACCEPT ISLAM

By Danielle LoDuca

I never aspired to be a Muslim. I didn’t even want to be a Christian.

The whole concept of ‘organized religion’ was distasteful. I sought to use my mind, not resort to some ancient book for assistance in living my life. If you had offered me millions of dollars to join one faith or another, I would have declined.

One of my preferred authors was Bertrand Russell, who maintained that religion is little more than superstition and generally harmful to people, despite any positive effects that it might have. He believed that religion and the religious outlook serve to inhibit knowledge and promote fear and dependency, in addition to being accountable for much of our world’s wars, persecution, and misery.

MATHEMATICIAN WHO CHALLENGED QUR’AN

Dr Gary Miller (Now Dr Abdul Ahad) was a very active missionary and was very knowledgeable about the Bible. This man likes mathematics so much, that’s why he likes logic. One day, he decided to read the Qur’an to try to find any mistakes that he might take advantage of while inviting Muslims to convert to Christianity. He expected the Qur’an to be an old book written 14 centuries ago, a book that talks about the desert and so on. He was amazed from what he found.

He discovered that this Book had what no other book in the world has. He expected to find some stories about the hard time that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) had, like the death of his wife Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) or the death of his sons and daughters. However, he did not find anything like that. And what made him even more confused is that he found a full “Sura” (chapter) in the Qur’an named “Mary” that contains a lot of respect to Mary (peace be upon her) which is not the case even in the books written by Christians nor in their Bibles. He did not find a Sura named after “Fatimah”(the prophet’s daughter) nor “Aishah” (the Prophet’s wife), may Allah (God) be pleased with both of them. He also found that the name of Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) was mentioned in the Qur’an 25 times while the name of “Muhammad” (Peace Be Upon Him) was mentioned only 4 times, so he became more confused. He started reading the Qur’an more thoroughly hoping to find a mistake but he was shocked when he read a great verse which is verse number 82 in Surat Al  Nisa’a (Women) that says:

I CHOSE TO BE MUSLIMAH INSTEAD OF A NUN

I was raised in a religious Christian family. At that time, Americans were more religious than they are now—most families went to church every Sunday, for example. My parents were involved in the church community. We often had ministers (Protestant “priests”) in the house. My mother taught in Sunday school, and I helped her. 

I must have been more religious than other children, although I don’t remember being so. For one birthday, my aunt gave me a Bible, and my sister a doll. Another time, I asked my parents for a prayer book, and I read it daily for many years.

When I was in junior high school (middle school), I attended a Bible study program for two years. Up to this point, I had read some parts of the Bible, but had not understood them very well. Now was my chance to learn. Unfortunately, we studied many passages in the Old and New Testaments that I found inexplicable, even bizarre.

I REVERTED TO ISLAM BECAUSE OF A MAN WHO HAD ALZHEIMER’S

My name is Cassie. I am 23 years old. I graduated as a qualified nurse this year and was given my first position as a home nurse.

My patient was an English gentleman in his early 80’s who suffered from Alzheimer’s. In the first meeting I was given the patient’s record and from it I could see that he was a convert to the religion of Islam, therefore he was a Muslim.

I knew from this that I would need to take into account that some modes of treatment may go against his faith, and therefore try to adapt my care to meet his needs. I brought in some ‘halal’ meat to cook for him and ensured that there was no pork or alcohol in the premises as I did some research which showed that these were forbidden in Islam.

My patient was at a very advanced stage of his condition so a lot of my colleagues could not understand why I was going to such lengths for him, but I understood that a person who commits to a faith deserves that commitment to be respected, even if they are not in a position to understand. 

WHERE IS THE “POT OF GOLD?”: QUEENIE’S CHANGE OF HEART

Being human beings and not angels we often desire material comforts and worldly recognition. Many rich and famous personalities who have searched for happiness and success in material things have reached the end of the rainbow and indeed found no pot of gold. Indeed Allah Ta’ala has kept the real pot of gold i.e. true happiness, peace of mind and eternal prosperity ONLY in his deen (Islam). This true happiness we will not find anywhere else but in the Deen of Islam.

Allah Ta’ala the Most Wise says: “Whoever desires (and strives to gain) the harvest of the Hereafter, We increase him in his harvest; and whoever desires the harvest of the world (material things), We grant him out of that, and he has no portion in the Hereafter.” (Qur’an 42.20)

The following is an inspiring story of a Muslimah who had “reached the top” materially and then later discovered that true success and happiness lies not in worldly riches, pleasures and fame and but in the sublime and noble Deen-ul-Islam.

WHY MUSLIMS BELIEVE THAT ISLAM IS THE TRUTH

Many Christians & Jews don’t know that Muslims believe in their prophets and holy books. Muslims believe that the Bible and the Torah were changed by people for their personal benefits. This is why God sent Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, not with a new religion, but to correct the people who had gone astray, those who were worshipping idols and being misguided by their forefathers.

Islam is the last message to the world and God wants the miracle of Islam to be witnessed by the people from Prophet Muhammad’s, peace be upon him, time till the day of Judgment. The miracle is the Qu’ran, Muslims holy book.

WHAT NON-MUSLIMS HAVE TO SAY!

“Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?”

Lamartine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276-277.

 
“He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope’s pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammed, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports.” Bosworth Smith, MOHAMMAD AND MOHAMMADANISM, London, 1874, p. 92.

YOUNG. BRITISH. FEMALE. MUSLIM.

From Times Online

May 29, 2010

Thousands of young British women living in the UK decide to convert to Islam – here are some of their stories. It’s a controversial time for British women to be wearing the hijab, the basic Muslim headscarf. Last month, Belgium became the first European country to pass legislation to ban the burka (the most concealing of Islamic veils), calling it a “threat” to female dignity, while France looks poised to follow suit. In Italy earlier this month, a Muslim woman was fined €500 (£430) for wearing the Islamic veil outside a post office.

And yet, while less than 2 per cent of the population now attends a Church of England service every week, the number of female converts to Islam is on the rise. At the London Central Mosque in Regent’s Park, women account for roughly two thirds of the “New Muslims” who make their official declarations of faith there – and most of them are under the age of 30.

BETTER, TRY TO SEE THE LIGHT

By Khalid Baig

Modern day Christianity and Judaism have been through a series of “reformation” processes. Over the centuries tens of thousands of “reformed churches” and “reformed synagogues” have been established throughout Europe and America. Many see this revision and update as a continuous process.

So, why not Islam?

This question is a perplexing one for those looking at Islam from the outside. Unfortunately for many, it brings rage rather than reflection. Some are driven to do whatever it takes to make it happen. It is a measure of the intensity of such desire that, today, any ignoramus with a Muslim sounding name can become instant celebrity by declaring that Qur’an needs to be updated or Shariah needs to be rethought. In fact during the Satanic Verses affairs, when the entire Muslim world had been outraged by the support for pure filth shown by all sorts of pundits, many of these “experts” were secretly thrilled that the moment had arrived. A professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Southern California informed the Los Angeles Times readers at that time that the big question the Muslim world was debating was: “Who had really authored the Qur’an.”

ISLAM IS THE SOLUTION

By Khalid Baig

The term “Third World” was coined in 1952, in the wake of the Second World War, to refer to the ex-colonies that were not part of the two newly emerged geopolitical blocs of associated interests. The “Third” then meant the third way.

But, the world order setup by the “First World” in the post-colonial period was even more exploitative than the one that immediately preceded it. It engineered a net transfer of wealth, at an increasing rate, from the poor countries to the rich, making the former poorer and the latter richer. While in 1820 the estimates of disparity of wealth between the richest and the poorest countries in the world were about 3:1, by 1950 the ratio had changed to 35:1, and by 1992 it had reached 72:1. Today it is even higher. Ironically the exploits have earned the exploiters a ‘respectability’ and the exploited a disdain. The term “Third World” has come to signify a rank, as in third class.

WHY I SHED BIKINI FOR NIQAB: THE NEW SYMBOL OF WOMEN’S LIBERATION

By Sara Bokker

I am an American woman who was born in the midst of America’s “Heartland.” I grew up, just like any other girl, being fixated with the glamour of life in “the big city.” Eventually, I moved to Florida and on to South Beach of Miami, a hotspot for those seeking the “glamorous life.” Naturally, I did what most average Western girls do. I focused on my appearance and appeal, basing my self-worth on how much attention I got from others. I worked out religiously and became a personal trainer, acquired an upscale waterfront residence, became a regular “exhibiting” beach-goer and was able to attain a “living-in-style” kind of life.

Years went by, only to realize that my scale of self-fulfillment and happiness slid down the more I progressed in my “feminine appeal.” I was a slave to fashion. I was a hostage to my looks.

As the gap continued to progressively widen between my self-fulfillment and lifestyle, I sought refuge in escapes from alcohol and parties to meditation, activism, and alternative religions, only to have the little gap widen to what seemed like a valley. I eventually realized it all was merely a pain killer rather than an effective remedy.

The Five Pillars of Islam

Introduction

Every sound structure must have a solid foundation in order to remain strong. Islam’s foundation is the five pillars it was built upon, forming the basis of Islamic teaching as taught by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), wherein he said:

Islam is built upon five pillars:

1. The Declaration of Faith (Shahadah);

2. Establishing regular prayers (Salah);

3. Paying Charity (Zakah);

4. Fasting the (lunar) month of Ramadan (Sawm);

5. Pilgrimage (Hajj)

These five pillars are a cornerstone of a Muslim’s life.