I decided for my first post, I would write what would inshaAllah be an uplifter of eman for those who read by sharing the personal story of how I embraced Islam. I wrote this about 2 years ago, and made some minor edits since. Here is my story:My story is really unlike those of most reverts. See, my parents (may Allah guide them) were both born and raised in Iran as essentially non-practicing Shia ‘Muslims’. When the violence and fervor surrounding the 1979 Iranian revolution began, my parents were even more turned-off from the deen. All they really knew about Islam was what they saw from the actions of the Muslims in Iran… which unfortunately did not paint a very favorable picture… they knew very little about Islam itself. They moved to America right before the revolution finally materialized; being very irreligious Muslims, they quickly adopted the “religion of the land,” Protestant Christianity, as their own. However, my mother in particular soon became a very very religious Christian… thus, me and my two sisters were also raised up as very religious Christians… Southern Baptists specifically (perhaps among the most fundamentalist brands of Christianity).
Well, growing up, all I would hear from my parents would be horror stories about Islam, Muslims in Iran, and especially the governing “Islamic” Republic. I never thought too much of these stories, but they were certainly ingrained in my head. When I was going to enter high school, my parents decided that I should go to the hometown Catholic school instead of the public school I had been attending all my life. Alhamdulillah, this was the beginning of what would be the most amazing change in my life.
I don’t know how much everyone knows about Catholics, but they are much more open-minded and liberal in their understanding of Christianity than perhaps almost all Protestant sects. Being raised in a Southern Baptist church all my life, I had always been told that the Bible, Old Testament and New, is the 100% completely accurate and preserved word of God without any doubt. Even though there was not a shred of evidence to support that the Bible even stayed the same since the time of the Prophets (peace be upon them), to question the preservation of the Bible or its divine nature meant you had serious faith issues. It always came down to…. “brother, you gotta have faith”… Going to the Catholic school was quite a different experience. I had to take four years of Catholic theology, and this was the eye-opening experiene. The teachers there openly admitted that there is no evidence to show that the Bible had been preserved, and even gave proof upon proof showing just how it had to have been changed. I first tried to argue with the teachers, but they had evidence, and I had “ya jus’ gotta believe.” It did not take long for me to realize they were right about the Bible… I remained a Protestant Christian, but just with very reasonable views about the authenticity and accuracy of the Bible. I still considered myself a very religious Christian, just not a fundamentalist by any means.
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Then came college… alhamdulillah, Allah sent me a second eye-opener. Having lived in small-town South Texas before college, the only people I interacted with were Christians…. going to college changed all that. I met Jews, atheists, agnostics, Hindus, and eventually…. later on…. Muslims too (alhamdulillah). I became really good friends with a certain “agnostic Jew” if you will, and we would often get into deep discussion about God, religion, etc. The new setting I found myself in, combined with a constant bombardment of questions about God led me to realize the fact that I had no proof for believing what I believed. I always knew this in my heart, but for some reason, before college, I was OK with believing in Christianity without having any proof for it… but at that later stage in my life, blind following was no longer acceptable for me. I knew deep in my heart of hearts that there is only One God… “La ilaha illa Allah” (There is none worthy of worship except Allah) was already in my heart; most people (Muslim or not) agree such a belief is human nature… but I had no idea exactly what to believe about this One Almighty Omnipotent God. Christians would say to just have faith, but I found that following them blindly would not be a manifestation of my faith in God, but rather of my faith in those Christians… after all why not have faith in Jews, or Hindus, or Muslims for what to believe about God…. right?
So I became what you could call a “monotheistic agnostic” up through my 2nd year in college. Again I knew there was one God, but I knew nothing more… I always told myself that it is my duty to search for the truth about God, after all He created me… and if I were to ever find that truth, then I should follow it in full submission. What amazes me still to this day in retrospect is that I was already using “submission” to describe my beliefs, but I knew nothing about Islam at that time (save the horror stories from my parents).
All the while, one of my closest friends in my sophomore year was a Sunni Muslim from Nigeria… we never really discussed Islam that much, but he was very devoted to practicing it himself. All the same, our conversations sparked an interest in me to actually do my own research about Islam. I began learning about Islam and a few things just stuck out so vividly and struck me like daylight. The first thing that hit me was the true and pure monotheism of Islam…. I could not find any religion as purely monotheistic in its teachings than Islam… which completely fit with that innate calling in my heart about God’s oneness. Then came the fact that Islam meant “submission to God”…. “wow,” I thought, “this is exactly what I have believed in my heart… that we must submit to the One God if we ever learn any truth about Him.” Finally, I started learning about the Qur’an, and I was utterly amazed at the amount of evidences showing that it was 100% preserved to the letter to this day in the exact same form it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allaahu alayhi wa sallam). Then came its own internal perfection and consistencies…. I already knew of the hundreds of inconsistencies and contradictions in the Bible, and, for some reason, I expected that all religions, including Islam, should have the same problem… how wrong I was. Let’s suffice it to say that the more and more I learned about Islam, the more and more convinced I became that it WAS INDEED the truth from Allah. And all the evidences to back it up, subhanaAllah… since when did religion have evidence? (so, I thought to myself).
By August 2003, I was 100% thoroughly convinced Islam was the truth, yet I was not ready to accept it… for many reasons. Would I have to stop dating, and grow a beard? Wouldn’t everyone think I became a terrorist? I could make a list of excuses if I wanted to… but I always thought to myself that I would get over them by Ramadhan so that I could fast as a Muslim.
Well, sure enough, it was late October, and Ramadhan was a day or two away… I finally said, “OK ,I’m just gonna do it…. I know it’s the truth, so why hesitate any longer.” So finally I embraced Islam and became a Muslim (October 2003 / Sha’ban 1424)…. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil’aalameen, Islam is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life.
Well that’s the story of how I was guided to Islam, alhamdulillah. May Allah have mercy on all my Muslim brothers and sisters. Aameen.
Wasalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh,
Ahmad AlFarsi
#Islam2 weeks ago
Amad
March 10, 2007 at 5:42 PM
Ahmed, that was a tremendous story. May Allah guide the Qadiani to Islam for the good he did to you.
It is interesting that you find this phenomenan quite a bit in America, i.e. being guided to Islam by something that is not Islam or someone that is not a Muslim. For instance, many people became Muslims after 9/11, an act that is obviously non-Islamic. And similarly, many people found their way into Islam via the cult of Nation of Islam, Ansaar cult, Submitters, etc.
Unfortunately, people start giving credence to these cults, etc. almost because they feel bad ‘dissing’ those who helped them to Islam. So, you will still find people who refer to Elijah Muhammad, the Dajjal to America, as “Honorable Eiljah”, while he is more dishonorable than the worst of mankind. Wallahu musta’an.
AnonyMouse
March 11, 2007 at 3:02 AM
As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatu,
Masha’Allah, great story! :)
I’d say ‘mabrook’ (congratulations), except that it’s been about 4 years now… al-Hamdulillaah that you were guided to al-Islam! May Allah keep you and the rest of us firmly upon as-Siraatul Mustaqeem for the rest of our lives, and die upon it, ameen!
Your little sister in Islam,
Mouse
inexplicabletimelessness
March 11, 2007 at 6:56 AM
As salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah
SubhanAllah, what an amazing story! May Allah keep you firm on the straight path, ameen. JazakAllah khair for sharing.
Umm Adam
March 11, 2007 at 10:35 PM
Masha’Allah, that is one of the best conversion stories I have read! How did your family react?
Ahmad AlFarsi
March 13, 2007 at 1:24 PM
Assalaamu alaykum,
Unfortunately, my family… my parents in particular, were and still are very antagonistic to Islam and to the concept that their son is now a Muslim. My sisters were a little “concerned,” but they never really put up a fight or anything about it.
After I first reverted, my parents thought it was just some “phase” that would go away. When I came home from college that winter to visit the family, I was bombarded by a tirade of attacks against Islam… in every last issue one could possibly think of. I tried my best to stay calm and respect and honor my parents while defending my faith. However, when someone insults Islam or the Prophet sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sometimes it is very difficult to hold back your anger… but at the same time, you don’t want to yell, or even say “uff” to your parents… so it is quite a difficult situation to be in.
My parents were concerned on my first visit… but when I came to visit them again in half a year, and had a full bead… THEN they began to freak out. They actually boycotted me… both financially and emotionally… for about a year. When they saw that I remained Muslim, and that I was able to make it on my own without their support, they finally began to tone down, alhamdulillah.
Now that I am married to a Muslimah and have a family of my own, I think they are finally beginning to realize that Islam is a permanent commitment for me. My father has actually softened up immensely, and alhamdulillah, he recently had told me that he wants to learn about my religion, since I am his son. (no doubt, he has made it very clear to me that he despises Islam, but he says that he wants to learn about it so that he can understand me better… I pray that Allah makes this a means by which he can be guided. Aameen.) My mother is still very distant from me, ever since I became Muslim. InshaAllah, Allah will open the doors to reconciliation and guidance for my family. No matter how impossible it seems, I keep making du’aa because I know that nothing is beyond Allah’s power.
I also urge all the brothers and sisters reading this to please make duaa for my family’s guidance as I want nothing more for them than guidance. JazaakAllaahu khayran.
Wassalaam,
Ahmad
aboo abdillah
March 13, 2007 at 1:39 PM
assalamu alaikum,
May Allah (swt) guide your family al-islaam.
barakallahu feek
Aboo abdillah
Ruth Nasrullah
March 13, 2007 at 4:42 PM
Asalaamu alaikum. What is a Dajjal?
Amad
March 13, 2007 at 10:43 PM
Another candidate for ‘minor’ Dajjal was Rashad Khalifa (of the group called ‘Submitters’, they don’t even call themselves Muslims anymore alhamdulilah).
Shahla
March 14, 2007 at 1:48 AM
Assalamu alaikum, brother Ahmed,
The order of not saying ‘Uf’ to your parents is in regards to personal matters.
There is no obedience to men and women in disobedience to Allah. The sahaba faced their own parents and siblings in jihad. Therefore, it is alright to say ‘uf’ in defence of your religion. How much and how you say is another matter, depending upon the masliha of the time.
Ruth Nasrullah
March 14, 2007 at 8:20 AM
Thanks and JAK, Br. Ahmad.
Is it only those claiming to be Muslim messengers who are dajjal? Was, for instance, Joseph Smith, who founded the Mormon sect, a dajjal?
Umm Reem
March 14, 2007 at 10:31 AM
It seems that being kind to parents and not using words such as ‘uff’ or worse are under any circumstances. Perhaps da’wah can be made without using such words even in defence of our religion (it is only for the parents though, wAllahu ‘alam). If non-Muslims parents do say inappropriate statements about our religion then either we should just change the topic or excuse ourselves to go somewhere etc.
This is what we learn from the story of Abu Hurairah:
Abu Hurairah’s mother was a mushrik. He longed, and prayed, for her to become a Muslim but she adamantly refused. One day, he invited her to have faith in God alone and follow His Prophet but she uttered some words about the Prophet which saddened him greatly.
With tears in his eyes, he went to the noble Prophet who said to him: “What makes you cry, O Abu Hurayrah?” “I have not let up in inviting my mother to Islam but she has always rebuffed me. Today, I invited her again and I heard words from her which I do not like. Do make supplication to God Almighty to make the heart of Abu Hurayrah’s mother incline to Islam.”
The Prophet responded to Abu Hurayrah’s request and prayed for his mother. Abu Hurayrah said: “I went home and found the door closed. I heard the splashing of water and when I tried to enter my mother said: “Stay where you are, O Abu Hurayrah.” And after putting on her clothes, she said, “Enter!” I entered and she said: “I testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger.”
I suppose many rulings change during Jihad which may not be allowed otherwise, but that is specific to that situation only…and Allah knows best.
khawla hurayrah
March 14, 2007 at 2:47 PM
Assalamu’alaikum
Jazzakallah brother for sharing your story. I am always teary reading new reverts struggle coming to Islam. May Allah give guidance to your family in return. And may Allah also give guidance to my own family members. Ameen
~khawla
Bint Amina
March 22, 2007 at 1:06 AM
MashaaAllah.
And it is none but Allah ta’ala who guides and turns the hearts.
May Allah ta’ala give your parents hidayah and that of the Ummah at large. Aameen.
Aisha Zahra
April 5, 2007 at 12:43 PM
Masha’allah what a beautiful story. I’m soo happy Allah guided you to the Truth, May he make the path to Jannah at ease for you too ameen.
Hamdi
April 15, 2007 at 1:59 PM
I grew up in a non-religious family, so I didn’t know a lot about Islam growing up (even though they taught me how to recite al-Fatiha, without really learning the meanings, etc.) But growing up practically without Islam in my life I still remember having this feeling that one should submit to God alone and this was before I even knew the word “submit” existed, let alone that Islam means submission (to God). But I had this feeling that you should do as your Creator instructs and just dedicate your life to Him. I became practising through seeing Muslims during prayer, doing sujud and standing while humbling themselves before the Creator. So your story is very familiar to me.
When I learned more about Islam years later I knew why I felt this way. I’m of course refering to the hadith about the fitrah.
tahsinthree
April 16, 2007 at 1:45 PM
Aslaam-alaikam
Ruth Nasrullah: I found this when browsing for Dajjal on the net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dajjal
Nihal Khan
April 30, 2007 at 3:59 PM
AsSalamu ‘Alaykum Ahmad,
Funny how I accidently came across this site and saw your name…SubhanAllah.
jinnzaman
May 5, 2007 at 12:54 AM
Assalamu alaikum
I love you for the sake of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) bro!
:)
May Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) grant you success in this life and the next. Ameen.
masalama
Ahmad AlFarsi
May 5, 2007 at 1:10 AM
Wa alaykumussalaam wa rahmatullaah,
May the One for whose sake you love me, love you. Ameen.
Long time no see akh :) . InshaAllah we can meet up again in the near future… esp once I’m done with my studies (in a month, inshaAllah).
Wassalaam
Nasir
May 19, 2007 at 12:11 AM
Nasir
“Going to the Catholic school was quite a different experience. I had to take four years of Catholic theology, and this was the eye-opening experiene.”
I did too and had lots of funning beating up the Mushriks. LOL Allahu Akbar. Very good article ahki
Teena
June 9, 2007 at 2:09 AM
Assalamu Aalikom, what about Aga Khan of the Ismailis? Does he claim to be a prophet? Also, have you heard about this guy who lives close to Houston? They call him ‘Jesus of Suburbia’; he claims that he is Jesus come back (Autho Billah) and he makes all his followers get tattooed with 666! How creepy is that? He actually has like a thousand followers and they give him lots of money! That’s so crazy. May Allah guide them all to the straight path.
Abd-Allah
December 13, 2008 at 4:20 AM
Assalamu Alaikum,
Jazak Allah for sharing Brother Ahmad!
May Allah (swt) reward you and grant you the best of patience with your family
May Allah (swt) open the hearts of your family to Islam, make Iman beloved to them, and perfect for them Ihsan.
shabbir Afridi
July 5, 2011 at 8:50 AM
May Allah bless you all for the positive discussion forum!! Mshallah!! keep up the good work guys!!
You guys are already well learnt, please please learn more about the Current fitna’s and how they have seeped into our lives (in the form of Media, Marketing campaigns, Industries etc) Know your enemy, someone out there doesnt like pure muslims such as yourselves!!
Know your side when the time of the final battle arrives inshallah!
Jawaad
June 1, 2014 at 5:07 PM
As salaamu alaikum my name is Jawaad Salahudeen im doing a book on peoples reversion to islam…. If youre interested send your story to jsalahudeen1@mail. ma asalaam