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My
Journey to Islam
By
Yusuf Estes
In
the first 50 years or so of my life I had been married, divorced,
remarried, had 5 children, 4 grandchildren and lived under some poor
and some rich conditions. I had been able to visit almost every
state in the United States and visited 16 other countries around the
world, including:
Monaco,
the Grand Bahamas, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, England, Italy,
Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Ireland, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Denmark
and Austria.
I
have enjoyed the company of princes, paupers, rulers and slaves
(really). I have been the guest in palaces and been a member of
exclusive country clubs and even sat in jails with prisoners. I have
made and lost large fortunes of wealth on this earth. I started my
own business at 12 years of age. I made my first million before the
age of 35.
(I lost it by age 40)!
Several
times after that I earned other fortunes and wasted them on
foolishness. But I never considered I was a 'looser'. I was only:
"In between successes."
Now,
please allow me to make a few observations about us as human beings.
No human can truly claim the 'happiness of success' unless and until
he comes to grips with the truth of the purpose of life:
I
had to ask some questions:
1.
How did we get here?
2.
Is this all there is?
3.
Is there a plan?
4.
Who am I?
5.
Where am I going?
6.
Is there a God?
7.
Is there life after death?
8.
What is Life Purpose?
9.
Is there Proof?
Unless
and until these questions are satisfied within the soul of the
human, he can never truly claim a peace within. That 'peace' which
only comes with the compliance to the purpose of the individual with
regard to his Creator can never be achieved and will always be
sought for until he comes to the reality of the 'Purpose of
Creation', 'Purpose of Life', and 'Fulfillment of Purpose' within.
These
can only be developed when the human realizes that he did not create
himself, nor did he create neither his environment nor his
sustenance. All of this came from outside of his control and
creative abilities. He must acknowledge a Creator and Sustainer,
Greater than himself. A Creator who is in fact, absolute and Perfect
in every manner and aspect. He (the Creator) has neither beginning
nor end. He is not Created nor Sustained. Yet He Creates and
Sustains all that there is in existence. He is Unique, unlike that
which He has Created. And there does not exist in His Creation
anything like unto Him. His Creation is not a part of Him (otherwise
you would have to say; 'He Made a Part of Himself'). He is not now,
nor was He ever in His Creation.
Our
very life, which He put us into, is in fact, merely a test to show
us our own true nature and characteristics. Although, He has All
Knowledge and does not need to put us in this test. But He is going
to show us all, ONE DAY, that we were indeed most ungrateful for
what He has given us and have not fulfilled the terms and conditions
of the 'Purpose of Life'.
True
satisfaction and inner peace can only be achieved by facing this
reality and then surrendering to the 'Almighty'.
This
concept of total reality can only be developed when the individual
realizes that he or she is not the creator or the sustainer of
'self'. Nor did he/she create this environment. All of this came
from outside of his/her control and abilities.
This
life He put us into is then, in fact, merely a test to show us our
own true nature and characteristics. Although, He has All Knowledge
and does not need to put us in this test to know our nature. But
rather, that we would be reconstructed on the Day of Judgment by
Him, to be shown our behavior and deeds in this life. He will then
let us see, One Day, that we were indeed most ungrateful for what He
has given us and have not fulfilled the terms and conditions of the
'Purpose of Life' here in this material world. In a sense, being
brought forward as it were, to bear witness against ourselves on
this Day of Judgment.
These
are the teachings of the True religion: Islam & it's followers:
The Muslims.
You
see, my quest had been in vain. I desired the glitter and glamour of
this world. But it is fleeting and unreal, like a deception of the
mind.
·My
'Quest for wealth' - could never buy what I need the most.
·My
'Search for fame' - did not bring true satisfaction.
But
when my prayers were for 'Guidance' in the 'Total
Submission' of my free will to the Will of the Almighty -
·I
found all the riches and glory and happiness and most of all PEACE
-that anyone could ever desire.
·All
of this came only after I understood that the only PURPOSE OF LIFE - is
to do "ISLAM" ...
And
then I completely and wholeheartedly submitted and surrendered my
individual free will to the Will of the One Who had Created and
Sustained me from the very beginning - ALLAH (Arabic, literally:
"The GOD").
To
whom is all thanks and praise and worship due? Only to the One and
Only Creator, Designer and Sustainer of the Universe. The One True
GOD - Allah.
This
is what "Islam" means - exactly.
And
in Arabic you place "MU" before a verb to indicate the one
who is doing it, instead of "ER" after the verb as we do
in English.
So,
a “MU-Islam” (Muslim) is simply one who tries to fulfill this
teaching.
The
Creator Created Us to Worship Him – Alone!
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