I
come from a small town in Ontario. I was raised as a Christian
and attended a Pentecostal church. I stopped attending church
because I did not feel I fitted in with that setting, although
I did keep practicing Christianity.
I
had no contact with Muslims, and had no idea what Islam was.
My conception of Islam was only what I heard at school, namely
stereotypes and misconceptions about the faith. This ignorance
was aggravated by a movie that I watched in the tenth grade
called “Not Without My Daughter.” My teacher did not help
to dispel the ideas that were brought into our heads because
of this movie, and so in my final year in high school, I had
the same teacher for a social studies class, and once again we
watched the movie.
The
teacher gave us a huge essay, in which we could choose any
topic that commented on the family institution. I began
looking into the effects of religion on the family. I chose
the topic because I had gathered a small amount of information
about Islam on the Internet while chatting, and I thought it
would be a perfect chance to learn more about the religion
while doing an essay on it. Allah Almighty showed me the
beauty of Islam during the four-month course of my research.
After a lot of reading, I reverted to Islam in January of
2002, alhamdulillah (all praise be to Allah)!
While
doing my research for the essay, I was so intrigued by Islam
that every moment of free time I spent in non-stop reading
about Islam. When I finally wrote my essay, I strayed very far
from my thesis since I not only talked about family life but
also about Islam in general. I was so excited about all the
new information that I had learned. My essay may have helped
the teacher to see what Islam really means in sha’ Allah
(God willing), because in my essay I discussed in detail how
the media has misinterpreted Islam. When my teacher taught the
same class next semester, she did not show the movie.
It’s
hard to understand things that are so foreign to you, things that you
do not know a lot about. |
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The
foremost idea that caught my attention was the Islamic concept
of one God, without son or anything other partner along those
lines. Additionally, I was amazed that the Qur'an is still in
its original Arabic language and has not been altered through
time. The religion opened my eyes up to many new ideas and a
new way of living that made so much more sense to me. All the
aspects of praying and being modest just really led me to
believe this was what I should be doing.
All
my life I felt different from my friends: I never had any real
religious friends who were like me, but even though I
practiced Christianity I did not really understand what it
meant. I could never grasp the idea of more than one God, I
did not understand why I had to pray to Jesus (peace be upon
him). Thus, when I learned about Islam, all my questions were
answered. There was no way that I could turn my back on it
when the answer was right in front of me.
The
religion opened my eyes up to many new ideas and a new way of living
that made so much more sense to me. |
|
I
knew there was so much more to learn, but from the little
information that I had, I said the Shahadah
(declaration of faith) and tried to learn how to pray out of a
book, which was an interesting experience, for it was not
until I came to university that I really learned how to pray
properly. I made my first Muslim friends in September when I
enrolled at Guelph University. They were such a wonderful
help, may Allah reward them. Now, I cannot imagine my life any
other way.
People
always ask what does your family think. In truth, they are not
pleased with my conversion because they feel that I am
rejecting my culture and them. My friends were very surprised,
and also not happy. I felt like an outsider for a long time,
but I could understand where they are coming from because its
hard to understand things that are so foreign to you, things
that you do not know a lot about. As time progresses, I am
trying to show them that my choice was the best for me, Allah
willing. I also try to give them information so they can
understand Islam.
I
want to say to the other brothers and sisters who are
reverting or thinking about coming into Islam that it may seem
so scary at first; in fact it can be scary I cannot say that
it is an easy thing. But it is worth it. I've never been so
happy in my life. Islam is the most precious and beautiful
religion, and alhumdulillah we are so lucky to have
been shown the light. When you see it and grasp its value, you
should make the struggle, because in the end you will benefit
more than you can ever imagine.
You
may feel alone and an outcast, but you are not alone because
Allah is always there for you. When you feel like you cannot
do it any more, pray and supplicate to Allah and read the
Qur’an: it will uplift your spirits. You will then realize
why you are doing what you are doing. You can also pass the
knowledge onto your family and friends. Through your actions,
they will see that Islam is not so scary after all. It simply
takes a little time and a little patience.
