إجازة الأستاذ أحمد لبن مدير المنتدى بقراءة الإمام عاصم الكوفي

Yes!

I Converted to Islam

and here is Why?

By

Muhammad Haneef Shahid

Adapted by

Research Division

Darussalam

****************

First Edition: June 1999

Supervised by:

ABDUL MALIK MUJAHID

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Yes!

I Converted to Islam

and here is Why?

By

Muhammad Haneef Shahid

Adapted by

Research Division

Darussalam

DARUSSALAM

Published by

DARUSSALAM

Publishers and Distributors

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

In the Name of Allah

the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

"Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam. Those who

were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)

did not differ except, out of mutual jealousy,

after knowledge had come to them. And

whoever disbelieves in the Ayat (proofs,

evidences, verses, signs, revelations,

etc.) of Allah, then surely, Allah is

Swift in calling to account.

(11- 'Imran, 3: 19)

Contents

Publishers Note ...................................................................... 07

Views of the Reverts in brief about Islam ......................... 08

Moderation and temperance are keynote oflslam ................ 08

Islam alone can satisfy the needs of every member.. ............. 08

Islam alone offers the solution of present-day problems ....... 09

Islam has always attracted me both by its simplicity

and by the devotion of its followers ..................................... 09

The purity and simplicity of the Islamic Faith ..................... 10

In Islam I have found the true faith ...................................... 11

I have accepted Islam because it fits in so well

with my own ideas ................................................................ 11

Islam is the religion I have been seeking for ........................ 12

If Britain and Europe were converted to Islam, they would

again be powerful forces for good ........................................ 12

Views of the Reverts in brief about the Noble Qur' an

The Noble Qur'an contains what every soul mostly requires .14

I studied a Muslim translation of the Noble Qur'an ............. 14

The Noble Qur'an is full of truths and its teaching are so

practical and free from dogmatic tenets and mysteries! ........ 15

At the Threshold of Islam ................................................... .

Why did I embrace Islam? .................................................... 17

My adherence to Islam! ........................................................ 22

What led me to embrace Islam? ........................................... 24

Why did I embrace Islam? .................................................... 26

Why am I a Muslim? ............................................................ 29

How I came to Islam ............................................................. 31

5

Conversion to Islam .............................................................. 34

How was I committed to Islam? ........................................... 36

Why did I become a Muslim? ............................................... 39

Why I accepted Islam? ........................................................ .41

Islam - my choice ................................................................. 45

Why I embraced Islam? ....................................................... 46

An Interview with 'Ayesha kim .......................................... .49

Why did I embrace Islam? .................................................... 54

Why is Islam my choice? ...................................................... 56

My allegiance to Islam .......................................................... 57

Why I embraced Islam? ..................................................... 59

How I entered Islam? ......................................................... 61

6

Publishers Note

All praise is due to Allah, and may He exalt the mention of our

Prophet ~, his household and Companions.

Allah has chosen Muhammad ~ to be His last Messenger to convey

His lost Message to mankind. This means that Islam is not restricted

to one particular race, rather, it is a universal message to mankind at

large. It the only Deen of which Allah approves. He says:

And he who seeks a Deen other than Islam, it shall not be

accepted from him and he shall be among the losers on the

Day of Resurrection. (3:85)

Islam has received throughout ages great response to the point

that there is not a single city in the world which is void of

Muslims. This is due to the fact that whoever applies reason while

studying Islam, cannot help but accepts it out of conviction.

Darussalam has compiled in this book sample testimonies of

those who studied Islam objectively and converted to it

conscientiously. It is not that Islam needs such testimonies in order

to verify its authenticity. Our intention is to let those who have

not yet contemplated converting to Islam share the insights of those

who already have by reading their testimonies and to know that

Islam is a faith which is suitable for all ages and applicable until

the end of time.

Our ultimate objective is to pass on the Message and to help

deliver as many people as we can from the torment of Hell

expecting our reward only from Allah the Exalted to Whom we are

grateful.

7

Abdul Malik Mujahid

General Manager

Views of the Reverts in

brief about Islam

Moderation and temperance are

keynote of Islam

The simplicity of Islam, the powerful appeal and

compelling atmosphere of its mosques, the earnestness of

its faithful adherents, the confidence inspiring realization of

the millions throughout the world who answer the five daily

calls to prayer - these factors attracted me from the first.

The broad-minded tolerance of Islam for other religions

recommends it to all lovers of liberty. Muhammad

admonished his followers to treat well the believers in the

Old and New Testament; and Abraham, Moses, Jesus are

acknowledged as co-Prophets of the One God. Surely this is

generous and far in advance of the attitude of other

religions.

Moderation and temperance in all things, keynote of Islam,

won my unqualified approbation.

Col. Donald S. Rockwell

U.S.A.

Islam alone can satisfy the needs of every

member of the human family

Christianity must go the way of all things, and henceforth

perish and forever to make room for the True Religion of

God to mankind, and that is Islam, which is Truth, sincerity,

toleration, looking to the interests of man and pointing him

8

to the Right Way. Islam alone can satisfy the needs of every

member of the human family, and Muslims are the only

people among whom can be found the "True Book of

Brotherhood" in reality and not mere "make-belief' as in

Christianity .

Sir Jalaluddin Lauder Brunton

England

Islam alone offers the solution

of present-day problems

To the Western mind, the chief appeal of Islam must be its

simplicity. Admittedly, there are one or two other faiths

which are as easy of approach but they sadly lack the vitality

of the Faith of the Prophet (may AWih bless him), and the

spiritual and moral elevation which it offers.

Islam must also appeal by virtue of its tolerance ... Strangely

Christian intolerance awakened my first interest in Islam.

The Churches are utterly incapable of grappling with

present-day problems. Islam alone, offers the solution.

John Fisher

Newcastle

Islam has always attracted me both

by its simplicity and by the

devotion of its followers

Since adopting Islam as my faith I feel that I have come to a

turning point in my life, and to account for this, to give you

some idea as to why I have become a Muslim. I have subjected

myself to what I might call a self-psychological analysis.

9

Islam had always attracted me both by its simplicity and by

the devotion of its followers ... I was taught to regard all

religions other than Christianity as blasphemous and their

adherents as heathens.

Islam has given me a very practical method of breaking

down the barrier of materialism in one ofthe Five Pillars of

Faith, namely 'Prayer.' The Muslim prayer keeps me

constantly aware of my duty to AlHlli, to my soul, and to my

fellow creatures.

Khalid D'Larnger Remraf

The purity and simplicity of the Islamic

Faith and its obvious Truth made

a special appeal to me!

The purity and simplicity of the Islamic Faith, its freedom

from dogma and sacredotalism and its obvious Truth made

a special appeal to me. The honesty and sincerity of the

Muslims, too, are greater than anything I have seen in

Christians.

Another beauty ofIslam is its equality. It is only Islam that

has real equality maintained between man and man and no

other religion has anything like it. The Faith of Islam

generates unity.

The Deen of Islam is also the cleanest religion in the world

because Muslims have to wash the exposed parts of the

body five times a day, a practice not found in any other

religion of the world.

10

A. w.L. Van Kuy/enhurg

(Known as M.A. Rahman)

In Islam I have found the true Faith for

which I had been seeking so long

I devoted a considerable amount of my spare time to a

thorough study of an English translation of the Holy

Qur' an, and as I read over and over again, certain of the

words of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah exalt his

mention), I could not help but see that here, at last, in Islam

I had found the true faith for which I had been seeking so

long.

I would like to say that I feel confident, that if only people

in this and other Western countries can be brought to

appreciate the full meaning of Islam, and what it stands for,

the ranks of Islam will be daily swelled, only unfortunately

there is a vast amount of misapprehension in the minds of

many 'Free Thinkers' and others who still cling to their old

creed simply because they require the moral courage to

abandon a faith, with the principles of which they are, at

variance, and to embrace Islam.

Walker H. Williams

I have accepted Islam because it fits in

so well with my own ideas

A man becomes a truer Christian or a Jew by way oflslam,

than by any way advocated by the Christian or Jewish

people to-day.

In Islam, there is tolerance and an acknowledgement of

universal brotherhood. So, I may say, that I have accepted

Islam because it fits in so well with my own ideas about

Allah and His beautiful plan. It is the only Faith I really can

understand. Indeed, such is its simplicity and beauty that even

11

a little child can understand it.

Amina Le Fleming

Islam is the religion I have

been seeking for

Islam is the religion I have been seeking for since my school

days. My mind was dissatisfied all along with the Christian

teachings till I was old enough to have independence of

thought to shake them off. I came in touch with the true

religion of Islam. I became interested in Islam, whose

keynote is simplicity - for instance, belief in the Unity['] of

AlHih. This is why it appeals to me.

The religion of Islam has given me peace and happiness

such as I never had before.

Miss Joan Fatima

If Britain and Europe were converted to

Islam, they would again be powerful

forces for good

There is no version of Christianity which is really

satisfactory. Christians believe that because of the fall of

Adam and Eve, all human beings are born in a state of

original. sin, and are unable by their own actions to merit

Heaven. Muslims, however, do not believe that people are

punished for the sin of Adam and Eve. They believe that all

human beings are born of innocence, and can only lose their

[1] 'Unity' is not the proper word to use, instead the word 'Oneness'

describes Monotheism in real sense Editor.

12

hope of Heaven by their own sins when they are old enough

to be guilty of deliberate wrong-doing.

If Britain and Europe were converted to Islam, they would

again be powerful forces for good. British and European

Muslims are some of the best.

13

Khadija F.R. Fezoui

England

Views of the Reverts in brief

about the Noble Qur'an

The Noble Qur'an contains what

every soul mostly requires

Since my youth, I have been greatly impressed by Islamic

civilization in all its aspects, its poetry and architecture; and

very often I have told myself that a people who could give to

the world so vast a treasure of beauty and significance in every

branch of culture, must also have attained to the highest levels

both in philosophy and religion.

In my enthusiasm for Islam, I began to study all religions,

from the most ancient to those of the present day,

comparing each with the other, and subjecting them to very

close criticism; and little by little, I became convinced that

the Muslim worship is the True Religion, and that the Noble

Qur'an contained what every soul mostly requires for its

spiritual elevation.

Count Eduardo Gioja

Italy

I studied a Muslim translation of the

Noble Qur' an and was astounded

to read such noble precepts and

inspiring passages!

I studied a Muslim translation of the Noble Qur'an, and was

astounded to read such noble precepts and inspiring

14

passages, such wise and practical advice for everyday life. It

made me wonder why I had been taught that Muhammad

was a false prophet, and how I had not heard the truth about

this wonderful religion earlier.

Islam, if sincerely followed, must bring that peace to the

mind and body which the world itself needs, and create a

perfect social order.

Hasan V. Mathews

The Noble Qur'an is full of truths, and its

teachings are so practical and free from

dogmatic tenets and mysteries!

As a Roman Catholic, I had the opportunity of studying the

Catholic faith to a great extent. I was doing my best to

convince myself that Catholicism was the only true faith,

but alas! its mysteries, dogmas and the compulsory 'must

believes' did not pennit me to remain quiet. I started my

search for the Truth and remained engaged in this for many

years quite silently.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, I found such 'vacant spots' that

the only alternative left to me was to study Islam. At one time,

I really held Islam in abhorrence. I had no Muslim friends, for

Islam was so repulsive to me that I did not want even to

associate with its adherents. Little did I dream that ... books on

Islam would make a new man of me. I was gradually

becoming so observed in the lovely teachings ofIslam that it

did not take me long to go earnestly further into it. I began to

love Islam because of its straight and non-mysterious path. It is

clean and simple, yet so full of deep studies that I soon felt the

inevitable was drawing nigh.

15

The Noble Qur'an, some passages of which I read, simply

struck me with wonder, for I had the idea that there was

nothing to rival the Bible. I found, however, that I was

hopelessly mistaken in this. Indeed, the Noble Qur'an, is so

full of truths, and its teachings so practical and free from

dogmatic tenets and mysteries, that I was daily being drifted

into the religion of 'Peace and Love' which Islam certainly is.

16

Mumin Abdur-Razzaque

Selliah, Ceylon

At the Threshold of Islam

Why did I embrace Islam?

Why did I embrace Islam? My only convincing answer to

this question is that Almighty AlHih in His Glory helped me

in admitting the Greatest Truth and testifying to the biggest

reality to the world. I, however, know fully well that human

nature and its disposition refuse to be convinced of certain

facts and realities without satisfactory proofs and cogent

arguments. Keeping in view man's nature, I feel that this

reply of mine would not satisfy those who are not inclined

towards, nor do they feel any interest in, searching for the

Truth, nor those on whom the light of truth has not dawned.

I am, therefore, left with no alternative but to reduce to

writing some of the reasons and causes that induced me to

embrace Islam and to stick to it. While staying in a

European society, I express my joy and jubiliation, that the

people living in these societies do not change their religion

nor do they deviate from their faith for the sake of

economic, political or social temptations nor do they rush to

ttmbrace any religion, unless it works as a strong incentive

and an effective factor to open up their hearts and generate

spiritual tranquillity. Otherwise, they remain contented with

infidelity and apostasy.

Here then, if one pauses to consider, one will come to the

conclusion that my own act, or for that matter, the act of any

individual in the European society, of embracing Islam does

not imply earning economic profits or attaining social

advantages. The matter is rather the other way round.

Firstly, we, the peoples of the European society, attach no

17

importance to religious matters. However, ifthere is anyone

from among the European society who cares for religion,

the aim of such a one is nothing but to find God. As such,

my own interest in Islam meant nothing but search for the

Truth and the direction of right thinking.

A desire of search for the Truth arose in my heart. A

longing to find the Truth crept into my self. This was when

I saw that many doubts and misgivings had been growing

and rising in my imagination and memory about the

Christian beliefs and its fundamentals. At the same time, the

capacity of Christianity fell short of providing resistance

and protection against those doubts and misgivings.

Christianity used to press that all its tenets be admitted

without proof and argument.

To cite an example, my heart is not inclined to accept the

Christian belief that Glorious Almighty AlHih sent Prophet

Jesus Christ for the whole world as an expiator of the sins

of all the slaves of Allah. It also did not appeal to me that

the entire humanity was sullied with various colours of sins

including disobedience, and all the sins of the slaves of

Allah were forgiven, following the crucifixion of Jesus

Christ. I also felt that Allah Himself inevitably possesses

hIll power to save His slaves and to keep them away from

committing sins and crimes. I also felt that He has all the

might to forgive, on His own, the sins ofI-lis slaves without

any explanation being necessary. Thus, Glorious Allah does

not need any explanation to forgive the sins of His slaves.

Even so, I felt that the belief of making the Prophets a

ransom for the sins of the entire humanity is tantamount and

similar (God forbid) to imputing motives of wrong-doing

and injustice to All-mighty Allah. On the other hand, man

may commit sins and crimes without any hesitation and

18

hitch. Whenever I expressed these doubts to any Christian

scholar or priest, he advised me to banish from my mind

these doubts and instigated me to accept those beliefs of

Christianity, without any reservation. They strongly pressed

me to give up the idea that they are not convincing, so that

these doubts and views may not grow nor flourish in my

mind. The desire to search for the Truth had been constantly

growing till I arrived at a very critical juncture which denies

all faith and (revealed) laws.

In those days I had the opportunity to come across a

religious and capable Muslim who, inspite of being

charmed by the glamour of European culture and

civilization, used to take pride in stating that he was a

Muslim. He affirmed that, through the blessings of Islam,

he enjoyed contentment of the heart and mental tranquillity.

On the other hand, a feeling of weirdness and disgust

against the name of religion had got hold of my heart. This

assertion of his filled my heart with a sense of astonishment

and I was drowned in a sea of thought: Is there a religion

which provides heart's contentment and mental peace to

those who profess and follow it? This idea induced me to

acquire knowledge about Islam and its disciplines. Now I

claim by dint of my studies that Islam is the immortal

religion of AWih which has the ability to elate the hearts of

those who submit to it. It helps them in all their affairs and

difficulties. It removes all doubts and suspicions arising in

the hearts of the people from the teachings and beliefs of

other religions.

()ne of the most important teachings of Islam that influenced

my heart is that it does not call man to submit to it without

thinking and reflection. On the other hand, man has been

invited to think and reflect deeply and clearly and weigh

19

every Islamic belief on the scale of understanding and

wisdom before accepting it. In Islam, Allah the All-Mighty is

the source and fountainhead of justice. It is, therefore, not

possible that AWlh should make any man a ransom for the

sins of all mankind. According to the Islamic belief, Allah

the All-Mighty possesses all eternal, exalted attributes and is

free from all shortcomings and defects. For this reason, Islam

maintains that this notion is against wisdom and beyond

conception, that Allah the All-Mighty has bestowed on man

the liberty to commit sins and has given him free rein to

indulge in offences under the theory of expiation.

These are, thus, the eternal teachings of Islam which cleared

up from my mind the tendency of hate against religion and

religious regulations. They led me to the conclusion that

religion is a permanent, independent code of law which

ensures for man everlasting prosperity, eternal honour and

endless victory and triumph.

At this critical stage, on the one hand, I made an extensive,

intensive and analytical study ofIslam, from the standpoint

of abiding law of life. On the other hand, I focussed my

keen attention on the question: how Islam provides man

with peace of mind and tranquillity of the self in the present

age in which new problems and contemporary issues crop

up from day to day. So, when my heart came at rest and my

self calmed down from both the directions, I embraced

Islam. For lack of space it is not possible for me to express

all the impressions and the emotions that my mind received.

It is, however, necessary to clarifY the lessons with which I

was inspired in Islam: It is that Islam directs the entire

humanity towards the real goal of its creation and guides it

to achieve those lofty aims. It conveys the message of peace

and security to the human society; establishes bonds of

20

fraternity and equality among them and obliterates all

differences and disputes including those of colour, race and

nationality. It rescues them from social and economic

exploitation and from all other shapes of racial

discrimination. It leads them to a vast expanse of right

guidance and a path that is uniform and straight.

Not only does Islam oppose stagnation and deterioration in

Ii fe, but it also calls all mankind to achieve advancement

and development. It allows the individual to earn money

and wealth and attain industrial and commercial

development. It gives him the right to wages and awards as

long as these activities are lawful and are not ill-gotten. So

Islam is a complete and comprehensive evolution. It

embraces all aspects of revolution and excellence. It is a

belief that advances, along with the entire humanity, in the

right and straight direction, where man feels that he is a

member of an international community, understands his

duties and is solicitious about the demands of life.

When about ten years ago I embraced Islam, peace and

tranquillity returned to my distracted, troubled and defiant

nature.

Praise, gratitude and thanks to AlHih that I am enjoying a

life full of contentment and satisfaction.

Dr. Abdul Karim Herbert

Following that, God willing,

Yes! I Converted to Islam and here is Why? 2013_110

21

My adherence to Islam!

As a Doctor of Medicine, and a descendant of a French

Catholic family, the very choice of my profession has given

me a solid scientific culture which had prepared me very

little for a mystic life. Not that I did believe in Allah, but

that the dogmas and rites of Christianity in general and of

Catholicism in particular never permitted me to feel His

presence. Thus, my unitary sentiment for God forbade my

accepting the dogma of the Trinity, and consequently of the

Divinity of Jesus Christ.

Without yet knowing Islam, I was already believing in the

first part of the Kalimah - Lii iliiha illa-Alliih (There is no

true god except Allah), and in these Verses of the Qur'an.

So, it was first of all for metaphysical reasons that I adhered

to Islam. Other reasons, too, prompted me to do that. For

instance, my refusal to accept Catholic priests, who, more

or less, claim to possess on behalf of God the power of

forgiving the sins of men. Further, I could never admit the

Catholic' rite of communion, by means of the host (or holy

bread), representing the body of Jesus Christ, a rite which

seems to me to belong to totemistic practices of primitive

peoples, where the body of the ancestral totem, the taboo of

the living ones, had to be consumed after his death, in order

better to assimilate his personality. Another point which

moved me away from Christianity was the absolute silence

which it maintains regarding bodily cleanliness, particularly

before prayers, which has always seemed to me to be an

outrage against Allah. For if He has given us a soul He has

also given us a body, then we have no right to neglect. The

same silence could be observed, and this time mixed with

22

hostility with regard to the physiological life of the human

being, whereas on this point Islam seemed to me to be the

only religion in accord with human nature .

•

The essential and definite element of my conversion to

Islam was the Qur'an. I began to study it, before my

conversion, with the critical spirit of a Western intellectual,

and lowe much to the magnificient work of Mr. Malek

Bennabi, entitled Le Phenomene Coranique, which

convinced me of its being divinely revealed. There are

certain Verses of this Book, the Qur'an, revealed more than

thirteenli] centuries ago, which teach exactly the same

notions as the most modern scientific researches do. This

definitely converted me to the second part of the Kalimah:

'Muhammad-ur-Rasulullah' (Muhammad is the Messenger

of Allah).

This was my reason for presenting myself at the Mosque in

Paris, where I declared my faith in Islam and was registered

there as a Muslim by the Mufti of the Paris Mosque, and was

given the Islamic name of' Ali Selman.'

I am very happy in my new faith, and proclaim once again:

"I bear witness that there is no true god except Allah;

and I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah's slave

and Messenger."

[I] Fourteen centuries ago - Editor.

23

Ali Selman Benoist

(France)

Doctor of Medicine

What led me to embrace Islam?

Professor Arthur Alison is the Head of the Department of

Electrical and Electronic Engineering in the University of

London. For several years he had been the President of the

British Society for Psychological and Spiritual Studies. In

the course of his study of religions, he got acquainted with

Islam. When he compared Islam with the religions and

creeds he had studied, he found it suited his inborn nature

and satisfied his requirements.

He was invited to the First Islamic International Conference

on the Medical Inimitability held in Cairo from 29th

September to 6th October 1985, under the auspices of the

Egyptian Medical Syndicate. In the conference, he

presented a paper on the psychological and spiritual

methods of therapy in the light of the Holy Quran, in

addition to another paper on sleep and death in the light of

Verse 42 of Surah Az-Zumar (39) which he presented in

collaboration with Dr. Mohammed Yahya Sharafi. The

facts, presented in the conference, were an eyeopener to

him.

At the concluding session of the Conference attended by

Shaikhul Azhar Jad AI-Haq, the Egyptian Minister of

Awqaf, Dr. Mohammed Ahmady and Dr. Mohammed

Yahya Sharafi and in the presence of Press Reporters and

T.V. Correspondents, Professor Arthur Alison stood to

declare that Islam is the religion of truth and inborn nature

with which Allah has created man. Then he uttered the two

testimonies (Shahadatain) saying: that he bears witness that

there is no god, but Allah and that Muhammad is the

Prophet of Allah.

24

In an interview given to the Arabic weekly, AI-Muslimoon of

I,ondon, he narrated the story of his conversion to Islam

saymg:

"In the course of my study of psychology and related

subjects as the President of the British Society for

Psychological and Spiritual Studies, I got acquainted

with religions. I studied the religions of Hinduism,

Buddhism and some other religions and creeds. When

I studied Islam, I compared it to other religions.

"During the Conference on 'Medical Inimitability in

the Qur' an,' I could realize that the difference was

great. Then I was convinced that Islam is the most

proper religion that befits my inborn nature and

conduct. In my heart, I had felt that there is a God

controlling the Universe. He is the Creator.

"Therefore, when I studied about Islam, I found that it

did not conflict with reason and science. So, I believed

that it was the revealed religion from One and Only

Allah. As I witnessed the truth, I uttered the two

testimonies. The moment I uttered it, I was

overwhelmed by a strange and ineffable feeling

mingled with ease, comfort and satisfaction."

Prof. Arthur Alison

25

Why did I Embraced Islam?

I was brought up in the religion of the Church of England,

and hardly remember any time when Sunday was not

English Sunday, a thing that is-or has become-almost an

institution in this country. Also, it was a day when one was

being constantly told not to do this thing, and not to do the

other. One was severely reprimanded for "being naughty on

Sunday," as if it was worse to do wrong on a Sunday than

any other day. In the morning, church was the first order of

the day; and when I began to argue on certain points

connected with the Christian doctrine, or to question its

accuracy, not only was nobody able to answer any of my

questions, but I was told it was wrong to make inquiries. I

was told God had written the Bible; but when I asked, had

He written it with a pen, where was the original document,

and had anyone seen Him do so, such questions raised pious

horror in the mind of my governess. It was not only dull, but

extremely irksome for me to have to follow a religion which

from its very root beliefs was so entirely illogical and

impossible. Not only did I wish to love the God I

worshipped, but I was extremely interested in Him, and

eager to know more about Him as He really was. I could

never reconcile the idea of an All-Mighty or All-Merciful

God allowing His Son such an ignominious and shameful

death as a means to save the world-for the very fact of the

crucifixion proved to me that such a God who, could do

such a thing could be neither "All-Mighty" nor "AllMerciful."

If He were All-Mighty, there was no need for

Him to require the assistance from anyone else, human or

divine, and if He were All-Merciful, He could not willingly

allow a perfectly innocent person to suffer for the sins

26

committed by other people who were guilty. Not only that,

but I had only to look around me at the sins and wrongs

going on in the world, to see that it had in no way been

saved by the death of an innocent man; and on discussing

the matter with people I found that half the people who

professed to be Christians did not really believe all they

were supposed to, but held to it, because it was so much

easier not to change or to bother to think for themselves.

The Sunday afternoons were spent in my being obliged to

learn the catechism or a hymn by heart. How much better

would it have been had I been told some real and ennobling

truth about my Creator, than to be made to repeat in a

parrot-like fashion the rules of a doctrine I did not believe

in. I was relieved that at all events I was not confirmed, for

that seemed to me to be the culminating point of the whole

thing. I hated the words "Body and blood of Christ," even if

in the Protestant faith they were only meant allegorically

and theoretically, and not as the "real body and blood of

Christ" as in the Catholic Church. The idea of the

sacraments worried me greatly, but I secretly determined, I

would never be confirmed. Sunday evening we finished up

with hymns, and to refuse to come and join in, and sing

them, was considered most disobedient, only to be accepted

with the alternative of going to bed if! couldn't behave like

the rest. Thus, Sunday was a long day that dragged wearily

through" and it was such a strain-what with Sunday

expressions, Sunday behaviour, Sunday occupations, hymnsinging

and church-that it often ended in my behaving

worse than on an ordinary weekday. The Bible I always

heartily disliked-it gave me neither comfort, consolation,

nor the smallest help whatever. When I grew up, I found it

such a mass of contradictions, extraordinary fables and

impossibilities, that one felt disgusted and saddened instead

27

of being helped and comforted. Those who WL:rL: supposed

to be in a position to interpret it-clergymen, f()r instanccfailed

entirely when I questioned them concerning it. What,

therefore, could be the use of a book that was so wrapped

up in fable and fancy that no one could explain it? The

Bible is the result of a collaboration of dozens of di I'lercnt

authors. Science and geology prove that the Beginning, as

described in Genesis, is an .utter impossibility. We havc also

proof that King David never wrote the Psalms, and that

various other parts of the Bible attributed to different people

were not written by them. Thus then, since so many people

have had the task of inventing the Bible, who is to be

believed? The Holy Book of Islam-the Qur'an-on the

contrary, has come to us through only one man, namely, the

holy Prophet Muhammad. It has never been altered, twisted,

paraphrased and transcribed as the Bible, but has remained

true to its original copy. The Qur'an appealed to me. The

doctrine of Islam appealed to me. These, then, are some of

the reasons why I have embraced Islam, a religion that is

comforting, uplifting, and sustaining, and why I have

discarded one that has never, from the first word I learnt of

it, ever inspired, encouraged, or uplifted me at all.

28

Ameena Annie Spieget

An English Lady

Why am I a Muslim?

My early religious training was in the Christian faith. This,

however, was a matter of birth, not of choice-our early

religious training is generally in the faith of our parents.

Later in life, our religion is usually accepted as a matter of

fact. We, however, question and examine everything except

our religious faith, particularly if it is Christianity.

The Christian Bible, being the textbook of Christianity, is a

book which I have read many times. I doubt if there is a

person who does not shudder while reading its pages, filled

as they are with blood-curdling slaughter, rapine and

destruction, along with its tales of incest, rape and other vile

obscenity. Indeed, after reading the Bible one cannot help

but wonder as to the nature ofthis "God of the Christians."

Almost every Christian home contains the Bible, but it is

generally used as a mantelpiece decoration. If it were the

custom of the printer to deliver this book with its edges

uncut, it would, no doubt, remain so for many years.

Charles Francis Potter, D. D., in his book "The Story of

Religion" wrote: "The Christian Bible may be 'the book

nobody knows' in America, but the Qur'an is the book

everybody reads in Islam." Yes, indeed, and it is an

advantage to Christianity that the Bible is "the book nobody

knows." The Bible was the first cause in leading me away

from Christianity.

Having lost all interest in Christianity, I began a study of

other world religions, as well as various "ologies" ·and

"isms." All this was followed by agnosticism and atheism.

However, there is, I believe, in mankind an innate certainty

deeply rooted which persists in proclaiming the fact that

29

there is a Allah, a Divine Creator, Master of the universe.

But not the God who glories in bloodshed, atrocities and

sensuousness. It was this "innate certainty" which caused

me to return to a further study of religion.

I found that Islam appeals to one's reason; it docs not

contain the pessimism of Buddhism; it is not void of

Divinity like Shintoism or Confucianism, nor is it a 1l1011CYmade

religion. I found that it invites and encourages the

pursuit of knowledge. The pages of history are filled with

facts citing the hindrances which Christianity placed in the

pathway of progress and civilization. It was a traditional

saying of the Prophet Muhammad of Blessed Memory that

"who so pursue the road of knowledge; Allah will direct

him to the road of lannah; verily the angels spread their

arms to receive him who seek after knowledge; verily the

superiority of a learned man over a mere worshipper is like

that of the full moon over the stars."

I do not hesitate to state that were Islam better known in the

Western World, it would astound the civilized world by its

gain in adherents. The reason why it is not better known, is that

it is with difficulty that one can obtain authorized or even

unbiased literature pertaining to the Islamic faith. However, I

am sure, time will rectifY this condition.

In bringing this article to an end, I wish to state that I am

very happy to add my voice to the millions who proclaim to

the world La ilaha ilia-Allah, Muhammad-ur-RasulullahThere

is no true god but Allah and Muhammad is His

Messenger.

Harry E. Heinkel

30

How I came to Islam

As a child I had won several prizes for proficiency in the

Scriptures, but the more I learnt of my religion the more

sceptical I became of it. At fourteen years of age I went

through the rites of "Confirmation" in my church. By going

through this ceremony I expected to banish all my doubts and

fears, and to be able to face my troubles aided by the Spirit of

God (which, I was informed, would enter my body through

the fingers of the Bishop who laid his hands on my head).

Instead of strengthening my belief, however, this ceremony

only added to my growing conviction that my religion was a

mass of foolish superstitions and ridiculous rites.

By the time I had left school and gone to a University, this

suspicion had become a certainty; the Christian Church, as I

had been shown it, meant little or nothing to me.

I could admire Jesus as a noble saint and martyr, to make a

God of him seemed to me to be decidedly unreasonable, and

certainly not in keeping with his own teachings. Although I

found it a simple matter to discover fallacies in the creed I

had discarded, it was more difficult for me to discover a more

logical one to take its place. Christianity was a mass of

contradictions and superstitions. Rationalism offered at best a

very unsatisfactory belief: and there appeared to be no

reasonable religion to combine the best elements of all the

different faiths I had read and heard about!

I almost despaired of finding an established creed which would

include all the ideas I had formulated; and for a long time I

tried to satisfY myselfwith vague beliefs of my own.

One day I chanced on a copy of "Islam and Civilisation" by

Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din.

As I read it, I realised that nearly all my own beliefs were

31

included in the doctrine the little volume expounded.

The broad outlook ofIslam, as opposed to the intolerance of

the Christian sects, the learning and culture in the Islamic

countries of the Middle Ages, compared with the ignorance

and superstition of other lands at that time, the logical

theory of compensation as against the Christian idea of

Atonement, were a few of the points that first struck me.

Later I came to realise that here was a faith as wide as

humanity itself, ready for the guidance of rich and poor

alike, and able to break down all barriers of creed and

colour. Through the Muslim Mission, I obtained some more

detailed information of the teachings of the Holy Prophet.

The Imam of the Mosque at Woking was always ready to

answer any of my criticisms, and his friendly and interesting

letters did much to encourage me to inquire further about

this :faith that was being revealed to me. I was so confident

in Islam and its ability to fulfill all spiritual needs, that after

a month or two I almost regarded myself as a Muslim.

I wisely decided, however, not to rush matters, but to

consider this new religion of mine from all angles before I

finally adopted it for my guide in life.

It has always been a theory of mine that things easily come

by are easily lost, and likewise beliefs lightly adopted are

often just as li,.ghtly discarded. Therefore, I read as many

criticisms of Islam as I could, specialising in books written

about the Holy Prophet and his message by Western writers.

Some of what I read was not always favourable to Islam,

but the better and more unprejudiced writers were generally

forced to admit the value of Islam and its doctrine to

civilization, and in some cases even to testifY to the truth of

its message.

32

I put my beliefs to a further test by discussing them with a

learned friend of mine whose opinions I have always valued

very highly. I discovered to my surprise that he shared most

of my views,-in fact he was a Muslim without realizing it

himselfl There must be thousands of people like him;

people who have discovered Islam for themselves not

realizing that their own ideas were taught by Muhammad

hundreds of years ago. During the'past few months my faith

in Islam has grown, and I am now supremely confident that

I have found the truth at last. Now that I have a religion, I

can really understand and follow, I feel that I can face life

with renewed vigour. Incidentally, since I found my real

faith, I have had more good fortune and happiness in my

daily life than I have had at any time previously. It is one of

my ambitions to bring the light of Islam to some of those

who are as dissatisfied with their own beliefs as I was, and

to give them that peace of mind which is the keynote of our

great and glorious creed.

T.H. Me C Barklie

33

Conversion to Islam

In my studies about Islam, I found out that Islam teaches the

purest form of monotheism in the fullest sense 0 f the word.

God has no sharer and partner. He is the Creator, Cherisher,

Sustainer and Sovereign of the entire universe. All our

sincere worship and reverence belong to Him alone and that

all the beautiful names of God are His exclusive perfect

attributes which nobody of His creation has the right to

arrogate them to himself. To associate partners or take other

gods besides Him contradicts the Oneness of God.

Indeed, Islam has shown me the Truth, the right kind of

Belief and the correct path that leads man to his Creator. So,

after nine months of exposure to Islam, I was fully

convinced of the truth without any reservation, I embraced

Islam on June 3, 1985. In fact, I had no difficulty in

embracing Islam. As you know, man, being a rational

creature, must not only uphold the truth but is duty bound to

declare and defend truth under all circumstances. It would

be an act of obstinacy, whimsy, shame and irreligious to

ignore the truth which is tantamount to betrayal of the

Creator to Whom we owe our very existence. Had God

willed to wipe us, He could have done it anytime, but He

has specific Divine purpose for each of us. God has

manifested what He requires from us when He said:

"And I (AlHih) created not the jinn and humans except

to worship Me (Alone)." (Sarah Az-Zariydt, 51 :56)

Praise is to Allah Who has been kind to bring me to the

correct and straight path. All this has happened because of

the Noble Book-Qur'an- which answered all my doubts

and strengthened my faith in Islam.

34

I met a European, Mr. Mathews, who had embraced Islam

years before. He told me a lot about the Faith ofIslam, and

the simplicity and truthfulness of it made a very deep

impression on me. Just before I came home, I had the very

great pleasure of reading the Noble Qur'an, which

influenced me profoundly, and it was then that I decided to

embrace Islam. I had already asked Mr. Mathews about the

procedure to be followed, and so on my arrival in England, I

wrote to Lord Headley, who was kind enough to give me

the information I required.

On the whole, I think the main cause of my embracing

Islam was the fact that I found it to be the only religion

where faith and truth are truly predominant.

I may add that I do not like the pomp of other religions,

because it always reminds me of the Lord Mayor's Show.

H.G. Newitt

Following that, God willing,

35

How was I committed to Islam?

I was born in a German Christian family during the most

ferocious part of Wodd War II, in Berlin, in 1943. My

family moved first to Spain, during the same year, and later,

in 1948, to Argentina. There I stayed for 15 years. I

attended my grade and high school at the Roman Catholic

"La Salle" school, in Cordoba, Argentine. As was to be

expected, I became very soon a fervent Catholic. I was

lectured over an hour daily on Catholic religion and I often

attended religious services. At twelve, my dream was to

become a Roman Catholic priest. I was completely

committed to the Christian faith.

AWih observed my folly, and one memorable day, nearly

seven years ago, He permitted that a copy of Spanish

translation of the Noble Qur'an should reach my hands. My

father did not object my reading it, as he supposed that it

would only contribute to give me a broader background,

and nothing else. He was far from guessing the effect the

Words of AlHih were going to exert on my mind ... As I

opened the Noble Book, I was a fanatic Roman Catholic; as

I closed it, I was completely committed to Islam ...

Obviously, my opinion ofIslam was not favorable one before

I read the Noble Qur'an. I took the Holy Book with curiosity,

and opened it with scorn, expecting to find in it horrible

errors, blasphemies, superstitions and contradictions, I was

biased, but I was also very young and my heart had no time to

harden completely yet. I went through the Surah reluctantly

at the beginning, eagerly then, and finally with a desperate

thirst for Truth. Then, in the greatest moment of my life,

Allah gave me His guidance and led me from superstition to

36

Truth, from darkness to Light, from Christianity to Islam ... in

the blessed pages of the Noble Qur'an, I found solution to all

my problems, satisfaction to all my needs, explication for all

my doubts. Allah attracted me to His Light with irresistible

strength, and I gladly yielded to Him. Everything seemed

clear now, everything made sense to me, and I began to

understand myself, the universe and Allah. I was bitterly

aware that I had been deceived by my dearest teachers, and

that their words were only cruel lies, whether they were

aware of it or not. My whole world was shattered in one

instant; all concepts had to be revised. But the bitterness in

my heart was amply superseded by the ineffable joy of

having found my Rubb at last, and I was filled with life and

gratitude to Him. I still humbly praise and bless Him for His

Mercy with me; without His help, I would have remained in

darkness and stupidity forever.

Swelled with joy and enthusiasm, I hurried to communicate

my findings to other people, to my parents, to my schoolmates,

to my instructors... I wanted everybody to know the Truth, to

be free of ignorance and prejudice, to feel the joy I felt. I met a

fortress surrounding them, a thick wall separating them from

the Truth ... And I was not able to remove that rampart, because

it was in their hearts, harder than stone. I was received with

scorn and .persecution, unable to understand the blindness of

my persecutors. I learned that only Allah can give Light.

The more I learned, the more I felt compelled to express my

gratitude to Allah for having led me to Islam, the Ideal

Religion.

I have read sacred Scriptures of every religion; nowhere

have I found what I encountered in Islam: perfection. The

Holy Qur'an, compared to any other Scripture I have read,

37

is like the light of the sun compared to that or a match. I

firmly believe that anybody who reads the Word of Allah

with a mind that is not completely closed to Truth, will

become a Muslim, if Allah pleases. He will also travel from

darkness to Light...

May Allah grant His Guidance to all the sincere seekers of

Truth. The arms of Islam are open to receive them in the

heart of a community called by Allah Himself: "the best

people that were ever raised for the benefit of mankind."

Praise is to Allah, the Lord of the universe!

Saifuddin Dirk Walter Mosig

U.S.A.

38

Why did I become a Muslim?

Deep down in the human soul there lurks the consciousness

of the fact that there does exist the All-Mighty God. It is

more or less dependent upon the circumstances of education

and upbringing under which one is born that our definite

religious views are shaped. It was exactly so in my case. My

parents were strict Catholics and they brought me up a

staunch Catholic, marking me out for the priesthood. But

fate would have it otherwise and my footsteps took me to

the country of Java, in the Far East, to observe with my own

eyes how dearly and faithfully Muslims held their faith.

This was an eyeopener to me; for I learnt that the Muslims,

as dinned by the Christian priestcraft, into our ears, are

anything but heathens, and Islam which they misrepresented

so much is not a religion with hateful practices.

Being a lover of truth, I took up the cudgels for Islam some

six years ago, to secure for it its rightful place against

untrue and unjust suspicions. I had with this aim in view to

call in the help of some distinguished and good-hearted

friends for the purpose of building a mosque in Holland in

the same way as in London, Berlin, and Paris. Gradually it

dawned upon me that it was imperative that the fight for

Islam should be maintained. In the meantime, I had learned

about Islam from some of my true Muslim friends, and after

thoroughly studying the Noble Qur'an I came to the

knowledge that Islam had always been my religion.

The only difference which the present declaration makes is

that I am now openly going over to Islam and in this I feel

very happy. Now I realize that my place is among my

Muslim brothers to glorify Allah for bringing salvation to

39

mankind.

It does me immense pain to realize why I had not accepted

Islam as my faith earlier. I close with the promise that my

life from now onwards will be dedicated to the service of

the best religion of the world-Islam.

J.L. Cit. Van Beetem, (Mohammad Ali)

40

Why I accepted Islam?

I will endeavour in this short article to outline briefly the

circumstances which led to my finally embracing Islam,

trusting that same may prove of some interest both to my

Muslim and non-Muslim readers.

I was brought up from early childhood in an atmosphere of

religion, as it was intended that I should ultimately enter the

priesthood, but God willed it otherwise, and instead I

entered my present profession; therefore, at least, I cannot

be accused of taking my consequent step without full

knowledge of the facts.

My work and studies having created fresh interests in my

life, I naturally found less time at my disposal to devote to

religion than hitherto, and, consequently, as time passed

finding myself free of the religious influences of my

younger days, I began to reason for myself, and eventually I

found that I was questioning even the most fundamental

principles of a religion which I had until then accepted

verbatim; but nevertheless I still continued to fulfill my

obligations to God.

About this time came the Great War, and I was drafted with

my Regiment on service to the Near East. During this period

(some four years) I had the extreme good fortune to make

several good friends in Cairo, and it was the result of

discussions I had with these good people, who explained to

me certain passages of the Holy Qur' an, that sowed the seeds

in my mind of the doctrines of a religion which I was

destined some years later to adopt.

Upon resuming my civil occupation, there followed a period

In my life in which, owing to the renewal of my studies and

41

my work, I found little time to devote to thl: sl:riolis study of

religious matters; and when I ultimately did, I /()Und that I

was no longer able to reconcile myself to the teachings of

the Christian Faith, and, as a result, I discontinued my

attendance at Church, as I was convinced that any other

course under the circumstances was hypocritical.

It was some time later that I recalled to my mind the earlier

discussions that I had with myoId Egyptian friends, so, in

the hope of gaining enlightenment, I devoted a considerable

amount of my spare time to a thorough study of an English

translation of the Holy Qur' an, and as I read over and over

again certain of the words of the Holy Prophet Muhammad

(peace be upon Him!) I could not help but see that here at

last in Islam I had found the true faith for which I had been

seeking so long. And the knowledge gave me a totally

different outlook on life, as if, after groping endlessly about

dark and obscure byways, I had at last come upon a bright

and illuminated thoroughfare.

It was not long after this that I visited the Mosque at

Woking and consulted Maulvi Abdul-Majid, to whom I

would like to record my appreciation of his kind advice and

assistance, and thereupon joined the Holy Brotherhood of

Islam. "All praise to Allah!" And from that day, needless to

say, r have felt a different being, having a purpose in life.

r will not attempt to discuss here the fundamental principles

of Islam which r am content to leave in more able hands.

There is a point, however, which to my mind deserves

mention, as one who has closely followed the religious

observances of both Muslims and Christians. That whilst an

average Christian having attended Church Service on a

Sunday, which is invariably carried through by a Clergyman

and in which the worshipper often takes a rather inactive

42

part, he or she considers their obligation to God fulfilled

until the following Sunday. Whereas by comparison the

Muslim prays regularly each day individually, either in a

Mosque or in the privacy of his home, and even when

Friday prayers are said in congregation this individuality is

still retained, each Muslim praying independently to Allah

without the need of any intermediary or elaborate ritual.

I would like to say that I feel confident, that if only people

in this and other Western countries can be brought to

appreciate the full meaning ofIslam, and what it stands for,

the ranks ofIslam will be daily swelled, only unfortunately

there is a vast amount of misapprehension in the minds of

many Free Thinkers and others who still cling to their old

creed simply because they require the moral courage ,to

abandon a faith, with the principles of which they are' at

variance, and to embrace Islam.

Not one of the least ofthese is the idea that Islam is peculiar

to the Oriental races and not adapted for everyday life in

Western countries. This is, of course, a wrong notion, but it,

nevertheless, exists in the minds of the majority and

requires contradiction in a practical form, and that is to

publish for the benefit of the uninitiated the fact that

members like myself have joined and are still joining the

ranks of Islam and thus give added confidence to our

potential brethren of tomorrow.

It is, therefore, essential, to my mind, for this reason alone,

if no other, that a building, worthy of Islam, should be

acquired and maintained in Central London, where all

Muslims could meet and, what is more, by publicity nonMuslims

should be attracted in numbers to listen to worthy

propounds of the Holy Faith and also see the Faithful ones

43

at prayer, thus giving confidence to those who have a wrong

conception of Muslim prayers.

Without such an effort as this, numbers will be lost to

Islam, as how otherwise are we to get in touch with those

who are wavering in their beliefs and are awaiting

enlightenment. For surely I am only one example of

hundreds of thousands.

What is more, the prestige of Islam is to be borne in mind.

The capital of the British Empire and the center of the

world without an edifice worthy ofIslam? Unbelievable!

Walker H. Williams

44

Islam - my choice

One day, my son with tears in his eyes said: 'I do not want

to remain a Christian any longer; I want to be a Muslim; and

you, too, my mother, should join this new faith with me.'

That was the first time I felt that I had to link myself with

Islam. Years passed before I came in contact with the Imam

of the Berlin Mosque, who introduced me to Islam. I came

to recognize that Islam was the true religion for me. Belief

in the Trinity of the Christian faith was impossible for me

even at my young age of twenty. After studying Islam I also

rejected confession, the holiness and recognition of the

supreme power of the Pope, baptism, etc., and thus I

became a Muslim.

My ancestors were all sincere believers and pious persons. I

was brought up in a convent and hence I inherited religious

attitude towards life. This demanded that I should associate

myself with one religious system or the other. I was indeed

very fortunate and comforted as I decided to join the

religion of Islam.

Today I am a very happy grandmother, because I can claim

that even my grandchild is a born Muslim.

"Allah guides whom He pleases to the Right Path."

45

Mrs. Amina Mosler

Germany

Why I embraced Islam'!

The family in which I was born and grew up was, Ii-om the

religious point of view, no different from the generality of

British homes. My mother is a Christian but she doesn't

practice religious worship and rituals. My Hither however

did not believe in any religion. In my childhood [ studied at

a religious school and learned the subjects which are taught

in English Church schools. Our usual conversation was

never even remotely concerned with religion. I don't

remember any day of my childhood when I heard the name

of God in my home.

While studying at the Church school I was not satisfied with

some of the basic beliefs of Christianity especially the

concept of Trinity and the belief in Atonement that God or

Jesus had ransomed the people and by accepting the cross

had atoned for all their sins. I heard many discussions and

arguments about these beliefs but whatever I heard seemed

to me only one side of the reality while I wanted to know

fully. My school was a Christian school but I left it as an

unbeliever.

After joining the university I got the chance to be

introduced to Muslims. Before that I had neither read nor

heard anything about Islam. In fact like other people in the

West I also harboured prejudices and misunderstandings

about it. But here in the university, Muslim students

explained their basic beliefs to me calmly and in a very nice

manner. They answered all my objections and gave me

some books to read. In the beginning I just skipped over the

pages of these books when I had nothing to do. I only

46

considered them a source of amusement and derision. But

when I actually read parts of these books, they slowly

reduced my suspicions about Islam.

Then I started reading those books carefully. Their style of

presentation and the freshness of explanation and

commentary surprised me. I was extremely impressed by the

logic and argument with which their concepts of the Creator

and the created and life after death were put forward.

After that these Muslim students gave me an English

translation of the Noble Qur'an. However hard I try I cannot

fully estimate the impression the Qur' an left on my heart.

Before I finished the third Surah, I had prostrated myself

before the Creator of the universe. This was my first Salat

(Namaz) and since that time by the grace of Allah I am a

Muslim. I accepted Islam hardly three months after I came

to know about it. So I did not know anything more than

basic concepts. After that started a lengthy process of

questions which I asked my Muslim brothers and argued

with them over the details and sections of these questions.

I am often asked about the main reasons which made me

accept Islam. . It is difficult for me to give satisfactory

answer to this because the example of Islam-as a

European Muslim has put it-is like that of a complete and

perfect geometrical pattern whose every part completes its

other parts and its real beauty lies in the harmony and

cohesion of these parts and it is this characteristic ofIslam

which has a profound influence on human beings. Seen

from a distance, Islam's deep insight into the generality of

things, motives, deeds, its explanations about the Muslim

government will amaze you and if you look at its details,

you find it an incomparably guide for social life based as it

47

is on straightforward and true ethical values. J\ Muslim

takes the Name of Allah whenever he does anything. And

when he remembers Allah, he examines his own self and in

this he tries to reach a high standard. In this way the gulf

between daily life of the world and the demands of religion

is bridged and both sides become proportionate, evenly

balanced and essential for each other.

48

Ayesha Bridget Honey

England

An interview with 'Ayesha Kim

Ayesha Kim belongs to Korea. She is a steadfast and

resolute lady, soft at heart and strong of will. She had been

struggling in search of Truth when the golden rays of Islam

touched her heart. Ever since she has moved farther and

farther on the road to Islam. Today she is known by her

Islamic name Ayesha. She has become a lighthouse of faith

for the ladies of Korea, and in particular for the girl students

of that country. She guides them towards the path of Truth.

Islam first came to her husband, Imam Mahdevoon, who is

now the head of the Union of Muslim in South Korea.

Inwardly, however, Ayesha was ahead of him in this matter.

They both have started together to traverse the path of

Truth.

Ayesha was able to discover truth in the thick of the

devastating war that was raging when she chose Islam for

her religion. She adopted the Islamic name Ayesha after the

name of the holy wife of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa

sallam). She thought that it would be a source of blessing

for her. She says:

"In the face of ever expanding ideological onslaught

of the Missionaries in Korea, it was in Islam that I

found the truth of assured certainty."

Ayesha was interviewed for one-and-a-half hour in the

Korean Islamic Cultural Centre in Jeddah. She was

transiting there together with Korean girl students on their

way back from Makkah after performing 'Umrah. When

she was asked about her early involvement with Islam, she

first kept quiet and closed her eyes, as if she was trying to

look for something hidden in the deep recesses of her heart.

Following that, God willing,

49

She then became alert and after heaving a (kI:p hn:ath, said:

"The story of my attachment with Islam is prompting me to

look back to those early days which I passed in Korea. I

belonged to an orthodox family of staunch followers of an

ancient Chinese religion. Korea was run down hy war. I was

then married to Imam Mahdevoon and we both, the husband

and wife, were still away from Islam. I had, however,

always an inner feeling that we were away from the reality."

The desire for Truth intensifies

"On reaching Korea," continued Ayesha, "I became all the

more restless in my heart pinning to know the Truth. My

inner voice was prompting me that there was one and only

way to reach the Truth; and it was different from all those

religions that I had till then came to know about.

"At that time the Korean war burst which compelled us again

to be on the move, but this time the journey was within the

country. We moved from the South of Korea towards its

western seaside up to the port of Pusan. As soon as we came to

an end, 1 told my husband that Faith was the only fortress to

save ourselves as well as the society.

"We had a friend called Omar Kim," she said, "he is

now dead. He had embraced Islam publicly. He spoke

to us when the war was still going on, urging us for

the preaching and propagation ofIslam and to invite

people to accept it. Our mind was influenced by Omar

too. Besides, as a result of war, the country was

breaking up, not only economically but also morally.

False belief and superstitions were at the root of this

turmoil. Such were the pitiable conditions then

prevailing. "

When asked as to what did she think of the worries of her

50

husband before his acceptance of Islam, she smiled and

said:

"When my husband consulted me in this regard, I asked him

whether it had not dawned on him already that Islam is the

only way to guidance? But he was victim of some unknown

fear and apprehension. He was worried as to how shall we

two live together thereafter. I told him that when he would

accept Islam, God-willing, he shall find me going with

him."

"These words came in very firm tone out of the very depth

of my heart. My husband was, therefore, taken by surprise,

realising that I was ahead of him in accepting the Truth."

"Our friend Omar and my husband got introduced to several

members of the Turkish troops that were then posted in

Korea. Every day they would go to meet them some 20

kilometres from Seoul. At long last, the day came when our

painful plodding reached its welcome climax. It was on a

Friday in the summer of 1955. My husband, in the presence

of the Turkish Imam Abdur-Rahman, accepted Islam at the

hands of Zuber Kochi and offered Friday prayer. Both these

gentlemen belonged to the Turkish troops."

About children

After this, she directed attention towards her children. She

said, "I have only two daughters. 1 was apprehending

difficulty about them, but I realised that after all we, too,

had remained away from Islam for long. Nature itself

guides. My elder daughter was then 25 years old. She said,

'My heart? It beats in unison with yours, but for the time

being I would rather keep quiet until you procure maximum

possible information about Islam.' After some time, she too

accepted Islam. Her name was changed from Y oong to

51

Jamila. She was married to a Korean Muslim. My younger

daughter accepted Islam at the age of 20. She too was

married to a Korean Muslim. She lives in Korea near us.

"As for my own family, I have entrusted the whole matter to

Allah. May He grant me success in bringing them into the

fold ofIslam. Despite my meagre means, I have maintained

these relations according to Islamic principles.

Da 'wah and Tableegh

"I have induced many Korean women to accept Islam. I

have made them understand how Islam protects the mutual

rights of married couples, and how sound is the foundation

it provides for family life. All praise be to Allah, I have

succeeded in guiding a large number of women to the path

of Truth. We arrange get-together for ladies newly

converted to Islam.

"I myself can speak Arabic with great difficulty, because I

began late to learn it. To learn Arabic is a difficult question

for newly converted Muslim ladies. To overcome this

difficulty, we are trying to establish a Department of Arabic

in the Islamic Cultural Centre of Korea."

"Another difficulty is that newly converted Muslim girls

have to live in a society in which the majority religion has

the upper hand. For this reason, in order to keep up the

spirit of these girls, it is essential to organise their effective

defence. This defence can come only through Muslim

educational institutions."

"F or the beginning and as of now, Muslim women in Korea

are organised in Seoul only. Welfare meetings are held by

them to chalk out programmes for providing assistance to the

poor. We have many instances of this. Several newly-wed

52

Muslim couples have dedicated themselves to take the

message ofIslam to people at large."

Hope for the Future

When asked, about her last wish in her advanced age, she

said, "All praise be to Allah! My husband, my children and

myself, all have accepted Islam. We have performed Hajj

and 'Umrah several times. My first pilgrimage tour took

place in 1978 when I also took the opportunity to try to

understand how life goes on in the Muslim community.

N ow that I am returning from Saudi Arabia to Korea, I am

leaving my heart behind. There is an abiding desire to pay

never ending visits to the City of the Holy Prophet, upon

him be Allah's blessings and peace."

At the end of the interview, good wishes were extended to

her for all success in her noble mission, and it was

concluded on the Qur'anic Verse:

"If Allah helps you, none can overcome you ... " (Surah

. *

AI-Imran, 3: 160).

AyeshaKim

[I] Yaqeen International. 7th July, 1984, Vol. 33, No.5, pp.

51-54.

53

Why did I embrace Islam?

First and foremost I would say it was because

fundamentally I had always been a Muslim without being

aware of it.

Very early in my life, I had lost faith in Christianity for

many reasons, the major one being that whenever I

questioned any Christian whether it was a person belonging

to the so-called Holy Orders or a layman, regarding any

point that puzzled me in regard to the Church teachings, I

invariably received the monotonous answer: 'You must not

question the teachings of the Church; you must have faith.'

1 did not have the courage in those days to say: '1 cannot

have faith in something that I do not understand,' and, from

my experience, neither do most of the people who call

themselves Christians. What did I do was to leave the

Church (Roman Catholic) and its teaching and to place my

faith in the one true God in Whom it was much easier to

believe, than in the three gods of the Church. By contrast

with the mysteries and miracles of the Christian teaching,

life took on a new and wider meaning, no longer cramped

with dogma and ritual. Everywhere I looked I could see

God's work. And although, in common with greater minds

than my own, I could not understand the miracles that

happened before my eyes, I could stand and marvel at the

wonder of it all-the trees, flowers, birds and animals. Even

a newborn baby became a beautiful miracle, not the same

thing that the Church had taught me to believe at all. I

remembered how, when a child, I gazed at newborn babies

and thought, "It's all covered in black sin." 1 no longer

believed in ugliness; everything became beautiful.

54

Then one day my daughter brought home a book about

Islam. We became so interested in it that we followed it up

with many other books on Islam. We soon realized that this

was really what we believed. During the time I had believed

in Christianity, I had been led to believe that Islam was only

something to joke about. Thus, all that I then read, was a

revelation to me. After a while, I looked up some Muslims

and questioned them on some of the points that were not

quite clear to me. Here again there was yet another

revelation. My questions were all answered promptly and

concisely, so different from the frustration I had

experienced when questioning Christianity. After much

reading and studying of the religion of Islam both my

daughter and myself decided to become Muslims, taking

names of Rashid a and Mahmuda respectively.

If I were asked what impressed me most in the religion of

Islam, I would probably say the prayers, because prayers in

Christianity are used wholly in begging God (through

Jesus Christ) to grant worldly favors, whereas in Islam

they are used to give praise and thanks to All-Mighty

Allah for all His blessings since He knows what is

necessary for our welfare and grants us what we need

without our asking for it.

Mrs. Cecilia Mahmuda Cannoly

(Australia)

55

Why is Islam my choice?

Islam is the religion I have been seeking for since my

school-days. My mind was dissatisfied all along with the

Christian teachings till I was old enough to have

independence of thought to shake them off. Since I left

school I have had the opportunity of spending a few years

abroad, living with Jewish and Catholic friends, but their

religions never appealed to me. Only this year I returned to

my native country of Scotland and one day, quite by chance,

a friend took me to an "At Home" held at the London

Muslim Prayer House, III, Campden Hill Road, Notting Hill

Gate, London, W. 8. There it was that I came in touch with

the true religion of Islam. I became interested in Islam,

whose keynote is implicity-for instance, belief in the

Unity[lJ of God. This is why, it appeals to me. As a

Christian, I could never bring myself to believe in the

doctrine of the Trinity, the Atonement, or the Virgin Birth.

Islam is absolutely free from such gross impossibilities that

it was necessary for an innocent man like Jesus to come to

the world and give his life to save it from sin, as the

Christian dogma would have us believe, is beyond my

comprehension. Further, the Crucifixion has not made the

world any better (except, perhaps, the few who tried to be

like him).The world on the other hand, it seems to me, is

worse than it was in Jesus Christ's lifetime.

To any thinking person who takes the trouble to understand

Islam this simple and noble religion must appeal.

The Deen of Islam has given me peace and happiness such

as I never had before.

Miss Joan Fatima Dansken

[IJ instead of 'Unity' more proper word is 'Oneness'-Editor.

56

My allegiance to Islam

I was born in a Tatar village in Russia, where my father, a

Roman Catholic Pole and an exile from Poland, was a

doctor.

Both my parents died early, and I was brought up among the

Russian intelligentsia without any religion, principles or

traditions. I must say I never gave much thought to spiritual

matters until, after having lived in England and America, I

imperceptibly became convinced that one must have some

guiding principles in one's life and some kind of moral code.

I studied Christianity, but, even stripped of all the trappings

of ritualism and s\tperstitions, it could not satisfY me because

I could not accept the fundamental principles of Christianity-

the divinity of Jesus and the doctrine of the original sin and

redemption. It seemed to me that the true God was

completely overshadowed by the tremendous figure of Christ,

and I could not believe that the suffering and death of one

person, however saintly, even divine, would redeem the sins

of the whole world, especially as the world went on sinning

as if nothing happened. So, naturally I turned to Islam. I say

naturally because I always had a sort of nostalgia for Islam,

brought up, as I was in its atmosphere from my earliest

childhood. It was like coming home, and the more I read the

Qur'an and the books on Islam by Muslim writers,-the most

lucid and convincing of them being those ofthe Khawaja

Kamal-ud-Din,-the more I became convinced that it is the

only true religion,-a religion for people who think and do

not want to shut their eyes to the realities of life and the

discoveries of science. I could not help comparing it to the

teaching of Jesus which, lofty as it is, either leads to

57

asceticism and virtual denial oflife, or demands an enormous

structure of casuistry and sophistry in order to adapt it to the

earthly life of mankind. How could it stand in comparison

with the pure logic of Islam-submission to the will of God

and striving towards His perfection? There, one has not the

theological dogmas and magic formulas for salvation, but a

perfect guidance and a moral code for the whole conduct of

life, which does not demand denying the evidence of one's

reason, nor the violation of one's natural feelings. Indeed, I

cannot understand how any thinking person can fail seeing it.

That is why, so many critics of Islam fall back on the "bad

life" of the people in Muslim countries, willfully shutting

their eyes to the fact that their vices are due not to the

teachings of Islam but to the dire poverty and ignorance in

which they live owing to the physical and political conditions

of their countries. My only regret is that I did not see the truth

earlier, as it would not only have made me happier, but

would have helped me to become a more useful member of

the community.

Mrs. C. Sa'eeda Namier

58

Why I embraced Islam?

Shortly after I was born in 1934 it became a "fashion" in

Germany to quit membership of the Church-Catholic or

Protestant-and become "gottglaubig" which means

believing in God but actually signifies rather the contrary. In

fact when I was about seven years old, an elder girl told me

that there was no God at all and as she seemed to me quite an

authentic person and I had just learned that also Santa Claus

is only an invention for children, turned all my interest

towards this world. Yet the world at that time was far from

being easily understandable for young people. There were

bombs day after day, there was father who could come only

now and then for just one day and mother who knitted gloves

and socks for "our poor soldiers," there was a big house in

the neighbourhood which was turned into a hospital for the

wounded. When that was over, there were strange people

who took away our house and American war-films started

coming in which melted my heart. I was unable to judge who

was right and who was wrong and everything looked cruel

and senseless to me-there were a thousand whys to which

nobody could give a satisfactory answer. I started to be on the

outlook for God yet hard though I tried I could neither find

Him in Catholicism nor Protestantism nor with lehova's

Witnesses. The road nearer to God in these religions was

barred for me through the fact that all of them had doctrines

in which to believe I found impossible, and injunctions to

follow which strictly seemed to me impracticable. And how

could I accept a faith in which I knew from the very outset

that I would be tortured by self accusation for my own

imperfection?

59

It is still a miracle for me that of all girls, I was the one to

meet a young European who had already embraced Islam

seven years before. The very first time we met I happened to

enquire about his religion and when I learned that it was

Islam I asked him to tell me more about it. I was a great

sceptic at that time due to the disappointments I had had with

other religions, yet when he explained to me the meaning of

the word 'Muslim', i.e., one who out of free will surrenders

himself to God's Commandments, something started waking

up within me. Then he went on to explain to me that all men,

animals, plants and everything else in this universe is already

Muslim compulsorily because they would destroy themselves

if they would not follow God's laws in matters such as

eating, drinking, procreation and so on. Man alone, so he

said, is in a position to accept Islam also spiritually, apart

from the material sphere where he practically does not have a

free choice but has to follow his inborn urges as animals and

plants.

It was the wonderful logic, the pure commonsense in all

Islamic teachings which attracted me so much, in the first few

fundamental doctrines about which I learned as much as in the

books I read in the following years small though the stock of

unbiased Islamic literature in German language is. Apart from

the help of the young Muslim he now is my husband-who

never got tired of explaining things to me and answering all

my questions. Muhammad Asad's book "The Road to Mecca"

made me understand the deep meaning behind all Islamic

injunctions and thus helped me most while I was on my way to

become a Muslimah.

60

Fatima Heeren

West Germany

How I entered Islam?

Madame Fatima Mik Davidson is the Minister of State for

Social Development and Local Government of the Republic

of Trinidad and Tobago. In an interview given by her to the

renowned Arabic Magazine Men-bar-al-lslam of Cairo,

Madame Fatima Mik Davidson (formerly Mrs. Model

Donafamik Davidson) talked about the beginning of her

encounter with Islam and how she ultimately turned

Muslim. She said:

"I totally deny the idea that I accepted Islam in 1975

by renouncing Christianity. Really I am quite unable to

understand and explain what the matter was with me.

Let me take you back to the 9th March, 1950, the day

that was fixed for me to enter Christian Monastery.

When I woke up in the morning of that day, I felt that

the voice - y,-S1.illly. ...514u1 (Allahu-Akbar AllahuAkbar)

was ringing in my ears and it was thrilling my

entire inner self. Lo! I had come back to Islam.

'I did not quite know what it was, but the monastery I

refused to enter. After that I passed many years,

seeking Allah's guidance, until at last I was able to

come across a copy of the translation of the Holy

Qur' an. Then I readily put faith in it. I happened to

meet a Muslim scholar, Maulana Siddiq from Pakistan

and an Indian scholar Shaikh Ansari. I had detailed

talks with them about nature and what I felt about it in

my heart, so much so that these great scholars

exclaimed to me: Thank Allah you are a Muslim! You

are now a Muslim lady. Read what you like, enter the

Mosques and pray. We are prepared to welcome you,

whenever you feel disposed to learn anything. '"

61

Iman is Bliss

"I felt happy. Ever since that day I have been feeling that

my heart is overflowing with the bliss of lman (Faith) and

with love and high esteem for the Holy Prophet Muhammad

(Sallalldhu alaihi wa sallam). Although the date of my

formally embracing Islam is sometime in the year 1975, I

have been a Muslim for the last 33 years, ever since the day

I heard the great mysterious voice and I refused to enter the

monastery. My heart proclaimed: y,S1.i!1 (Alldhu Akbar: God

is the Greatest).

"I was the first coloured girl to enter the Mosque. This

encouraged many Muslim girls to enter Mosques for prayer,

particularly the Mosque of the Anjuman Jami' Sanatal

which was founded by the great scholar Dr. Shaikh Ansari

in the city of Francis in Trinidad. Its present Chairman is

AI-Hajj Shafiq Muhammad.

"Prior to ,this, the residents over there thought that Islam

was the 'religion of the Indians who followed so many

shades of religious tenets and paths. They thought

Qadianism and Ahmadism being more important.

"Later on a large number of the islanders, mostly of African

origin, embraced Islam, until the ratio of the Muslims rose

to 13 percent of the total popUlation of the Republic, as against

31 percent Catholics, 27 percent Protestants, 6 percent Hindus,

and 23 percent others."

Effect on her Duties'

About the effect of her embracing Islam on her work in a

state where Muslims are not in the majority, she said:

"Islam demands of us efficient and sincere application to

duty and I practise the teachings of the Faith (Islam) with

62

sincerity. I do not tell lies either in my (official) work or in

my (personal) life. To the best of my ability and with strong

consciousness of my heart I shun everything that is

repugnant to Islam. As regard the impact of my conversion

upon my work, it was nothing but all blessing and good.

Our former Prime Minister advised me to visit Egypt,

because it is the land of the renowned Jami'ah AI-Azhar

and the source of civilisation. He used to talk a great deal

about Islam.

"When I requested my present Prime Minister to give me

permission to visit Egypt in connection with my assignment

as Minister of State for Social Development and Local

Government, he agreed and also advised me to visit AIAzhar

and the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs about

whose activities we heard so much during our visits to the

U.S.A. and the U.K.

"I took part in the parliamentary elections many a time and

came out successful in spite of being a Muslim. I have

worked as Minister for Education and Culture and also as a

Minister in the Prime Minister's Cabinet, although I am a

Muslim.

"I would like to tell something important. The Republic of

Trinidad and Tobago allows official holidays on the

occasions of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha festivals. The

Muslims have freedom to celebrate the month of Ramadan

in their houses as well as in the mosques throughout the

State. "

She further said:

"I make an appeal to the Islamic World to close their ranks

because unity is strength, particularly under cover of the

excellent religion of Islam which has brought equality to

63

mankind and which regulates our relations and dealings. It

is, therefore, imperative that the Islamic World should halt

the wars raging among its certain states. It is possible to

resolve all difficulties and disputes with mutual

negotiations, consultation and understanding.

"Almighty Allah has guided me to Islam and I pray Him to

guide the Muslims towards fraternity and peace so that they

may in reality become in this present age the best

community that has been raised up for mankind."

Madame Fatima Mik Davidson

Minister of State for Social Development

and Local Government,

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

64

» Yes! I Converted to Islam and here is Why?
» Yes! I Converted to Islam and here is Why
» What does Islam mean?
» A - Z of Islam
» What is Islam?

IZHAR UL-HAQ

إجازة الأستاذ أحمد لبن مدير المنتدى بقراءة الإمام عاصم الكوفي

Yes! I Converted to Islam and here is Why?