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Valerie Wright, Ex-Christian, USA (part 2 of 2)
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Description: A story of an American teenager who discovers Islam from many signs that God has placed for her. Part 2: How he then finally embraced Islam.
By Valerie Wright
Published on 06 Jul 2009 - Last modified on 25 Aug 2009
Viewed: 1005 (daily average: 7) - Rating: 4.8 out of 5 - Rated by: 5
Printed: 38 - Emailed: 1 - Commented on: 1
Category: Articles
> Stories of New Muslims
> Women
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When I was 15, I went to live with my father. I stayed
with him for two and a half years, and during that time I became regularly
involved in a Methodist church. I also sometimes attended the Baptist church
that my stepmother went to. At each church that I visited, I always felt that
something was missing. And even though everyone was friendly to me, I always
felt that I did not belong among those people, especially my age peers. Still,
it never occurred to me to look for another religion.
When I was 17, I had a dream one night. I was standing
beside a green bush with small leaves and small yellow flowers. An angel
swooshed before me, but I couldn't see it, except for a kind of clear outline
of its form or energy. It gathered a bouquet of the yellow flowers for me.
The flowers sparkled. Then the angel picked me up and carried me to a special
place. Because I could not see the angel, I saw everything around me as if I
were flying.
I entered a place where the sun shone, filtered through
a light mist. At first I saw tall grass swaying and trees with large maroon
leaves. As we proceeded, the grass became shorter, and there were trees with
very bright red, pink, and white flowers with small black centers. The flowers
were profuse; they covered the branches and the trunks, even the ground at
their bases. The next trees were some kind of evergreen trees.
As I turned and looked around, I saw a rectangular patch
of cultivated land in the distance to my right. It seemed that some very tall
herbs were growing there. I saw another, smaller rectangle of purple irises.
Beside them was a wooden house. The angel carried me around the house once, so
that I could see that it was in the shape of a perfect square. The angel put
me down, and we entered.
Inside were many adults and children, all of them quite
happy. They left as we entered to give us privacy. We entered a small
reception area where there were two couches and a small Japanese style table
between them. There appeared an old woman with white hair tied up in a bun and
a long black dress with a white lacy collar. She gestured that I should make
myself comfortable and asked if I would like a drink. After I had settled, she
began to speak to me, telling me things about my future (none of which I
remember). She concluded by saying, “You have to make some changes in your
life first.” I felt very afraid of these words, for I wasn't sure whether I was
strong enough. I turned to the angel and said, “I don't know if I can do it.”
Then it lifted me up and threw me in the air, where the dream ended.
Near the end of the school year, I was at a good-bye
party for one of my foreign exchange friends. One girl's mother came to me. I
knew the girl as a friend, but I had never seen the mother before. She told
me, “When my daughter speaks about you, I get such a feeling of joy and
happiness in my heart, and I feel a strong need to tell you that God has a plan
for you.”
Some time passed, and I was almost ready to graduate
from high school. That was when I met some Muslims and had real in-depth
contact with them. They did not practice their religion, but there was
something I liked about their interactions with each other. There seemed to be
a mutual feeling between them that was stronger than any I had seen between any
people before. They also spoke Arabic with each other a lot of the time, and I
wished to understand what they were saying. So I determined to find an Arabic
class and surprise them.
The only classes I found that suited my schedule were
given at a local mosque, so I went there. I never learned much Arabic, but the
sisters in the mosque taught me about Islam. For every big, deep question I
had, they provided me with very simple, logical, and profound answers. I felt
within myself that Islam was a religion I could accept. So on my 19th
birthday, I officially declared my Shahadah. After saying it, I leapt up with
joy, my arms in the air. “Yes!” I am a Muslim now, praise God.
After becoming Muslim, I felt much more at peace with my
spiritual foundation. My family was quite upset at first, but they never
stopped speaking with me or reaching out to me with love. Some of them have
come to understand a little more about Islam and have become more comfortable
and accepting of my decision. All praise be to Allah.
Through its life-permeating system, Islam has affected
the decisions I make in life. Islam is not just a “Sunday-feel-good affair.” I
don't doubt that some sincere Christians make the effort to practice their
religion in their daily lives, but Islam has a much more comprehensive set of
guidelines to follow. Everything I do comes with an awareness that I will be
held accountable for my actions and that I need to constantly ask for Allah's
forgiveness. Islam has given me the purpose in life that I had been seeking.
It is one of the few things I am passionate about. Before Islam, I had no idea
what I wanted to do with my life. One of my great wishes is that I can help
another person become Muslim. That still has yet to happen.
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