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 “Strongest among men in enmity to the Believers wilt thou find the
Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the Believers wilt thou find
those who say “We are Christians”: because amongst these are men devoted to
learning (priests), and men who have renounced the world (monks), and they are
not arrogant. And then they listen to the revelation received by the
Messenger, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize
the truth. They pray: ‘Our Lord! We believe, write us down among the
witnesses.’ (Surat Al-Maida 82-83)”
This was what happened to the former British Catholic
Priest Idris Tawfiq on reciting Islam’s holy book, the Quran, to his students
at a school in Britain. And this was one of the important steps in his journey
of conversion to Islam.
During a recent lecture he gave at the British Council
in Cairo, Tawfiq made clear that he has no regrets about his past and what he
holds in regard to what Christians do and his life at the Vatican for five
years.
“I enjoyed being a priest helping the people for some
years. However, deep inside I was not happy and I felt that there was
something not right. Fortunately, and it is God’s will, some events and
coincidences in my life led me to Islam,” he told a packed hall at the British
Council.
A second important coincidence for Tawfiq was his decision
to quit his work at the Vatican, a step followed by making a trip to Egypt.
“I used to think of Egypt as a country of Pyramids,
camels, sand and palm trees. I actually took a charter flight to Hurghada.
Shocked to find it similar to some European beaches, I
took the first bus to Cairo where I spent the most wonderful week in my life.
This was my first introduction to Muslims and Islam. I
noticed how Egyptians are such gentle, sweet people, but also very strong.
“Like all Britons, my knowledge about Muslims up to that
time didn’t exceed what I heard from the TV about suicide bombers and fighters,
which gave the impression that Islam is a religion of troubles. However,
getting into Cairo I discovered how beautiful this religion is. Very simple
people selling goods on the street would abandon their trade and direct their
face to Allah and pray the moment they heard the call to prayer from the
mosque. They have a strong faith in the presence and will of Allah. They pray,
fast, help the needy and dream to have a trip to Mecca with the hope of living
in heaven in the hereafter,” he said.
“On my return I resumed my old job of teaching religion.
The only compulsory subject in British education is Religious Studies. I was
teaching about Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and others. So everyday
I had to read about these religions to be able to teach my lessons to the
students, many of whom were Arab Muslim refugees. In other words, teaching
about Islam taught me many things.
“Unlike many troublesome teenagers, these students set a
good example of what a Muslim could be. They were polite and kind. So a
friendship developed between us and they asked if they could use my classroom
for prayers during the fasting month of Ramadan.
“Luckily, my room was the only one with a carpet. So I
got accustomed to sitting at the back, watching them praying for a month. I
sought to encourage them by fasting during Ramadan with them, even though I
wasn’t yet a Muslim.
“Once while reciting a translation of the holy Quran in
class I reached the verse:
“And when they listen to the revelation received by the
Messenger, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize
the truth.”
To my surprise, I felt tears welling up in my eyes and I
tried hard to hide it from the students.”
Earth-shaking event
A turning point in his life, however, came in the
aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001.
“The following day, I was taking the underground and
noticed how terrified the people were. I was also afraid of the repetition of
such acts in Britain. At the time, the Western people started fearing this
religion they blamed for terrorism.
“However, my previous experience with Muslims took me to
a different direction. I started wondering ‘Why Islam? Why do we blame Islam
as a religion for the action of terrorists who happened to be Muslims, when
no-one accused Christianity of terrorism when some Christians have acted the
same way?
“One day I headed to the biggest Mosque in London, to hear more about this religion. Getting into London Central Mosque, there was
Yusuf Islam, the former pop singer, sitting in a circle talking to some people
about Islam. After a while, I found myself asking him” ‘What do you actually
do to become a Muslim?’”
“He answered that a Muslim should believe in one God,
pray five times a day and fast during Ramadan. I interrupted him saying that I
believed all this and had even fasted during Ramadan. So he asked, ‘What are
you waiting for? What is holding you back?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t intend to
convert.’
“At that moment the call to prayer was made and everyone
got ready and stood in lines to pray.
“I sat at the back, and I cried and cried. Then I said
to myself, ‘Who am I trying to fool?’
“After they ended their prayers, I headed to Yusuf
Islam, asking him to teach me the words by which I announce my conversion.
“After explaining its meanings to me in English, I
recited after him in Arabic that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah,” recounted Tawfiq, holding back his tears.
‘Gardens of Islam’
Thus his life has taken a different course. Living in Egypt, Tawfiq wrote a book about the tenets of Islam.
Explaining why he penned his book Gardens of Delight: a Simple
Introduction to Islam, Tawfiq noted that everyone is saying that Islam is not a
religion of terrorism and isn’t a religion of hatred, but no-one tries to
explain what it is.
“So I decided to write this book to give non-Muslims an
idea about the basic principles of Islam. I tried to tell people how beautiful
Islam is and that Islam has the most extraordinary treasures, the most
important being Muslims’ love for each other. The Prophet says ‘Even a smile
to your brother is a charity.’
Tawfiq told the Gazette that he is working on a book
about the Prophet Muhammad [may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him] which he thinks will be
different from the many books already written about him.
He thinks that the “best and fastest way” of
acquainting the world with the true image of Islam is to set a good example in
real life.
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