Foreword
As a former minister and elder of the Christian
church, it has become incumbent upon me to enlighten those that continue to
walk in darkness. After embracing Islam, I felt a dire need to help those who
have not yet been blessed to experience the light of Islam.
I thank Almighty God, for having mercy upon me,
causing me to come to know the beauty of Islam as taught by Prophet Muhammad
and his rightly guided followers. It is only by the mercy of God that we
receive true guidance and the ability to follow the straight path, which leads
to success in this life and the Hereafter.
Praise be to God for the kindness shown to me by
Sheikh ‘Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Baz upon my embracing Islam. I cherish and
will pass on the knowledge gained from each meeting with him. There are many
others who have helped me by means of encouragement and knowledge, but for fear
of missing anyone, I will refrain from attempting to list them. Sufficient it
is to say that I thank Almighty God, for each and every brother and sister that
He has allowed to play a role in my growth and development as a Muslim.
I pray that this short work will be of benefit
to all. I hope that Christians will find that there is yet hope for the
wayward conditions that prevail over the bulk of Christendom. The answers to
Christian problems are not to be found with the Christians themselves, for they
are, in most instances, the root of their own problems. Rather, Islam is the
solution to the problems plaguing the world of Christianity, as well as the
problems facing the so-called world of religion as a whole. May God guide us
all and reward us according to the very best of our deeds and intentions.
Abdullah Muhammad al-Faruque at-Ta’if, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Beginnings
As a young boy I was raised with a deep fear of
God. Having been partially raised by a grandmother who was a Pentecostal
fundamentalist, the church became an integral part of my life at a very early
age. By the time I had reached the age of six, I knew all too well the
benefits awaiting me in Heaven for being a good little boy and the punishment
awaiting in Hell for little boys who are naughty. I was taught by my
grandmother that all liars were doomed to go to the Hellfire, where they would
burn forever and ever.
My mother worked two full-time jobs and
continued to remind me of the teachings given to me by her mother. My younger
brother and older sister did not seem to take our grandmother’s warnings of the
Hereafter as seriously as I did. I recall seeing the full moon when it would
take on a deep reddish hue, and I would begin to weep because I was taught that
one of the signs of the end of the world would be that the moon would become
red like blood. As an eight year old child I began to develop such a fear at
what I thought were signs in the heavens and on earth of Doomsday that I
actually had nightmares of what the Day of Judgment would be like. Our house
was close to a set of railroad tracks, and trains passed by on a frequent basis.
I can remember being awakened out of sleep by the horrendous sound of the
locomotive’s horn and thinking that I had died and was being resurrected after
hearing the sound of the trumpet. These teachings were ingrained in my young
mind through a combination of oral teachings and the reading of a set of
children’s books known as the Bible Story.
Every Sunday we would go to church dressed in
all of our finery. My grandfather was our means of transportation. Church
would last for what seemed to me like hours. We would arrive at around eleven
in the morning and not leave until sometimes three in the afternoon. I
remember falling asleep in my grandmother’s lap on many occasions. For a time
my brother and I were permitted to leave church in between the conclusion of
Sunday school and morning worship service to sit with our grandfather at the
railway yard and watch the trains pass. He was not a churchgoer, but he saw to
it that my family made it there every Sunday. Sometime later, he suffered a
stroke which left him partially paralyzed, and as a result, we were unable to
attend church on a regular basis. This period of time would be one of the most
crucial stages of my development.
Rededication
I was relieved, in a sense, at no longer being able
to attend church, but I would feel the urge to go on my own every now and then.
At age sixteen, I began attending the church of a friend whose father was the
pastor. It was a small storefront building with only my friend’s family,
myself, and another schoolmate as members. This went on for only several
months before -the church closed down. After graduating from high school and
entering the university, I rediscovered my religious commitment and became
fully immersed in Pentecostal teachings. I was baptized and “filled with the
Holy Ghost,” as the experience was then called. As a college student, I
quickly became the pride of the church. Everyone had high hopes for me, and I
was happy to once again be “on the road to salvation”.
I attended church every time its doors would
open. I studied the Bible for days and weeks at a time. I attended lectures
given by the Christian scholars of my day, and I acknowledged my call to the
ministry at the age of 20. I began preaching and became well known very quickly.
I was extremely dogmatic and believed that no one could receive salvation
unless they were of my church group. I categorically condemned everyone who
had not come to know God the way I had come to know Him. I was taught that
Jesus Christ (may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him) and God Almighty were one and the same thing.
I was taught that our church did not believe in the trinity, but that Jesus (may
God praise him) was indeed the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I tried to make myself
understand it even though I had to admit that I really did not fully understand
it. As far as I was concerned, it was the only doctrine that made sense to me.
I admired the holy dress of the women and the pious behavior of the men. I
enjoyed practicing a doctrine where women were required to dress in garments
covering themselves completely, not painting their faces with makeup, and
carrying themselves as true ambassadors of Christ. I was convinced beyond a
shadow of a doubt that I had finally found the true path to eternal bliss. I
would debate with anyone from a different church with different beliefs and
would totally silence them with my knowledge of the Bible. I memorized
hundreds of Biblical passages, and this became a trademark of my preaching. Yet,
even though I felt assured of being on the right path, a part of me was still
searching. I felt that there was an even higher truth to be attained.
|
