I want to ask you about your story of being a Muslim.
You were a Christian?
Brother Ismail:
Yes, I was a Christian before.
Interviewer:
Practicing?
Brother Ismail:
Well yes and no, throughout my life I was raised a traditional Roman
Catholic Christian. We used to go to church me and my family but not
always.
There were times when I was a church-goer and there
were times when I wasn’t. However, at the age of 20, I became a very
motivated and enthusiastic Christian and I did become a practicing
Christian. I was a born-again Christian, so I have an experience of
different flavors of Christianity: Roman Catholicism as well as
evangelical born-again Christian.
Interviewer:
Mashallah, and what happened?
Brother Ismail:
Well basically after a few years of following the teachings of
Christianity, and trying to put the faith into practice and being a good
Christian, and witnessing to other people or telling them about Jesus,
or reading a bible or going to church watching Christian television
programs on a daily basis, I started to question the teachings of
Christianity. Something inside of me was missing, and I felt that I
needed to find out what was this vacuum, this hole inside me that needed
to be filled. And this basically, to put a long story in a nutshell,
led me to Islam.
And what connected me to Islam, even though I
was a Christian, was the person of Jesus Christ (Isa, peace be upon him
as they say in Arabic). I knew that Islam taught Muslims that Jesus was a
prophet that God sent, and this was enough for me to investigate the
teachings of Islam, and eventually I left Christianity for Islam.
Interviewer:
As a Canadian, after ten years of being Muslim, are you 100% convinced
that Islam is the true religion? Can you give me an evidence for that
briefly?
Brother Ismail:
Yes, for me Islam is the true
religion. There is no doubt in my mind. I would never leave Islam. No
amount of money in the world would make me leave Islam. No persecution
would make me leave Islam. I will be a Muslim till the day I die
in-sha’Allah with the help of Allah.
For me, the proof that Islam is the Truth, there could be many examples actually and many evidences that would show that.
For example, the Quran itself is a miracle in its structure; in its
Arabic language in its eloquence. There are also scientific statements
in the Quran which are accurate in terms of modern day science. There
are prophecies in the Quran made in the past that have been fulfilled.
So there are many evidences you could use. But also there is the
practical and personal evidence that you could look at as well. If you
follow Islam with faith and sincerity, put it into practice and you will
find that your life becomes blessed and Allah opens up doors of
opportunity for you that you could never imagine. So there are many ways
you can actually prove Islam is the true religion.
Interviewer:
What about those people who say that Islam came after Christianity. So
it must be the religion that came first that is the true religion. And
Muhammad came after Jesus, so why do we believe in Muhammad not Jesus if
Muhammad came later?
Brother Ismail:
Well if I use
that argument, that the Quran is 600 years or so later after the New
Testament, therefore we shouldn’t follow the Quran because the Bible
came first, you can use that same argument towards the Christians. Why
do you follow the New Testament when it came long after the Old
Testament? Why follow Jesus when Jesus came long after Moses? etc…
This is not a logical argument to use against Islam. We believe that
the same God, Allah as we call God in Arabic, is the same God that
revealed the Torah to Moses, the Gospel to Jesus and the Quran to
Muhammad. He is the same God and therefore you’ll find similarities in
the scriptures between the Old Testament, the New Testament and the
Quran, because they all have the same source, and that’s Allah. And of
course I’m referring to the original Torah and the original Gospel, not
today’s versions which of course you know are not original.
Interviewer:
So is it acceptable for someone to follow Christianity or Judaism because they are from the same God?
Brother Ismail:
No, when Allah, Almighty God, revealed Islam and the Quran to the last
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), this was the way of life that God
wanted us to follow from that point onwards. So from the time of Prophet
Muhammad onwards, the only valid legitimate way of life that God wants
for us to follow is Islam. So therefore Islam, although it recognizes
the truth within Judaism and Christianity, Islam has however abrogated
those former religions and they are no longer valid. Now to be a true
believer in God and a follower of the Prophet, you must become a Muslim.
So that’s basically my answer to that.
Interviewer:
And how is your life after being a Muslim? Is it good or not?
Brother Ismail:
Yes, if I compare my life till now, you know being a Muslim for 10
years comparing it to when I was non-Muslim, my life has become much
more blessed not only in worldly affairs but also spiritually. I feel
much more blessed now, and yes there is a huge difference between me now
and me when I was a non-Muslim.
Interviewer:
Can we conclude this interview with an advice for non-Muslims and another for non-Muslims?
Brother Ismail:
Sure, first of all for the Muslims who live in Arab countries or Muslim
countries, I myself lived in North Africa, in the Middle East, and I
have some experience, and I know the way that Muslims think. Let me tell
you something: If you are living in a Muslim country you see all the
people around you, they are all Muslims, and they all have this respect
for Islam and Muslims, and the Quran, etc. But for those of you who have
not travelled outside those Muslim countries, it’s a different picture
when you come here for example. In the west, not all people respect
Islam, not all people like Muslims or the Quran etc.
And I
think it’s important for you to realize that for those of you who are
still in Muslim countries, and do what you can to educate people about
Islam and spread the word of Islam. For example, if you see a foreigner,
a non-Muslim, coming to your country or tourist, try to be polite to
them, show them good examples and good manners of Islam, and also try to
convey the teachings of Islam to them and be a good Muslim in yourself
and in-sha’Allah other people around you will benefit from that.
My advice for the non-Muslims is: Realize that life is short. What you
see around you, all of these things in this world will not last forever,
including yourself. You will die someday, I will die someday, and
brother Abu Ayoub will die someday. This is a fact we can all agree
upon. Reach out to God and seek Him with sincerity of faith. Search for
the truth while you are still alive and still have the chance. And
investigate Islam, and even other religions for that matter. But be
sincere and open-minded and try not to be biased as much as possible.
And when you are investigating Islam, again look at the Quran. Look at
its miraculous features. Look at the life of the Prophet Muhammad
through Muslim books and Muslim media etc, because in my personal
opinion non-Muslims don’t portray him in a fair fashion. And look at the
history of the prophet and his companions. Look how sincere and
courageous they were. And look at the miracles that Allah gave these
people. These were Bedouins who a lot of times were illiterate, and were
very few in number. But yet Islam became a massive empire of faith and a
world superpower. And even today Islam is a sleeping giant. And this
happened all because Allah used these simple people and spread Islam
through them.
So again, be sincere, ask Allah, and Allah will
guide you to Islam just as He did for me if you are sincere and you
really want to be saved and go to Heaven in the next life.
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