COMING HOME TO ISLAM
By Sister Aliyah (Australia)
Bismillah
Assalaamu alaikum wa ramatullah wa barakatu,
I'd like to share my story of becoming Muslim, Alhamdulillah. I
noticed that there are many members who are not yet Muslim but
are thinking about it & it is my hope, inshAllah, that my story
will inspire them to take the Shahada, the first step to
becoming a Muslim. I would also like to say JazakAllah khayrun to Brother AbuUbaida
for forming this (MuslimConverts.com) to encourage & educate new
Muslims. May Allah reward you for your wonderful efforts!
This is my story of my journey to Islam....
Islam has intercepted my life since adolescence. It has crossed
my path many times; in the form of friends& acquaintances and
also in the form of an inexplicable interest in anything Islamic
or 'middle- eastern'. Of course, Islam is more than just an Arab
phenomenon.
Only after studying, working and traveling did I return to a
question which had eluded me since my teens: Which is the right
religion? I had investigated my Jewish roots in my mid-teens. I
found out a little information about Judaism and then summoned
the courage to call the local Jewish Temple. I hit a dead end
though-the rabbi told me there was no way I could become Jewish
if my mother was not Jewish (my father is Jewish but my mother
is Mormon). A class mate at high school, who I helped sometimes
at the library with his English assignments, was a Muslim.
Unbeknown to me this man, after not seeing him for 15 years, has
become my husband now. SubhanAllah!!
I have been married previously, to a Jehovah's Witness. I
thoroughly researched what the JW's taught (well, they kind of
push it on you!)- but I didn't buy it. I just couldn't accept
the 'God has a son' thing or the fact that they are false
prophets- re: 1918, 1974 - Armageddon prophesies. I lived a very
comfortable life with my previous husband. It just wasn't
enough-money is not everything. I was searching for something to
make my life worthwhile. I knew that if I really prayed
sincerely, from the depth of my heart, that God-the Creator of
all that exists, would answer me. One day, I knelt on the floor
(unbeknown to me then, in sajda) and prayed, really prayed from
the bottom of my heart for God to lead me to the right way to
worship Him. I fell down into prostration, with my forehead on
the floor, calling out to Him, silently, "Please God, please
God, please lead me to the Truth!" - later, after I found out
the principles of Islam, I was amazed to discover that this is
how Muslims pray! SubhanAllah!
Little by little, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into
place. I had a friend who worked at a nightclub. She introduced
me to some Muslims she knew from work. I was curious about their
religion- they lamented that they didn't have strong enough
faith to be religious-may Allah guide them. A light clicked on
in my head-they weren't practicing Muslims but they loved Islam
& were so passionate about it! I was curious about September 11
too. I did some research on the internet about Islam. I never
saw them (those Muslims) after that but my thirst for learning
about Islam was insatiable. When I discovered that the Qu'ran
has not changed, not even one letter, since its revelation, I
was amazed! While studying with the JWs I was almost going to
start learning Hebrew and Aramaic to get the real meaning of the
Bible. And here was a book, revealed from God in the original
language that people can read for themselves! This is what I had
been searching for!!! That really was the last piece of the
puzzle that fell into place.
Everything I learned about Islam just seemed so natural to me.
The expression 'coming home' really is the right way to describe
the way I (& other new Muslims) feel when they accept Islam. I
never questioned why I had to do certain things (like pray,
fast, give charity). Covering my hair when I went out took about
three months for me to do fully. I started by going to Islamic
ladies functions or to the shops with a scarf and little by
little my dress became more modest and after about six months I
wore abaya too. I felt such a hypocrite to wear it some places
and not others so I just made the decision to wear it all the
time. The saddest thing I had to do was to give away my beloved
puppy dog, for the sake of Allah, Alhamdulillah. I was sad for
losing her but happy to do it to please Allah.
Work was hard too. Some clients thought I was playing some kind
of joke the first time I wore a scarf to work. That really did
hurt - that people thought Islam is something someone would joke
about. I don't work anymore-my boss wasn't very Muslim-friendly.
As my clothing became more and more modest, she withdrew more
and more too. I guess in her feminist eyes I was standing for
everything that she was trying not to be. I could only take so
much pressure. After I was married and then had a miscarriage
she suggested I take some time off work and we would have 'a
talk' in a few months-she never called and I didn't bother
either. I got tired of defending myself everyday-call me chicken
but I just had enough! I also found solace that I was pleasing
Allah by staying home (Qu'ran: Al-Ahzaab 33:33)
Well, that's the short version! Allah the Almighty has made
things easy for me though. While He has tested me, He has
blessed me with a truly wonderful husband (the one I knew from
school) who loves and fears Allah maybe even more than me.
Alhamdullilah!
Assalaamu alaikum wa ramatullah wa barakatu,
Your Sister-in-Islam,
Aliyah from Australia