Monday, September 16, 2019

The Quran Took me By Surprise





Name: Charlotte
Age: 25
Revert date: August 2015
Nationality: Belgium
Previous religion: Catholicism

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I’ve had Muslim friends my whole life. I grew up in six countries and was lucky to meet Muslims of all backgrounds. But I never saw my Muslim friends as “Muslim”, it wasn’t a part of their identity I really thought about.

It wasn’t until I really saw the effects of the rise of Islamophobia that I made the effort to learn more about what was such a large part of my friends' identities. The fact that they only showed me kindness but that I couldn’t in turn even defend them against Islamophobia really shook me.

I simply didn’t know anything about Islam except from what I saw on TV. So I took it upon myself to start looking into Islam. I made the explicit decision not to ask my friends about it as I knew they would just give me their bias. I needed to learn for myself. So I bought myself a paperback Qur’an from Waterstones and decided to read a page here and there. That itself was already an entirely different experience than I had anticipated. Mind you, I didn’t buy the Qur’an because I had any interest in being Muslim - that wasn’t even a thought that had passed my mind. So the fact that reading the Qur’an had the effect on me that it did really took me by surprise. I then decided to enroll in a class about the history of Islam. Studying the history of Islam alongside reading the Qur’an was probably the most eye-opening, heart-opening experience I’ve ever had.

I felt overwhelmed about all that I had learned, how beautiful Islam was, how much hope it gave and always has given. I couldn’t get enough and felt like “wow, I need to be Muslim. I want to be Muslim.” To add, I was severely Bulimic when I started looking into Islam. I was struggling to overcome dark memories I had that caused the Bulimia in the first place. Islam helped me when all other pathways didn’t. Islam still helps me stay resilient when I feel a relapse is coming on. I’ve become stronger and calmer. Kinder to myself, kinder in my thoughts. Alhamdulilah. There is no God but Allah - and nothing reassured me of God’s love and presence as much as Islam did.

3 comments:

  1. Welcome to the religion of peace. Lots of love from a fellow convert.

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  2. MASHALLAH.May ALLAH SWT give strength to follow the path of Beloved Prophet Muhammad SAWW until we took our last breath.

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  3. Ya Allah Almighty, Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim, the Most BENEVOLENT and MERCIFUL, please ALWAYS bless my EUROPEAN sister CHARLOTTE of BELGIUM pictured above whom been given the guidance with Your Taufik & Hidaya enlightenment enshrined to her in AUGUST 2015 being a dutiful Muslimah till departure to Hereafter in Jannah, Insha Allah. Ya Allah Almighty, Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim, the Most BENEVOLENT and MERCIFUL, please ALWAYS bless our new revert DAILY LIFE in harmony of Peace, Time, Health and Wealth BOTH Physically and Spiritually with their immediate family and their loved ones as the TRUE followers of Muhammad Rasullulah SAW sooner or later.

    Consequently, Ya ALLAH Almighty the Most BENEVOLENT and MERCIFUL, please ALWAYS imposes our commitments and responsibilities as the TRUE follower of Muhammad Rasullulah SAW and being a dutiful Muslim/mah till Jannah together with our beloved immediate family and loved ones. Meanwhile, Ya ALLAH Almighty, the Most BENEVOLENT and MERCIFUL, please destroy any teachings that astray our Islamic faith and

    make 6 PILLARS of ISLAMIC FAITH as our way of life:

    1. Believe in ALLAH ALMIGHTY
    2. Believe in ANGELS
    3. Believe in 3.1 AL QURAN (Must be in Arabic but the translation, interpretation, explanation can be in other languages, in which whoever can memorize the entire Quran with its interpretation is the 1st category Muslim) 3.2 Injeel (Gospel instead of Bible), 3.3 Torah & 3.4 Zaburr (Muslims to adopt 100% believe in Quran unlike Jews partially Torah & Zabur, whereas Christianity was created by the Jews and Romans with Bible of many languages, versions and testaments in which Rome is made the center of Christianity instead of Baitul Laham @ Bethlehem, Palestine the birthplace of Prophet ISA AS @ Jesus. Shia is Jewish creation in Persia or Land of Sun Worshippers @ Iran named himself Abdullah bin Saba pick and choose Al Quran now expanded in Syria, Iraq and Yemen in which Shia advocates sexual pleasures via Mutaah f@ Contractual Marriage, perform 3 prayers per day via Jamaq by merging 1. Zahor & Asar 2. Magrib & Ishak except Subuh @ Fajar whilst the Shia prayers performance are similar to Hinduism especially the Ashura Festival similar to Hinduism Thaipusam. Shia Focal Point of prayers can be anywhere as Shia advocates Allah Almighty is everywhere instead of Kaabah @ Baitullah in Mecca, KSA)
    4. Believe in God Chosen People i.e the RASULLULAH (Messenger of Allah). 25th Rasulullah Prophet Muhammad SAW, 24th Rasulullah Prophet Isa AS @ Jesus, 23rd Rasullullah Prophet Moosa AS @ Moses, 22nd Rasullullah Prophet Dawood AS @ David, 21st Rasullullah Prophet Ibraheem AS @ Abraham and 20 other Rasullulahs and 120,000 other Prophets earlier.
    5. Belief in QADA’ and QADAR i.e. Everything is Allah’s Decision/Fate
    6. Belief in QIAMAH @ Days of Hereafter

    AND dutifully performing the 5 PILLARS of ISLAM as our way of life:

    1. SHAHADAH : There is none worthy of worship EXCEPT ALLAH and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
    2. To PERFORM 5 solat/prayer each day FACING to BAITULLAH of MASJIDIL HARAM (Not 3 solat/prayer each day and facing anywhere you wish like the Shiah)
    3. To CONTRIBUTE ZAKAT FITRAH or 2.5% of our income earnings to the needy poors
    4. To FAST during the month of RAMADHAN
    5. To PERFORM HAJJ ONCE in life time subject to affordability and capability in MECCA Al Mukaramah, Kingdom SAUDI ARABIA.

    Aameenn Ya Rabbal Ala meenn.

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