Introduction

[Ali]

Assalaamoalaikum

I was thinking if some of you can tell us how u came to be a muslim, or how were u introduced first to Islam ?

any replies would be appreciated

JazakumuAllah khair

-- Ali

[Taryam]

Al Salamu Alykum to all,

Brother Ali, i was a muslim at birth, as we all were, Alhamdulillah. Then growing up, i was lucky enough to have a religious muslim mother, yet at the age of 13, i took the wrong path, moving and being influenced by the western culture. It stayed that way for many years, untill last year infact. Before that, Islam was not part of my exterior life in anyway. Yet, it burned , deep inside me, it called for me and i ran as far away as possible, only to suffer greatly. Alhamdulillah, Allah (S.W.T) Hadani last summer, where an inccident happened where i saw the truth of the western culture at a very magnified rate. It was then that i turned to Salah, and from Salah, ALhamdulillah, everything else in Allah's (S.W.T) glorious religion unfolds itself day by day. Alhamdulillah wa La Illaha Il Allah wa Muhammed Abduhu wa Rasulo.

I know this question is probably for people who have converted but i thought it would be nice to start it off.

Salamu Alykum.

[smdahmed]

Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullah.

Taryam seems to have made a good start. Though I m too a muslim by birth let me share some of my experiences of how I really started respecting the essence of Islam in day to day life.

I was born as a muslim and as a only son to my intellectual parents. Mom would teach me to read and write urdu- my mother toungue ( which is the language in which one could find lots of religious books ) and they had appointed an old lady Arabic teacher who taught me to read complete The Holy Quran when i was just say about 9 years old. Studying Quran at the age of 9 is quite appreciable to Indian Muslims as Arabic is not a very well known language here ( atleast in my family ). Father had to leave to UAE for better prospects and I had to continue my education staying with my uncle back home in India.

Father earning in UAE meant to me lots of money in my pockets, as my parents used to send me too much as I m their only son. In these stages too, I used to visit mosque which was like a habit to me since my early childhood. But I really wonder and seek forgiveness of Allah SWT if I was really concentrating on my prayers. I serenaded a non muslim girl - my classmate. Things continued like this for about say 6 years. Then an incident occured in my life with my ex-girl friend who is now married and settled in USA, which got me to ISLAM. I was looking for peace, for support and I could find it only in the Path of Allah SWT . Yes, I sometimes believe people should be inflicted with pain to understand Mercy of Allah SWT . Say, a blind person would only know the price of eyes.

Things turned as I had to cope up with trauma and when I joined my Bachelors in Engineering, Allah SWT blessed me with right people who enriched my Islamic Knowledge. Its been since 3 years I have joined a company as a software engineer, but when I really look back I miss those college days where I used to spend my weekends amongst Islamic Scholars ( Aalims and Muftis ) always asking them questions and learning more and more about Islam. Since I have joined a job, its reduced a little bit but THANKS TO THESE ISLAMIC FORUMS that really refresh all those thoughts of mine and provide me with good knowledge. I really admire the efforts of Sister Muslimah.

I know its too much for me to write up all this story here , but I thought someone can read it and safeguard himself or take some sort of lesson out of my life.

Please pray for me ...

May Allah SWT help all muslims and bless all muslims with hidayah and bestow HIS GRACE especially on innocent people of IRAQ - Ameen. I request all brothers to pray for people of IRAQ. Please supplicate Allah SWT for the cause of Iraq... May Allah SWT bless us all - Ameen.

vassalam

Ahmed.

[Ali]

Walaikumusalam

Thanks for you replies.

May Allah guide us all and make us remain steadfast upon the guidance

AMeen

[Muslimah]

As Salam Alykom brothers

First of all, I don't percieve myself doing anything much compared to Allah's countless blessings.

I was really inspired by the story of both of you, matter of fact, and this is just a very personaly opinion, I see that dawa among us Muslim by birth is more important than calling non Muslims to Islam. We need to scrap ourselves taking off whatever keeps us away from the correct path. You know what, doing so will automatically result into others to come asking about this religion. Actually Allah Becomes very Happy with the repentence of His servant. It is a special moment when one repents.

In our forum, we need to focus on and practice Islamic mannerism and moral which are actually bases for the Western Etiqetter principles but people deny it.

My brothers, Alhamdulelah who guided us for this and if it was not for Him we would have never been guided. May He keep me, you and the Muslim Ummah fixed on His correct path. Ameen Ameen Ameen

[lizhong]

I am a Muslim by birth in China, and I'd like to post brother Sam's article here which I have translated into English from Chinese.[/color:57b2396e1a]

[i:57b2396e1a][u:57b2396e1a]Written by Brother Sam [/u:57b2396e1a][/i:57b2396e1a]

When I was in primary school, I had pondered the questions such as what was “me”, where I came from and went to. However, as I was very young then, I wasn’t able to get a clear answer to these questions. Father told me: in Marxist theory, a thorough materialist is fearless. I felt it pretty great so I claimed myself a materialist though I didn’t know what a materialist was actually at that time. Many years from then on, I always considered myself a materialist.

I worked very hard in junior high school aimed at key senior high school and I studied equally hard targeting on key university after I really got in. To go to university is my faith for many years because everyone around me always told how nice a thing to go to university. However, as I entered a university, I felt disappointed about the society and began to review my road in the past nineteen years and what I had strived for on earth.

My university was a place of freedom and had access to all kinds of communication, I was so leisured that I started to pay attention to the society and discovered there were too many hypocritical people beside me. I myself developed into the way they were gradually. I often reproached myself because I hated hypocrisy. I hated all vile social evils and often thought of its hotbed and how to extinguish them. I thought of my past, present and future as well but felt at sea about my future, somewhat at loose ends.

I felt life was so meaningless for me that I became decadent, unaware of what to do, so I just managed to get by day to day as many others around me. I felt pretty sorrowful in my heart and didn’t know what the others though of, maybe they were as hopeless as me and numbed themselves by devoting into their studies. However, I wasn’t able to do it as them. Hard years in high school added up to such a disappointment! I didn’t know where my future was.

Not long after I entered university, I made acquaintance with some Americans. One of them often asked me to visit his family who is zealous in preaching Christianity and sent me a Bible both in English and Chinese. Although I somewhat had repulsion for it but surprised at their belief in God, got to know this was not a usual question, and started to think of religion. However, for this or that reasons, I don’t like Christianity even detest it. Occasionally I thought of if God existed but didn’t get the answer. One year later, the American went back, my life was as hopeless as before. I was quite aware that I am terribly poor spiritually, as well as all people around me. I could do nothing about it. Lonely and helpless, I sighed with feeling of grief of life now and then.

On March 18, 2001, when I went shopping in the city center bookstore, found a book named “A Profile of Islamic Culture” by chance. I bought it for whatever reason. The book doesn’t deal with the idea of religion but with much knowledge, kindling my interest for Islam. And I started to read the Koran. However, I was not able to understand the version I bought there. The sentences are so broken that I doubted if it was translated and written in Chinese. It was Chinese characters indeed, why I couldn’t follow when these characters combined together? It threw cold water on my passion. Later, I searched the Chinese version of the Koran in Google, and found professor Majian’s. This time I got it and I was so happy. Reading several times of the section of “Time”, I found the sentences were pleasant and beautiful, which game me a good impression. Another time by chance, I found, surprisingly, Muslims took Jesus as saint too. I thought I must understand what it was on earth.

For this reason, I started to study Islam. I comprehended something after a period of time, discovering myself believed in Allah somewhat. Meanwhile I felt afraid because that was a time Falungong was slashed everywhere. I really didn’t know what to do! My diet was also changed and I felt it was not convenient for me to dine at university (non-Muslim) canteen. Eventually, my habit of life changed. I often tossed up and down in the bed at night, couldn’t help thinking of religion and philosophy. I felt some light ahead of me while darkness surrounded. I therefore made up my mind to make a resolution between belief and non-belief that I couldn’t waver any longer and should go on studying Islam...

Then, I dived myself into studying Islam. Three months later, I found myself completely changed, with much better understanding of Islam. So I believed that I was able to practice Islam and should begin to pray. It took me some efforts to find a religious Muslim in my university and I asked him to lead me to mosque for Salat Jumah. Surprised as he was, he led me to an imam in mosque. At the first prayer, I was deeply impressed even shocked by the sound of hundreds kneeling down at the same pace. I was aware that I was coming to the right place although I could follow the Arabic of recitation, it sounded beautiful.

When I converted to Islam, all issues arising from studied, life, idea and perspective of the world are readily solved. I had got a clearer view towards the world and society, more convinced about my own life style and behavior. I understand there are still some obstacles in my path, but Islam is the right path that I should follow.

I have been thinking of such a question: every child is lovable when they are young, but the problem is some of them would get the wrong path when grow up. It there a education to minimize the possibility? I have been searching for an answer and now I’ve got it: It is Islam.

[Muslimah]

Mash a Allah very touching article. As usual people when they come into Islam, they get impressed by something like the kneeling and prostrating together. Sobhan Allah. May Allah keep the brother fixed on the correct path with all of us. ameen

[lizhong]

one thing I want to tell you, Sister MUslimah, that Brother Sam lives in Chengdu, the same city with Sister Sammi (or Mischief). they have met in true life And I didn't meet either of them.

[Muslimah]

One can not say anything but Sobhan Allah

[Angel]

mashallah I am inspired again.. :!:

thank u for sharing.

Angel