AMAZING Convert Story.
A couple of days earlier, I was on my laptop, when I saw a YouTube window, which read “YouTube-Amazing Convert Story”. Upon reading this … I became a bit curious, I turned on the video, and listened to it half heartedly (it’s about 15 min long) as I did my homework and checking my mail.
As I was listening to this, the guy was describing how he was at a point in his life where he was confused and was looking for answers. It was a hard time in his life and he needed to believe in something. He went from religion to religion in search for something to fill the emptiness inside him.
When he asked the religious leaders of some given religions, questions, they would give him an answer but it was like it was their own opinion. After a while he finally stumbled across Islam and when he asked the religious leaders questions like “How come I can have four wives, and she can’t have four husbands?, they would pick up the Qur’an and show him, instead of it being their own opinion.
Later on he talks about how he was reading the Qur’an one day and he finally decided he was going to jump in to Islam and convert, but he was looking for a sign of some kind from God to tell him to jump in to Islam.
He attempted to connect with God spiritually and ask for a sign, he waited a moment… and absolutely nothing happened. He attempted this another time thinking maybe God was too busy or something, and nothing happened, nothing at all happened once again.
He was very disappointed and he went back to reading the Qur’an, and on the very next page, next verse, he read; “…For those of you who ask for signs, have we not shown you enough already? Look around you, look at the stars, look at the sun, look at the water, these are the signs for the people of knowledge…”
This story has honestly touched me, when he spoke of the signs, and as I listened to what happened it scared me! I was shocked and I felt a sense of relief. I just feel like this story should reach a lot more people, because it’s awfully interesting. Please take the time to watch it, it has a comic twist to it and will seriously inspire you.
Aroona Toor, 18, is a Senior at McCluer High School. She came to St Louis when her family immigrated to the United States in 1996. She is a honor student and also on the school tennis team and participates in soccer, drama and writing. She is a practicing Muslim, praying five times a day and finding time daily to read the Qur'an. 
Aroona, I am not a Muslim but I’ve had Muslims very close to me in my life. I find it interesting people who’ve converted from one religion to another, not because of marriage or wanting to be with someone of another faith, but because of something more fundamental to the religion in question. Something that speaks.
I was born into Christianity, and have stuck with it (more or less). The person I spoke of earlier was born into Islam, and she was born into it. Interestingly, her husband now is a Hindu, and he was born into it.
What must it take for someone to change religious? I imagine it takes a lot of thought and soul-searching. A lot more than those of us who are confined to the religions in which we were born have taken the effort to do.
If I had not been born into any religion, and had a blank slate and could convert to any one I wanted… which would I choose?
“If I had not been born into any religion, and had a blank slate and could convert to any one I wanted… which would I choose?”
To answer this, you have to know what your criteria are for believing something. While touching sentiments speak to people’s spiritual needs and help fill a hole in their heart, let’s not fall into the fallacy of searching for something that is just “right for us.” I’m talking about the sentiment that “your religion is good for you, mine is right for me.” This presupposes the concept of relative truth and denies the need for discussions like the ones we have here. I hope we can all agree that the only thing that makes something worth believing is that it is true.
mikew: you touch on something that is terribly critical. In the US, religion, like many other things, has almost become a consumer commodity. Don’t like your particular affiliation? Then go ahead and change it, move on and find something more to your liking.
In fact, Faith is really about relationship and community. Faith is something that, at best, we experience in community with others. I would also suggest that faith is strengthened, not weakened, by challenge and by interaction with those whose beliefs are different from ours. And, what I have found, is that the more I do the hard work of acceptance and understanding of those who are different from me, the firmer my faith foundation gets.
Truth. Ahhh Truth. Here is one Truth that I think all people of faith can embrace: There is a God, and I’m not Him. I believe that in the end, when God gathers all to God’s self, I might well be surprised at who I find there…and who I do not, assuming I have the consciousness and ability to observe such things.
I also consider this story and wonder about the Christians this person encountered along his journey. Did any of them simply take the act of giving this searcher a Bible and encourage him to examine it? Perhaps with suggestions on where to start? I find it very discouraging just how few the Christians are who actually take the time and effort to read the plain text and wrestle with it’s meaning, preferring to have it fed to them in spoonfuls along with exhortations about what to believe about it. What I have found in my own life, is that as I read it, study it, wrestle with it, I find that I change in response to it. And the changes are not always in keeping with what I am taught.
I would caution that the belief in God is not a search for truth.
It may be an outcome, but truth as God is something we can never judge for ourselves. In other words, we will not know it if we see it.
God on the other hand….
To search for it as the purpose of faith is to presume too much. It is a distraction and I would argue an idol or booby prize.
Unless of course God is truth. I believe God is more than truth, beyond truth.
One may have faith and never know the truth. I believe it is simpler that way. It is the meaning of faith.
Aroona,
Where have you been? Welcome back!
I think most christians would consider the Bible a matter of opinion too. The first four chapters of the New Testament contain four life stories about Jesus, each authored by persons who write what they consider important. The last author, John, says Jesus is the Word. In other words, the word of God is not a book, like the Qur’an, but a flesh and blood man. I wonder if the convert in your story ever really tried to Jesus? I do not expect you to answer that question but my impression of him is that he wants to join a religious fraternity more than he is interested in a personal relationship with Allah.
Personally, when I’m feeling empty inside, I grab a bite of lunch. But seriously… I think this guy should read some Krishnamurti. Nothing outside of yourself holds the answer. Each of us is a snowflake. Why wouldn’t our individual salvations be equally as unique?
Dave,
. You do raise some points that I wanted to follow up on. The Qur’an refers to Jesus as a ‘Word from God’. Some Muslims look at this and compare Jesus not to Muhammad but to the Qur’an, also ‘Word from God’ (in this reference frame the comparison of Muhammad would be to Mary as both were vessels for carrying the word of God).
Yes it is good to see Aroona write again…..lets hope it lasts
As for people who convert to Islam usually they have looked at everything else before; Islam is the last thing that people look at (not surprising given all the negative stuff being written about it) . That is not to say they got a proper look at the other religons. As Yanina, who I quote in my latest blog, wrote about herself that admittedly the Christians she had talked with may not have been the best representatives.
Also, unfortunately, most of the immigrant Muslim community is very poor at accepting converts (there are exceptions) and so fellowship is not what usually gets people into Islam. If they are converted by the Qur’an it is usually their relationship with God that is the prime motivator and they are choosing a path where they loose their past relationships and do not have strong relationships in the new community. It is very tough on them and those few that stay with it are driven by the inner peace that grows within them in finding God.
The paths to God are many and we should pray that everyone find the Creator in their own life on whatever path they choose.
“The paths to God are many and we should pray that everyone find the Creator in their own life on whatever path they choose.”
Unless you’re wrong and they are not many. Then we pray for everyone to find the truth - by the way, this means that the paths have to agree, not disagree. I think the many paths approach is without apolegetic and is flawed, but hey, if it’s a crapshoot then make up your own path that leads to whatever you call god however you define him/it. I’m sure that’s really what the creator has in mind.
mikew,
I think you are a serious person. So ponder the implication of what you are saying. Our religions agree on one point. The Creator we worship is a loving Creator. Yet the vast majority of people on earth, today, tommorow or yesterday, are never going to be exposed to the Qur’an/Jesus (pick either one). So how can a loving Creator let most of the people not find THE TRUTH (whichever is the truth the Qur’an OR the Bible or any other alternative that is the exclusive truth)? My reading of the Arabic in the Qur’an gives a clear answer. Verse 29:46 “And do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation otherwise than in a most kindly manner – unless it be such of them as are bent on evildoing -and say: “We believe in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us, as well as that which has been bestowed upon you: for our God and your God is one and the same, and WE ARE ALL MUSLIMS.” The portion in CAPS is the literal translation of what is in Arabic which unfortunately most translations make a bit obscure by writing something like ” it is unto Him that We [all] surrender ourselves”, which is the translation of the word Muslim.
The Creator is not exclusive. Our need to make the Creator exclusive to us is a weakness within us and it prevents us from really getting close to the Creator. I do agree you that we have to pursue truth to get closer to the Creator but if at any point any of us thinks they have found THE TRUTH then no more growth is possible. Anger, hatred, all negative emotions are a reflection of this separation within us. If we any of these emotions are within us then use them to realize that I/we are still far from finding THE TRUTH. The paths to THE TRUTH are many.
Yes, I’m Back! Sorry for the late return!
Dave and mikew you both propose a very thoughtful question.
“If I had not been born into any religion, and had a blank slate and could convert to any one I wanted… which would I choose?”
To be honest, I have no clue what religion I would choose. I love Islam. I’m just so glad that I was born into Islam, and I never had to go searching for guidence or a religion that would touch me. I’m not sure i would have found it if i weren’t and I believe that’s a long time to live your life without structure.
I believe that a person should stay with a religion that makes the most sense to them, and no one is here to tell you, you’re wrong for doing so.