Print Page | Close Window

It Was the Best Change That Ever Happened to Me

Printed From: IslamiCity.org
Category: Religion - Islam
Forum Name: Stories - How I Became Muslim?
Forum Description: Stories - How I Became Muslim?
URL: https://www.islamicity.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=23833
Printed Date: 29 March 2024 at 2:38am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: It Was the Best Change That Ever Happened to Me
Posted By: peacemaker
Subject: It Was the Best Change That Ever Happened to Me
Date Posted: 07 September 2012 at 4:11am

http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/my-journey-to-islam/contemporary-stories/457873-american-teen-converts-to-islam.html - http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/my-journey-to-islam/contemporary-stories/457873-american-teen-converts-to-islam.html

American Teen Finds Islam Through Online Test

It Was the Best Change That Ever Happened to Me

(2 votes, average 5.00 out of 5)
By Reading Islam Staff
Sunday, 08 July 2012 00:00
http://www.onislam.net/english/oimedia/onislamen/images/mainimages/JTI_William_Dallas.jpg">
I started reading about the basic principles of the faith, restrictions, what I had to do, and stuff, and I found myself in agreement.

My name is William and I converted to Islam about a year ago.

I was born in Dallas, Texas into a Christian family, and I grew up in a neighborhood that was almost completely white, upper class and upper middle class as well. And it was really sheltered.

My family wasn�t exactly what you call ultra-religious as what is the stereotype with many people in Texas. We were just a typical moderately religious Christian family.

The only trouble was that I was born with autism. So my social functioning was quite awkward. So I didn�t fit into the society around me. I�m not saying I was a loner or like a complete outcast, I mean I had my friends but just I wasn�t overly popular. I wasn�t overly focused on social aspects. I mean at that time I was so young, I only cared about video games more than religion. To me the idea that I�m going to heaven just because I believe in Jesus Christ sounded like a very good idea; that�s pretty cool, let�s play video games for my whole life and then go to heaven, that�s all I had to do.

Searching for the Truth

Now the thing was though that even from that young age there were facts of Christianity I rejected, like God is God, He doesn�t have to do that. So that was probably my only real criticism at that time but again I really didn�t care.

I think the only other time I did have some sort of problem within the religion was when they first brought up the subject of the holy trinity when I was eleven at the time. What they explained was that it�s three parts separate but one. Now to me that didn�t make any sense. OK I thought we have one God not three. To me that was polytheism; to me that was unimaginable, so I just rejected the notion outright.

But then once I started getting to the high school, I started becoming a little bit more concerned with what is really going on in the world. I started getting into politics and then I started really exploring my religion. Now I rejected the notion of being a protestant outright. The problem was that there was no specific Christian sect I agreed with.

I was quite surprised to find out that Islam was number 2 on the list, about 98% percent compatibility.

I had been exposed to other religions at the time through my mum. Since we have gone through divorce that was quite traumatizing she has been forced to look for alternative spiritual means. So by the time I realized I really need to find my niche to get into. My mum recommended me to take this test online that recommend which religion you belong to or you most closely match up to. So I took it, and I was quite surprised to find out that Islam was number 2 on the list, about 98% percent compatibility. Number 1 was Orthodox Judaism.

Now although I did have interest in Judaism at the time, I really didn�t see it that interesting as Islam. For me, Islam was like, to typically say, foreign to me. I�m like thinking �Oh, it looks quite interesting.� So I started looking into Islam. I looked it up on Wikipedia. I started reading about the basic principles of the faith, restrictions, what I had to do, and stuff, and I found myself in agreement. I thought this makes a lot of sense and I agree with this, and it seems very plausible.

I believed that Jesus rather than being the son of God and not even God, he was just a teacher, an important teacher to take from. So the notion of Jesus being a prophet who is basically a teacher of God really wasn�t that foreign to me. It was something like I had already believed in.

At that point I decided to pick up a Quran. So I picked it up and I started reading it. I read it like this is amazing. This is something that explains everything that I have been looking for and I�m in a total agreement with this, so I want to become a Muslim now.

So I decided to take Shahadah when I got into up here to school. I didn�t know a single masjid (mosque) in Dallas. Plus it was just more convenient to take it up here. There was a mosque right by the school. So therefore I can just walk down in my spare time and take Shahadah.

So I told my parents what I decided to, and they didn�t have a problem with it. They were in the medical field and therefore they had exposure to Islam they had exposure to other ethnicities and religions as well. So they were quite tolerant people.

The prospect of me becoming engrossed in religion, they liked that idea just because they thought it would help me become more loving and more compassionate with people. At the time I was kind of misanthrope before. So they were more than eager to see me take up a religion.

I first learned the Arabic script from a friend of mine at the mosque. He used to be a teacher so somehow he was able to teach me in an hour what I couldn�t teach myself over the summer. So I was able to master it by reading a duaas in a particular book titled (Hisn Al-Muslim) and by doing those multiple times a day I was able to get a reading speed similar to that of English.

I was able to master the Tajweed (Quran recitation) through an IPhone app that has embedded text and the Tajweed, and by listening to it over and over I can get the rhythm and the pronunciation right.

I have to say the main thing that changed about me when I converted to Islam would be that I enjoyed helping people a lot more. I care about people much deeper than I did before. Before, I tended to be somewhat of misanthrope, I�m not saying like a people hater but I tended not to trust people. I tended to be more introverted. I was more selfish as well. So since I converted to Islam I just learned to love people and I�ve learned to care for them and help them. And I get pleasure out of helping them as well, so for me I think it was the best change that ever happened.



-------------
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
Qur'an 55:13



Replies:
Posted By: duane961
Date Posted: 08 September 2012 at 5:14pm
You know William, I found reading your story very inspiring especially about how you were living in a white upper class and upper middle class neighborhood. You learning Arabic script and mastering Tajweed tells me you are a person of principle and someone I would like to learn from in the future. I get a good vibe from reading about how you progressed.



Print Page | Close Window

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Copyright ©2001-2019 Web Wiz Ltd. - https://www.webwiz.net