A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| eleanor |
| 02/27/02 at 04:45:35 |
| Bismillah [slm] I hope over the course of time, to find different converts' stories on the web and to post them up here to inspire and encourage us, and to remind us why we converted in the first place. (1) MY STORY Assalamu alaikom wa rahmatulahi wa barakaatuh My name is Zahra, I became Muslim just over 3 months ago now. It all began when I met someone on icq, I found out he was Muslim and that made me want to find out about Islam. Not to become Muslim, just because I wanted knowledge and because my new friend was Muslim. I started searching for Islamic sites. I did not tell my friend what I was doing. I found the Qur'an in English online and I began to read everyday.Nothing ever affected my heart the way the Qur'an did from the first moment I began to read. Right at this moment as I type this message, I feel tears at my eyes because I can't describe the way it made me feel. I only can hope that you understand. nothing has ever made me feel that way before.Anyway I finally told my friend what I was doing and he started to explain different things to me and answer my many questions. But I did not feel ready to take the final step. I was going to wait about 3 years. There are reasons I won't go into for that.I was learning little by little and I wanted to meet other people online so I went to different Islamic chatrooms. I would join in the conversations if I knew anything about the subject being discussed. I met someone in a chatroom one day, he asked me why I was there. We talked for a while and he asked me why I was not Muslim as I had a Muslim heart. I explained why I was waiting and he talked to me some more. My heart was ready, how could I deny it? I prepared myself and I said shahada. I know I did the best thing for myself that I could ever do. Despite the complications in my life at this moment, I know ALLAH is there, he wants the best for me. I will learn to be patient, I will place my trust in ALLAH. Things will work out insha' ALLAH. Zahra/ENGLAND taken from [url]http://www.newmuslims.cjb.net[/url] |
| 02/27/02 at 06:06:35 |
| jannah |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Julie |
| 02/27/02 at 12:07:04 |
| I like the idea of posting these convert/revert stories, but why don't we have some of the converts/reverts on this board tell us their stories too? Then we can all sit back and have a bebzi [] while reading stories of people we actually know. Just an idea :-* Julie :) |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| eleanor |
| 02/27/02 at 13:33:50 |
| [slm] that's in the pipeline Julie!! I don't want to start too many threads all at once :) But Insha Allah we will have a thread like that too, that's if people are willing to share ;) thanks for the suggestion, wasalaam eleanor :-* |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Halima |
| 03/10/02 at 06:15:57 |
| This is interesting! I understand converting, hence converts. But I would like to know if there has ever been a revert, i.e. someone who converted only revert back to former religion. Shukkan. Halima |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| eleanor |
| 03/10/02 at 12:20:38 |
| [slm] As a matter of fact, we are all reverts to Islam. Since we are all born sin free and into Islam, which is the only true religion, it is our parents who make us Jews, Christians or any other religion... So when we "convert" to Islam, we are actually [i]reverting[/i] :-X :-X :-X wasalaam eleanor :-* |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Aabidah |
| 03/10/02 at 17:16:55 |
| [slm] I have stories of some reverts....InshaAllah when i find them i will post them [wlm] Betul |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| EdisonShi |
| 03/14/02 at 12:20:10 |
| I know you said you would open a new thread for stories of reverts here on the board, but I felt like sharing. At the age of 12 I found rebellion and thought I loved it. I fought everything; people, institutions and the very spirit Allah breathed into me. I began drinking alcohol well before this and at this time began doing drugs and being involved in organized crime. (Robbing houses and delivery trucks for the black market, I was the only one small enough to fit through some windows.) I continued with this path and have been briefly incarcerated 5 times. In 1995 I went insane and lost everything. My home, my job, my education, my girlfriend, my friends, my mind and briefly my family. I ended up homeless riding the subway talking to myself and eating out of trashcans. In 1998 my parents got a hold of me and had me sentenced to a mental institution, where I got the help I needed in the form of love and medication. (I was diagnosed as paranoid schitzophrenic) . Since I got out of the hospital, I have been consumed with my health in the five arenas of: Mental, Physical, Spiritual, Emotional and Financial wellbeing and remaining moral in all things. I began reading the bible, the Qua-ran and the book of Morman. The Qua-ran spoke to me and I just knew in my heart that Islam was the path for me to attain Spiritual health. In Dec. of 2000 I called a local Mas-Jid and set up thrice weekly setions with an Imam to discuss Islam. I've continued them (now on a less formal basis) up to this point and my progress has astouded my doctors, my family, my friends and my self. For years my illness would not allow me to communicate with people or read, but with my Imam the discussions were natural and understanding and connection was made and the Qua-ran opened up the possibility for me to read again (which I have always loved to do). As for everyone, life is still a struggle and I cannot do many of the things I once did, but inshaallah I will do even more with more dignity and morals than my once "sane" mind ever dreamed possible... |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| jannah |
| 03/14/02 at 13:12:32 |
| Subhanallah that's amazing. One of the miracles of the Quran. It speaks to people, all kinds of people, all kinds of places, through the ages, whether they are living in a skyrise in new york city or a hut in india, or on a autobus in damascus or sitting in front of the Kabaa. (and i've seen all of these for real!) Thanx for sharing your story bro :-X [wlm] . |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| eleanor |
| 03/14/02 at 13:40:35 |
| [slm] Yes, indeed! Thank you for sharing. And thank you for posting despite my forgetfulness... ::) Well, I suppose we don't need to start a new thread... ...anyone else??? wasalaam eleanor :-* |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Kathy |
| 03/15/02 at 10:42:07 |
| [slm] [quote]One of the miracles of the Quran. It speaks to people, all kinds of people, all kinds of places, through the ages, whether they are living in a skyrise in new york city or a hut in india, or on a autobus in damascus or sitting in front of the Kabaa. [/quote] I never thought of this view point- excellent! I have always considered giving the Quran to a non-muslim was not the best choice- I think I have changed my mind after reading this post. :-) |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Sara |
| 03/16/02 at 02:37:58 |
| EdisonShi, assalaamu alaikum, brother |
| 03/16/02 at 11:04:09 |
| Sara |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| EdisonShi |
| 03/16/02 at 07:52:39 |
| I unfortunately don't read Arabic. |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Noor |
| 03/19/02 at 11:28:37 |
| Edison, Thank you SO much for sharing your experiences. We born muslims have been handed Islam on a golden platter and even then treat it lightly and take it for granted. Stories like yours remind us how fortunate we are and how truely precious our iman (faith) is. Sometimes I think of reverts with a tinge of envy, it's almost as if they have had the experience of the earliest sahaba in converting to Islam. May Allah ta'ala guide us all to what He likes and pleases Ameen and yes.....assalamu alaikum is the greeting of the muslims towards each other. It's Arabic for "may peace be upon you". You can check out frequently used phrases like this and others in the help (click on the link on top). |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| EdisonShi |
| 03/19/02 at 12:58:21 |
| My Imam says sometimes those born in a palace don't appreciate it's beauty as much as those who just moved in. My not reading Arabic is in reference to Kathy's use of the "Smiley" at the top of her post not to "Assalaamu Alaikum". I'm familiar with a few Arabic sayings such as greetings from Mas-Jid, but there is one you could help me with. After Salat when we shake our Brother's hands and say that we hope Allah hears our prayers, how do you say that in Arabic? Thank you and Salaam. |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| eleanor |
| 03/19/02 at 13:57:23 |
| [slm] ;-) Edison Shi [slm] = Assalamu Alaikum I can't read it either but when you hover with your mouse pointer over it in the reply window, then it says "Salaam" and the other one says "Wasalaam". On the old board I used to just type s l m and the whole thing would be spelt out - Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. Now it's even better - you just point and click (I'm sure Kathy will agree with me here, since her posts are just as colourful as mine on this new board.. 8) ) wasalaam <----- (old habits die hard) eleanor :-* |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Mohja |
| 03/19/02 at 14:45:38 |
| [slm] [quote] After Salat when we shake our Brother's hands and say that we hope Allah hears our prayers, how do you say that in Arabic? [/quote] You can say "Taqqabal Allahu menna wa menkum" , literally it means "may Allah accept this(prayer) from us and from you" [wlm] |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| EdisonShi |
| 03/20/02 at 02:05:06 |
| Thank you all, again, for your help. Salaam. |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Sis_Malak |
| 03/20/02 at 15:29:28 |
| :-) [slm] Inshallah this post will find you in good health and strong iman. I want to post for you my story of how I came to Islam, inshallah. When I was a senior in high school (three years ago), my best friend and I used to hang out at a coffee shop near the university in my city. There, we became friends with a large group of Arabic guys who were also there all the time. One of the guys, Khalid, became my boyfriend. After about three weeks of dating, he told me that starting the next day, he couldn't kiss me for a month. I didn't understand, so I asked him why. He said it was because it was Ramadan. And that was his whole answer. Then he left to go overseas. I am one of those people who likes to know about everything. So I went online, and did a search for "Ramadan". The search brought me to a website: www.jannah.org. (Alhamdulillah ;)). I signed onto the message board and asked "What is ramadan, and why can't my boyfriend kiss me because of it?" After all the brothers and sisters got over their shock :o, they answered my question. (Thanks again for that.) And then they answered about a million other questions that I had. I really started getting interested, because I realized that Islam was exactly what I believed in my heart already, just with the addition of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). A brother sent me a copy of Qur'an, and I read the whole thing in about two or three weeks. Alhamdulillah, I felt it in my heart that I believed. But I was too scared to do anything about it. Then, my boyfriend (Sultan) prayed in front of me one day. As I watched him pray, my heart started racing, and I knew I had to do it. So I went home, went online, found a sister who I chatted with a lot, and asked her to help me. I said my shahadah that night-October 23, 1999. A year later, I faced the hardest day of my life when my grandfather died. That day was so hard I felt like I died inside. :( After he died, I stopped praying. A year later, in September 2001, I realized that I had been sad for far too long. To help myself feel better, I decided to read some Qur'an. I just opened to any page, and found Sura Al-Inshirah. (#94) The last four ayat of this sura are: (in english by Abdullah Yusuf Ali) "So,verily with every difficulty there is relief: Verily, with every difficulty there is relief. Therefore,when you are free, still labor hard, And to your Lord turn all your attention." This is exactly what I needed to hear at that moment, subhanAllah. I felt so much better. So I decided to pray. As I made wudu, I felt that hurt was being washed away. I made salah, and I felt my heart was happy again. Alhamdulillah, Allah knows how to heal us, and will do so as long as we open our hearts to Him. I went to the masjid for the first time the next day, and met my new family. Alhamdulillah, Allah blessed me again with the sisters I found in the masjid. After moving across the country and not knowing anyone, I suddenly had so many friends and sisters....I couldn't be happier. Or so I thought..... I got engaged on February 15. We will make the contract in June, inshallah. (It is Sultan who I am engaged too.) I know this was long, so I appologize for that. It just makes me so happy to talk about the amazing things that Allah has given me. So alhamdulillah, and also, jazak Allahu khairun (May Allah bless you) to those of you who helped me along this path. [wlm] :-) Sis Malak |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| jannah |
| 03/20/02 at 17:53:46 |
| slm, Malak, It's so nice to hear that you are finally getting married! :) I still remember that crazy night we were all over Cleveland, the great Arabic food and the baklava.. mmmmm ;) May God bless you always :-X |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Kathy |
| 03/21/02 at 01:35:34 |
| [slm] Here is my story- I copied it from the old board! It is short and simple- feel free to ask whatever you would like! I am a revert to Islam, back in 1986. I was a Roman Catholic who wanted to become a nun- until I realized how much I wanted a family. I met a Muslim at my job and I tried to convert him- tee hee.... One day I was at a park and I saw a Muslim praying- right in the middle of public! I tear up now thinking about it. Never before did I see such devotion and love for Allah SubHana Wa Ta`ala . I wonder if this man ever knew the impact his prayer had on me. May Allah SubHana Wa Ta`ala reward him. Coming to Islam was not an easy road for me. I was a left over feminist of the 70's, family pressures were unbelievable, I questioned every thing that I was taught. May Allah swt reward all those Muslims who were soooo patient with me. I surely didn't ask easy questions- Or proper- Yoi! Al Humdil Allah, I overcame enough of it to take shahaddah and it was just the begining of a tough road. Sickness, surgeries, divorce, poverty, loss of friends and family, death .... Not an easy path. But I am so grateful to Allah SubHana Wa Ta`ala for all my trials. Because this has given me knowledge and a compassion and understanding I never had. I grew up in a privledged life, college, and a great career, a beautiful home, a doctor husband. In a blink of an eye it was all gone. Of course my family attribute all of my misfortune to my reversion to Islam. Little do they know the yoke of my oppression has been lifted and none of those things will get us to paradise.... Well I could go on.. but enough- I could write a book! "Hold fast to the rope of Allah" :-) |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| Sis_Malak |
| 03/21/02 at 04:30:09 |
| :-) [slm], Sis Jannah, I just want to say that you are awesome, and I love you. I will never forget that night. I talk about you all the time...just ask anyone in Sacramento. If you ever get out this way-anywhere in Cali even-email me ....I want to see you again inshallah. [wlm] :-* :-) Sis Malak |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| pseudonymous |
| 03/25/02 at 16:59:49 |
| [slm] If you like to read stories of people who reverted to Islam, or if you have your own story that you'd like to share, then check out my site: http://www.geocities.com/eglintonavew |
| Re: Converts'/Reverts' Stories |
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| eleanor |
| 04/06/02 at 16:07:49 |
| [slm] I thought this one was amazing - Subhan Allah! [i]from [url=http://islamicity.com/communications/Discussion/DiscussionGuest.shtml]islamicity message board[/url][/i] I am a revert sister of 6 months, Alhamdulillah. My story of how I came into Islam wouldn't make front-page news but I know of a story that is lovely and amazing to hear. My sister in law has a friend that was walking along=ong the road one day when she saw the clouds had formned a really unusual shape. She was inspired and copied down what she saw on her notebook. When she got to uni the person sitting next to her was a muslim and saw it and asked her why she had it on her notebook. She explained what had happened. The muslim said to her "Do you know what that means?" she told him she didn't. He informed her that that meant 'Allah'. It was written in Arabic. On hearing this she reverted. This tells us that there are signs all around us. We only need to look further than we do to see them. As Allah tells us in His Book, the Qur'an. There are signs yet we deny them. Alhamdulillah, this sister didnt. Next time you see a bird digging up a worm from the ground, think of Allah. Thing that seem so insignificant, like an ant crawling across a pavement, only crawl by the will of Allah. As Allah tells us in the Qur'an, not a leaf falls but He knows it. just a little something for us all to think about next time we are waiting for a bus. May Allah bring peace upon the whole of the Ummah, insha'Allah. Your sister, In'am |
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