A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| One man's journey to find Allah |
|---|
| ahmer |
| 04/02/02 at 11:48:28 |
| One man's journey to find Allah A Morrisville man says he found the spiritual life he was looking for in Islam. Three years ago, he converted to the faith. By GWEN SHRIFT Courier times Jameel Jaabir, born Corey Little in Trenton, went to Baptist services during his childhood. Prayer requires a clean body, so Jameel Jaabir washes his face, his hands, his nose, his ears, both arms up to the elbow, both feet up to the ankles, before praising Allah. Like all good Muslims, Jaabir does this five times a day, before prayers at dawn, at midday, in late afternoon, at sunset, at nightfall. The effort goes to the heart of Islamic devotion. Muslims pray frequently to remind themselves of the presence of God in everyday life. Unlike the millions who know no other way of life, Jaabir, 28, converted to Islam three years ago as an adult who had been raised a Christian, but was uninspired by what went on in church. Jaabir, born Corey Little in Trenton, as a child went to Baptist services, where he said social chatter dominated the congregation. Women eyed the men and spent worship time gossiping about them with their friends. "It was a really hard atmosphere to hear the word of God," said Jaabir, who now lives in Morrisville. He recalled that he didn't understand what was going on, spiritually speaking, except that "This is not it at all." For a while in high school, Jaabir got interested in the Nation of Islam, an American group that advocates racial separation and other doctrines not part of mainstream Islam. He said he'd always heard that Muslims read the Quran, but he noticed the minister at the Nation of Islam mosque carried a Bible. "It just seemed funny to me. Islam was supposed to be about peace and love, and I didn't feel that, either," he said. Not that he spent all his time searching for spiritual fulfillment. Jaabir hung out in recording studios with friends and relatives, cutting rap discs under the name C-LOW. Now, he devotes his life to being a good Muslim and bringing up his daughter in the faith. But during his rapper days, he had worldlier goals. "I wanted to be rich and famous, wanted to have a mansion, a car, and really thought that I controlled what went on, that everything that happened to me was because I did this and I did that," he said. "I had no concept of that accountability thing." A friend who had converted to Islam in high school persuaded him to visit a masjid, an Islamic house of worship. There was no gossiping, no comments on this person's dress or that person's hat, no ogling of members of the opposite sex. In some Islamic practices, males and females worship in separate rooms of the same building, in other practices women worship behind the men, which impressed Jaabir as sensible. "It really hit me that they were really serious about why they were there," he said. The world had changed for Corey Little. He had found what he was looking for - only to discover that the real quest had just begun. "There was a period when I was kind of lost. I didn't know where to start," he said. He expected formal instruction in Islamic practice, such as a list of times to pray. Instead, one of the elders told him simply: "Find out the truth." "The masjid is going to be here. Find it. Interact with your brothers, make your prayers. This is in your heart. Pray to Allah to keep it in your heart." Three years into his new life, Jaabir continues to study Arabic and has discussed Islam at several educational forums and conferences over the past few months. He is active in his house of worship, the Masjid As Saffat in Trenton. He said he is grateful for his conversion. "I was not the controller of my own fate," he said, and quotes an Islamic saying: " 'Whoever Allah guides ... no one can misguide.' " http://www.phillyburbs.com/couriertimes/news/news/0331muslin.htm Sunday, March 31, 2002 |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |