Donald
Flood
An
American English Language Instructor
Every culture has its own strengths and
weaknesses. It is
well known that American life has a considerable amount of
personal freedom.
So much so that many parents give a long rope to their
children. They
generally do not interfere in religious matters and in the
personal pursuits of their children. As such, the personal
activities of parents and children tend to be mutually
accepted and respected. Don was the product of one such
liberal home.
He related his
life story to me as follows.
My
Religious Background
My religious background was as a typical American. I was a Christian and
occasionally attended church with my family when I was growing
up. It appeared
that morality was the most important thing in
Christianity. My
lack of Christian knowledge and practice helped me to keep an
open mind for other religions and
cultures.
Experience
with New Cultures
There
is lot of mobility in American life. My father moved from
place to place to follow his professional job. Fortunately, we had
the chance to live in Latin America for several months when I
was a high school student. I encountered a new
culture and language there. I fully comprehended
that there were other lifestyles in the world, not just the
American lifestyle.
This experience broadened my mind and outlook. I was, therefore,
curious to know more and more about other cultures and
languages. I
returned back to America with my family and completed my high
school in Indiana.
Thereafter, I joined the University of Texas in El
Paso, which is on the border of Texas and Mexico, as a
Business Administration major.
Camping
Trip
After a few years of study, I knew that this major
was
not for me. I
felt I needed something more interesting and cultural. It was during this
time that a friend invited me to go with him on a three-month
camping trip all over the USA and Western Canada. I cheerfully accepted
because I knew this experience in the marvels of nature would
be an appropriate setting to reflect upon personal goals and
objectives. As a
result of this experience, I didn’t arrive at any decisions
regarding my academic pursuits, but I did realize that this
world could not have been created by mistake, and that it was
clearly a wonderland of signs pointing to its Creator. I was,
however, not sure how to worship or appreciate our
Creator.
Then one day while sunbathing, I suddenly realized that
I could combine my interests in business and culture by
majoring in Latin American Studies. I went back to the
university at the beginning of the next academic year and
transferred to this major.
Social
Activities
While
back in the university, my Hindu friend invited me, along with
his Saudi friend, to a church gathering, which included sports
activities and a home-cooked meal. As a student, you do
take advantage of every opportunity for a home-cooked meal.
The dinner was very sumptuous. At the end of the
evening something unexpected happened. The leader of the
church started singing a song scribbled on the blackboard in
Hebrew. He wanted
us to repeat it after him. We noticed that our
Saudi friend, Abu Hussein, suddenly stood up and asked us to
leave the gathering with him. The host tried to
persuade us to stay, but we hurriedly left the church.
Ironically, this incident made us closer friends. A few weeks later Abu
Hussein and I decided to rent a house together, along with a
student from Kuwait and one from Iran.
This
new living arrangement provided me with a closer interaction
with their cultures.
I loved their meals and tried to prepare some of
them. I noticed
that my housemates often liked to eat with their right hand
without the use of silverware. They also preferred
sitting down on the floor to eat instead of sitting at a
table. I did not
know why they took a pitcher of water with them to the toilet
for cleaning purposes.
I also noticed that they offered their guests
unparalleled hospitality. Regarding their
character, I was impressed with their high level of
self-confidence, which seemed to stem from some special kind
of certainty about what they were doing and where they were
going in life. I
understood later that most of these mannerisms were according
to the teachings of Islam and not necessarily cultural
behavior.
By partially experiencing both the Latin American and
Arab cultures, I observed many distinct similarities. Moreover, these
findings were confirmed through my university studies on Latin
America. I
learned this affinity resulted from the 800-year influence of
the Islamic civilization on Spain and medieval Europe. Thus,
through their historical bond with the Arabs, some Islamic
practices continue to be part of
the Latin American
culture of today.
Overseas
Trip
After graduation, my housemates went back to their
respective countries.
I remained in touch with Abu Hussein. One year after our
graduation he invited me to visit Saudi Arabia for two
weeks. I accepted
his invitation and traveled to Saudi Arabia where I was
received like a king.
I spent most of the time in a village situated a few
hours south of Riyadh.
I came across a very different lifestyle. I slept in an open
space under the stars on big beautiful red carpets. Abu Hussein sacrificed
several sheep and invited all the villagers for a dinner. I never had attention
like this in my whole life and we were mutually appreciative
of each other.
One evening after dinner, we went out to the desert to
look at their camels.
One of the boys milked a camel and offered me some of
this fresh milk.
After drinking some, I commented that this camel milk
was absolutely delicious. Then Abu Hussein’s
father said to me, “If you become a Muslim, I shall give you
ten camels.” I
responded promptly, “If you become a Christian, I shall give
you ten camels.”
After briefly experiencing life in the desert of Saudi
Arabia, I returned back to America.
My New
Career
After
working for two years as a marketing representative for a
publishing company in America, I found a job as an English as
a foreign language instructor in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I really enjoyed this
kind of work. I
decided that teaching English as a foreign language would be
my career from then on.
Moreover, this two-year experience provided me with
more exposure to Arab culture. As with my former
Muslim roommates, I also found the people in this country to
be extremely generous, confident and social. Nonetheless, I was
feeling a bit homesick and decided to return
home.
My
Experience in Las Vegas
After a short time, I went to Las Vegas, Nevada since
it has a high concentration of foreign immigrants who mostly
work in the casinos.
I put an advertisement in a newspaper offering to teach
English as a foreign language. Fortunately, I got a few
students quickly.
I taught them in my kitchen with the use of a small
blackboard placed on the wall. At that time I
realized that Las Vegas didn’t have an English language
institute, so my colleague and I established one in the heart
of the city. The
business of the institute flourished. However in my free
time, I took part in some of the sinful activities of Las
Vegas. This kind
of lifestyle made me sick of myself. I soon got tired of
these social evils in the society. Life appeared
meaningless and confused. I wanted to have a
change again so I faxed my resume to Abu Hussein for him to
help me find work in Saudi Arabia. To my surprise, I was
offered a job to teach English to employees of a petrochemical
company in Jubail.
Within one month I was there.
Repentance
I took many books to Jubail on various topics. One day I was reading
a book on philosophy.
The book suggested the need for making sincere
repentance to God. I had never made repentance in my
life. I started
recalling all people I had wronged and the wrong I did to
myself in that process.
Then, I repented hoping for the best. After a short time, I
thought that perhaps God had accepted my repentance. A clear indicator of
this acceptance was that God put specific people in my life
and allowed certain situations to occur that guided me to the
right path. I
would like to share some of these circumstances with the
reader.
The
Meaning of Freedom
I was with Abu Hussein. He also had a friend
visiting him. I mentioned to them that I was used to having a
lot more freedom in America than what was present in their
country. The
visitor said, “It depends on what you mean by freedom. In your part of the
world, no matter how well parents teach morality to their
children inside the home, as soon as they go outside, they
generally encounter the society in contradiction to that
morality. On the
other hand, in most Muslim communities, the morals taught to
the children at home are very similar to what they find away
from home. So who
really has the freedom here?” Like it or not, I was inclined
to agree with his interpretation of freedom in which
immorality tends to be prevalent in societies that are overly
liberal. In this
case, too much freedom often becomes a negative aspect of
society, not a positive one. From his analogy, I
also understood that the Islamic guidelines and restrictions
sanctioning human behavior in Muslim societies are not meant
to curtail human freedom; rather, they serve to define and
dignify human freedom.
The Game
of Roulette
A
further opportunity to learn about Islam arose when I was
invited to sit with a group of Muslims over dinner. After mentioning to
the group that I had been living in Las Vegas, Nevada before
coming to the Middle East, a Muslim from America said, “You
must make sure you die as a good Muslim.” I immediately asked
him to explain what he meant. He said, “If you die
as a non-Muslim, it is like playing the game of roulette in
which you put all of your chips (all of your life, including
your deeds and your particular belief in God) on only one number,
just hoping that perhaps by the Mercy of God, you will enter
Paradise on Judgement Day. In contrast, if you die as a good
Muslim, it is like spreading your chips all over the roulette
board, so that every number is covered. In this way, no matter
what number the ball falls on you, you’re safe. In other words, living
and dying as a good Muslim is the best insurance you will not
go to Hell, and at the same time, it is the best investment
that you’ll go to Paradise.” As a former resident
of Las Vegas, I could directly relate to this example with the
game of roulette.
At this point, I recognized that it is the duty of all
human beings to seek the truth to this life and not just
blindly accept the religion that their society or parents
follow. I also
determined that I would not find the truth until I established
a relationship with God.
That being the case, I decided to concentrate on those
religions emanating from Divine revelations linked with
specific prophets and messengers. Hence, I chose to continue
my search for the truth within Judeo-Christianity and
Islam.
Even though I grew up as a Christian, I had been
bewildered about Christianity. I felt like I
inherited a mysterious religion beyond understanding. I believe it was for
this reason that I was a Christian by name but not in
practice. What’s
more, I realized my confusion about Christian beliefs caused
me to be in a state of non-religiousness. Nevertheless, while I
was searching for the truth, I had a chance to sincerely
re-examine those beliefs I inherited from my parents, yet
never bothered to scrutinize.
Not
an Ordinary Picnic
Some
Muslims in Jubail arranged a special picnic for
non-Muslims.
After playing some games, we ate a delicious
dinner. Finally,
we heard a short lecture about Islam. I was shocked to learn
that the Muslims believe in all the prophets and also in all
the revelations of God in their original form. Moreover, I learned
the Qur’an was the last revelation sent for the sake of all
mankind, and Mohammad(pbuh) was the last Prophet and Messenger
who received this revelation. As the Seal of
Prophets, he has served as the best example for all to
follow.
Upon
leaving the picnic, they gave us a few booklets on comparative
religion. One of
them contained a dialogue between a Muslim and a
Christian. The
following conclusions were evident from the study of this
booklet.
a)
The real competition in this life is racing with one another
to do good deeds to please the Creator, not the competition of
pursuing more and more wealth or fame.
b)
Hell is surrounded by lustful desires. These desires lead you
to nothing else except to the roaring flames of Hellfire. On the other hand,
Paradise is surrounded by challenges and if you look beyond
them, you will find Paradise.
c)
I found out that the Bible
warns against adding or removing information from its
teachings, which is evidently what happened. (See Jeremiah
8:8-9; Revelations 22:18-19). God addresses this point in the
Qur’an as well, “So woe to those who write the “scripture”
with their own hands, then say, “This is from God,” in order
to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what
their hands have written and woe to them for what they
earn.” (2:79) Consequently, I was surprised to find out
about hundreds of verses in the Bible which reveal a lack of
harmony in Christian beliefs. According to these
materials, God was One prior to Jesus(pbuh). Likewise, Jesus(pbuh)
propagated the belief in One God. However, after Jesus(pbuh),
Christianity emphasized the Trinity instead of the Oneness of
God. Also, before Jesus(pbuh), God was without sons and
equals. Similarly, Jesus(pbuh) said he was God’s
messenger, whereas after his time, Christianity stressed
that he is God’s son or God Himself.
After
reading these booklets, I finally determined that the
Christian perception of God is very illogical indeed: God becomes man, which
He created, and then allows himself to suffer and die as a
sacrifice at the hands of His very own creation to cleanse
mankind of sin inherited from Adam(pbuh) and his
descendants.
Belief in this concept became the source of salvation
according to the Church.
Visiting
a Mosque as a non-Muslim
I happened to be shopping with Abu Hussein and another
friend when it was the time for prayer. We went to a mosque
where they advised me to wash up in a certain way and then
follow them in the rituals of the prayer. I did this by looking
out of the corner of my eye. I sat still after this
peaceful experience and was somewhat nervous since I did not
know what else to do. I, however, realized that non-Muslims
are allowed to enter mosques under certain conditions. My friends asked me to
wait outside the mosque during the congregational prayer to
avoid any misunderstandings with the
Muslims.
Correspondingly,
I was with my Saudi friends on another occasion when it was
again prayer time.
They said, “Why don’t you pray with us? Ask God for
forgiveness, guidance to the truth and express gratitude to
Him.” At the end
of the prayer I felt relief and contentment, which I had never
felt before. From
that point, I was always looking forward to praying with them,
even though I was not a Muslim and I was not praying
correctly.
Overcoming
Obstacles
There were several obstacles preventing me from
converting to Islam.
The fear of losing life-long friends and family members
was predominantly on my mind. Furthermore, leaving
certain vices in one go was not easy since conversion demanded
a total change in lifestyle. I was mentally not yet
ready to overcome these hurdles, even though Islamic practices
were very soothing to me both mentally and spiritually. I admitted to an
American Muslim friend in Jubail that I was very close to
embracing Islam, but I needed a push forward. Consequently, he gave
me an Islamic video to watch.
An
Inspiring Video
Once again I was invited to a gathering at Abu
Hussein’s residence.
There were many young Saudi men in this group. After dinner they
engaged in conversation, but I wasn’t able to speak
Arabic. I noticed
that there was a TV and VCR in this room. I remembered I had
that video from my American Muslim friend in the car. Shortly
thereafter, I started watching this video which posed a very
important question: What is the purpose of life? I was uncertain just
as many other people in the world are unsure about the answer
to this question.
Needless to say, I learned a few important points from
this video.
The
lecturer in the video commented very precisely on what the
purpose of life is.
He said that the purpose of life is Islam or total
peaceful submission to the Will of Allah(God). I was surprised to
hear such a short answer to what I thought was such a complex
question.
An additional
point was that, unlike other religions or beliefs, the term
‘Islam’ is not associated with any particular person or place.
God has named the religion in the following Qur’anic verse:
“Indeed, the Religion
in the sight of God is Islam…” (3:19) Anyone who
embraces Islam is called a Muslim regardless of that person’s
race, sex or nationality. This is one of the
reasons why Islam is a universal
religion.
Prior to my search
for the truth, I had never seriously considered Islam as an
option because of the constant negative portrayal of Muslims
in the media.
Similarly, it was disclosed in this video, that
although Islam is characterized by high moral standards, not
all Muslims uphold these standards. I learned the same can be
said about adherents of other religions. I finally understood
that we should not judge a religion by the actions of its
followers alone because all humans are sinful. On that account, we
should not judge Islam by the actions of its proponents, but
by its revelation (the Qur’an) and by the sayings and actions
of Prophet Mohammad(pbuh).
Lastly,
the lecturer guided the viewer in decision making by
presenting simple examples, as in the following: “If you are a
Christian and want to become a Muslim, it is like having an
expensive suit that is a bit too large. Instead of throwing it
away, you just make certain alterations so it fits you
better. In other
words, you do not cast away all your previous beliefs and
practices that you’ve had since your childhood. You rather take them
with you to Islam and incorporate them into your life as a
Muslim, with modifications and due
refinements.”
The
Aftermath
After viewing the video my heart and mind were
absolutely convinced that Islam is the truth. I experienced the
weight of disbelief and sins flying off my body. I felt so
light as if I were rising above the earth. This experience,
coupled with the long process of reasoning, solved the
‘purpose of life puzzle’. It revealed Islam as
the truth, thereby replenishing my ‘spiritual
landscape’ with belief, purpose, direction and action.
From this experience, I
deduced that man might neglect the guidance of God and
establish his own standards of living. Ultimately, however,
he will discover it was only a mirage that eluded
him.
My
Insistence on Accepting Islam
I called Abu Hussein and walked with him to the passage
leading to another room in order to get away from the
gathering. I told
him that I wanted to accept Islam right now. He advised me to study
more about Islam before embracing it. I insisted that I
wanted to accept it now and then without any delay. On my insistence he
led me in saying the shahada or the formal testimony of
faith to become a Muslim. Abu Hussein then announced my
conversion to the group.
They were surprised and overjoyed. Everybody hugged me
one by one. They
advised me to take a bath for purification purposes and start
offering prayer as best as I can. I started praying
regularly in the mosque the next day.
I was subsequently
reminded that this formal testimony to become a Muslim
confirms one’s belief in all the prophets of God, along with
all of His Divine revelations in their original forms, thereby
updating and completing one’s religion to the last of the
prophets [Muhammad(pbuh)] and to the final revelation of
God[the Qur’an].
The following point became overwhelmingly clear to me:
Had Jesus(pbuh) been the last prophet of God and had the
Gospel been the final book of revelation, I would have just
followed that creed. As a result, I have naturally chosen to
follow Islam, which represents the final revelation from the
Creator with Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) as the seal of the
prophets, who is the best example for mankind to
follow.
Muslim
Name
After two days I went to the mosque to participate in
the
Friday congregational prayer. Abu Hussein suggested
that I repeat the shahada again in front of the
congregation to have more of an impact. I agreed. We were both sitting
in the mosque waiting for the sermon. Abu Hussein asked me,
“What Muslim name you would like to have so that the
Imam(prayer leader) can introduce you with your Muslim
name?” I told
him, “I am not sure.
He should introduce me with my American name.” Abu Hussein kept
reciting the Quran sitting by my side. Then he came across
the word ‘Yahya’.
He touched me with his elbow and said quietly to
me, “How does
Yahya sound to you as your name?” I asked, “What does it
mean?” He said,
“John the Baptist.
Its other meaning is to live.” I said, “That will do
since I know of John the Baptist from the Bible. Furthermore, this name
signifies a new life for me in Islam. It is, indeed, an
appropriate Muslim name for me.” After the prayer, the
Imam invited me to repeat the shahada in front
of the very large congregation. About three hundred
people congratulated me and hugged me individually waiting
anxiously for their turns. Many people said,
“Accepting Islam is the best decision you have ever made in
your life.” I was
surprised that all the people cared to personally congratulate
me. It raised my
morale and spirits very high.
When
I look back on this experience of becoming a Muslim, I believe
it happened because it was the Will of Allah that I had an
intense curiosity to learn about other cultures, followed by a
sincere desire to find the truth of this life. Allah knows best and
all Praise is due to Him!!!
Goal of
Life
I was told to learn more about Islam every day and try
to put it into practice.
I was also told that I was not responsible for what I
didn’t know about in Islam initially. I appreciated this
flexibility in Islam. After a short time, I understood that
Islam is in direct contrast to the western focus on the
self. Islam tells
us to look beyond ourselves and our vain desires. Islam guides and
motivates us to focus on Allah. By doing so, we begin
to fulfill the purpose of our life, which is to believe in and
worship Almighty God and thus attain peace with our Creator
and ourselves.
Hence, Islam serves as the goal and the purpose of
life.
Islamic
Education and Growth
I was fortunate to be in an Islamic country when I
accepted Islam because of the presence of many knowledgeable
Muslims along with an abundance of Islamic materials. I could readily
understand and appreciate what I was learning because Islamic
teachings were being put into practice in the society. I attended a weekly
Islamic meeting with individuals from many lands. We met once
a week for four years.
We studied Qur’anic reading and interpretation, along
with some memorization of the Qur’an. We also received
extensive education in various aspects of Islam at a basic
level. This Islamic education provided me with a good
foundation upon which to further purify myself.
Islamic
Marriage
Marriage is highly recommended in Islam. I realized that by
marrying an Arabic-speaking Muslim, I would be giving my
children one of the best possible gifts, which is the Arabic
language. Hence,
I married a Syrian lady, and with the Mercy of Allah, our
children are doing well in Arabic and are learning the
Quran. When I
visited America, my family inquired about marriage in
Islam. I
explained to them that the obligations of spouses are assigned
by the Creator and are not man-made rules. For that reason, these
guidelines are perfect and there is no fear of any foul play
if we adhere to them sincerely.
Reaction
of the Family
My acceptance of Islam stunned my family
initially.
Finally they said, “If Islam makes you happy, we are
happy for you.”
Thus, we mutually respected each
other.
The
Shahada of My Mother
My sister called me from America and said that our
mother was extremely ill. My wife and I rushed
from Saudi Arabia to America. During our stay there,
I asked my mother, “ Do you believe in one God?” She said, “ Yes.” I said to her say,
“La ilaha illa Allah.” She repeated this in
Arabic. She also
repeated the translation of this sentence in English, ‘There
is no deity but Allah’.
After a few days I asked her, “Do you believe in all
the Prophets like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and
Mohammad?” She
said, “ Yes.” I
said, “Then repeat after me, “La ilaha illa Allah
Mohammadan Rasoolu llah.” She also said it in
English, i.e., ‘There is no deity but Allah and Mohammad is
His Messenger.’ She left us about five days
after her acceptance of Islam. I thank Allah for guiding my
mother to the right path during her last few days in this
world. When I
reflect upon it, I recall that she usually cared for others’
needs more than her own. Evidently, Allah has been very
merciful to her.
Allah knows best!!!
Her
Extraordinary Observation
It
was amazing what my mother said to me during her last days in
this world. She
said, “There is a golden light coming out of your
forehead.” I told
her that it is there because we believe in and pray to Allah.
Her observation is described in the Holy Qur’an: …the Day that Allah
will not disgrace the Prophet[(Mohammad(pbuh)] and those who
believe with him.
Their light will run forward before them… They will
say: “Our Lord! Keep perfect our light for us [and do not put
it off till we cross over the Sirat(a slippery bridge over the
Hell) safely] and grant us forgiveness…”
(66:8)
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