How I came to Islam - by Yusuf Islam
From Musician to Muslim by Allah's Will
All I have to say is all what you know already, to confirm what you already
know, the message of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as given by God -
the Religion of Truth. As human beings we are given a consciousness and a duty
that has placed us at the top of creation. Man is created to be God's deputy on
earth, and it is important to realize the obligation to rid ourselves of all
illusions and to make our lives a preparation for the next life. Anybody who
misses this chance is not likely to be given another, to be brought back again
and again, because it says in Qur'an Majeed that when man is brought to account,
he will say, "O Lord, send us back and give us another chance." The Lord will
say, "If I send you back you will do the same."
MY EARLY RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING
I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the high life of show
business. I was born in a Christian home, but we know that every child is born
in his original nature - it is only his parents that turn him to this or that
religion. I was given this religion (Christianity) and thought this way. I was
taught that God exists, but there was no direct contact with God, so we had to
make contact with Him through Jesus - he was in fact the door to God. This was
more or less accepted by me, but I did not swallow it all.
I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were just stones with no life.
And when they said that God is three, I was puzzled even more but could not
argue. I more or less believed it, because I had to have respect for the faith
of my parents.
POP STAR
Gradually I became alienated from this religious upbringing. I started making
music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the
media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my God, the goal of making
money. I had an uncle who had a beautiful car. "Well," I said, "he has it made.
He has a lot of money." The people around me influenced me to think that this
was it; this world was their God.
I decided then that this was the life for me; to make a lot of money, have a
'great life.' Now my examples were the pop stars. I started making songs, but
deep down I had a feeling for humanity, a feeling that if I became rich I would
help the needy. (It says in the Qur'an, we make a promise, but when we make
something, we want to hold onto it and become greedy.)
So what happened was that I became very famous. I was still a teenager, my name
and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life, so I
wanted to live larger than life and the only way to do that was to be
intoxicated (with liquor and drugs).
IN HOSPITAL
After a year of financial success and 'high' living, I became very ill,
contracted TB and had to be hospitalized. It was then that I started to think:
What was to happen to me? Was I just a body, and my goal in life was merely to
satisfy this body? I realized now that this calamity was a blessing given to me
by Allah, a chance to open my eyes - "Why am I here? Why am I in bed?" - and I
started looking for some of the answers. At that time there was great interest
in the Eastern mysticism. I began reading, and the first thing I began to become
aware of was death, and that the soul moves on; it does not stop. I felt I was
taking the road to bliss and high accomplishment. I started meditating and even
became a vegetarian. I now believed in 'peace and flower power,' and this was
the general trend. But what I did believe in particular was that I was not just
a body. This awareness came to me at the hospital.
One day when I was walking and I was caught in the rain, I began running to the
shelter and then I realized, 'Wait a minute, my body is getting wet, my body is
telling me I am getting wet.' This made me think of a saying that the body is
like a donkey, and it has to be trained where it has to go. Otherwise, the
donkey will lead you where it wants to go.
Then I realized I had a will, a God-given gift: follow the will of God. I was
fascinated by the new terminology I was learning in the Eastern religion. By now
I was fed up with Christianity. I started making music again and this time I
started reflecting my own thoughts. I remember the lyric of one of my songs. It
goes like this: "I wish I knew, I wish I knew what makes the Heaven, what makes
the Hell. Do I get to know You in my bed or some dusty cell while others reach
the big hotel?" and I knew I was on the Path.
I also wrote another song, "The Way to Find God Out." I became even more famous
in the world of music. I really had a difficult time because I was getting rich
and famous, and at the same time, I was sincerely searching for the Truth. Then
I came to a stage where I decided that Buddhism is all right and noble, but I
was not ready to leave the world. I was too attached to the world and was not
prepared to become a monk and to isolate myself from society.
I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology. I tried to look
back into the Bible and could not find anything. At this time I did not know
anything about Islam, and then, what I regarded as a miracle occurred. My
brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem and was greatly impressed that while
on the one hand it throbbed with life (unlike the churches and synagogues which
were empty), on the other hand, an atmosphere of peace and tranquility
prevailed.
THE QUR'AN
When he came to London he brought back a translation of the Qur'an, which he
gave to me. He did not become a Muslim, but he felt something in this religion,
and thought I might find something in it also.
And when I received the book, a guidance that would explain everything to me -
who I was; what was the purpose of life; what was the reality and what would be
the reality; and where I came from - I realized that this was the true religion;
religion not in the sense the West understands it, not the type for only your
old age. In the West, whoever wishes to embrace a religion and make it his only
way of life is deemed a fanatic. I was not a fanatic, I was at first confused
between the body and the soul. Then I realized that the body and soul are not
apart and you don't have to go to the mountain to be religious. We must follow
the will of God. Then we can rise higher than the angels. The first thing I
wanted to do now was to be a Muslim.
I realized that everything belongs to God, that slumber does not overtake Him.
He created everything. At this point I began to lose the pride in me, because
hereto I had thought the reason I was here was because of my own greatness. But
I realized that I did not create myself, and the whole purpose of my being here
was to submit to the teaching that has been perfected by the religion we know as
Al-Islam. At this point I started discovering my faith. I felt I was a Muslim.
On reading the Qur'an, I now realized that all the Prophets sent by God brought
the same message. Why then were the Jews and Christians different? I know now
how the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and that they had changed His
Word. Even the Christians misunderstand God's Word and called Jesus the son of
God. Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks
you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One Who
has created everything. The Qur'an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and
God's creation in general. Do you realize how different the sun is from the
moon? They are at varying distances from the earth, yet appear the same size to
us; at times one seems to overlap the other.
Even when many of the astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of
the earth and vastness of space. They become very religious, because they have
seen the Signs of Allah.
When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I
was not a Muslim yet, but I felt that the only answer for me was the Qur'an, and
God had sent it to me, and I kept it a secret. But the Qur'an also speaks on
different levels. I began to understand it on another level, where the Qur'an
says,
"Those who believe do not take disbelievers for friends and the believers are
brothers."
Thus at this point I wished to meet my Muslim brothers.
CONVERSION
Then I decided to journey to Jerusalem (as my brother had done). At Jerusalem, I
went to the mosque and sat down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was
a Muslim. He asked what was my name. I told him, "Stevens." He was confused. I
then joined the prayer, though not so successfully. Back in London, I met a
sister called Nafisa. I told her I wanted to embrace Islam and she directed me
to the New Regent Mosque. This was in 1977, about one and a half years after I
received the Qur'an. Now I realized that I must get rid of my pride, get rid of
Iblis, and face one direction. So on a Friday, after Jummah' I went to the Imam
and declared my faith (the Kalimah) at this hands. You have before you someone
who had achieved fame and fortune. But guidance was something that eluded me, no
matter how hard I tried, until I was shown the Qur'an. Now I realize I can get
in direct contact with God, unlike Christianity or any other religion. As one
Hindu lady told me, "You don't understand the Hindus. We believe in one God; we
use these objects (idols) to merely concentrate." What she was saying was that
in order to reach God, one has to create associates, that are idols for the
purpose. But Islam removes all these barriers. The only thing that moves the
believers from the disbelievers is the salat. This is the process of
purification.
Finally I wish to say that everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah and pray
that you gain some inspirations from my experiences. Furthermore, I would like
to stress that I did not come into contact with any Muslim before I embraced
Islam. I read the Qur'an first and realized that no person is perfect. Islam is
perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) we will be successful. May Allah give us guidance to follow the path of
the ummah of Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Ameen!
Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)
Samuel D. B.
Name:Samuel D. B.
Date Accepted Islam: May 22, 2008
Age?: 40
More info Will be added soon. please visit again soon.
I was raised in a very strong Roman Catholic
family on my mom's side of the family and my father's side was
predominantly Catholic and Protestant Christian. My mother took us to
church as a family, and religious holidays were always big occasions.
Since my father wasn't Catholic but my sisters, my mother and I were. I
felt closer to my mother for many reasons, which made me want to be a
better Catholic, and in my mistake I made my father the opposition and
therefore got as involved in that church as well as possible. The only
problem is I became so focused on being what my father was not, that I
forgot what it was that I was fighting to believe in. That finally got
shaken in my senior year in high school.
How Did
You Initially Hear About Islam?
Growing up I had a lot of friends from many
different religions, various forms of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism,
Islam, and then atheism and agnosticism as well. So I was fairly
open-minded. It wasn't until high school that I actually even read a
verse from the Qur'an. In high school I met more people who were Muslim
who made me more curious. I remember being fascinated by the fasting
during Ramadan because Catholics have their own form of fasting. And I
loved the way women looked in Hijab. As I grew to question my own
religion more, my friends who were Muslim increased my curiosity. I
started researching random things about Islam in January 2007. Finally
in about August I became frustrated with myself because I really
couldn't understand my own religion (Catholicism) anymore. I grew
somewhat depressed about it. Then in either September or October, my
cousin Olivia invited me to come to Masjid Fresno to learn Arabic with
her. It was the Arabic that intrigued me because I love learning about
different languages. But that was the first time that I had ever gone
into a mosque, and I could feel even more curiosity rising in me.
How Long
Did It Take For You To Transition From Your Previous Beliefs To Islam?
Starting from the first time I had come to the
Masjid, I was very curious about Islam. I came for the Arabic class, but
right after that were the Islamic studies and so my cousin and I stayed
for that too. It not only leads me to question Catholicism even more,
but the simplicity of Islam was something that just pulled my heart and
my mind. By December I was certain that I was no longer Christian, but I
wasn't quite sure completely with Islam yet. I was fully convinced about
the weekend before I actually declared my Shahada.
What
Attracted You Most To Islam?
Simply put, I loved how Islam allowed me to
worship with not only my heart and my body, but also my mind. In
Catholicism there's a lot of sitting kneeling and standing in prayer,
and it does move the heart. But when I got to questioning, I met many
obstacles, as if my questions weren't supposed to be asked. Over at the
Masjid, I asked plenty of questions about the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and the wives, about women and their rights and duties, about
Hijab, about certain verses in the Qur'an, about Jesus (peace be upon
him) and the different stories. I even asked about terrorism and jihad
and how they are portrayed in the media in America. I read about the
religion on several different sites, I came to a lot of friends who are
Muslim; I asked questions in the class. I loved that I could ask these
questions and nobody stopped me. I loved that I was more encouraged than
anything. Allah (subhanaho wa taala) gave me a brain, and I wanted to
use it. Islam let me do that. And I loved the simplicity of the
religion. There were no mysteries that were glorified, that I could
never hope to understand but I still had to uphold. It's so
straightforward, and it affects every aspect of life. I like challenges,
and learning Arabic challenges me, reading the Qur'an challenges me; now
learning the rest of the parts of the prayers challenge me. It tested my
strengths, and still in allowing me to worship Allah I feel like I'm
always gaining something; everything I learn, I feel like I'm passing a
test. Every test I pass, I feel more accomplished, and my heart and mind
feel so good. I can't help but smile when I talk to people about how I
declared Shahada. There's so much beauty to the religion, and I still
learn every time I come to the Masjid, or talk to somebody about Islam.
I see another challenge in front of me though: being a Muslim in
American society. But I look forward to it, because I like challenges,
and I love standing up for what I believe in. There's something
fulfilling about it, that adds strength for each challenge. I'm very
convinced and happy to call myself a Muslima now.
Kaitie
Name: Kaitie L.
Date Accepted Islam: April 11, 2008
Age?: 18
previous beliefs?: Christian
How did you initially hear about Islam?: From my Fiance, also prior to this in books
How long did take for the transition to become a muslim?: about a week
What atracted you to Islam?: Facts and the belief that God is Merciful & most Forgiving
Jorge L.
Name: Jorge L.
Date Accepted Islam: April 10, 2008
Age?: 14
In the presence of: His Mother Leticia U. S.
Maila L.
Name:Maila L.
Date Accepted Islam: March 20, 2008
Age?: 19
How did you initially hear about Islam?: Initially by my mother
How long did take for the transition to become a muslim?: 3 months
What atracted you to Islam?: The beliefs and the Quran, and also the praying techniques, but most of all the simplicity of the religion.
Myrna L.
Name:Myrna L.
Date Accepted Islam: March 20, 2008
Age?: 17
previous beliefs?: I wasn’t babtized and brought into any previous churches.
How did you initially hear about Islam?: I heared about Islam through my mother.
How long did take for the transition to become a muslim?: Approximately 3 months.
What atracted you to Islam?: The simplicity and straight-forwardness of the belief and other things.
Gemma J.
Name:Gemma J.
Date Accepted Islam: March 6, 2008
Marilyn E.
Name: Marilyn E.
Date Accepted Islam: February 28, 2008
Anthony I. A.
Name: Anthony I. A.
Date Accepted Islam: February 19, 2008
Kenneth W. F.
Name: Kenneth W. F.
Date Accepted Islam: February 14, 2008
Michael Allan B.
Name: Michael Allan B.
Date Accepted Islam: January 25, 2008
Leticia S.
Name: Leticia S.
Date Accepted Islam: January 18, 2008
Age?: 52
How did you initially hear about Islam?: Through Imam in the phonebook
How long did take for the transition to become a muslim?: 5 weeks
What atracted you to Islam?: Faith, peace, honesty
Carl Omega B. III
Name: Carl Omega B. III
Date Accepted Islam: January 18, 2008
Melissa Renee S.
Name: Melissa Renee S.
Date Accepted Islam: November 16, 2007
James Justin L.
Name: James Justin L.
Date Accepted Islam: November 10, 2007
Kimberley M.
Name: Kimberley M.
Date Accepted Islam: November 7, 2007
Joel T. M.
Name: Joel T. M.
Date Accepted Islam: October 31, 2007
Brianna Marie M.
Name: Brianna Marie M.
Date Accepted Islam: September 29, 2007
" I have been praying for guidance every night and really appreciate it. Last summer my mother passed away and I would have dreams every night that she was in hell, on the day she passed away, I was driving her car home from the hospital and had a tree fall directly on her car. A few months before that both my grandmothers passed away within 3 weeks of each other. I was having a really rough time, but then I started reading the Quran so I would have something to do rather than fall asleep and have those terrible dreams. From the day I started reading it my dreams stopped as did the rest of my bad luck. I believe from the bottom of my heart that through all my hard times and grief Allah was guiding me closer to him and I am more appreciative for your help than I feel I can ever express."
[ Brianna M.]
Veronica Vargas M.
Name: Veronica Vargas M.
Date Accepted Islam: September 18, 2007
Terrence B.
Name: Terrence B.
Date Accepted Islam: September 16, 2007
My name is Terrence B. and I took my Shahada and accepted the faith of Islam on Sept. 16th 2007 during the month of Ramadan. That was actually my first experience at a Mosque, and my friends were telling me Ramadan is the best time to visit one and see what it's like. Now for a little about myself; I come from a Christian background; both of my parents as well as the rest of my family belong to different denominations of Christianity. I'm 19 years old and I'm Black and White (My dad's Black and my mom is White). I was born and raised in the East Bay, Martinez to be exact, and lived in and around the Bay Area for the 1st 14 years of my life. After my freshman year of high school I moved to Fresno to live with my dad where I attend Clovis West and Graduated in 2005. During that year was when I had discovered my God given talent for music. I had such a keen sense of hearing and especially for music, and I loved making music out of anything and nothing. In my senior year of high school
I had a feeling that I had a talent for music, but it wasn't until my significant other had gotten me into the recording arts of music, that I found that God had blessed me and that I should use this gift to spread across the world.
Still to this day I thank God for opening my eyes and realizing my future.
I attended Fresno City College for a semester where I took a philosophy of religion class. There we discussed arguments for and against the existence of God in the three main Monotheistic religions and whatnot, but I already knew God existed. That was probably my first in depth encounter with Islam, in which propounded my further research of Islam. I had concluded that Islam really is the only one true faith of God. With my own personal experiences with Christianity, I saw and took part in a lot of corruption. I knew Allah could correct that.
After Fresno City I moved back to the East Bay where I currently live in Emeryville. I'm attending full time at a private art institution, Expression College for Digital Arts majoring in Audio Engineering and Music Production.
Bismillah, I pray Islam will continue to guide me in the path of Allah though the teachings of his prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and give me the strength and wisdom to succeed in life. I also pray that my new brothers and sisters will guide me as well to be a righteous Muslim. Allahu Akbar, Ameen.
Yasmine H.
Name: Yasmine H.
Date Accepted Islam: September 15, 2007
Michele J.
Name: Michele J.
Date Accepted Islam: September 15, 2007
Asalaamu alaykum sisters and brothers in Islam,
I was born in Southern California, and raised in Las Vegas. I am of Italian descent and attended the Catholic Church on the two most important days of the year. As I got older, I tried different churches, all of them Christian based. There was always something missing. The search for truth continued throughout my entire life.
Three years ago, my aunt met who was to become her husband. He is of Egyptian descent and was born Muslim. After they married, my aunt wanted to learn about the religion of her new husband and she started to study Islam and shortly thereafter, took her shahadah. Once I saw the difference in my auntÂ’s life, I started to ask questions. Little by little, I asked, and they answered.
I left New Jersey two years ago and moved to Oakhurst. I continued to ask questions, and I even wrote a couple of college papers and gave an oral report on Islam. There was really only one thing stopping me from becoming a Muslim: the story of Jesus (peace be upon him) that I grew up with from my childhood. The one question I never thought to ask was, “What is the Islamic belief of Jesus?”(peace be upon him). I finally asked, and got the answer I had been looking for. I also saw the video “The Miracles of the Qur’an”. With all the information I had, and the last two pieces of the puzzle fitting together perfectly, I could no longer deny the truth of Islam.
I made the decision to revert to Islam and, in sha Allah, I will continue to strive to make today better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today. In sha Allah, I will raise my children to love and respect Islam as I do.
[Michelle J.]
Sister Heather C.B.
Name: Sister Heather C.B.
Date Accepted Islam: September 15, 2007
23 years and accepted Islam on 09/15/2007
Dustin W.
Name: Dustin W.
Date Accepted Islam: September 14, 2007
I was born and raised in a small town in Kansas, USA. Even as a little boy I remember always feeling the inescapable need to know and please God. I was brought up in Christianity just as most people are in the mid-west. When I was 11, an event caused me to question everything including my faith.
Thus began an intense search for "the truth" which ended on Friday. I was introduced to Islam by a co-worker. We had an on-going discussion about religion for many months.
As a seemingly devout Christian, I refused to give Islam any real consideration.
However, that did not abate this MuslimÂ’s effort to guide me to the "right path". So they suggested going to the Masjid and talking to the Sheikh about
Literature and the Thursday class for new and non-Muslims.
My few visits to the Masjid impacted me so profoundly that I felt almost instantly I could no longer deny Islam because it was very obvious that this was the "perfected Deen" I had always been longing for.
I wanted to recite "Shahaada" on the first Friday of Ramadan at the Jumah prayer so most of Fresno Masjid Muslims could witness my sincere declaration of faith.
I thank Allah and every one of you my new brothers and sisters for adopting me as your own. If you see me, please donÂ’t hesitate to teach me, I am a humble man and I want to learn. I am proud to call myself a Muslim and Insha Allah may I Truthfully and honestly wear the identity of "one who submits to the will of God" and let there remain always no doubt to anyone that Islam is not only the
Religion I am "establishing" for myself, it IS who I am.
Assallamu alaykum!!!
Brother `Isa (Dustin W.)'
Eduard R. M.
This is the voice of brother Eduard R. M. saying the Shihadah on Friday July 6th 2007
Brother Eduard has been learning about Islam for about a year and he is originally from England.
Today, July 6, 2007, he announced his Shahada after the Friday Prayer in front of all Muslims in the Masjid.
He currently resides in Fresno and he is going to get married to a Muslim Sister from Indonesia on July 7, 2007 her at Masjid Fresno after Maghrib Prayers.
May Allah guide him to the right path and bless his marriage . Ameen
