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Kurt's Journey To Islam
Kurt's Journey To Islam
I have to admit, now that I'm a Muslim I can see that the average
North American is very ignorant of Islam. It's not totally our
fault, the society that we have created sucks you in by making you a
constant consumer - whether it is to get you to spend money or
simply buy into some idea. We just eat too much, talk too much
arrogance, and overall live like royalty while complaining that the
rest of the planet hates us. Ah, if people only realized that the
problems of the world are in our own backyard... but that's a
different story. This is about my becoming a Muslim.
I guess it all started nine months ago. I simply could not ignore
that this universe must have a God. I mean seriously, just look out
your front door: the beautiful sky, the amazing stars, the gentle
breeze on your face, and so many other incredible things. We all
take these phenomena for granted. We fail to realize how absolutely
amazing and in balance this universe is. The human body itself is a
marvel! I could go on forever. The point is, I could no longer be an
ignorant ape, so I decided to read some books about God.
Thus, it was Islam's turn. I wasn't keen on the idea but I realized
I had to take a look. Sure, the television already "educated" me on
the issue. To my surprise I found out a lot of things that I never
knew. The Qur'an had no chapter on terrorism. It was shocking! I was
blown away to learn that Islam actually was for all of mankind and
was in fact a peaceful religion. It's an addicting read because it
makes total sense and puts you directly in touch with God. The more
I read the more I became disgusted with our media because they were
either lying or reflecting uneducated views. I wanted to learn more.
Sure, I read many books that I could recommend. However, the most
important thing that I did was to actually speak with Muslims - to
meet them at a personal level. Seriously, all I can say is wow! I
have never met nicer people in my entire life. They embraced with me
with generosity and tolerance. No, they didn't try to force
conversion on me as that is against Islam's beliefs. Instead, they
laughed and talked like any other group of people. Okay, so I had to
check more Muslims out.
But the problem was, I became a better thinker after reading about
Islam and started looking at my life and culture. I realized how
shallow my world is. Maybe God did want us to follow some rules.
After all, my Dad gave me rules and they were there for a reason.
Come to think of it, the entire universe operates on rule systems.
No matter how hard I tried to stop thinking about Islam, it was
present in my mind. I had to submit. I realized that I had nothing
to lose and only something to gain. I personally think one would
have to be an utter fool to assume this world is by chance and
science alone. It's almost like a bad joke; we just take so much for
granted.
The point is, Islam has changed my life for the better and the
fascinating thing about it is that it constantly teaches me to grow.
My wife says that my behavior has improved, that I think things
through a lot more, and that overall I just seem a lot happier as a
person. I have my good days and bad days, but having Allah with me
makes all the difference. There is a purpose to this life and it
feels good to care about all of humanity and not just my country.
I can honestly tell people that the road to religion begins when you
actually embrace Allah. When you study and analyze the religion
before taking the Shahada you have tons of questions, doubts, and
fears. It's when you actually invite God into your heart that the
lessons begin and you grow. As I said, it's not easy and it'll take
lots of time to become a decent practicing Muslim - but it will
happen. The best advice I can give any convert is to take your time.
This is something between you and Allah. Listen to the brothers at
the mosque, but ultimately do what's best for you and let Allah
guide you.
Look around people. Take a good look. If you think there is no God
then just keep watching that television. Life is never easy, but I
know Allah exists and wants the best for all of us. There are so
many facets to why I think I became a Muslim. Ultimately, this is
what comes to mind: I don't know if I found Islam, or it found me -
Allah guides whom he wills. Of course, I'm sure not being a stubborn
mule helped.
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