In the name of Allah
most gracious, most merciful.
All praise to Allah
Almighty for everything that He has done on me and also planned for me.
With this I began my
story. I am born as a roman catholic, been baptized and go through the same
process as most of the Christian will go through. My family is a normal
practicing catholic. We will go to church every Sunday. And being an active
person that I am, I will try my best to participate in the church ministry.
Beginning as a helper of the priest (Altar Server) to an organist. My life has
been a normal person life. During the time when I was young, I will go to
Sunday classes every week. At there, we will be taught about the basic
Christian faith and also their practice. Been a small boy, I am the quiet type
and this has actually made me too shy to ask any question. This goes on until
when I was in form five. During form five, I have already being confirmed in
the sacrament of confirmation. After I myself has been confirm, I am out to the
world to spread the good news of Jesus Christ (pbuh).
For me the test of my
Christian faith came when I enter into University. During my university period,
I am staying in a house with 8 Malays and also 1 Indian. During that period I
myself have a thought of spreading the religion to the Muslim and also the
Hindu. This is due to that time the impression of Muslim which I know is really
bad and I myself is really confident that Christianity is the one and only true
religion. During the first year in university, I have been close with one of
the Muslim and we have discussion regarding our differences in faith and the
similarities. During the period when staying with them, I have noticed a few
things from Muslim which really amazed me and change my image of Muslim:
- No matter how busy,
they will always remember to pray.
- The female in Muslim
will wear tudung which for me is really polite and beautiful.
- During their prayers,
the Muslims really concentrate 100% on their prayers, and not on handphone
and other stuff.
Besides this two main
factor which really amazed me, I myself also started to like nasyid during the
period when I was staying there. Even though some of the nasyid is about
praising their God (Allah s.w.t) but the music really attract me. I still
remember the first nasyid which I learn to sing was ‘Insan bernama kekasih’.
The song was really beautiful and attracts me a lot.
During the first
semester, I try fasting with the Muslim during the Ramadan month. And I am
really impress with them cause they would get up early around 5am to eat
(sahur) and after that fast the whole day until around maghrib only break their
fast. The Muslim way of fasting is different from the Christian way of fasting.
Christian have several way of fasting during Christian fasting month (lent
season) in which some Christian will fast on meat whereas some will fast meat
only on Friday. Whereas Muslim will fast on food and drinks including water. I
try one day and give up in the middle of the day cause really can’t stand the
feeling of thirsty. And it really amazed me when the Muslim can fast for 30 days!
During the second year
of university, I continue my discussion with my Muslim friends regarding our
question in each other faith from time to time. During the end of my second
year, I join scuba diving class, during one of my class in the 5m pool, i was
so playful that I get drowned and almost die during the incident. I was
hospitalized for 4 days after I drowned. After I return back to study, I
continue my life as normal.
During my third year in
university, life started to change for me, being a loyal Christian, I myself
couple with a Muslim girl and this really makes me wonder whether I have done
the right thing. But things didn’t turn out to be what it supposes to be and we
break up peacefully and are friends till today. After I break up, I started to
wonder what the purpose of life to me is and question regarding Christian faith
started to rise up from my mind. I myself try to answer it but yet it still
cant be answer. Having no one to approach, I continue to be amazed by the
discipline of the Muslims in their prayers and also the way they pray. Therefore
I started to approach one of my close Muslim friends asking him to tell me more
about Islam.
This close Muslim friend
of mine brings me to a mosque. But being a Christian who I am, I myself don’t
really want to go. But thinking back, if my faith is strong, going anywhere
will not affect one’s faith. Therefore I went to a mosque in Bangsar. At that
day I get to know a person named Bro Mas-yuri. He started to ask me what I want
to know. Then I reply him saying I want to know more about the differences
between Islam and Christianity. But he suggest to me to get to know about the
similarities first before going to differences. During that time, he started
with similarities from the basic of faith between Islam and Christianity. I do
agree with his point that we believe in God and also all from Prophet Adam
(pbuh) until Jesus. Then it came to the differences. The things which really
shocked me is that he show me all the proves regarding the prophecy of the
coming of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the bible to me and somehow it seems like
he know the bible more than me. At that day also I got one book which is a
debate between a Christian and Muslim regarding each other faith.
After that discussion
with the brother, I still wanted some clarification on the matter which I am
confuse in Christianity from Christian people themselves. Therefore I ask one
of the teachers which teach at the church, but the answer which I get somehow
did not convince me. Therefore I went around searching in the internet and some
other sources hoping to search for answer. Finally without much result, I start
to read the book which the Brother gave me. I was really amazed at how the
Ustaz in the book convince the Christian regarding Islam using Bible. That time
my faith regarding Christianity has really shaken. My faith in Christianity
went from shaken to collapse when I watch the debate between some overseas
priests and one muslim scholar name Sheikh Ahmad Deedat. At that moment, my
heart is convince that Islam is the true religion. But I myself is still
finding for something which I myself can’t really tell.
This goes on until 8 of
august of the year 2008. That time I was still in my practical training period.
That day my close friend called me to a talk at UTM, KL. I found out from my
friend that the talk was given by people who have reverted to Islam. Therefore
on that night, I went for the talk. I was actually just planning to get more
info about Islam. But what I have plan is not what Allah s.w.t plan for me on
that day. During the speech, when one of speaker describe about God in Islam
(Allah) and also its attributes using Surah Al-Ikhlas and also its translation
as following :
Say: He is Allah, the
One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begetteth not, nor is
He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.
At that time, I felt in
my heart saying that THIS IS THE ‘THING’ WHICH I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR.
Therefore without much doubt and hesitation, I tell my friend that I decided to
revert to Islam. To cut the story short, I revert in front of around 200
students after the speech.
After I revert to Islam,
my close friend has introduced to me about some of the famous debate VCD
between Ahmad Deedat and also other Christian priest. After I watch a few of
it, I get to know more about the weaknesses which is in the bible. At the same
time also, my faith in Islam grow stronger.
By watching the
comparative religion VCD, it actually made me more interested in going more
into comparative religion. Therefore I approach a few friends of mine to learn
more about Islam and also Christianity.
After I revert there is
a lot of challenges which I faced. From my parents to my relative, all has
posted a lot of question to me till this day. There has been time of
difficulties for me about how to solve some problem and how to handle some
problem in life. But I treat all this problems and challenges as a test from
Allah s.w.t as to test on my faith and also to make me grow wiser in life.
I would say anyone who reverts
to Islam will have his/her test from Allah. As is written in the Quran, “Allah
does not burden any soul with more than it can bear. (Al-Baqarah: 286)
In conclusion, I would
say that the only religion recognized by Allah is only Islam and Quran is his
words in which it won’t have a single error and contradiction. For Allah has
already thrown to us the challenge in Quran which is: “If it (Quran) had come
from other than Allah, they surely would have surely found in it many
contradictions.”
I end my story with a
sentences from a famous person (Albert Einstein): Science without religion is
lame. Religion without science is blind”
I pray so that what I
have written will be accepted by Allah the almighty whom I pray for mercy and
guidance. Amin.
