Yesterday, a brother shared the contact information of a lady interested in Islam but needs conviction. I spoke to the lady over the phone and this is a summary of our conversation( E is Esther):
(We exchanged pleasantries)
Me: I was informed that you are interested in the religion of Islam but you need to be convinced. Why are you interested and what kind of conviction do you need?
E: Yes, I am interested in the religion because I have observed the Muslims around me. They are good people; the way they act, the way they dress, etc. But I still need to be convinced, I don’t know anything about it or why I should practice it.
Me: Oh! I am happy you have encountered good Muslims, however, meeting with good Muslims is not enough reason to want to embrace Islam without having an understanding of it.
We have people who claim to be Muslims but are not good representatives of the religion, the same for other religions. You are likely to be surrounded by good Jews, Christians, Atheists, etc., but that will not mean their faith is correct. Embracing Islam on account of good Muslims without understanding the religion may make one renounce the faith when flawed Muslims are encountered.
That said, what exactly do you want to know about Islam?
E: I don’t realy know but when you explain Islam, maybe I’ll ask questions from there.
Me: Okay. Islam means total submission to the will of God. By submission, I mean you follow His injunctions without questioning. Submission to Him is attesting to his oneness. God is One, not two, not three as Islam is against the concept of trinity. God says in the Qur’an that he is One just as we have it in Mark 12:29 and Deuteronomy 5:6.
When you embrace Islam, you will begin to have a clearer understanding of the Prophets of God including Jesus. As a Muslim, you will believe in and revere Jesus a la the teachings of Islam against the misconception that Muslims are Antichrists. In Islam, Jesus was a messenger of God, not his son or God the Son.
In Matthew 12:18, the Bible refers to Jesus as the servant of God in whom God is well pleased. Any attempt to make Jesus God is falsehood. It is when you embrace Islam that you will start loving Jesus correctly.
Islam teaches mercy and compassion not divine barbarism in guise of salvation. For a Muslim, his salvation is between him and his Lord. God in Islam is compassionate and forgiving, therefore, he needs not orchestrate the murder of his alleged only begotten son to forgive humans the sins committed by Adam and Eve. When you check Ezekiel 17:20, you will see that no one shall die for the sins of another.
Another reason Islam is the best choice amongst other world religions is the concept of Worship. Not only did Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) leave detailed guidelines to worship God, there is also uniformity in Worship that you cannot find anywhere else. Talking about Worship, how do we differentiate between praise and worship in Christianity? While the tempo of praise is high, that of Worship is solemn albeit they are both songs where in some cases, the beat for Worship is “tu ke titi, tu keke tu ke”.
In Islam, we have a unified mode of worship. Muslims all over the globe worship God in uniformity a la previous Prophets of God who worshipped God by bowing down in Worship to God. One wonders, how did Jesus Christ instruct his disciples to worship God when he did not even ask them to practice Christianity? If I go to China, I can worship with Muslims and lead them in the worship of Allah, the same cannot be said for other religions where language may be a barrier.
So, do you have any question?
E: Hmmm, but where did Christians now see the Bible and what they believe?
Me: Interesting. Do you know that the Catholic Bible contains 73 books while the Protestant Bible contains 66? The Revised Standard Version of the Bible alleged that the KJV has grave defects that are so many and so serious as to call for a revision. Jesus knew nothing about the Bible. It was a collection of books written both known and unknown authors that we cannot call it the word of God. We cannot also disregard the contribution of Rome to Christianity. Do you know that, against Saturday which is the Sabbath, Sunday became the day of worship for Christians to amalgamate Roman pagan practices and Christianity because SUN-day is a day set aside for the Roman sun god?
When you begin to study the Qur’an, you will see that we have no error, contradiction, anachronism, or discrepancy. God gave us the Qur’an to separate the truth from falsehood, therefore, by embracing Islam, you would have embraced whatever the truth is in the Bible and freed from the falsehood therein. Any other question?
E: No sir, I am okay for now.
Me: Okay, can I give you the Shahadah now or do you want to research further? Shahadah is the testimony of faith and by pronouncing it, you become a Muslim.
E: I will take the Shahadah now.
Me: (Gave her the Sahahdah while she repeated after me). AlhamduliLLah, you have now become a Muslim. Allah means God. Since you are Igbo, when making supplications in your local language, you can use Chukwu. I am saying this for those who may tell you that you are no longer worshipping God but Arab Allah. One reason why a Muslim will prefer to use Allah to refer to God is its uniqueness. Have you ever wondered where the word “God” came from? If you add -dess to God, it becomes Goddess, add -s, it becomes Gods, add -father, it becomes godfather etc. Allah is unique and gives Muslims a sense of uniformity.
I will be in touch to guide you on this path. I pray Allah makes your feet steadfast.
We rounded up. May Allah keep her firm.
Bashir Lucas Samson Lukman
English 