Accepting Islam, Bringing Imaan…At the Tender Age of Eight

Blessed are we to witness, interview and read about the reversion of a multitude of people from different and varied backgrounds, cultures, nationalities and ethnicities. The discovery of which only serves to strengthen our Imaan as we sit in awe of ALLAH’s wondrous ways of dispersing His Guidance. In this month’s edition of the series In The Embrace of Islam, we are privileged to encounter yet another beautiful story of reversion but from a rather unique angle. This is the story of the American Muslim child Mohammed Abdullah, who studied religions at the mere age of six, accepted Islam and brought Imaan at the tender age of eight…

“Alexander Fretz was born to Christian parents in 1990 and his mother ensured from the very beginning that she would allow him to choose whatever religion he wished to pursue for himself. She bought him various religious books and after a close look, at the tender age of eight he announced that he was now a Muslim. Moreover, he learnt everything about Islam such as prayer, the importance and benefit of Qurâan memorization, calling the adhaan, and many of the Shariah laws before even meeting one Muslim, SubhanALLAH!

He chose to be named Mohammed Abdullah, following the example of the Prophet whom, through learning about, he confessed he loved.

He was invited by one of the Islamic channels accompanied by his mother and while the host was preparing to ask the young child questions, he was surprised to find that the child would be doing the questioning. Mohammed Abdullah, brimming with the innate curiosity and enthusiasm of a child asked, “How can I perform Hajj and Umrah? Is the travel expensive? Where do you buy the clothes of Ihraam from?”

The young child, while popular in his school, yet shared that when the time of prayer comes, he stands alone calling the adhaan and prays. The host asked him, “Do you face problems or disturbances with that?” He innocently replied with the tone of a broken heart, “Some prayers pass me sometimes because I do not know the exact time for prayer!”

He was asked, “What attracted you to Islam?” He replied, “The more I read about it, the more I loved it.”

He was asked, “What are your dreams and aspirations?” He replied with longing, “First that I become a photographer so that I can show the world the real and true way of Muslims because it hurts me much to see the filthy American films which tries to destroy the image of my beloved Mohammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. The second is to go to Makkah and kiss the black stone.”

He was asked, “What are some of your other dreams?” He replied, “I hope that Palestine will return to the Muslims one day as this is their land.”

He was asked, “Do you eat pork with your parents?” He replied, “Pigs are very filthy animals, I do not eat it and I don’t know how other people can eat it.” He was asked, “Do you pray in school?” He smiled and replied, “Yes, and I have found a secret place in the library where I can pray everyday.”

Then the time for the Maghrib prayer entered, while the interview was still in progress. Young Mohammed Abdullah looked at the host and said, “Would you allow me to call the adhaan on television?”
Then he got up and called the Adhaan which could not but cause the host to tear up and cry.”

SubhanALLAH! How heart-warming and imaan boosting are such tales of reversion. Intriguing indeed are ALLAH’s Magnificent ways in leading young and old to the sanctified shores of Islam. Our Beloved Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, “There is none born but is created to his true nature, that is, Islam. It is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian.” Sahih Muslim.

The rather unusual aforementioned story of reversion has been detailed from the book: Well of Wisdom ”Food for the Muslim Soul”, a book designed to boost your iman daily through inspirational reminders as well extracted from the dawah website http://turntoislam.com

With intent on aspiring and inspiring towards the ‎​Love and Pleasure of ALLAH subhanawa’ta’ala,
Rehana Shah-Bulbulia, the author of ‘Falling In Love With Muhammad SAW’, blogs here and tweets as @muslimahatpeace

Let His Love lead the way, in the blessings & obedience of ALLAH endeavour to live you day…RSB

“Choosing Islam For My Unborn Child”

From the moment her child is conceived and her body begins to transform itself to meet this new physical adjustment, a woman, a mother also finds herself metamorphasising emotionally and mentally. Her ideas, values and aspirations alter to accomodate and anticipate the new life growing within her. Such is the power of motherhood, SubhanALLAH! Every mother will attest to the numerous choices and changes that only motherhood had the ability of introducing her to.

In this month’s series In The Embrace of Islam we encounter Sister Mae, a South African revert who researched and chose Islam for the sake of the future of her unborn child. With aspirations for the best upbringing for her unborn baby, her heart found itself drawn to Islam. We traverse her rousing tale of reversion…

“Like most Europeans in South Africa, I grew up as a Christian. However my family was a bit more religious than the average “Christian” family. We attended church every Sunday morning and evening as well as on Wednesdays and Fridays. My family did not consume pork nor alcohol. They also did not smoke. Foul language was not allowed in our home. My mum always used to cover her head with a hat or scarf when she went to church and she always dressed modestly.

As teenagers we were not allowed to go to parties or dances. So as you can imagine I had a fairly strict upbringing. After school I went on to study Theology. After completing my degree, I furthered my studies by studying fashion design and that was where the external influences began. I was suddenly exposed to gay and bisexual people as well as other religions and races. I entered the working world and also had various relationships with men.”

Sharing with us her initial introduction so Islam, Sister Mae continued, “I ended an almost five year abusive relationship with my then boyfriend due to his ongoing drug addiction. I was almost thiry at the time. I made the decision to concentrate on my work and focus on rebuilding my life. During this stage of my life most of my clients were Muslim.

After a two year break, I felt ready for another relationship and I decided to pray to God to guide me to it. Two weeks later I met a Muslim man. He showed a keen interest in me. After a couple of weeks, I asked him not to make contact with me as my biggest concern was our religious differences. However, he continued to pursue me and during a ten month period I requested three times that he not have any contact with me. He would respect my wishes for a couple of days but then would once again contact me or come to my home declaring his undying love. Sixteen months into our relationship I fell pregnant. Due to our religious differences as well his confusion as to how to deal with his sin and family, he ended the relationship with me. I was six months pregnant at the time.”

Enlightening us as to how, when and why she decided to take the shahaadah and enter Islam, Mae shared, “My company closed during the December holidays and that was the time that I really did some soul-searching. I realised I was going to be a single mother and that I needed to be able to give this unborn child of mine the best possible upbringing I could as a parent. I looked at my own life and weighed up Christianity, as well as the Catholic and the Islamic religion. Christianity got a mental no from me, as I felt that it had never taught me any discipline. Sending my child to a Catholic school was also a no-go for me, as my mind kept recalling the many articles circulating about Priests molesting children. And so I found myself choosing Islam. I visited the library every day reading up on Islam. I found that Islam answered many questions that I had about Christianity, which Christianity could not. It was on the 12 February 2010 that I took my Shahadah. My son was born a couple of weeks later. Despite having hatred towards the father for leaving me during my pregnancy, it did not deter me from accepting Islam. I could not blame Islam for his choices.

It was a difficult time for me as I was alone during the delivery. My family and I were not on the best of terms. The father of my child also only came to see the baby later on after the delivery. Yet to me gratitude, I knew this Muslim family that had sort of ‘adopted’ me, as I had no family in the province I stayed in. The mother and her daughter in-law visited me at my home regularly and kindly showed me how to do many things the Islamic way.

My son was four months old when the father finally approached me to make Nikah.
Allah (SWT) has blessed us with another boy during the course of our marriage and we are still happily married, Alhamdulillah. Having worked through our differences and some marriage counseling.”

In the journey of life, we are all faced with challenges, perhaps moreso those who revert to Islam. Yet Sister Mae strongly shares her fortune in not experiencing many, “I have not really experienced too many challenges since reverting. I never really had much contact with extended family as they reside in other provinces in South Africa. However, my mum and I have our differences as she is very set in her ways and is not prepared to read or learn about Islam. Yet, my closest friend has accepted my decision.”

Concerning her favourite aspects of Islam, she said, “My favorite aspect of Islam is the protection I find in that I can now cover my beauty and body. I can safely and comfortably walk anywhere without getting those lust-full stares from men. No wolf-whistles nor pet names like “baby” or “sexy” being directed at me anymore.”

With regards to her goals and objectives as a Muslimah, she shared, “I am currently busy writing a book about women in marriage and In Sha Allah I will find a publisher when its complete.”

In her concluding sentiments and thoughts, Sister Mae effectively conveyed, “The message I would like to share with other Muslims, me being a revert, is to never stop learning about Islam. Read ahaadith and you will beautify yours and your families’ lives.

My message to Non-Muslims would be to read and learn about Islam. It is the opposite of what the media portrays it as. It is beautiful and simple. Read, for truly knowledge is power.
A cousin of mine once said that Allah is not a real “God”. How wrong a statement that was! If you find Him and come to know who ALLAH really is to us His creation and read Al Quran there would never be a doubt in your mind about the existence of our Merciful Creator.
As a Non-Muslim do not condemn Islam and Muslims if you yourself have never attempted to learn anything about Islam.
May Allah continue to guide us. In Sha Allah.”

Indeed through witnessing Sister Mae’s reversion to Islam, we reflect on the safety and sanctuary that Islam affords us as Muslims and of course, our precious children too, ‎​Alhamdulillah.

Extracted from the SA print mag- The Muslim Woman Magazine 2013, Edition 4

With intent on aspiring and inspiring towards the ‎​L♥√ع and Pleasure of ALLAH subhanawa’ta’ala,
Rehana Shah-Bulbulia, the author of ‘Falling In Love With Muhammad SAW’, blogs here
And tweets as @muslimahatpeace

“Inspired by Islam”

During the ‘madness’ called youth and those tumultous teenage years, we find ourselves constantly searching. Searching for happiness, love and affirmation; searching for direction and purpose; undoubtedly searching for inspiration. How fortunate are those who find all that they are searching for in the haven called Islam! How blessed are those who experience the inspiration of Islam. In this month’s article in the series In The Embrace of Islam, a young Irish sister shares her story of reversion and of simply being…inspired by Islam.

“Assalaamualaikum. Bismillahirahmaniraheem. Praise be to ALLAH, the Lord of the worlds and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad sallallahualaiwassallam. I was born in the UK, to a Catholic family originally from Ireland. I was an only child and during my childhood and youth, I preferred not to intermingle with the opposite sex as well as preferring to stay away from alcohol, smoking and going to nightclubs as was the way of my friends and classmates.

However, I never really thought about religion or even the purpose of life. The first time that I came across Islam was during a World Religions class at the age of sixteen. I studied all the religions but the only religion that captured my heart was Islam. First I studied and learnt about the basics of Islam. For example the five pillars of Islam: praying salaah five times a day; fasting in Ramadaan; giving zakaah and supporting the needy; going for pilgrimage to Makkah and the testimony of faith.

There were a few aspects that truly inspired and drew me to Islam. Firstly, that all our bad and evil deeds are forgiven upon embracing Islam and becoming a Muslim; emigrating for the sake of ALLAH and doing the pilgrimage of Hajj. Secondly, was the belief in One God, Who has no partners as well as belief in all the Messengers including Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed (Peace be upon them all). ALLAH says in the Holy Quraan, “Do not worship anyone but me.” And the final thing which truly inspired me was the fact that most Muslims come across as very devoted to their Lord, completely submitting themselves to their Creator by not only praying five times a day but also by utilising every second to please Almighty ALLAH.

Even the Prophet sallallahualaiwassallam said, “The least amount of faith is to remove an obstacle from the road.” So I became a Muslim at the age of seventeen and I have been inspired by the discovery that Islam is the straight path; a religion of truth, logic and reason. In Islam I could find answers to all my questions. I learnt that on the Day of Judgement we all have to answer to ALLAH concerning the record of our deeds. No matter what anybody does, we will not be able escape that day. Becoming a Muslim is thus a salvation for us and In Shaa ALLAH we will be rewarded for our good deeds.

When I found Islam, I acknowledged that this was the truth; the straight path and I shared this with my mum and uncle who too accepted Islam, Alhamdulillah. Now they also lead good Muslim lives.

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some information about Islam. Islam means peace and the word Islam originates from the root word salaam, which means peace. Islam also means to peacefully submit to Almighty ALLAH’s Will. Throughout the history of man, prophets have come to each nation to encourage people to worship ALLAH alone and not to associate partners with Him.

To become a Muslim, all you have to utter with your tongue and believe in your heart is the shahadah. That is, to bear witness that there is no God but ALLAH and that Muhammad sallallahualaiwassallam is His final servant and Messenger.

Islam is not a new religion. Every messenger came with this very same message. If it was the time of Abraham, we would have obeyed him; if it was the time of Moses, we would have obeyed him; if it was the time of Jesus, we would have obeyed him. The only way for salvation is to obey the Prophet of our time, Muhammad sallallahualaiwassallam, who was the final Messenger as there is no Prophet to come after him. This too has been mentioned in the Holy Quraan, which firmly remains a guidance for mankind till the Day of Judgement and will be preserved by ALLAH SWT without a single change.

I would like to conclude by sharing that it is three years since I have become a Muslim and embraced Islam. I absolutely love to wear the Islamic type of dressing and have become particular about halaal food. Alhamdulillah, I have recently married a Muslim brother and I fervently wish to dedicate my life for the sake of ALLAH by spreading the message of truth and justice; by spreading the religion of Islam.”

Like this young sister, many people, whether confronted by the searching period of their youth or the reflective moments of their latter years, have been deeply inspired by the world and way called Islam.

Extracted from the column in the series In The Embrace of Islam
With intent on aspiring and inspiring towards the ‎​L♥√ع and Pleasure of ALLAH subhanawa’ta’ala,
Rehana Shah-Bulbulia, the author of ‘Falling In Love With Muhammad SAW’, blogs at
https://muslimahatpeace.wordpress.com
And tweets as @muslimahatpeace

“ALLAH The Best of Planners, The Architect of Our Lives”

We begin our every new day, new month and new year with a myriad of goals and plans. Goals and plans regarding every sphere of our lives: personal and professional. Many times though, things don’t happen according to our plans. But everytime, all the time, they transpire according to the Greatest Architect’s Plans, ALLAH Subhanawata’ala.

In this month’s series In The Embrace of Islam, we find ourselves inspired by Sister Sharrifa Carlo’s intriguing tale of reversion. Currently residing and working in the city of Kuwait, she shares her journey through and to Islam and how, while she planned, ALLAH had better plans. For even though she was recruited to ‘free’ Muslim women from oppression, she ended up accepting Islam, SubhanALLAH!

Enlightening us as to how she came to actually accepting Islam, proved compelling. She shared her riveting tale, “Prior to Islam and during my childhood, I was your typical American girl. I was what you would call, ‘an Army brat’, travelling around the world with my family, from military base to military base.

The story of how I reverted to al Islam is a story of plans. I made plans; the group I was with made plans, and ALLAH made plans. And ALLAH is the Best of Planners. When I was a teenager, I came to the attention of a group of people with a very sinister agenda. They were, and probably still are, a loose association of individuals who work in government positions but have a special agenda to destroy Islam. It is not a governmental group that I am aware of, they simply use their positions in the US government to advance their cause. One member of this group approached me because he saw that I was articulate, motivated and very much the women’s rights advocate. He told me that if I studied International Relations with an emphasis in the Middle East, he would guarantee me a job at the American Embassy in Egypt. He wanted me to eventually go there to use my position in the country to talk to Muslim women and encourage the fledgling women’s rights movement. I thought this was a great idea. I had seen the Muslim women on TV; I knew they were a poor oppressed group, and I wanted to lead them to the light of 20th century freedom.

With this intention, I went to college and began my education. I studied Quran, Hadith and Islamic history. I also studied the ways I could use this information. I learned how to twist the words to say what I wanted them to say. It was a valuable tool. Once I started learning, however, I began to be intrigued by this message. It made sense. That, for me, was very scary. Therefore, in order to counteract this effect, I began to take classes in Christianity. I chose to take classes with a certain professor on campus because he had a good reputation and as well as a Ph.D. in Theology from Harvard University. I felt I was in good hands.
In reality I was in good hands, but not for the reasons I thought. It turned out that this professor was a Unitarian Christian. He did not believe in the trinity or the divinity of Jesus. In actuality, he believed that Jesus was just a prophet.

He proceeded to prove this by taking the Bible from its sources in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic, conveying where they had been changed. In doing this, he showed the historical events which shaped and followed these changes. By the time I finished this class, my deen [religion of Christianity] had been destroyed, but I was still not ready to accept Islam. As time went on, I continued to study, for myself and for my future career. This took about three years. In this time, I would question Muslims about their beliefs. One of the individuals I questioned was a Muslim brother with the MSA [Muslim Students’ Association]. Alhamdulllah, he saw my interest in the deen, and made it a personal effort to educate me about Islam. May Allah increase his reward. He would give me dawaa [i.e. tell me about Islam] at every opportunity which presented itself.

One day, he contacted and informed me about a group of Muslims who were visiting in town. He wanted me to meet with them and I agreed. It was after the Ishaa [night] prayer that I made my way to where they were residing. I was led to a room with about twenty men in it. They all made space for me to sit, and I was placed face to face with an elderly Pakistani gentleman. Mashallah, this brother was a very knowledgeable man in matters of Christianity. He and I discussed and argued the varying parts of the Bible and the Quran until the fajr [dawn prayer].

At this point, after having listened to this wise man tell me what I already knew, based on the class I had taken in Christianity, he did what no other individual had ever done. He invited me to become a Muslim. In the three years that I had been searching and researching, no one had ever invited me to Islam. I had been taught, argued with and even insulted, but never invited. May Allah guide us all. So when he invited me, it clicked. I realized this was the time. I knew it was the truth, and I had to make a decision. Alhamdulillah [All praise be to Allah], Allah opened my heart, and I said, “Yes. I want to be a Muslim.”

With that, the man led me in the shahadah [the testimony of faith] – in English and in Arabic. I swear by Allah that when I took the shahadah, I felt the strangest sensation. I felt as if a huge, physical weight had just been lifted off my chest; I gasped for breath as if I were breathing for the first time in my life. Alhamdulillah, Allah had given me a new life; a clean slate; a chance for Jannah [Paradise]; and I pray that I live the rest of my days as a Muslim and that I die as a Muslim, ameen.”

Highlighting us as to her current projects and endeavours, as a Muslimah, Sister Shariffa said, “I work in Kuwait and have travelled around the world teaching people about the beauty of Islam. I talk about the duties of Muslims; the beauty of this religion and also about Christianity versus Islam. I also manage two twitter accounts for the purpose of giving dawah to Islam, @SAndalusia and @MuslimTweeting

Regarding the pivotal moment and point that lead her to accepting Islam, she stated, “When I realized that I couldn’t run from the truth. I knew from all that I had read and learned that it was the truth but I kept denying it because my heart was still so attached to the dunya. But Allah opened my heart and I finally realized that I had to submit to Allah, ‎​Alhamdulillah.”
 
For many reverts to Islam, there exists many hurdles and challenges. Perhaps mostly with regards to their relationships with family and close friends. Concerning the reactions of her close family, relatives and friends, Sister Shariffa responded, “My father disowned me and I lost many friends. But in return I inherited millions of brothers and sisters feesabeelillAllah (in the path of ALLAH).
Mostly, it has been a wonderful experience. My life has changed for the better and undoubtedly my perspective on life has changed. I realized that how I look at the world now is better and more positive because I now have a better understanding that whatever comes along is good for me, for it is a part of my destiny, ALLAH’s decree.”

Simply and profounding put, she shared that her favourite aspects of Islam is,”Knowing Allah.”

Her message to Muslims and non Muslims was, “Read! Read! And then read more. Know your deen and put everything you know into practice regardless of what others around you say or do. Learn about Islam from the Quran and the authentic teachings of the Prophet SAW so you will discover ad know the truth. Also, ask God to open your heart to this truth.”

Conveying to us her final and concluding sentiments, Sister Sharrifa beautifully articulated, “Islam isn’t something from our fathers or forefathers. It is a religion sent by our Creator and its truth is easy and clear to find and follow. All we have to do is read and understand the Quran and the sunnah. If we take Islam from its sources we will never go wrong.”

“Why Islam? Because every soul craves contentment, peace, truth, guidance, love, enlightenment and home and all of these are only found with Allah.
Why pray? Because gratitude, humility and forgiveness are the keys to Paradise.
Why Quran? Because a Merciful Creator would never leave His slaves without Guidance.
Why hijab? Because that which is valuable must be shielded and protected and nothing is more valuable than an honorable woman.” @SAndalusia

Extracted from the column in the series In The Embrace of Islam
With intent on aspiring and inspiring towards the ‎​L♥√ع and Pleasure of ALLAH subhanawa’ta’ala,
Rehana Shah-Bulbulia, the author of ‘Falling In Love With Muhammad SAW’, blogs at
https://muslimahatpeace.wordpress.com
And tweets as @muslimahatpeace

“Touched by The Adhaan in the Land of Senegal”

A scent and a sound has the ability to evoke much…Sometimes all it takes to urge on a memory or promote a change is a subtle scent and a sweet sound. When the words of the adhaan “ALLAHu Akbar…ALLAH is the Greatest” coincides with the whispered yearnings of the heart, it lays the foundations for change. And so was the case of an American brother, whose life’s journey changed its course through the sweet melody of the adhaan…

“Bismillahi Walhamdulillah, Assalaamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatu. I begin in the Name of ALLAH. All Praise, bounteous Praise and never ending praise be for Him and may peace and blessings always be conveyed upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW. I would firstly like to begin by discussing the difference between being born a Muslim and reverting, that is, accepting Islam from your own free will. Reality is, we all are not born with personal values and morals. Our personal values and morals are developed by our guardians and parents. Taught to us by them and as such it becomes our foundation. In actuality, their values and morals become ours.

So if your parents raised you as a practicing Muslim, your morals and personal values are then beautifully structured by Islam. Islam becomes your foundation And in fact structures how you think, how you act, even your attitude and personality. For those non muslims like myself, who have investigated islam, we have found that Islam proves itself to be a light of guidance. I am also quite sure that you will all agree that Islam provides solutions to all of life’s questions, problems and differences. Now if you were born with this manual for your life and if you were raised as a practicing Muslim you probably wouldn’t know the issues or the doubts or the emptiness or hopelessness that those outside the fold of Islam deal with and we have always dealt with since we were born. We were not raised in a structured or proven lifestyle like Islam is. We were instead given the incorrect fundamentals by our parents, which we assumed were correct. And at the very least we thought that they were good enough to get by. So we were left with nothing more than what our parents taught us, to assist us in dealing with all that life threw at us. As for that emptiness and hopelessness, we learnt that it was a natural part of life and we learnt to suppress it and pretend it is not there.

Looking at children in today’s time, we observe that they they are so immersed in all the technological gadgets which western society provides like computers, electronic games, internet and cellphones that they don’t really have the inclination to look at the natural world that surrounds them and reflect on it. Similarly from the time we are young we fill our lives with all these activities, supressing those feelings of emptiness and those unanswered questions but as the years pass we realise that those feelings and that emptiness are still there. It is the memory of that life, a life of trial and error; a life of hopelessness and uncertainties; a life of confusion and doubt…that you leave behind when you grasp the strong handhold of Islam. No matter what age you embrace Islam, you finally find peace, purpose and meaning to your life. And it is never too late and you are never to old to investigate and discover Islam. Islam, which is indeed a detail map and manual for our lives and really how much easier is it to do things with a manual.

I, like so many others, was not born Muslim. In fact I was not born into any religion at all. I was born in a suburb of New Jersey and later we moved to a country or rural area just outside of the city of New York. In a place like this where we were raised without the television and computer games, we learnt to occupy ourselves as children. We would spend much time outdoors with nothing but nature to keep us busy and entertained. I believe that this had been the beginning of me contemplating my world and surroundings from a young age.

While I believe that these positive effects of my childhood weren’t completely lost, but the acts of youth, the teenage years and adolesence had covered up the light which ALLAH had put in my heart as a child. From the age of eighteen I pursued a number of varied lifestyles, I took up sky-diving, jumping out of a plane at high altitudes. I thought that the thrill of having near-death experiences might help me to ascertain my purpose in life. While trying to fit in with that crowd, I realised that this was not a lifestyle that had any truth to it and so I ventured through a few regular mundane jobs. Thereafter I joined the navy in the United States.

Still dissatisfied and searching, I moved back to New York and became involved with a small group of African musicians from Senegal. At the core of the lifestyle of these musicians was the drug marijuana. As weeks and months became years I became very addicted to this drug. Amidst this mental confusion and fog I had the opportunity to travel to the land of Senegal. And one of the first mornings that I was there, about five in the morning, I heard, “ALLAHU Akbar, ALLAHuakbar!”, which of course is the adhaan and that moment was a life-changing one. For as you can imagine, my searching heart was greatly touched by it.

So when I returned to America, I was intrigued by what I ignorantly perceived to be Senegalese customs but were in fact a part of Islam. I started researching and investigating and discovered that I was in fact becoming magnetically drawn to Islam. Coming across a book of Islamic invocations, I memorised it. And as time passed, even though I wasn’t yet a Muslim, I would read the English translation of the Quraan and pray what I had memorised. Then I decided to embark on a spiritual and physical cleansing for ten days. So I stopped eating pork; I stopped drinking, smoking and taking drugs, Alhamdulillah. After the fourth day of changing my lifestyle completely, again even though I was not yet a Muslim, I now found myself saying the shahadah.

However, because I had no contact with any Muslims and knew of no masjids, I took the shahadah with just ALLAH as my witness and just endeavoured to live the best Islamic lifestyle that I could live for the next couple of months. I then had the opportunity to fly to the capital of the island of Bahamas which had one Mosque and about twenty Muslims. I took the shahadah again at this Mosque and actually took shahadah and made nikah on the same day. I married another revert who had also taken the shahadah at this very same Mosque in the Bahamas. ‎​Alhamdulillah, we have lived as practising Muslims and have been blessed with a child.

I believe that when you can revert to Islam in the middle of nowhere, on an island and without being in contact with other Muslims, it is only by the Will of ALLAH. It proves that ALLAH chooses you for Islam. I strongly assert that Islam has all the solutions from personal hygiene to how you treat your parents. Personally my parents have no problem with me being a Muslim. They have witnessed first hand what it means to be a Muslim child…to treat your parents correctly, with the dignity and respect they deserve; it means you love them more because you have motivation to and you maintain family ties because Alhamdulillah, it is an opportunity to give them dawah too.

Islam is a light that diffuses all darkness and depression, bringing with it tangible peace…it is as simple as that, SubhanALLAH!” ‎​

Extracted from the column in the series In The Embrace of Islam
With intent on aspiring and inspiring towards the ‎​L♥√ع and Pleasure of ALLAH subhanawa’ta’ala, this is the blog of
Rehana Shah-Bulbulia, the author of ‘Falling In Love With Muhammad SAW’, who tweets as @muslimahatpeace.

Attracted to Islam…Captivated By It’s Morals & Disciplines

Like a precious pearl in the oyster of the clam; like a glint of gold in a treasure box…one solitary glimpse and the eye and mind is attracted and held captive to the endless possibilties. Similarly, for those who have cast that first solitary glance at the precious dimensions of Islam and have glimpsed the tempting treasures within, they would agree that their hearts and souls have been attracted and captivated…by all that is Islam.

Being the human beings that we are, comprised of a mind, body, heart and most importantly, a soul, we find that we are naturally inclined and attracted to all that is good, all that is pure. Our hearts recognise it; our souls yearn for it; even if our minds are not yet ready to embrace it. But there are always those who courageously journey towards what their hearts have recognised and their souls have yearned for. Encounter brother Hendrik Van Dyk’s attraction to Islam, it’s morals and disciplines and his courageous choice of embracing that which his heart had recognised and his soul had yearned for, SubhanALLAH!

“Bismillah hirahmaan Nirraheem. While I have taken the Muslim name Ridhwan, my birth name is Hendrik Van Dyk. I grew up in an Afrikaans Christian family and we attended the Dutch Reformed Church commonly known amongst Afrikaners as the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk. I was your typical Afrikaner boy in a small town wherein friends, braai and socialising was the ultimate goal. I was comfortable at that time with being Christian and it was by chance that I met a few Muslim people via social networking and later became good friends. I was very attracted to their moral values and discipline, like the praying, not drinking and abstaining from sex etc.

However, I often wondered how is it possible that Muslims live the way that a Christian is supposed to live, yet according to Christian belief only Christians would go to Heaven. This thought, that how could a loving God send my Muslim friends to Hell and I to Heaven, especially if I was not such a religious practicing person, gnawed at my conscience. The more I thought of it, the more questions arose that needed to be answered and I just had to know. I was very eager to know more. One of my friends, now my wife, Alhamdulillah, sent me an English translation of the Holy Quraan and some booklets that made for easy reading. This was during 2008.

The Quraan translation was very clear about belief, that is, Allah being One and Only. However, while reading the translation I was constantly looking for debatable points, this due to the fact that I was used to discovering the many gaps in Christianity. I wanted to find something wrong in the Quraan. But I never could! Alhamdulillah.

The Islamic booklets raised many more questions and I approached a few churches and pastors in town to help find some answers. The answers were not satisfactory at all. I then asked around and discovered a few Muslim families residing in my town. I approached the haafidh of the local Jamaat Khana, who gave me extra reading material as well as DVD’s by Sheikh Ahmed Deedat. At this juncture Allah in His Infinite Mercy and Wisdom was already lifting the veil from my eyes and heart. During December of 2009 I knew that I wanted to be Muslim. However, I was just so scared about what my family and friends would think and say. The Muslim brothers I spoke to gave me the confidence and courage to take that first step and in January of 2010 I took the Shahaadah before the maghrib salaah.”

After sharing his amazing discovery and journey to Islam, brother Ridhwan conveyed the effect his reversion had on his close family and friends, “Most of my family knew of my spiritual journey because they were also questioned during my research. I tried to use the best approach when I told my family about my reversion. Even though they suspected that I might revert they were still very shocked by the news. We have our fair share of debates but we also have a mutual respect for one other and they have accepted who I am as a Muslim.”

Discussing the challenges of reverting, he stated, “Alhamdulillah Allah has blessed me and made it easy for me in so many ways. But let it be known that being a young new revert has its challenges. For me the biggest challenge was trying to inculcate and live a halaal lifestyle in a very non-halaal environment. And with that I’ve ‘lost’ ‘friends’. I reiterate that Allah has really blessed me and given me the strength to overcome these challenges.”

Looking through the eyes of a revert, enables us to deeply comprehend and realise the beauty of our faith, especially when they share what they love about Islam, as Brother Ridhwan has, “My favourite aspects about being a Muslim are: the God consciousness, hearing the Adhaan, the brotherhood and Jumuah!”

Sharing his message to Muslims and non-Muslims, he said, “You are really blessed by being born a Muslim, don’t take it for granted. We should be strong and be proud to be Muslims and try to educate others with our character. It you are a non-Muslim and you’re reading The Muslim Woman Magazine, then what are you waiting for?! Build up your courage and say the shahaadah before it is too late. May ALLAH guide you and make it easy for In Sha ALLAH.

Conveying his concluding sentiments, Brother Ridhwan’s heartfelt advices were, “Death is inevitable, therefore let us try to live as Allah has commanded us to. We are only here to be tested in order to obtain the best in the Hereafter. Live and do for the Pleasure of ALLAH only. And remember, if ALLAH is with you nobody can stand against you. Also Jazakallahu khair for this opportunity to share my story. In Sha ALLAH, I hope that it will serve as a means to encourage and assist someone in a similar situation. Please remember my family and me in your special duas.”

With a powerful magnetic force, Islam continues to attract the multitude of searching souls through many of its dimensions, morals and disciplines…to all that is Islam, SubhanALLAH!

Extracted from my article, from the SA print mag- The Muslim Woman Magazine.

With intent on aspiring and inspiring towards the ‎​L♥√ع and Pleasure of ALLAH subhanawa’ta’ala,
Rehana Shah-Bulbulia, the author of ‘Falling In Love With Muhammad SAW’, tweets as @muslimahatpeace

Let His Love lead the way…in the Blessings of ALLAH endeavour to live your day! RSB
@muslimahatpeace

Islam…Her Sweet Secret

Sometimes in life we have the honour of witnessing the beauty of a sweet secret: Be it a fleeting moment or a life’s legacy. Yet many a time we wish to share or divulge such a secret to those closest to us, those whom we love. In fact that is exactly how Islam began: as a sweet secret shared for three years between the Noble Prophet Muhammad sallallahualaiwassallam, those closest to him and those who eagerly sought guidance by being of the first to enter the fold of Islam.

In this month series In The Embrace of Islam, we encounter the inspiring tale of reversion of Sister Aisha who hails from the lush green rolling hills of Scotland and the beauty of her sweet secret…Islam.

Enlightening us as to her life prior to Islam, Sister Aisha shared, “My own parents and siblings were not overly religious but were Christian in their outlook.  I also married at the tender age of eighteen to a non religious man, which meant that I could never really discuss religion and faith with anyone. Yet this did not decrease my faith in God.  I have lived through many trials but have been brought up with the principle that a woman’s place is with her husband. So divorce has never been an option.  As such, my life has had lots of ups and downs over the years. However, it may be best that I don’t expand on things in that area.”
  
Conveying to us her journey to Islam, Sister Aisha said, “It may seem a little odd but I became curious about Islam because of the negative press around it. I could not believe that any religion would condone what was being said in the media.  So from there it transpired that every opportunity I had to talk to any muslim at work, I would ask the occasional question. The more I asked the more I wanted to know. However, being in an area where there are so few muslims whom I had contact with, I found it difficult to know where to start reading and learning. This went on for several years.  During a particularly difficult time in my life someone from the middle east was seconded to my company for a working period.  Eventually we started talking and we would discuss religion. He would share with me about Islam and I would share information regarding Christianity.  The more we spoke the more I realised that Islam answered many of the questions I had in a way that Christianity never could. 
 
There were two key factors that lead me to accept Islam: Firstly, knowing that the Quran has been unchanged from the moment it was originally dictated by the Angel Gabriel (this was something that always troubled me about the Bible.). Secondly, after reading a book concerning science in Islam, I knew immediately that it was the right and only true religion.”
 
Regarding her family’s reaction and the challenges she faces, Sister ‘Aisha conveyed on a note of sadness,
“Sadly because of my husband’s feelings, he will not allow me to practice my religion so I have to practice secretly therefore only a few close people know my secret. My daughter and her husband think it’s fantastic, I quote “you seem to glow with happiness when you discuss Islam.” We even have discussions about the hijab and which colours I should wear with what. Her husband also joins in with these discussions!  They are simply wonderful.  Only a few others know but they realise I’m still me and support me as they realise that being a Muslim makes me deeply happy. The biggest challenge I face as a Muslim is that I am unable to practice my religion openly. Only with a few people am I free to display and discuss my Islam. These moments fill me with much happiness, because when I am in their company I can be me.”
 
Concerning her favourite aspects of being a Muslim, Sister Aisha said,
“I love the feeling that I have truly found the right path; the connection and closeness of the Muslim Ummah (in my case my Muslim twitter family)and the way fellow Muslims support one another. It’s truly wonderful.”

On a somewhat lighter note Sister Aisha shared her ‘first outing with hijab’ story which she had previously shared on twitter:
 “I still remember the first time I wore the hijab out of my home. I’d worn it on and off for a few weeks around the house to get used to it.  Finally I took a deep breath and stepped out of the house, I practically ran to the car! When I got in I sighed with relief, I remember saying to myself ‘Ok you’ve made it this far.’  I drove to the shops and sat in the car park for a few minutes, gathering my courage and making duaa.  Eventually I got out of the car and headed to the supermarket.  I walked with a confidence that I really wasn’t feeling. My legs were shaking and my heart was racing, but I kept my eyes lowered and kept on walking.  I felt that everyone must be staring at me, but to be honest they weren’t. Yes, I drew some glances but that’s because there are no hijabis in the town I was shopping in.  I, then, in my determination not to attract attention to myself, actually knocked over a display in the supermarket aisle!  Hilarious when I look back now, in fact I laughed then too. 
 
Do people look at me or treat me differently when I wear hijab? Yes they do. It may be because I don’t live in an area where there are many Muslims, or that I have fair skin and they can’t quite work out why I am wearing the hijab.  I’ve also found that people are more polite and respectful in their dealings with me. 
 
To my fellow sisters I say, ‘Give it a go, you may be surprised at how protected and close to Allah you feel, and unlike my first outing In sha Allah you won’t knock over any supermarket displays!”

I have found through my regular interaction with so many beautiful reverts, that they have beneficial advices and messages to share to Muslims and non Muslims alike. Sister Aisha conveyed hers, “Islam is the most beautiful religion. There are so many people like myself who are rather shy to ask, but share with them the beauty and peace that Islam teaches; show them that it is the right path to follow; include them in your activities and help open their eyes.
 
And to non Muslims, I urge you not to be afraid to ask about Islam; don’t listen to the negative press and don’t believe all that you hear. Learn about Islam for yourself and you will understand what it is all about, In Sha ALLAH.
 
Regarding the reception she receives in her hometown in Scotland, she said, “I live in a rural community where there are very few Muslims.  But when I wear my hijab people treat me differently, more respectfully and it is heartwarming.”
 
Sister Aisha eloquently conveyed her  concluding sentiments and thoughts,
 “Share the knowledge of Islam with those around you.  Each day I thank Allah for bringing someone into my life to show me the way to Him. Trust in ALLAH and turn to Him in your times of need, He will answer. But don’t forget to thank Him for all that He has already blessed you with.  I have also realised that every challenging period in my life, ihas undoubtedly made me stronger and for that I say, Alhamdullilah.”

Dear readers, each story of reversion leaves us reflecting over the multitude of blessings we have…by just being Muslim. We pray that our Kind ALLAH grant each of us the sweetness of Imaan as He has blessed Sister Aisha with the sweetness of Islam and we fervently invoke ALLAH that He grant her and all muslims and believers throughout the world the ease, blessing and opportunity to display their Imaan and Islam openly, ameen Ya Rabbal ‘aalimeen!

Extracted from my column, In The Embrace of Islam from the SA print mag- The Muslim Woman Magazine, Volume 13, Edition 8
Rehana Shah Bulbulia Twitter account- @muslimahatpeace

Let His Love lead the way…in the Blessings of ALLAH endeavour to live your day! RSB
@muslimahatpeace

From Hate to Faith…From Atheism to Islam

In the study of biology, during the highschool years, we are privileged to witness the unfolding of many life lessons. As a trip down memory lane entices me, I recall being most intrigued and captivated by the life stages and journey of the butterfly. Beginning its life in the form of a crawling insect, after hatching from the egg as a simple caterpillar, it metamorphasises into one of the most colourful flying insects…the beautiful butterfly.

Truly infinite Praise belongs to our Magnificent Creator ALLAH, He-Who created and continues to create such uniquely captivating wonders for us to behold and take lesson from. A lesson which reminds us constantly that ALLAH contains within His Power the ability to completely change the form of His creation. In this month’s series In The Embrace of Islam, we are witness to a young British girl’s wondrous ‘metamorphasis’ from hate to faith, from Atheism to Islam. This is Sister Katriona Morgan’s intriguing tale…

“For many years before I reverted to Islam, I was a devout atheist. I hated religion. And in fact, the concept of God was abhorrent to me, even though I’d never had any unpleasant experiences with religion. However, I still continued to go out of my way to offend others who believed in God, particularly those who followed a religion. When I was fifteen-years-old (over three years ago now), I started to believe in God. No one had convinced me or anything of that sort. It was purely faith. Although for a long time, I thought I was deluded.During this period, I also developed a depression disorder, which gradually worsened over the years. I was diagnosed at the tender age of thirteen and was placed on antidepressants at fourteen. It was due to the inability to cope with personal issues. Furthermore it runs in my family and I grew up watching my dad allow his life be ruined because of depression.
Ironically, the depression worsened around the time I started believing in God: I began self-harming, had an uncontrollable temper and frequent mood swings. It was around this time that I was searching for God’s religion. People told me you don’t need to follow a set of systematic rules to be close to God, but I thought, ‘He has put us here, therefore He knows what’s best for us, so why wouldn’t He tell us how to live?’

As to her introduction and encounter with Islam, Sister Katriona shared, “I’d always known that there was a religion called Islam, that its Prophet was Muhammad SAW and that the Muslims believed in a book called the Qur’an. I knew this having grown up in a very multicultural society. As a child, majority of my friends were Pakistani Muslims. It was actually very normal for me to see women veiled,know what halal meat is, etc.
At my sixth form college, where I attended when I was sixteen, it was compulsory to attend Religious Education (RE). I rarely went, but on one of the few times that I did, everyone was watching a video about a non-Muslim man, who had visited and lived with a Muslim family for a few weeks. That was the first thing that actually got me interested in Islam. During the video, they were in a mosque at one point. The non-Muslim asked,
“Why do the women pray at the back?” The Muslim man replied, “If the women prayed in front while they were bending over, where would the man’s attention be?” That struck a chord within me. The fact that it wasn’t oppression, but had a logical explanation behind it.

For the rest of the academic year, various Muslims were telling me about Islam. Two of them being boys with whom I had schooled with. I remember looking forward to discussing Islam with them. Over the next couple of months, I was seriously considering reverting to Islam one day. I told my mum about my interest. She burst out laughing because she knew how intolerant I’d been about religion for so long, and said that she found it unbelievable, exclaiming that that would be the day! But I forgot and perhaps pushed it out of my mind during the summer holidays. I attribute this to the experience I had two days before my AS Biology exam. I went to a takeaway to buy a kebab and saw a notice for donations for a local mosque. I thought, “Islam teaches to give charity. So if I donate, God will make me pass this exam!” So I put the change in there. But the night before my Biology exam, I got food poisoning. I was up all night vomiting. I thought, “This must be a sign that Islam isn’t the right religion.”

However, at the beginning of my second year of college (I was now seventeen), I became interested in Islam again. I was seriously thinking of reverting, but the thought kept recurring about how weird it would be for to become a Muslim. Then I met someone else who had been one of my classmates in highschool. In my first Law lesson, he sat next to me. In one conversation he shared about when he had celebrated Eid a few weeks earlier. I was really confused. I said, “But you’re not Muslim though,” and he responded, “I am. I reverted to Islam at the end of high school.” When I told him that I was interested in Islam, he didn’t believe me. But still, because I knew that someone so close to me had actually reverted to Islam, I thought, “It can’t be that weird.”

Sister Katriona eludes to what actually pushed her to take that very first step towards Islam, “Something very personal happened the day before I converted to Islam. It’s something that I don’t think I’ll ever talk to anyone about, but it made me think, “I NEED to become a Muslim.” So, I got the phone number of one of my friends who had been talking to me about Islam during that first year. We arranged to meet at the masjid the next day, and there, after being taken on a tour around the mosque and asking an imam about any concerns I had, I said my shahadah.”

With regards to her family’s reaction, Sister Katriona expounded, “My mum never believed that I would actually do it. Even though she’s had many Muslim friends over the course of her life, she said to me, “Don’t ever join the extremist crowd. You hear about converts to Islam who go and blow themselves up. And don’t ever be disrespectful to anyone just because they don’t agree with you.” And after that, she’s been incredibly supportive. She started buying halal meat, has listened to a couple of lectures about Islam with me, and has learned a lot herself. I remember once during Ramadan, my dad asked me what the point of fasting is. I didn’t entirely know the answer myself. But then my mum quoted a verse from the Qur’an, ayah 2:183: “Fasting is prescribed on you so that you may learn self-restraint.” I was amazed. And there have been a few other occasions like that.

On the other hand, when I told my dad, he said, “Are you gonna become a man’s slave for the rest of your life?” He makes snide remarks like that every now and then, but in reality he’s not entirely disrespectful. 
A couple of days after I converted to Islam, it was Christmas. Traditionally, my mum, brother and I go to my aunt’s house. At the dinner table, I mentioned in passing that I’d converted to Islam. There was an awkward silence, because they couldn’t understand why I was a Muslim after hating religion. Although they didn’t mind much, because they don’t know much about Islam. I mentioned that I can’t eat pork because Muslims see it as unclean. One of my cousins gave me a confused look and said, “Well, why don’t you just wash it?” My friends have also been very supportive, whether they are Christian, atheist, agnostic, etc.

New Muslims are faced with a multitude of challenges, Sister Katriona conveyed what she deemed to be her greatest one, “The main difficulty that I’ve encountered a Muslim is regarding sectarianism. I reverted to Islam in a Shia mosque, therefore prayed in the Shia way, had Shia beliefs and read Shia books. Because there was a conflict between the Sunnis and Shias at my college, a lot of people were telling me how they’re deviant. So I was giving books to read, justifying Shia Islam. Within a year of having converted to Islam, I knew far more about the Sunni-Shia schism than most Muslims. Then I came across Salafis and shared their beliefs for a while. For my first year having been a Muslim, I went back and forth from Shia and Salafi. That was incredibly distressing. It literally made me feel sick sometimes. I knew Islam was the right religion. I was just trying to find out: which sect has the correct interpretation of the Qur’an and which sect follows the correct version of the sunnah?
Now, I’ve made my decision of which school of jurispudence I want to follow. While it used to be an everyday occurence for me, now I refuse to engage in sectarian discussions, especially the debates. Being a Muslim who adheres to the word of ALLAH and the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW has been much easier since I cast all these sectarian thoughts from my mind.”

“My favourite aspect of being a Muslim is the realisation that my life has a purpose. For years, I felt lost. But now I finally know where I’m going,” said Sister Katriona.
Her final message and sentiments were, “Don’t delve into sectarianism, the jurispudence or politics of Islam until you have enough imaan and taqwa. Having grown up in one of the biggest cities in the UK (i.e. Manchester), it’s a nice change to be studying here in Lancaster. One problem is that there’s not a huge Muslim community here like there is in Manchester, so there’s not many classes or events on. However, I’ve made a lot of good friends here, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Recently, I was elected as the first Media Officer of the Lancaster University Islamic Society. I think being a revert to Islam might have had something to do with it!

Islam has treated my depression to a great extent. Perhaps it’s always going to be there, but I’ve noticed it’s stronger when my imaan is lower. Islam has taught me how to fix all those things that were wrong and negative in my life, Alhamdulillah.”

In witnessing the beautiful reversion of Sister Katriona, we can only reflect on how ALLAH is undoubtedly the Controller of Hearts and The All-Capable…capable of ‘metamorphosizing’ a heart filled with hate into a heart filled with Faith, SubhanALLAH!

Extracted from my column, In The Embrace of Islam from the SA print mag- The Muslim Woman Magazine, Volume 13, Edition 7
Rehana Shah Bulbulia Twitter account- @muslimahatpeace

Let His Love lead the way…in the Blessings of ALLAH endeavour to live your day! RSB
@muslimahatpeace

In the Embrace of Islam…’No ALLAH, No Peace…Know ALLAH, Know Peace”

Described as a fragrance that permeates every single pore; a light that traverses from the chambers of the heart, illuminating not only the heart but the mind and soul too; a feeling that enshrouds one in the velvety warmth of tranquililty and hope…this is the reality and embodiment of peace. Those who have discovered its reality can quite vividly recall that very first moment when it gracefully entered their lives. For once its presence is felt, there is nothing else that can compare. Yet many, if not all who have discovered the essence of peace, will undoubtedly attest that to know ALLAH is to know peace, SubhanALLAH.

Journey with me to Ohio, in the United States of America and encounter another truly inspirational tale of reversion. A story of a young woman’s desire to know her Creator; to feel His Presence in her life and to discover the most coveted prized possession called peace. This is the story of the young and vivacious Lauren Kate Ward, an Equine Pre-Vet student…

“Assalaamualaikum. Well, I was raised in an extremely religious Christian household. From preschool to seventh grade I attended a private Christian school, where we were taught daily Bible lessons and Chapel lessons on Fridays. My family went to Bible school and Church every Sunday without fail. So, as you can imagine everyone in my family was very religious. Around the time I entered high school, I realised that I was experiencing some trouble with my faith. While everybody around me kept talking about feeling God; the spirit of God around them; His work in their lives, and the peace they gained from it, no matter what I did, I just never felt this way. I put my questions forward to my family, but they didn’t or couldn’t answer them. I even recall asking my pastor, but he too couldn’t really answer them. I just had this nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. However, I still went to church and by this time I was leading the Bible study group in my high school. So I simply pretended to feel what the others were feeling because I didn’t want to be in a position where people would find out that I was not as strong in my faith as I appeared to be.

In my sophomore year of high school, I took a world history class. Part of our syllabus was concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in our lessons our teacher traced the history all the way back to Isaac and Ishmael. Along with that, he also taught us the basics of Islam: the five pillars, the basic tenets of faith and things of this nature. I had always been quite interested in everything about the Middle East, but it had never dawned on me to learn about the faith. It was then that I began to do a little more research on my own and began learning the basics. What I found was that it answered many of the questions that had been plaguing me as a Christian. However, when my mother found out, she became very upset with me for “turning my back on God” and forbade me to read any books or learn anything more about Islam as long as I lived with my family. 

So, fast forward a few years to my second year in college. While in my first year, I once again tried to go to Church and attempted to get involved in the Christian campus groups and Bible Studies, as I attend a Christian University, I just wasn’t feeling any impact of my faith in my heart.
Around Christmas time, just on a whim, I began to look for mosques in my area. I discovered that where my school was situated in Ohio was a large Somalian population. Astonishingly, my search came back with plenty of Mosques! I found one that had special classes about the basics of Islam and decided to attend one of these sessions… Just to see what it was all about. As soon as I walked in to the Mosque, Alhamdulillah, I felt the Presence of Allah. I felt in my heart what I had heard about and yearned for all these years! I actually broke down and cried, because the feeling was indescribably beautiful and beyond my expectations. I finally felt as if I belonged; something akin to coming home. I knew and realised that I had discovered what I had been searching for!
And so began and continued my study of Islam. However, the more I learnt, the more I fell in love with the religion.” 

The challenges that we all face on a daily basis may seem insurmountable, yet when learning of the challenges of others, it grants us the courage to perservere through ours. Reverting to Islam comes with its fair share of dunya trials and challenges and Sister Lauren openly shared hers with us, “Well, with my family being such strong Christians, the reaction really wasn’t positive at all. When my mother found out, she didn’t talk to me for about a month. My father was a little better with dealing with it. He noticed how it changed me as a person and how it appeared to have procured for me the peace and love of Allah. My brother and sister, eleven and sixteen, were pretty alright with it, just curious. My mother unfortunately doesn’t see that Allah is just the Arabic word for God, and that it is still the same God. So from her point of view, I have completely turned my back on God, to follow a religion that, unfortunately, has a very bad reputation in America. I pray though, in sha Allah, that she will realise how important this is to me and she will come to accept my decision. My friends have been pretty good about it! They’ve been very curious but have been amazingly supportive as well, Alhamdulillah!”

Touching on her experiences as a new Muslimah, Lauren stated, ” Of course it has really been kind of a life-style change! I had never been used to praying more than once a day, usually before bed! So praying five times a day is something that I still struggle with, a LOT. I experienced my first Ramadaan this summer, and I fasted about half of the days. It was something I have never been exposed to or experienced before! I’d like to try and fast the entire month of Ramadaan this year, in sha Allah. A big thing I have been struggling with is trying to incorporate Islam into who I am. I go through phases where I am very religious, very enthusiastic towards going to Jummah, praying, listening to halaqas, but then the dunya gets in the way, and I start to fall out of practice. I’m working on it in sha Allah. I hope to reach that ‘place’ where Islam is so much a part of my life that I can’t even imagine it any other way!

My favorite and most treasured aspect of Islam is that I have finally come to know peace, due to having ALLAH in my life. Along with being at university, I am a member at many campus clubs, and work two jobs as well. As you can imagine, I am usually a big ball of stress! But since I have accepted Islam, I have come to the realization that everything that happens in life has already been ordained by Allah. And that He is always there, available and ready to listen and help us if we just pray!
I heard from a speaker at an MSA-Muslim Student Association event that, “Allah only tests those who He loves, who He wants to strengthen” and that, “Allah never tests a person beyond what they can bear. For, if you’re going through it, you can handle it!”
I try to remember this every single day and in all situations. SubhanALLAH, it makes my stressful life a lot easier. Another thing I love about Islam is how everything comes back to Allah. We wake up, we thank Allah; before we eat, we remember Allah; we plan to do something, we say in sha Allah. While it seems like a little thing, it has really had a huge impact on my life. It centers me, reminds me of my faith, and keeps my focus always on Allah!”
 
Lauren’s message to Muslims and non Muslims were, “As a Muslim, keep your chin up! Sometimes, I-myself feel lost in the middle because Muslims hold me to a very high standard even though I’m still a very new Muslim and they expect certain things from me. And then non-Muslims also expect me to behave and act in a certain way or do certain things! But you’ve got to be comfortable with who you are, how Allah made you and realise that this dunya is a merely journey. We are constantly moving, constantly changing and constantly learning. And in the end, the only important thing is what Allah thinks of us! Endeavour to be confident in who you are and remember that you should only aim to please Allah, in sha Allah!
To non-Muslims, I would like to say that ‘hey, we’re just like you!’ Get to know us, talk to us. For me personally, I love telling people about my faith and having interfaith dialogues! Don’t let a peace of cloth or a headscarf deter you from getting to know us Muslims. Who knows, we could end up being your best friend!”

Being a student at a University with very few Muslims, Lauren’s reception and interaction with others proves interesting, “Since I attend a college that is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it’s been interesting. Nothing bad at all, but I’m one of only six Muslims on campus, and the only revert. I have met all of the other Muslims on campus, and I am good friends with two of them. But being an American revert Muslim, I get some pretty strange looks at times! I have begun to wear the hijab on Fridays and I am trying to get into wearing it more often. So when I do wear the hijab, I get more weird looks! But people are usually very polite and while some ask questions, I have never really received a negative response to the hijab or my reversion. I even had one professor, who is Jewish, show a keen interest when I showed up in a hijab and abaya with henna all over my arms, the first day of class was on Eid! Over the course of the semester, she asked me to share my testimony regarding my reversion! She has been wonderful, Alhamdulillah, and very polite. She will be joining me for Jummuah at our local Masjid some time soon, In sha Allah!
 
Heartfelt and sincere, Lauren’s concluding sentiments were, “I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped me in my journey to Islam; brothers and sisters from all over the world who have supported me in tough times. I feel as if my life has been blessed over and over with my reversion to Islam. I thank you sister, for allowing me to pass my story along as well! If this helps steer anyone to the way of Allah, that is really all that I can ask for! Jazakallahu khair.”

From many a reverts inspirational tale, I have discovered one underlying message, which undoubtedly leaves one with much food for thought, “No ALLAH, No peace…Know ALLAH, Know Peace,” SubhanALLAH!

Extracted from my column, In The Embrace of Islam from the SA print mag- The Muslim Woman Magazine.
Rehana Shah Bulbulia Twitter account- @muslimahatpeace

Let His Love lead the way…in the Blessings of ALLAH endeavour to live your day! RSB
@muslimahatpeace

Opening Her Heart… to Islam

Nothing can be more beautiful than the spring of youth…passionate, enthusiastic, eager and an opportunity waiting to happen. This indeed describes those young souls standing at the precipice of their lives, anticipating to not only change the world but be the very change that they wish to see in the world.
When thinking of such youth, we can only return to the beautiful stories encapsulated in the Glorious Quran, the dynamic youth of the sleepers of the cave- the companions of the Ashaabe Kahf. How devoted and true were they to their Lord, that they preferred Him above all else. For indeed their souls were of those that yearned to remain connected to it’s Creator; their hearts of those open to His Guidance, Truth, and Love.

All Praises belong to ALLAH, the Guide and Opener of hearts. He-Who guides every heart that seeks His solace; every soul that seeks His satisfaction and every mind that reflects over His Majesty.

As Muslims who endeavoured to live Islam post 9/11, we acknowledge the conditions and emotions that had a dominoe effect on us and perhaps was a catalyst for change in our lives. But what about the other party- the American citizens, who too had been affected by it? Allow me to introduce you to Maryam Stacy Mazzara, a twenty year old white American girl, born of the Roman Catholic faith. A young girl, whose deep purpose of intent was to leave her country in order defend it in Afghanistan and Iraq; a young girl with a vision of fulfilling a purpose which she perceived as beneficial and patriotic to her country; a young girl whose heart desired to make a positive difference in the world- in her world…a young girl who simply opened her heart to the Truth of Islam, SubhanALLAH!

Bubbling with the enthusiasm, ardour and passion very much indicative of a youth with a cause, this would definitely describe Sister Maryam Stacy Mazzara aka Peaceful Hijabi. Hearing her story, networking and interviewing her can only be expressed as truly inspirational and moving. May ALLAH reward her for her readiness and willingness to share with us such an indepth insight of her life before and after Islam. This is young Sister Maryam Stacy’s beautiful story of reversion…

“I am from Ocean County New Jersey, USA and am currently living in Paris and studying at the American University of Paris. Before I became a Muslim, I was a devout Roman Catholic and came from a very religious home. I attended church every Sunday and read the Bible, as well as sang, for our Church. I would say the Rosary daily and lived what you could call your typical American life. When we are in High School, God is usually put on the shelf, meaning that you only go to Him when you are mad or sad, and not when you are happy. When I began my first year at university, I went to Church more often and started to really study the Bible.

Also, I was a part of the military programme from a young age because my grandfather was in the US Navy and my father in the US Airforce. So after the shocking and devastating acts of 9/11 on us Americans, I was ready to defend my country. I wanted to go to Iraq or Afghanistan and actually be a medic and assist my fellow Americans. At the same time I wanted to show these people that we, Americans, do not have intentions to harm them; that we are not here in their country to judge them. However, I realised that if I went I first needed to understand their culture and language. In Iraq Arabic is the spoken language and so I started studying Arabic. Much to my amazement, I found that many phrases use God’s name…in sha ALLAH, Alhamdulillah, Masha ALLAH, SubhanALLAH. As Christians, who professed to truly love God, we did not use His name as much in our day to day conversations.

And then I started to study the Quran…SubhanALLAH! There are so many amazing scientific miracles found in the Quran: How the baby is formed within the womb of the mother; How the waters are so different, sweet and salty and yet when they meet, they are separated by an invisible barrier. The Quran is truly a book that proves itself to be timeless. I have witnessed so many miracles in it, some of which I feel pertains to my life too…Alhamdulillah, that I found the Quran and Alhamdulillah that I became Muslim.”

When I asked Sister Maryam Stacy what exactly was the defining moment when she took that final step of taking the shahadah, she shared with us, ” I watched the video on the top ten reasons why Jesus (peace and blessings be upon him) cannot be God by Joshua Evans on The Den Show after having studied the Quran for quite some time and then it just clicked. If God needed someone to die for the sins of the world, why wouldn’t He have made Jesus (pbuh) first? If Jesus truly was the Son of God then why didn’t Abraham (pbuh) know that he was coming or preach of his name? I was so excited and emotional that I wanted to kiss the heavens. It was as if I was a little girl and someone had just given me a great present. I was finally at peace after many countless hours of tossing and turning in bed, being afraid to sleep because I didn’t want to die a nonbeliever. I woke up the next morning and put on my hijab right away. I felt like a brand new baby ready to take on the world because even if I was to have nothing, I had Allah swt (God) and with Allah swt you can have everything, SubhanALLAH! I was so excited I was, like, telling everyone Alhamdulillah, Masha ALLAH…I am a Muslim, I am a Muslim. I even put it on Facebook because, you know, a teenagers life is all about Facebook.”

At the time of accepting Islam Sister Maryam Stacy was just eighteen years old, SubhanALLAH! Concerning her family’s reaction and some of the challenges that she had to overcome, she says, ” I come from a devout Catholic family, as I have previously stated, and my grandparents are devastated. They say I am not the same little girl that I was and they feel abandoned. However, I do understand their grievances. It is hard to accept a change in your child from one religion to the next especially when it’s to a religion that many people see as bad, and that is why I have to work extra hard to show how amazing the religion of Islam really is, Subhan’Allah. When I became Muslim, I put the hijab on right away, but I was not allowed to wear it at home until almost nine months later and now I feel so complete wearing it.

My family are still sad, but In sha’Allah Allah swt will open their minds and their hearts to the beauty of Islam and everything will get better day by day because Allah swt loves those who are patient and that is what I aspire to be.”

ALLAHuakbar! What insight and wisdom in a young woman, just out of her teens. I asked as to what type of support had she received from any persons or groups of persons whom she would like to acknowledge, “The Muslim Student Association at St. Peters College was the best place for me to grow as a Muslim because I met Muslims who were religious and who were not religious, who put culture over Islam and who put Islam over culture, and I met my best of friends there. Another special person is, my soon to be husband, who has taught me so much. He is truly my best friend because he lives by the Sunnah and the Quran, Alhamdulillah. Also I would like to thank my friends in Virginia who helped me to find Islam and taught me the basics. Jazakom Allah khir to all of you.”

Every person, whether born as a Muslim or a revert has their own favourite aspects of being a Muslim and of Islam. These are Sister Maryams, “My favorite aspects of being a Muslim are praying five times a day because it really brings me close to Allah swt and keeps me out of sinning. When I am praying and reading Quran I feel as if I am the only one in the whole world with Allah swt, subhan’Allah, and I didn’t experience this feeling until I really understood what I was saying in my salaat. So I encourage everyone to know their salaat in and out and really mean the words that you are saying because without intention and understanding everything you do means nothing. My second favorite thing is Ramadaan because it brings you so close to the poor. When you see all of your friends eating and drinking and you just want a drop of water and now you can actually feel for the poor man who is sitting outside McDonalds, more then you would have at any other time. Lastly, I absolutely love the Quran because every time I read a chapter or even a line I learn something different, Subhan’Allah.The Quran is the most beautiful book that we have ever received as humans because it is the true word of God, and the miracles in the Quran are endless. Allah SWT and His Mercy on us is truly so great! He gives us so many different ways to repent and to reach Him… I love Allah so much Alhamdulillah.”

As Sister Maryam Stacy’s beautiful story of reversion draws to an end, she shares with us some advices, ” My advice is to treat reverts with respect because they are your brother or sister in Islam, and we all have responsibilities towards one another. Invite them to your Eid parties because they probably have no place to go, and maybe also to your iftaars. Learn from them because many reverts study a lot, and teach them because the thawab(reward) is so great, Subhan’Allah. We also have a great responsibilty to the rest of humanity…to show them the beautiful truth and reality of Islam, like our beloved Prophet Muhammad sallallahualaihiwassallam. His actions were a reflection of his words.”

Alhamdulillah, Through my regular interaction with reverts I have discovered one great quality that they have, among others, and that is the great desire to give dawah and invite others to Islam, truly a banquet for the soul. Sister Maryam too is quite active and vibrant in her efforts of Dawah, even being the President of the Muslim Students Association at her university, Masha ALLAH.

Her concluding and heartfelt message was, ” The Prophet Muhammad sallallahualaihiwassallam has left us with the most beautiful way of life, and He is the best example. He taught us: Be Humble, be patient, love the orphans, take care of the poor, love Allah swt with all your heart. We, as human beings have a common bound of love, when we are born we do not know how to hate, we are taught how to hate. We need to utilize this love to make the world a better place. While many people will say,” Oh please she is too idealistic.” But I am serious, the Prophet Muhammad sallallahualaihiwassallam taught us to always give people the benefit of the doubt, and we should follow this rule, do not backbite (talk behind someone’s back), do not cheat, do not steal, and most important of all, to remember that Allah SWT is always watching us and undoubtedly from Allah do we come and to Allah do we return.”

Dear reader, undoubtedly ALLAH is Ya Fataahu- The Opener…opening many hearts and minds to the Truth, beauty and Reality of Imaan and Islaam. I would love to leave you with Sister Maryam’s parting words to me, a challenge (the youth, of course, love challenges or dares) “If you are Muslim I challenge you to read the Quran (with its meaning) every day even if you just read one line, and to pray your 5 daily prayers and really mean every single word you say and wallahi (by Allah) your life will change. If you are not Muslim, I challenge you to read the Quran and really open your heart to it, come to the Quran with an open mind and heart and just read it. To everyone on this earth I love you all for the sake of Allah, though I have never met you. If we learn to love, forgive and have patience, like the innocent child; like our beloved Prophet Muhammad sallallahualaihiwassallam, we can all live a peaceful life, in sha ALLAH.”

Extracted from my column, In The Embrace of Islam from the SA print mag- The Muslim Woman Magazine, Edition September 2011

Twitter account- @muslimahatpeace

Let His Love lead the way…in the Blessings of ALLAH endeavour to live your day! RSB
@muslimahatpeace