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In the Name of Allah, most
Compassionate, most Merciful
Becoming Muslim
Afrah Alshaibani
Ever since I can remember, my family attended a
non-denominational conservative Christian church (Church of
Christ). I grew up in the church, taught bible school and sang
in the choir. As a young teenager I began asking questions (as I
think everyone does at one point in their lives): Why was I a
member of the Church of Christ and not say Lutheran, Catholic or
Methodist? If various churches are teaching conflicting
doctrine, how do we know which one is right? Are they all right?
Do `all paths lead to God' as I had heard some say? Others say
that as long as you are a good person it doesn't matter what you
believe - is that true?
After some soul searching I decided that I did believe that
there was an ultimate truth and in an attempt to find that truth
I began a comparison study of various churches. I decided that I
believed in the Bible and would join the church that best
followed the Bible. After a lengthy study, I decided to stay
with the Church of Christ, satisfied that its doctrines were
biblically sound (unaware at this stage that there could be
various interpretations of the Bible).
I spent a year at Michigan Christian College, a small college
affiliated with the Churches of Christ, but was not challenged
academically and so transferred to Western Michigan University.
Having applied late for student housing, I was placed in the
international dorm. Although my roommate was American, I felt
surrounded by strange people from strange places. It was in fact
my first real experience with cultural diversity and it scared
me (having been raised in a white, middle class, Christian
community). I wanted to change dorms but there wasn't anything
available. I did really like my roommate and decided to stick
out the semester.
My roommate became very involved in the dorm activities and
got to know most everyone in the dorm. I however performed with
the marching band and spent most of my time with band people.
Marching season soon ended and finding myself with time on my
hands, I joined my roommate on her adventures around the dorm.
It turned out to be a wonderful, fascinating experience! There
were a large number of Arab men living in the dorm. They were
charming, handsome, and a lot of fun to be around. My roommate
started dating one of them and we ended up spending most of our
time with the Arabs. I guess I knew they were Muslims (although
very few of them were practicing). We never really
discussed religion, we were just having fun.
The year passed and I had started seeing one of the Arabs.
Again, we were just enjoying each other's company and never
discussed our religious differences. Neither of us were
practicing at this time so it never really became an issue for
us. I did, deep down, feel guilty for not attending church, but
I pushed it in the back of my mind. I was having too much fun.
Another year passed and I was home for summer vacation when
my roommate called me with some very distressing news: she'd
become a Muslim!! I was horrified. She didn't tell me why she
converted, just that she had spent a lot of time talking with
her boyfriend's brother and it all made sense to her. After we
hung up, I immediately wrote her a long letter explaining that
she was ruining her life and to just give Christianity one more
chance. That same summer my boyfriend transferred to Azusa
Pacific University in California. We decided to get married and
move to California together. Again, since neither one were
practicing, religion was not discussed.
Secretly I started reading books on Islam. However I read
books that were written by non-Muslims. One of the books I read
was Islam Revealed by Anis Sorosh. I felt guilty about
my friend's conversion. I felt that if I had been a better
Christian, she would have turned to the church rather than
Islam. Islam was a man-made religion, I believed, and filled
with contradictions. After reading Sorosh's book, I thought I
could convert my friend and my husband to Christianity.
At APU, my husband was required to take a few religion
courses. One day he came home from class and said: "The more I
learn about Christianity, the stronger my belief in Islam
becomes." At about this same time he started showing signs of
wanting to practice his religion again. Our problems began. We
started talking about religion and arguing about our different
beliefs. He told me I should learn about Islam and I told him I
already knew everything I needed to know. I got out Sorosh's
book and told him I could never believe in Islam. My husband is
not a scholar by any stretch of the imagination, yet he had an
answer for everything I showed him in Sorosh's book. I was
impressed by his knowledge. He told me that if I really wanted
to learn about Islam it must be through Islamic sources.
He bought a few books for me from an Islamic bookstore and I
started taking classes at a local mosque. What a difference the
Islam I learned about from Muslim sources from the Islam I
learned about from non-Muslims!
It was so difficult though when I actually decided to
convert. My pride stood in the way for awhile. How could I admit
to my husband and my friend that they were right all along? I
felt humiliated, embarrassed. Soon though, I could deny the
truth no longer, swallowed my pride, and alhamdulilah, embraced
Islam - the best decision I ever made.
A few things I want to say to the non-Muslim reader:
- When I originally began my search for the truth all those
years ago, I made a few wrong assumptions. First, I assumed
that the truth is with Christianity only. It never occurred to
me at that time to look outside Christianity. Second, I
assumed that the Bible was the true Word of God. These were
bad assumptions because they prohibited me from looking at
things objectively. When I began my earnest study of Islam, I
had to start at the very beginning, with no preconceived
ideas. I was not a Christian looking at Islam; I looked at
both Islam and Christianity (and many other religions) from
the point of view of an outsider. My advice to you is to be a
critical thinker and a critical reader.
- Another mistake that many people make when talking about
Islam is that they pick out a certain teaching and judge the
whole of Islam on that one point. For example, many people say
that Islam is prejudiced towards women because Islamic laws of
inheritance award the male twice as much as the female. What
they fail to learn, however, is that males have financial
responsibilities in Islam that females do not have. It is like
putting a puzzle together: until you have all the pieces in
the right places, you cannot make a statement about the
picture, you cannot look at one little piece of the puzzle and
judge the whole picture.
- Many people said that the only reason I converted was
because of my husband. It is true that I studied Islam because
he asked me to - but I accepted Islam because it is the truth.
My husband and I are currently separated and plan to divorce
in June, insha' Allah. My faith in Islam has never been
stronger than it is now. I look forward to finding a
practicing Muslim husband, insha' Allah, and growing in my
faith and practice. Being a good Muslim is my number one
priority.
May Allah lead all of us closer to the truth.
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