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Granddaughter of A Pentecostal Preacher Converts to Islam
From the time when I was a child, so many things in Christianity did not made sense to me. Keep in mind, I am the granddaughter of a Pentecostal preacher, so the teachings of the Church and Jesus were drilled into my brain. I remember asking my Bible teacher at 7-years-old, “Why do we celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th?” (I asked this question because I had recently learned from watching National Geographic, that it was scientifically proven that Jesus was not born on Christmas.)
I also asked questions like, “How is the Holy Trinity one person, and why was the Trinity created (or introduced) long after Jesus died? Why do we pray to Jesus and not to God?”
I also asked questions like, “How is the Holy Trinity one person, and why was the Trinity created (or introduced) long after Jesus died? Why do we pray to Jesus and not to God?”
When I was about 14, I stopped praying to Jesus and prayed directly to God instead. When I was around people – including family members – who would say, “Dear Jesus, thank you for this and that,” I would say under my breath, “Dear God.” I would feel bad that people were not praying directly to God.
Aside from this, I was very active in the church. I didn’t only go to church on holidays; I read the Bible, taught at vacation Bible school, and sang at church. I was also in a church youth group. I went to a church leadership camp every summer up until I graduated high school.
When I went to college, I finally started to meet people from many different cultures and religions. Many of my friends were Muslims and were so nice. Although I was very close-minded when I first went to college, these people really helped to opened my eyes. I remember saying to myself, “There is no way these people could be so nice and also be Muslim.” I wanted to prove that they were the “good ones,” and that their religion was as bad as the media said it was.
Still, if you would have told me when I was 16 that I would be a Muslim in the future, I would never have believed you. Before I went to college, I thought all of the bad and stereotypical things about Muslims were true, since I’d never met one. The only thing that I knew about Muslims was what I saw on the news.
When I went to college, I finally started to meet people from many different cultures and religions. Many of my friends were Muslims and were so nice. Although I was very close-minded when I first went to college, these people really helped to opened my eyes. I remember saying to myself, “There is no way these people could be so nice and also be Muslim.” I wanted to prove that they were the “good ones,” and that their religion was as bad as the media said it was.
The first thing that sparked me to really start looking into Islam was when one of my friends said, “We have very similar religions and the same prophets.” They told me the story of prophet Noah and the ark. I said, “We have the same story in the Bible.”
So, I started looking into the religion by researching the similarities between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I practiced praying and fasting during my second year in college, just to try it out. I wanted to really experience life through my friends’ eyes.
Then I decided by myself to read the Quran. I was at a fellow Muslim convert’s house for Iftar (break fast during Ramadan) and I asked her if I could borrow her Quran to read. Later that night, after I got home, I opened the Quran and reading it. My heart became full of love and I saw the light of God calling me to Islam. It is a feeling I cannot even begin to explain.
This was during Ramadan of 2013. I still didn’t have much interest in converting after I read the Quran. I didn’t convert right away because that would be a huge step for me, especially with the thought of what my family and friends would say. It took me 6 months after the first time I read the Quran, for me to take shahada (my declaration of faith). I tried to get people to come with me to a mosque to say the shahada, but no one would come. So after I converted, only a few people knew about it. I was too scared to tell my parents.
This was during Ramadan of 2013. I still didn’t have much interest in converting after I read the Quran. I didn’t convert right away because that would be a huge step for me, especially with the thought of what my family and friends would say. It took me 6 months after the first time I read the Quran, for me to take shahada (my declaration of faith). I tried to get people to come with me to a mosque to say the shahada, but no one would come. So after I converted, only a few people knew about it. I was too scared to tell my parents.
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7 responses to “Granddaughter of A Pentecostal Preacher Converts to Islam”
Dear Sister in IslamI've just read about your journey. Stay strong and may Allah guide you always in'sha'allah. Ameen.Your brother in IslamAli
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Alhamdulillah
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Alhamdulillah, Sister may Allah ( swt ) guide and reward you for your learning and seeking the guidance and truth, hold fast to it to achieve JANNAH.AMEEN
The part that struck me in your article is that you prayed to God (not to Jesus) even as a Christian. You were much closer to Him than you thought you were.
The part that struck me from your article is that you prayed to God even as a Christian (and not to Jesus). He was always close to you, but you were closer to Him than you thought you were.
Alhumdulillah sister may Allah reward in this Duniyeh and the here after.Ameen