For many years of my young life, but most profoundly in recent times, I have been in avid pursuit of God and His universal Truth.

I live in a New England suburban town, and I enjoy many things, including music, reading, and camping; however, religion and God have always been important in my life, and I have always had a relationship with Him.

I was previously a Christian and was very happy and content with my faith; however, I came to realize that much of what I believed was “un-Christian” by doctrinal standards.

Also, I was becoming rather interested and intrigued by other religions in an attempt to promote universality, yet many Christians are against learning, and especially practicing other religions.

Mind you, I have received my share of “watch out with that stuff and don’t be deceived” and “the Bible is God’s only truth.” However, I realized that a loving, kind, and merciful God such as Allah would not limit Himself to one group of people. Soon enough, I was immersed in the teachings of Gautama Buddha and of Hindu yogis, and yes, I even got myself a copy of the Quran.

I’m not entirely sure why I first decided to buy an English Interpretation of the Quran, but I believe it had something to do with me wanting to learn about a faith which was almost entirely foreign to me. As I eagerly thumbed through the pages I felt something inside me saying, very quietly at first, “This is indeed the Word of God.” Now, being a Christian I was taught that the Bible is God’s only preserved, perfect, and unchanged Word.

My history teacher, a Christian, once told me that every misconception about Islam is untrue (i.e. Muhammad was a terrorist, he is the Muslim Jesus, peace be upon both Prophets, etc, etc) and was very pleased with my reading of the Quran and open-mindedness.

I soon came to accept the truth of Islam; ironically, to Christians at least, there was a prominent figure that inspired me to convert to Islam: Jesus Christ.

I recognized the similarity and importance of what he taught in many passages of the Quran. I saw how the Quran states that Jesus and his teachings contain guidance, salvation, and Light.

Almost immediately I was researching Islam on the internet and I thought, “Surely this is a true faith!”

So, I eventually took shahadah (I believe in the one true God, Allah, and that Muhammad is a Messenger of God) and became an “official” Muslim. 

Now, just because I now began referring to myself as a Muslim instead of a Christian didn’t mean that I had to give up beliefs. I never believed in a Trinitarian God or that Jesus was God Himself; after all, Jesus taught to abide by his word and to obey the Father, and that the Father is greater than he. The only main difference was that I now recognized the validity of Muhammad’s prophethood and the Truth of the Quran.

However, Islam was different to me in some respects than Christianity, but in ways that were pleasant and helpful. For example, I have always had a good relationship with God because of Jesus and his teachings, and I have always seen Christianity as a religion focused on God’s love.

Islam is both a religion which requires certain beliefs and is focused around the love of God/a relationship with Him, and it also has a strong aspect of law abiding, and ritual; in short, it has the passion and love of Christianity and the law and ritual of Judaism. These two are of course a fine combination if one wishes to know God and be obedient of His commandments.

As I partially mentioned before, my conversion to Islam was not an entirely huge step for me, because I was already a very spiritual person in touch with God; however, upon my conversion I found myself reading the Quran a lot, learning about the Prophet Muhammad and researching all aspects of Islam.

I hope to God that anyone who hears about my religious conversion will see me the same way as they did before.

The main impact that Islam has had on my life is that now, more than ever, I find myself in great obedience to God. I’m almost never angry, I don’t swear, I obey the Quran to the best of my abilities, and any minor sin I may commit (i.e. lust) I ask immediate forgiveness from God.

I am also very jovial and peaceful, and I have excelled in wisdom. God even inspired me to write an essay in which I propose a non-Trinitarian way of viewing the nature of God which can be fully accepted by both Muslims and Christians.

I feel as though in recent times I know God more than ever.

I was always taught to believe in God and Jesus so that I may have eternal life, yet one day I realized that I do not believe in God and His Messengers and His commandments so that I can live forever, but because of my undying love and supreme reverence for the Almighty.

God exists here and now, on Earth, and you must look inside yourselves and around you at His Creation to find Him. Why wait for eternity to come when you can experience God’s presence anywhere at any time?

Islam has indeed made me spiritually stronger than ever, and I thank God for inviting me to be a part of it. I wish the entire world could know how great Islam really is and stop judging it by the actions of a few men (terrorists and fundamentalists) who bring shame to Islam and the name of God.

As advice to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, don’t take seriously what is written negatively about Islam on the internet. I have read horrible things including: Islam is a cult, it leads people away from God, Muslims don’t believe in Jesus, Allah is not God or Yahweh, and even a site which poked fun at Islam, instructing Christians how to kindly point out contradictions in the Quran or Muslim belief to get Muslims to convert to Christianity, etc.

The real truth is one’s relationship with God and obeying His commands that leads to eternal life and salvation. To any Christian who may be sceptical about this simple statement on the ticket to eternal life, ask Jesus:

“Whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me (God) has eternal life.” (John 5:24)

And to support it with a Quranic passage:

{O believers, believe in God and His Messenger(s), and the Book He has sent down on His Messenger (Muhammad), and the Book (Gospel) which he sent down before.} (4:135)

In the prior, as in the latter, there is no complex theology: just God and His Messengers.

I hope and pray that there shall be a day when every person shall bow before God Almighty, and love Him with the greatest of love. May the Truth guide all men to salvation, and may the Eternal engulf them in His ever embracing Light.