I want to ask you about your story of being a Muslim.

You were a Christian?

Brother Ismail:

Yes, I was a Christian before.

Interviewer:

Practicing?

Brother Ismail:

Well yes and no, throughout my life I was raised a traditional Roman Catholic Christian. We used to go to church me and my family but not always.

There were times when I was a church-goer and there were times when I wasn’t. However, at the age of 20, I became a very motivated and enthusiastic Christian and I did become a practicing Christian. I was a born-again Christian, so I have an experience of different flavors of Christianity: Roman Catholicism as well as evangelical born-again Christian.

Interviewer:

Mashallah, and what happened?

Brother Ismail:

Well basically after a few years of following the teachings of Christianity, and trying to put the faith into practice and being a good Christian, and witnessing to other people or telling them about Jesus, or reading a bible or going to church watching Christian television programs on a daily basis, I started to question the teachings of Christianity.

Something inside of me was missing, and I felt that I needed to find out what was this vacuum, this hole inside me that needed to be filled. And this basically, to put a long story in a nutshell, led me to Islam.

And what connected me to Islam, even though I was a Christian, was the person of Jesus Christ (Isa, peace be upon him as they say in Arabic). I knew that Islam taught Muslims that Jesus was a prophet that God sent, and this was enough for me to investigate the teachings of Islam.

Interviewer:

As a Canadian, after ten years of being Muslim, are you 100% convinced that Islam is the true religion? Can you give me an evidence for that briefly?

Brother Ismail:

Yes, for me Islam is the true religion. There is no doubt in my mind. I would never leave Islam. No amount of money in the world would make me leave Islam. No persecution would make me leave Islam. I will be a Muslim till the day I die in-sha’Allah with the help of Allah.

For me, the proof that Islam is the Truth, there could be many examples actually and many evidences that would show that.

For example, the Quran itself is a miracle in its structure; in its Arabic language in its eloquence. There are also scientific statements in the Quran which are accurate in terms of modern day science. There are prophecies in the Quran made in the past that have been fulfilled.

So there are many evidences you could use. But also there is the practical and personal evidence that you could look at as well. If you follow Islam with faith and sincerity, put it into practice and you will find that your life becomes blessed and Allah opens up doors of opportunity for you that you could never imagine. So there are many ways you can actually prove Islam is the true religion.

Interviewer:

What about those people who say that Islam came after Christianity. So it must be the religion that came first that is the true religion. And Muhammad came after Jesus, so why do we believe in Muhammad not Jesus if Muhammad came later?

Brother Ismail:

Well if I use that argument that the Quran is 600 years or so later after the New Testament, therefore we shouldn’t follow the Quran because the Bible came first, you can use that same argument towards the Christians. Why do you follow the New Testament when it came long after the Old Testament? Why follow Jesus when Jesus came long after Moses? etc…

This is not a logical argument to use against Islam. We believe that the same God, Allah as we call God in Arabic, is the same God that revealed the Torah to Moses, the Gospel to Jesus and the Quran to Muhammad. He is the same God and therefore you’ll find similarities in the scriptures between the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Quran, because they all have the same source, and that’s Allah. And of course I’m referring to the original Torah and the original Gospel, not today’s versions which of course you know are not original.

Interviewer:

So is it acceptable for someone to follow Christianity or Judaism because they are from the same God?

Brother Ismail:

No, when Allah, Almighty God, revealed Islam and the Quran to the last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), this was the way of life that God wanted us to follow from that point onwards. So from the time of Prophet Muhammad onwards, the only valid legitimate way of life that God wants for us to follow is Islam.

So therefore Islam, although it recognizes the truth within Judaism and Christianity, Islam has however abrogated those former religions and they are no longer valid. Now to be a true believer in God and a follower of the Prophet, you must become a Muslim. So that’s basically my answer to that.

Interviewer:

And how is your life after being a Muslim? Is it good or not?

Brother Ismail:

Yes, if I compare my life till now, you know being a Muslim for 10 years, comparing it to when I was non-Muslim, my life has become much more blessed not only in worldly affairs but also spiritually. I feel much more blessed now, and yes there is a huge difference between me now and me when I was a non-Muslim.

Interviewer:

Can we conclude this interview with an advice for non-Muslims and another for non-Muslims?

Brother Ismail:

Sure, first of all for the Muslims who live in Arab countries or Muslim countries, I myself lived in North Africa, in the Middle East, and I have some experience, and I know the way that Muslims think. Let me tell you something: If you are living in a Muslim country you see all the people around you, they are all Muslims, and they all have this respect for Islam and Muslims, and the Quran, etc.

But for those of you who have not travelled outside those Muslim countries, it’s a different picture when you come here for example. In the west, not all people respect Islam, not all people like Muslims or the Quran etc.

And I think it’s important for you to realize that for those of you who are still in Muslim countries, and do what you can to educate people about Islam and spread the word of Islam. For example, if you see a foreigner, a non-Muslim, coming to your country or tourist, try to be polite to them, show them good examples and good manners of Islam, and also try to convey the teachings of Islam to them and be a good Muslim in yourself and in-sha’Allah other people around you will benefit from that.

My advice for the non-Muslims is: Realize that life is short. What you see around you, all of these things in this world will not last forever, including yourself. You will die someday, I will die someday, and brother Abu Ayoub will die someday. This is a fact we can all agree upon.

Reach out to God and seek Him with sincerity of faith. Search for the truth while you are still alive and still have the chance. And investigate Islam, and even other religions for that matter. But be sincere and open-minded and try not to be biased as much as possible.

And when you are investigating Islam, again look at the Quran. Look at its miraculous features. Look at the life of the Prophet Muhammad through Muslim books and Muslim media etc. because in my personal opinion non-Muslims don’t portray him in a fair fashion.

Published: January 2016.