My name is Elias Salaam. I was born in Washington state on March 1987.

I was raised in Olympia until I was eight and then we decided to move to Vancouver.

Under the microscope of history and myth, I regularly studied numerous faiths and religions, from the early age of 15. I debated with philosophers twice my age on the origins of religion.

Not even touching the bottom basics and pillars of the early religions, I had a theory, religion was given to man, man evolved religion and shaped it to what suited him best until that religion became far from the truth that it had once been.

Many veteran philosophers were entertained by my inexperienced theory structure, and patted me on the back and lead me on to what was to be my lifelong journey, to prove my theory correct.

I studied comparative religions, and dug a deep hole thinking philosophy would accept a rogue mind like mine; philosophy was known to be the area and field where materialists and non-believers dwelled.

I had no ground in that area of study, I became a laughing stock very quickly, always ending my debates with ambiguous statements such as “There is a GOD and you know it.” I never fit in, in any religious category, be it monotheism, either strict or the three in one romantics.

Polytheism was the theme I ran with, saying “Aha. Religion has become philosophy and there you can see man’s hands very clearly.”

 I based my whole arguments that man toyed with faith contributing his own philosophies and belittled mental capacity, basically handicapping whatever spiritual truth and prophecy that had ever existed in the scriptures or oral traditions, messages from the divine in all respects.

My first mistake in my inexperienced method of arguing was, never clearly state the heart of your argument in your debate, or else the opponent will know your weapons and break you down right then and there.

I fell only to get right back up, I continued with a chip on my back, sometimes I felt doubt haunting me from time to time, questions appeared in my mind due to the pressures that came from philosophy which was to brainwash you into thinking sooner or later in that field: “There might just not be a God.”

But then again I could not let such thoughts creep up on me because that would jeopardize my whole life’s work if I jumped into conclusions. I always lived with logic, there is birth so there must be death and if there is a beginning there must be an end. Perfect logic solved most of the predicaments that rode my way.

A chain of single headed thoughts slipped into my mind like the revelations that came to prophets, like a bell a single theory sealed my heart and closed the deal. Man was given a message, indeed he was. Philosophy tells us, some men from ecstasy or hallucination see God and drive their whole life on that single event.

Some role-play these materialists play, but I knew they could not disprove God nor could I single handed prove His existence, even Stephen Hawkins in his paralyzed state toppled the whole physics structure and changed it completely.

I knew I had finally come up with a logical argument that was very easy to contemplate. God gave His message to mankind; mankind was told the divine cannot be comprehended by the two most important senses of the body, touch, and sight, and one more factor which was total relationship.

This divine being was just too far so they brought Him closer, His word was not enough so they added to it, He had no image so they drew one, He was not among them so they made Him in their image and created a man god or son of a god.

One single pillar withdrawn from a structure, that structure shall collapse, so God’s message collapsed by Man’s lack of responsibility and lack of understanding the element of “trust.”

I withdrew from all conversations and hid my soul in the shade of secrecy. I knew I had to build my theory a bit more to bring it to the devastating light of the public, which always had the ammunition to bring down even the clearest of truths.

During this time of seclusion, I came upon a book which broke down simple definitions of living religions of today, there I looked without interest at sectarian religions and I looked on what was called “Prophet of Our Age”…

I was curious as to whom this prophet of our age was, since all the prophets I knew of were the Jainism prophets and the biblical prophets, and they disappeared around a thousand years ago to the least.

 This prophet’s name was Muhammad…

 For a minute I objected to the idea that he was the prophet of our age, due to his message being a thousand years old. I gave it another try and pushed out my copy of the translated version of the Quran and screened it once and twice.

 Intrigued, I was lured into reading for more and more weeks, until I came upon some chapters that completely validated my whole way of thinking. I had found the only message from God that man had not had his way with, I had now found my mother faith, I had now found “Allah”.

Simple but by far not easy to explain the familiarity with this message in which I was not accustomed to, I rebelled and came into public eye arguing how no one of those “filthy” philosophers never explained the importance of this “noble message” I had now discovered; only to be told: “word of the ancients.”

In a small frown I smiled, because those same words were in the Quran, “And when they heard our Message they utter in ignorance, Word of the Ancients” as if to prophesize this day, this hour, this moment. I knew by God this was the same day I would say: There is no God but God, and this noble Prophet of our day is His Messenger.

My mother had passed away a long time ago. I was an only child; my father had raised me upon the values of early Greek philosophers. It was that mankind was brought into the world not familiar with anything except “thought”.

What my father called “thought” was the philosophical thought process, which enabled us to examine the world around us and our universe and come to the nearest cousin of the truth. We are philosophical beings he would always say, without our philosophy and our intellectual thought; we would be no different from animals.

He and I never spoke much; even as I graduated he said only a few words. I studied University in Washington state, being at a great distance from him, he would not call me much just to speak to me, but would leave me messages of quotes and advice.

I had no plans to tell my father about my conversion because he did not care for my spiritual path. He asked me a question which unavoidably brought out my reversion, “Have you found peace?”

A question which he would ask me on many occasions now seemed like a strange request to know my religious identity. He sighed when I told him about my reversion and said, “If you have found peace, you have no further reason to live, unless you have been given a mission which you are reluctant to comply with.”

My friends which were few balked at my reversion and told me my days of disbelief were better than my days of belief. And that I have finally chosen to live the rest of my life blind folded, controlled and indoctrinated. Yet I live on, yet still not far away but much more closer to peace.

I always sought truth, yet now I am on the right path to seek it. I am nearer to success and further from denial. “Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are [all] for Allah, the Cherisher of the worlds.”