Story of Wanda and how she became a Muslim - very inspiring for all.
I was raised in a Christian environment, but from about the age of 7 or 8 I openly refused to accept the idea that God and Christ were one in the same--nor did I accept the trinity.
There were six children and my parents. No one else thought as I did, so you can imagine how very interesting "Bible Study" got at home. My mother was so shocked by my steadfastness, but nothing she said could change my mind. As shy as I was, I stood my ground and refused to accept my families' beliefs. For whatever reason, I simply could not accept the Christian concepts to the point I got nothing out of the studies.
When I was fourteen, I decided I wanted to search for what I could not find in Christianity. I was literally starving spiritually for something I had no name for, but felt it existed somewhere.
I visited other religions--studied with some of them, but there was always that point where I was aware they were not for me. I just about visited every church/religion you could think of and they all fell short of the concept I had in my mind and heart for My true religion. The one religion I kept searching for was that which I could serve with all my heart and soul totally, fully, truly and uncondionally beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I was an oddball among my family and my peers. All during my childhood strange things happened to me that could not be explained by ordinary standards. I stood out like a sore thumb. I stopped going to church except for special family funcions and funerals. I prayed to God often, and tried to live my life each day to the best of my abilities with God's guidance. I prayed to God to show me where I belonged. I asked Him where did I belong? I prayed for years and years, and would you believe I finally got my answer? Almost 4 years ago, I got an unsolicited letter out of the blue from a man who got my name from a penpal list sent to him by his sister-in-law.
I answered his first letter and from then on, it all was very interesting. I could read from the flavor of his letters that he was Muslim; he acknowledged this fact. I noticed his beliefs were a lot like my own and over time,he told me that without knowing it,I basically lived my life as a believer. We had so much in common when it came to serving God.
He sent me literature. The first piece of literature was so very beautiful, I could hardly stand the overwhelming emotion that came forth as I read it. It touched me to the point that I could not hold back my tears. I was so shaken by it; I have no words to explain what was in my heart at that time. I thorouhly studied all the literature sent thereafter, and it had the same emotional affect upon me.
There came a point in my studies where I hungered to know more and more, so I bought my own Holy Quran. I needed to read this Book from whence all this beauty and truth flowed. I have never been able to simply take someone's word for anything. Religion is definitely not something to embark upon with "blind" faith; I have always felt the need to seek truth and knowledge for myself.
The first day I got the Holy Quran [English translaton], I read the opening, Al-Fatihah. It was short, but so very beautiful and so powerful!!! That year I read the entire Holy Quran. I learned the Five Pillars of Islam and the Six Articles of Faith.
At the age of 45, Allah finally told me where I belonged. I accepted Islam openly and fully. That which I sought, but had not the name of, was in fact Islam. I eagerly embraced it fully and as natural as the air I am blessed to breathe each day I wake. My soul was starving for Islam, and my heart yearned for it. Islam has never felt like a stranger to me. By the Grace, Love and Mercy of Allah, I AM HOME!!!! AMEEN!
As far as I know, I am the first in my generational family line to become Muslim. Needless to say, my family members were not happy campers! It was like a single republican [me] being in the midst of generations of democrats! All praise be to Allah, One of my two sons embraced Islam a year later.
In closing, I would like to include a part of something I wrote to a friend who recently apologized for some very harsh/bitter things he said with regard to Muslims/Islam as a result of the 9-11-01 bombings in the U.S. These words sum up all that I feel for Islam:
"I embraced Islam because I have basically lived my life in this manner anyway--all my life. It seemed so natural and befitting to embrace Islam, and so I did. It has wrapped itself around me like a cloak of warmth, honor and protection. I try to wear this "cloak" each day to the best of my abilities--I want to make it even stronger, for in doing so, I come closer to becoming what God has ordained for me to become. Whatever, that is, I know it is a good thing. God only has goodness and is goodness."
This is my story of How I entered into Islam. This story has no ending. It begins again each time I wake and will not end until Allah calls me back to him. In the meantime, I will strive to work very hard at sending good things ahead of me!
Now days we as Muslims have to spread the voice to learn quran and so we could gain the true knowledge and the quran teaching that is give to us by our beloved prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and do quran reading. Do we as Muslim ask our self that why we are at the peak of destruction? The answer will be simple that we have left our roots the holy quran we should guide promote Islam from in our homes first and let learn our kids quran and encourage them in doing quran memorization this should be our first goal for it we can do different stuff like let then participate in different online quran recitation competition to let them listen quran from different online quran reciters and along with it we elders should learn quran also and improve our knowledge of quran and Islam and learn holy quran tafseer because to understand and learn quran Arabic and for this now a days there are many online quran tutor available who teach tajweed quran and its translation and tafseer so let us join our hands to be the voice of Islam and let improve the image of it as well and full fill our deputy
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