~AKHIRAH~

A warm welcome to all converts to Islam! I too am a convert (or revert, as many like to say).

I have written in-depth versions, in various formats, of how it was I came to embrace and be embraced by al-Islam. But the short version is: my first IM chat friend asked me to read the Qur'an, I did, and somewhat against my will, but my mind unable to deny the truth, my heart took Shahadah (the declaration of faith).

I feared at first that the path would be too hard. It hasn't been. Not that it has been entirely easy; I am my own worst enemy, after all, and engaged in constant jihad. As a convert in Islam it can seem overwhelming at times that there is so much to learn, so many changes to make, and sometimes against great opposition (both internal and external). But when we strive to do the will of Allah, we have the help of Allah. What more is needed?

Ibn 'Abbas related, "One day I was riding behind Rasulullah (saws) when he said:

'I want to teach you some things. Obey Allah, and He will look after you. Obey His commands, and He will always be on your side. When you ask, ask only from Him, and when you seek help, seek help from Him alone. Remember that if all men combined to help you, they would be able to help you only in the way that Allah has willed. And if they all combined to harm you, they would be able to harm you only in the way which Allah has willed.'" (Tirmidhi)

And Allah's mercy and love for helping those who come to Him are great.

Abu Dharr Ghifari related that Rasulullah (saws) said:

Allah, Who is Lord of Glory, says: "When someone comes a hand's width closer to Me, I come an arm's length closer to him. When someone comes an arm's length closer to Me, I come two arms' lengths closer to him. When someone comes to Me walking, I come to him running. And when someone comes to Me with as many sins as the whole world could contain, I come to him with as much forgiveness as that." (Muslim)

I have found that Allah ta'ala's mercy has been extended generously to me through other Muslims and Muslimah's since my conversion, reminding me of yet another Hadith:

Abu Hurairah related that Rasulullah (saws) said:

Allah possesses one hundred mercies, only one of which He has sent down to the world, through which His creatures are merciful to each other. And ninety-nine mercies has He held back, and with them He shall have mercy on people on the Day of Judgment. (Bukhari)

RESOURCES FOR NEW CONVERTS:

• I Profess
  
• Muslim Converts
  
• Easy Guide
  
• Learning to Recite Qur'an

Evangelical Christian Convert to Islam:

Tanya's Story:

Atheist Scientist Converts to Islam:

Journalist Yvonne Ridley:

Why Abdul Raheem Green Came to Islam:

Ali from Ummah Films:

 Malcolm X/El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz:

Sir Archibald Hamilton (converted in 1923): 

in his words:

Since arriving at an age of discretion, the beauty and the simple purity of Islam have always appealed to me. I could never, though born and brought up as a Christian, believe in the dogmatic aspect of the Church, and have always placed reason and commonsense above blind faith.

As the time progressed, I wished to be at peace with my Creator, and I found that both the Church of Rome and the Church of England were of no real use to me.

In becoming a Muslim I have merely obeyed the dictates of my conscience, and have since felt a better and a truer man.

There is no religion that is so maligned by the ignorant and the biased as is Islam; yet if people only knew, it is the religion of strong for the weak, the rich for the poor. Humanity is divided into three classes. First, those on whom God has, out of His bounty, bestowed possessions and wealth; secondly, those who have to work to earn their living; and lastly, the great army of the unemployed, or those who have fallen by the wayside through no fault of their own.

Again Islam recognizes genius and individuality. It is constructive and not destructive. For example, if a landowner who is rich and is not in need of cultivating his land refrains from doing so for some time, his property ipso facto becomes public property, and according to Islam Law, passes into the hands of the first person who cultivates it.

Islam strictly forbids its adherents to gamble or to indulge in any games of chance. It prohibits all alcoholic drinks and interdicts usury, which alone has caused enough sorrow and suffering to mankind. Thus, in Islam, none can take a mean advantage of another who is less fortunate.

We neither believe in fatalism nor in predestination, but only in pre-measurement; that is to say the fixity of the laws and the intelligence to follow them.

To us, Faith without Action is a dead-letter; for in itself it is insufficient unless we live up to it. We believe in our own personal accountability for our actions in this life and the Hereafter. We must carry our own cross and none can atone for another's sin.

Islam teaches the inherent sinlessness of man. It teaches that man and woman come from the same essence, possess the same soul, and have been equipped with equal capabilities for intellectual, spiritual and moral attainment.

I do not think I need say much about the Universal Brotherhood of man in Islam. It is a recognized fact. Lord and vassal, rich and poor, are all like. I have always found that my brother Muslims have been the soul of honour and that I could believe their word. They have always treated me justly, as a man and a brother, and have extended to me the greatest hospitality, and I have always felt at home with them.

In conclusion, I would like to say that whereas Islam guides humanity in the daily workaday life, the present-day so-called Christianity, indirectly in theory and invariably in practice, teaches its followers, it would seem, to pray to God on Sundays and to prey on His creatures for the rest of the week.

From "Islam, Our Choice"

(Source: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/newmuslims/hamilton.html)

LINKS:

• New Muslims Stories
  
• Muslim Converts
  
• Converts to Islam Videos