MAKKAH — THIRTY-year-old Roman Catholic
Jeffrey Perida, a Filipino, who was planning to
become a successful preacher, never thought
he would embrace Islam one day, changing his
life completely.
He is now a Muslim and he performed Haj this
year as a guest of Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Salman. It is mindboggling to
fathom the reason for Perida’s conversion to
Islam because he was religiously following
Judeo-Christianity.
“God shows the way for us to take the right
path without our knowledge. I am happy and
thankful to the Almighty for leading me to
Islam,” Perida said.
Perida was born and brought up in a Roman
Catholic family in Manila and he had been
strictly following Christian religious teachings
and prayers.
“I had a feeling that one day I would become a
successful priest and that was my future plan,”
he told Al-Hayat Arabic daily in Makkah.
When his father switched to Judeo-Christianity
and himself and family embraced the new
faith. Jeffrey Perida had become a leader of
the movement.
He later spent seven years in the US to learn
English and returned back to Manila to work as
a teacher. In the meantime, he obtained an
MBA degree.
Perida’s meeting with Saudi student Khaled Al-
Muhammadi, who came to Manila to learn
English, proved a turning point in his life. “I
never knew that my association with
Muhammadi, which lasted only for two months,
would lead me to embrace Islam.”
Although Muhammadi had left Manila he kept
touch with Perida and used to send video clips
about Islam as well as Qur’anic verses with
their meaning in English.
“I never watched those clips or listened to the
Qur’an because I was afraid of Muslims.” Perida
had a bad impression about Islam and Muslims
because of the media’s negative portrayal of
the religion and its followers. “Moreover, a
Jewish teacher had told me many negative
things about Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him),” he pointed out.
Muhammadi used to ask Perida whether he had
seen the video clips and read the Qur’anic
verses. “I told him ‘yes’ just to please him. I
had a prick of conscience for telling lies
because I hated that.”
Then I watched the video clips and read the
Qur’anic verses, which totally changed my
impression about Islam. My friend Muhammadi
continued his help to enhance my knowledge of
Islam.
Later I had a dream, which was very clear. I saw
from a distance a group of people
circumambulating a black cubic structure.
I was in the second floor of the building and
later I found myself among them circulating
the structure wearing white clothes as the
other people.
I was excited. I looked at the right side and
found my friend Muhammadi stretching his
hands toward me. Then I saw a glittering divine
light coming from the sky to embrace me.
Perida adds: “Then I found myself walking
inside a big mosque with a large number of
people. My friend Muhammadi, who was
holding my hand, asked me to walk quickly.
Here I got up with excitement. I am sure the
dream was about Makkah and the Grand
Mosque.” He later informed Muhammadi about
his dream through WhatsApp.
The friend told him that the dream proved he
would become a Muslim one day to visit the
holy places in Saudi Arabia.
But Perida was hesitant to declare his
intentions of joining Islam. But the pictures of
his dream kept pursuing him. However, he did
not take long to embrace Islam as his new
religion.
On Aug. 1, 2014, he pronounced the Shahada
that there is no God except Allah and
Muhammad is His Prophet.
This year Perida was able to perform Haj as a
guest of King Salman, realizing his dream. He
believes that it was a great blessing from God
and one of His marvelous wonders.
Source: https://www.saudigazette.com.sa/mobile/index.cfm?method=sphome.spcon&contentid=20151004258543