106 reasons: ‘Why I Converted to Islam’
(Part 1.)

Dubai’s Islamic affairs department recently published a book in which over a 100 people shared their reasons for converting (or reverting) to Islam. The UAE is perhaps one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and hence the inputs from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives make the book especially interesting. We are happy to have transcribed them for you.

1.ONENESS OF GOD:

I accepted the religion of Islam because Islam is the only religion on the face of earth which strongly believes and adheres to the concept of One True God. In Islam, the concept of one God is very clear and its whole foundation is based on Monotheism. –CRNELIO SABADO, ADAM, PHILIPPINE.

2.GOD HAS NO GOD:

In most of the regions I learnt and found that every god in these religions has another god above him. For example, Christians believe that Jesus is God, but Jesus himself had God who was superior to him. In Islam, God has neither father nor son and no one is superior to Him. – LUCY CHILUMBA, MARYAM, ZAMBIA.

3.ALLAH IS VERY IMPORTANT IN ISLAM:

The importance of Allah is much higher among Muslims than any other people to their gods. I found Muslims keeping Allah in their minds all the time. – NATALIA BRICICARI, NOORA, MOLDOVA.

4.ALLAH HEARS ME WHEN I CALL HIM:

On losing my job and being alone a my labour camp, I started asking Allah like Muslims do requesting Him to find a way for me as I was having problems back home. Within a week I got the chance to restart my work and earn money. – KANNAN KUPPU, SAMEER, INDIA.

5.ALLAH HAS NO IMAGE:

The first time I came to know that Allah has no image was when there was a visit to a Masjid for Non Muslims conducted by Islamic Affairs Dept. After hearing the explanation about Allah that He Is almighty, all knowing and All-powerful, I accepted Islam. – MANUEL PARRA, MOOSA, ITALY.

6.ALLAH’S BEAUTIFUL NAMES:

My friend explained to me about the beautiful names and attributes that Allah has, and also explained to me their meanings. Allah has all good qualities which are benefitting Him alone. Allah’s being the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful brought me closer to Islam. – MARILYN GUNAO, LAILA, PHILIPINE.

7.WORSHIPING THE CREATOR NOT HIS CREATION:

I remember while sitting at the New Muslims Section, one of the Guides explained to me about the life of Prophet Abraham, who in the beginning worshiped the Star, Moon and Sun and at last he discovered that we should worship the Creator not His creation. – CHANDRIKA ABO, AYESHA, SRI LANKA.

8.WORSHIPING SO MANY GODS IN MY PREVIOUS RELIGION:

We were worshipping thousands of gods and we had different gods whom my parents and other family members were worshipping. From the beginning, I was not worshipping these gods. Once I came to Dubai, I stopped doing everything related to my religion and started believing in one true God and at last I found this concept in Islam. – ADARSH KUMAR, MUHAMMAD, INDIA.

9.ALLAH IS UNIVERSAL GOD:

In each region and place we have different gods, where as for Muslims, Allah is their God wherever they are. From Nepal to India, from Kashmir to KanyaKumari, you can list the names of our gods in thousands but for Muslims, they have one Universal God. – SANJANA SISODIYA, ASMA, INDIA.

10.GOD IS ONE IN COMMANDMENTS:

In 10 commandments of the Bible, it is mentioned that God is only One and we should worship Him alone but we do not follow these commands, whereas I found this concept very clearly only in Qur’an. – LEIMEN KAMWA, ABDUL RAHMAN, CAMEROON.

11.NOT WORSHIPPING MARY:

We worship Mary and my mother is very devoted to mother Mary, whereas it is not mentioned anywhere in the Holy Bible to worship her. While reading about Mother Mary in Islamic Books, I got precise information about her and I accepted Islam. – ALVA PAGADUAN, ZEENATH, PHILIPPINE.

12.JESUS WAS NOT SON OF GOD:

My study of Christianity through the Holy Bible and another books led me to believe and know that Jesus was not the son of God. In fact the term ‘SON’ is used for other prophets and pious men of God in the holy Bible, that mean Jesus is not only Son of God. – PAUL MARTIN, ABDUL RAHMAN, AUSTRALIA.

13.JESUS WAS JUST A PROPHET:

The concept of Jesus being a prophet is very clear and logical, as several times in the Bible it is mentioned that he was a prophet of God. The Holy Quran provides clear evidence that Jesus was neither god nor son of God; rather he was a prophet and messenger of God. – RYNO FOURIE, RAYYAN, SOUTH AFRICA.

14.JESUS NEVER SAID HE IS GOD:

It was shocking for me to know that Jesus had never stated in the Bible that he is God. This made me question my belief that Jesus is God, so I started reading about him till I reached the point that he is not God. MADELANE LUCIDO TATO, ADILA, PHILIPPINE.

15.BIBLE LED ME TO ISLAM:

Yes of course, after reading the Bible I accepted Islam. In fact the Bible helped me correct my beliefs and I read further about Islam. Thus I embraced Islam. – JOSEPH GRIFFIN, MUHAMMAD JAMEEL, UNITED KINGDOM.

16.LIFE OF PROPHET MUHAMMED(PEACE BE UPON HIM):

The Islamic Affair Dept had conducted a Quiz Competition on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by the title “IF YOU KNOW HIM YOU WILL LOVE HIM” and had announced exciting prizes for the winner. To get the reward I spent day and night reading the book about the Prophet and surprisingly I was the winner (got 1st prize). After some days I started reading more books about Prophet Muhammad and embraced Islam. – CATHERINE DE VILLA, KHULSUM, PHILIPPINE.

17.PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S (PEACE BE UPON HIM) MERCY:

The Prophet’s immense mercy towards human beings (especially slaves and women), animals, environment etc. were the main reasons for me to accept the truth brought by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). – JOCHEN PFISTERER, YASIN, GERMANY.

18.PROPHET’S CHARACTER:

I read many books on prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and found that his character was very placid and perfect as he was famous even among his enemies as Al Sadiq (the Truthful) and Al Ameen (the Trustworthy). – JORJ NABIL, ABDULLAH, EGYPT.

19.WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT MUHAMMAD(S.A.W):

Reading a famous book themed “What Great people say about Muhammad”, a collection of sayings of great personalities like GerogeBernade Shaw, M.K.Gandhietc, about Muhammad (peace be upon him) not only helped me in understanding the prophet’s life but also helped me in accepting the message brought by him and in following the path he showed us. DALE PROPP, ABU BAKR, CANADA.

20.THE 100 A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY BOOK BY MICHAEL H. HART:

Once I came to know that in Michael Hart’s famous book, prohet Muhammad’s name is mentioned in the top list, I got a copy of it from an international airport free zone and started reading about him and I read some other books on the life of the Prophet and accepted Islam. – GONZALO GARCIA, MUHAMMAD SAUOOD, AMERICA.

21.MUSLIMS FOLLOW MUHAMMAD(S.A.W)IN THEIR DAILY LIVES:

I was staying in a shared accommodation and had a Muslim room mates with me. I saw that they are always inspired about the life style of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and were following him accordingly. From keeping a beard to entering home, looking at mirror etc.,helped me to follow the same way of Muhammad as Muslims do. – RAJASEKHARAN NAIR, ABDULLAH, INDIA.

22.ISLAM’S ACCEPTANCE OF ALL THE PROPHETS:

I was surprised once I came to know that Muslims believe in all the Messengers and Prophets of God mentioned in the Holy Bible like Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, John and Jesus etc, and I had been informed that all the messengers and prophets were following one religion and brought one message. – GEOLGE ELIAS, ISHAQ, LEBANON.

23.THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM:

Islam is perfect in its concept and in its practice. The Five Pillars of Islam is designed very perfectly and emphases on every part of our life like inner faith, physical acceptance, feeling hunger, helping needy and global brotherhood. – DALIA SABIANO, SARA, PHILIPPINE.

24.EASY CONCEPT OF ISLAM BELIEFS:

The first thing which I learnt about Islam was about six pillars of faith. Every pillar of faith is there in Biblical scripts. But I found these in Islam very organized and adequate. Once my class was over on the topic, I asked my teacher to make me Muslim. – DESILDA E. ESTEBAN, ZULIKHA, PHILIPPINE.

25.QURAN THE BOOK OF ALLAH:

In college time, I got chance to get a copy of the Holy from one of my friends which helped me to understand Islam very clearly. I kept hat copy of the Quran with me for long time and continued reading it frequently. Once I visited Dubai, I accepted Islam. – SONIA KHIACA, KHADIJA, INDIA.

26.QURAN RESPECTS JESUS:

I even had no knowledge that Muslims acknowledge Jesus, once I came to know that Muslims believe in Jesus, his name is mentioned in the Quran several time and it is obligated upon every Muslim to believe in him and respect him, I started reading the Holy Quran and I found that Quran respects Jesus and provides clear picture about his personality. – DENISH AMONE, IBRAHIM, UGANDA.

27.CHAPTER ‘MARYAM’ OF QURAN CHANGED MY LIFE:

Once I started reading chapter Maryam of the Quran, everything had become clear to me. All the details of Jesus & his mother Mary are mentioned very beautifully. And at the end of the chapter, there is a warning for those who after receiving the truth turn their back and do not accept the truth. – FERNANDO CABIDA, ADNAN, PHILIPPINE.

28.CHAPTER ‘AL AHAD’ OF QURAN MADE ME MUSLIM:

I participated in the Quiz Competition titled “Who will be the Champion?” conducted by Islamic Affairs Dept. In the booklet given for preparation, I had to read Chapter ‘Al Ahad’ which is essence of the Message on one true God and it gives the ultimate understanding of the concept of monotheism. After reading that chapter and understanding the message, I accepted Islam. – RCDERIC VENTEREZ, ABDUL HAKEEM, PHILIPPINE.

29.THE QURAN CANNOT BE CHANGED:

I was surprised to know that the Quran has not been changed throughout centuries and will not change until the Last Day, because Allah has promised to keep the Quran intact and thousands of Muslims have learnt the Quran by heart. – JOSEPH VIRTUCIO, YUSUF, PHILIPPINE.

30.DO NOT TOUCH THE QUR’AN:

In a Sharjah Shopping Centre, it was written that “Non Muslims are not allowed to touch the Qur’an”. So I asked one of the Indian salesmen the reason behind it. He said, being a Arabic version, it is sacred and should be touched only while in ablution. Further, He promised me to provide one Quran with English translation and within a week he provided me the Quran in English. By going through the holy book, I accepted Islam and I informed the salesman. – KUNAL, ABDUL RAUF, INDIA.

31.PRAYER IN ISLAM:

For years I was observing Muslims while they were praying. I was often amazed by the way of worship devotion. No one asked me to accept Islam, through my observation of Muslims prayer, I accepted Islam. – JASON DULIS, MUBARAK, GERMANY.

32.UNITY IN PRAYER:

In the congregational prayer, there is no king or servant, rich or poor, white or black, first or second class, reserved or unreserved. All Muslims stand and pray shoulder to shoulder in the most disciplined manner and demonstrate unity in purpose and action, piety and humility before God and solidarity among Muslims. – TOUKPO, MUNEER, TOGO.

33.PRAYER WHEREVER THEY ARE:

While coming from Sharjah to Dubai at evening time, one of the taxi drivers stopped the taxi alongside the road and took his prayer mat, got down near Ansar Mall and started praying on the ground for about ten minutes, keeping all of us passengers waiting. In the beginning we though some technical problem happened to our car but later we came to know that the evening prayer should be performed on time. The driver’s devotion and sincerity towards his religion made me read further about Islam. – SAMBANDHAMKALIMUTHU, HABEEB, INDIA.

34.PRAYER IS A MUST:

Whatever situation comes and wherever we were with our Muslim friends, they never missed their prayers. While playing cricket, they used to stop for prayer and while going to shopping centers, they would often leave us and go for pray. That brought curiosity within me and I started praying with them until I became Muslim. – SANDESH SHIRKE, ABDUL LATEEF, INDIA.

35.MUSLIMS PRAY FROM THEIR HEARTS:

We Christians do not pray from our hearts, it is just a routine for us while for Muslims; they perform their prayers very sincerely and go to Masjid to perform their prayers regularly. – VERONIKA TRYFONOVA, SAFIYA, UKRAINE.

36.FRIDAY PRAYER:

All Muslims gather together for Friday prayer. No one leaves this occasion and one of my friends left his job only because he was not allowed by the Hotel to go for Friday prayer. Friday prayer is important for all the Muslims. – DEVIR SAPKOTA, ABDULLAH, NEPAL.

37.HEARING ADHAN EVERY MORNING:

I was staying in Sharjah, I and my family use to hear Adhan every day. Word to word we listened to it. I even started hearing Adhan in my dreams. You may say only Adhan had made me to accept Islam. – KUMAR BASTIN, MUHAMMAD KUMAR, INDIA.

38.MASJID HAS NO IMAGE:

Along with twenty non Muslims like me were taken to Sheikh Zayd Masjid in Abu Dhabi by Islamic Affairs Dept. it was very spiritual journey. On the way to Abu Dhabi from Dubai, they explained to us about Muslims do not worship any idol, they don’t keep any image inside the Masjid. A lady from Sheikh Zaydcentre explained very nicely to us about Masjid. Thus, I embraced Islam. – SZIDONIA BALINI, MARYAM FATIMA, ROMANIA.

39.MASJID WHAT IS INSIDE:

I am here in Dubai for quite a long time and had seen the minarets here and there in Dubai but had no chance to enter the Masjid. Once along with Sheikh Muhammad Foundation for Cultural Understanding I has visited Jumaira Masjid and got all the details of Masjid. Before I stepped out of the Masjid I accepted the truth. – DE WAELE TOM, DAWOOD, BELGUIM.

40.NIGHT PRAYER:

We are in labour accommodation staying with Muslims workers who is from Tamilnadu (India), used to get up at late night and perform his ablution and stand in prayer for long time. This way of worship was there regularly every night. My reason for embracing Islam is by seeing his devotion to almighty God. – SANTYANARAYANA, ALI, INDIA.

41.PRAYING BEFORE THEY SLEEP:

In Sharjah Jail, while I was there for six months, one of Muslim mate used to pray at night before going to sleep. He was doing so every night. I started questioning him and he gave me proper understanding of prayer and how to pray. Thus, I accepted Islam. – RAJESH M NAGU, ABDUL KAREEM, INDIA.

42.I STARTED CRYING ON MY FIRST PRAYER:

Even though I was not Muslim I had a chance to go to Masjid with my Muslim friends and I was asked to act as they are doing. It was my first prayer to Allah. In the beginning of the prayer, I started crying. After prayer I took Shahada in the Masjid itself. – HERNANDEZ, KAREMA, PHILIPPINE.

43.MONTH OF RAMADHAN:

Muslims wait for the onset of Ramadan, they fast during the month of Ramadan. They are very humble during these days and much more devoted to almighty God. I just thought of being a part of Muslims during this holy month and I accepted Islam. – ELIZABETH WANJING, SALWA, KENYA.

44.FASTING IN THE MONTH OF RAMADHAN:

We were working for ShekhaAmeeraHaya School as cleaners. During the month of Ramadan everyone is fasting. No eating food, nodrinking water, teachers and students all together. So we all decided to fast and be a part of teachers and students. In the beginning we continued fasting because of less work. But slowly, we could not spend any day without fasting. By the help of teachers and students later we accepted Islam. SELVI KIDNAN, SARA, SRI LANKA.

45.FASTING & FITNESS:

I have been told that fasting is not only spiritual devotion, rather fasting helps people to be fit and perfect. Fasting does not make person lose his health rather helps in being healthy. I started fasting and became close to Islam. ADRIANA MONICA, NADIA, ROMANIA.

46.I WAS FASTING BEFORE ISLAM:

Before accepting Islam, I was fasting from six years. My parents were very angry at me because of my fasting and they were afraid that I will accept Islam. It was during one of the months of Ramadan, I decided to accept Islam. – FLORDELZA NECOSIA AMEERA, PHILIPPINE.

47.THE FAST BREAKING:

Muslims break their fast during the month of Ramadan in affiliation and sincerity. Sitting together and breaking fast together on the hearing of Adhan is one of the best ways of showing brotherhood. My Muslim colleagues used to call me for Iftar while they were all together breaking their fast in our office. – IGOR BRAZDA, BILAL, CHIC.

48.MUSLIMS CELEBRATED EID:

As I used to call my Muslim friends for birthday parties and Dewali celebrations. My Muslim friends used to call me for Eid celebrations at their home. During Eid they had no dance, no singing, rather they go to pray, hug each other, visit relatives, help needy and show affection and enjoy gracefully every moment of Eid. SOBHNA VASC, SAJIDA, INDIA.

49.GIVING CHARITY IN EID:

Celebrating Eid means not only eating sweets, it was much more than that for Muslims. Specially giving is one of the best part of Eid. Giving money, giving food, giving clothes and visiting poor relatives and making them smile; Eid is all about celebration but for a good cause. MUNA REGMI, ASMA, NEPAL.

50.CONCEPT OF CHARITY IN ISLAM:

Muslims are very charitable and help poor and needy. Arab Muslims helped us after my father went into Coma and they paid the flat rent, school tuition fees and even they continually provided food items for us. Me and my mother accepted Islam because of their generosity and character. – RONALYN RAGOS, FATIMA, PHILIPPINE.

51.HELPING POOR PEOPLE:

I am from Tamilnadu, the only reason I accepted Islam is, Muslims manners towards poor and needy people. I am working for a Telecommunication Company and most of my friends are Muslims. They have a system in spending money for good causes. I saw them helping cleaners and security persons in our office whereas I never did that. That impressed me to know Islam and Muslims. – ARUMUGAM, YASIR, INDIA.

52.UNITY OF MUSLIMS IN HAJJ:

Unity of Muslims everywhere and especially during the Hajj is really amazing. Wether king or layman, black or white, rich or poor everyone wears white unstiched clothes to show simplicity, eternity and fraternity among themselves. I went through many books and videos on subject and accepted Islam. – JACQUELINE JONES, MARIA, UNITED KINDDOM.

(To be continuedin part 2, Insha Allah)

You may also go to the following link to read the whole article:

https://www.muslimink.com/dawah/why-convert-to-islam/

People perish for lack of knowledge. Most of these reasons are due to rank ignorance and credulity