Khadijah "Sue" Watson

An interesting article me found over the internet which is worth sharing for us to ponder how difficult it is for those outside of Islam to fing the "light of Iman" as compared to us who are already in it but could not "see" how precious the "light of Iman" really is...happy reading and hope there is lesson to be learned for us all here...
 

“What happened to you?” This was usually the first reaction I encountered when my
former classmates, friends and co-pastors saw me after having embraced Islam. I
suppose I couldn’t blame them, I was a highly unlikely the person to change
religions. Formerly, I was a professor, pastor, church planter and missionary. If
anyone was a radical fundamentalist it was I.

I had just graduated with my Master’s Degree of Divinity from an elite seminary five
months before. It was after that time I met a lady who had worked in Saudi Arabia
and had embraced Islam. Of course I asked her about the treatment of women in Islam.
I was shocked at her answer, it wasn’t what I expected so I proceeded to ask other
questions relating to Allah and Muhammad (pbuh). She informed me that she would take
me to the Islamic Center where they would be better able to answer my questions.

Being prayed up, meaning-asking Jesus for protection against demon spirits seeing
that what we had been taught about Islam is that it is Demonic and Satanic religion.
Having taught Evangelism I was quite shocked at their approach, it wa s direct and
straightforward. No intimidation, no harassment, no psychological manipulation, no
subliminal influence! None of this, “let’s have a Qur’aanic study in your house”,
like a counter part of the Bible study. I couldn’t believe it! They gave me some
books and told me if I had some questions they were available to answer them in the
office. That night I read all of the books they gave. It was the first time I had
ever read a book about Islam written by a Muslim, we had studied and read books
about Islam only written by Christians. The next day I spent three hours at the
office asking questions. This went on everyday for a week, by which time I had read
twelve books and knew why Muslims are the hardest people in the world to convert to
Christianity. Why? Because there is nothing to offer them!! (In Islam) There is a
relationship with Allah, forgiveness of sins, salvation and promise of Eternal Life.

Naturally, my first question centered on the deity of Allah. Who is this Allah that
the Muslims worship? We had been taught as Christians that this is another god, a
false god. When in fact He is the Omniscient-All Knowing, Omnipotent-All Powerful,
and Omnipresent-All Present God. The One and Only without co-partners or co-equal.
It is interesting to note that there were bishops during the first three hundred
years of the Church that were teaching as the Muslim beli eves that Jesus (pbuh) was
a prophet and teacher!! It was only after the conversion of Emperor Constantine that
he was the one to call and introduce the doctrine of the Trinity. He a convert to
Christianity who knew nothing of this religion introduced a paganistic concept that
goes back to Babylonian times. Because the space does not permit me to go into
detail about the subject insha’Allah, another time. Only I must point out that the
word TRINITY is not found in the Bible in any of its many translation nor is it
found in the original Greek or Hebrew languages!

My other important question centered on Muhammad (pbuh). Who is this Muhammad? I
found out that Muslims do not pray to him like the Christians pray to Jesus. He is
not an intermediary and in fact it is forbidden to pray to him. We ask blessing upon
him at the end of our prayer but likewise we ask blessings on Abraham. He is a
Prophet and a Messenger, the final and last Prophet. In fact, until now, one
thousand four hundred and eighteen years (1,418) later there has been no prophet
after him. His message is for All Mankind as opposed to the message of Jesus or
Moses (peace be upon them both) which was sent to the Jews. “Hear O Israel” But the
message is the same message of Allah. “The Lord Your God is One God and you shall
have no other gods before Me.”(Mark 12:29).

Because prayer was a very important part of my Christian life I was both interested
and curious to know what the Muslims were praying. As Christians we were as ignorant
on this aspect of Muslim belief as on the other aspects. We thought and were taught,
that the Muslims were bowing down to the Ka’bah (in Mecca), that that was there god
and center point of this false deity. Again, I was shocked to learn that the manner
of prayer is prescribed by God, Himself. The words of the prayer are one of praise
and exaltation. The approach to prayer (ablution or washing) in cleanliness is under
the direction of Allah. He is a Holy God and it is not for us to approach Him in an
arbitrary manner but only reasonable that He should tell us how we should approach
Him.

At the end of that week after having spent eight (8) years of formal theological
studies I knew cognitively (head knowledge) that Islam was true. But I did not
embrace Islam at that time because I did not believe it in my heart. I continued to
pray, to read the Bible, to attend lectures at the Islamic Center. I was in earnest
asking and seeking God’s direction. It is not easy to change your religion. I did
not want to loose my salvation if there was salvation to loose. I continued to be
shocked and amazed at what I was learning because it was not what I was taught that
Islam believed. In my Master’s level, the professor I had was respected as an
authority on Islam yet his teaching and that of Christianity in general is full of
Misunderstanding. He and many Christians like him are sincere but they are sincerely
wrong.

Two months later after having once again prayed seeking God’s direction, I felt
something drop into my being! I sat up, and it was the first time I was to use the
name of Allah, and I said, “Allah, I believe you are the One and Only True God.”
There was peace that descended upon me and from that day four years ago until now I
have never regretted embracing Islam. This decision did not come without trial. I
was fired from my job as I was teaching in two Bible Colleges at that time,
ostracized by my former classmates, professors and co-pastors, disowned by my
husband’s family, misunderstood by my adult children and made a suspicion by my own
government. Without the faith that enables man to stand up to Satanic forces I would
not ha ve been able to withstand all of this. I am ever so grateful to Allah that I
am a Muslim and may I live and die a Muslim.

“Truly, my prayer, my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are all for God the
Cherisher of the Worlds. No partner has He, this I am commanded. And I am the first
of those who bow to Allah in Islam.” 
(Holy Qur’aan 6:162-163) 

Sister Khadijah Watson