Why Islam is my choice — Page 64
64 Brother Zaigham debated with a non-A ḥ mad ī Muslim from Harvard University on the subject of Kh ā tam-an-Nabiyy ī n. I was amazed by the superb quality of arguments presented by the missionary as opposed to his opponent who seemed to have no clear argument in support of his beliefs. In the end, the missionary left his opponent speechless. This debate had the greatest impact upon me as far as my own faith was concerned. I began to think seriously about the truth of Isl ā m as presented by the A ḥ madiyyah Movement. Soon, I was so impressed that I decided to join the Movement. It is ironic that during one of those days, in 1958, a non-A ḥ mad ī friend gave me a book entitled, A ḥ madiyyat or the True Isl ā m. Little did this friend know that he was actually converting me to A ḥ madiyyat, the True Isl ā m. After I finished reading that book, I visited Brother Khal ī l Ma ḥ m ū d and requested him to accept my initiation into Isl ā m. He was immensely pleased and brought me a Bai‘at or initiation form, which I filled out and signed away without any hesitation. All ā h had thus provided me the right guidance. It was a day of great delight for me as I thanked All ā h for His Mercy and Kindness. After the Bai‘at, I felt that it was only the beginning. Isl ā m demanded that I became a good Muslim not merely by name but in deed as well. I started attending A ḥ madiyyah Muslim Jam ā ‘at meetings where I was introduced to other A ḥ madiyyah Muslim Jam ā ‘at members, including Brother ‘ Ā bid Ḥ aneef, who was the President of the community. However, I soon lost the company of Brother Khal ī l Ma ḥ m ū d as he moved to Africa on a career assignment. I had married soon after I had moved to Boston but that marriage did not last too long. After becoming a Muslim, I had desired very much that my wife became a Muslim just as well but despite my hard work, I realized that she would not budge from her old ways. I could tolerate anything else but