Why Islam is my choice — Page 28
28 know that I have nothing special about me. All ā h, through His mercy, again guided me to the right answer. Many of my ancestors were brought to this country from West Africa as slaves. Majority of these slaves were Muslims. Perhaps, one day one of my ancestors, in great pain, turned to All ā h and prayed fervently for the true freedom of someone from his progeny. I have no doubt in my mind that I was the result of those prayers. In A ḥ madiyyat, the true Isl ā m, I have found that real freedom which I know no one can take away from me. I now pity those who think that they have gained freedom under the law but little do they know that without the true faith, they are slaves of a worse kind. I pray that All ā h grant all of them this real blessing of Isl ā m. Amen. Not only did I find the teaching of Isl ā m very impressive, but the brothers I met in the community seemed to me to be true models of that teaching. I was highly impressed by Brother Bash ī r Afzal, Missionary ‘Abdul-Ghafoor Ṣū f ī , and Brother Mu ḥ ammad Ṣā diq. All three of them brought me closer to Isl ā m. My friend Akbar and I would often nod our heads in awe after hearing a sermon by Bro. Bash ī r Afzal, may All ā h rest his soul in peace. My wife did not accept Isl ā m at the same time as I did. We used to discuss certain issues, but I never forced her in any way to accept Isl ā m, as that was against its teaching. I continued to pray for her guidance though, and as a result of All ā h’s blessings, after about two years, she asked me to take her to the Mission House, where, Al- Ḥ amdu Lill ā h, she accepted Isl ā m. After my conversion to Isl ā m, I did not encounter any direct protest from either my friends or my family, but I did feel that there was some hesitation in our relationship. I felt that they respected me for the change they saw in me but because our life-styles were now completely opposite to each other, it was not possible to have social interaction at their