Why Islam is my choice — Page 62
62 ‘Abdur Raqeeb Wal ī How I Accepted Isl ā m I was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1932. My family lived under a strict religious environment, although I do not remember that any member of my family was particularly strict about imposing their views upon others. My parents were Christians and belonged to the ‘Church of God and Saints of Christ. ’ The members of this church considered themselves to be the Lost Tribes of the House of lsrael. The membership was predominantly Afro-Americans, and were mainly settled on the East coast of the United States. My grandfather was a minister in the church, and my grandmother was called an elder. As far as I remember, both of them lead a very pious life. My grandfather used to love perfumes. Whenever he visited us, we could tell from the scent in the air that he had arrived. We would all rush to gather around him as he had such a loving and charming personality. My early education was through the Public School system. I was doing fine until I got into the high school. At this stage, I somehow lost interest in my studies and eventually dropped out of the High School in 1949 without graduating. That same year I moved to Boston where I joined a group of musicians, who used to play in a night club. One of the members of the group once expressed his desire to acquire a copy of the Holy Qur’ ā n so he could read it. I learned from somebody that there was a Muslim by the name of Khal ī l