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JOURNEY AS A MUSLIM:

General background: I was born and raised in an Arab-Muslim country. My parents and their forefathers were Muslims for generations. When I was born, my father named me after his ancestor, the prophet Muhammad. I grew up in an Islamic environment from all sides, surrounded by Muslims. I attended national schools, which are pro-Islamic, from elementary to high school and even to college. During my growing and educational journey, I received a balanced Islamic education at every level. When I reached adulthood, I was a very typical Muslim, who has tremendous zeal for his religion and culture. I was very proud of my identity to the point of looking down on all non-Muslims. I was anti-Western (Christians) and I hated the Jews. My encounters with Christians had some tremendous impacts on my life, both positive and negative. However, I was determined to be a Muslim.

First failure: After graduating from college and working as employee for a little while, I started my own private business by using my father's money, which I inherited. Running my own business was neither easy nor pleasant. My lack of experience in trade made success difficult. My business went bankrupt and I accumulated debts that I couldn't pay back. I realized that I would soon end up in jail and no one would rescue me. To avoid this disaster and also get revenge for my failure, I decide to sell everything that I was able to and then vanish from sight. My plan was to disappear until I could recover, otherwise never to return back home. Through my experiences at work and my first business I was able to learn what no school or university can teach. I learned about the reality of society and life. The failure of my first experience in business caused me a lot of damage and grief. It also impacted me positively at least in one area. It pushed me to move to a new experience and to explore the world from a wider view.

Success: Leaving at home a big mess and debts (thousands of US dollars), I fled to a very far land where none of my debtors or even our justice system could reach me. I settled there, opened a company and started anew. This time business smiled at my face and I succeeded. My achievements caused my pride and greed to greatly multiply. I became blind and very selfish. Meanwhile, I learned from some relatives that if I would return to my country I would be immediately arrested at the borders or at the airport. That wasn't something unexpected, but it made me feel sad to be considered an outlaw. I became the first person in our entire extended family to hold a criminal record.

Defeat: All those things mixed together pushed me to adventure in some 'risky' business. I wanted to get rich very fast so that I could get rid of all my debts and try to regain respect in the midst of my relatives, friends and neighbors. I gambled with all that I had and took some dangerous risks by creating enemies for myself. My foolishness caused me to end up defeated and pursued by one of my enemies. I fled again to another new country and left everything behind. I lost my company and even many of my personal belongings.

Stagnation: This time all circumstances changed and got tough. I tried several possibilities but none of them worked. I was becoming like a fish struggling inside a tiny jar of water. All doors were closed at my face and I found myself in a deep pit. Several times, I had to sleep in the street and even to starve. I was greatly humiliated and I lost all hope. I went to the mosque and I tried to make peace with Allah, but he apparently rejected me. My fellow Muslim brothers turned their backs toward me and some of them even mocked me to my face. Out of shame, sorrow and depression I thought about committing suicide, but I didn’t even have the courage to kill myself.

New idea: While I was totally hopeless and all my plans were screwed up, a bright idea appeared. An acquaintance advised me to associate with Christians perhaps they would help me. He assured me that unlike the Muslim brothers, Christians would help me and even provide me a job. Regardless of my sentiments against Christianity and Christians (Westerners), I decided to follow the friend's advice, to go to Church and to try my chance.

New plan: I had no proper idea about Churches and the difference between them. Anyway, my motive wasn't to look for a new religion or God but finding a way to exit from my turmoil. One Sunday morning, I found a church in the newspaper. I went and I attended their service, it was very different from what I expected but I enjoyed it. During that first visit I didn't make any friends, but within a few weeks I made several. Most of the Christians there were friendly and nice to everyone. They welcomed me at their Church services and at their home gatherings, even though I told them that I was a Muslim. Out of curiosity, I joined several of their activities. My bad attitude toward Christians began to change and I began to appreciate them. The job didn't remain as the highest reason for me going to that Church but mostly the friendship with the people. I also began to think about converting them to Islam.

False conversion: After exploring the church for awhile, for several wrong motives, I decided to convert to Christianity and call myself a Christian. It was an outward conversion, but in the inside I was still a Muslim and the same old person. When I got baptized and immediately after my coming out of the water, I secretly confessed in my heart the Muslim's Shahadah (There is no God but Allah Muhammad prophet of Allah). However, only God and I knew what was really in my heart at that time.

Job: Meanwhile, our Church opened a new branch on the other side of the city. Since I was looking for a job and the Church needed somebody to serve there as a janitor, the pastor asked me to fill that position. It was not the kind of job I wished to have, but I had no other option. I accepted and felt lucky for having it. What touched me profoundly was the pastor's trust of me. He put the building into my disposition without any further questions or checking. He also proposed that I could move and live in the Church to reduce my expenses. My work duties were so simple and easy to accomplish, which allowed me to have a lot of free time. Therefore, I dedicated myself to the study of the Bible. I thought that if I could handle the Bible well, it would be easier for me to lead my Christian friends to Islam. During that time the pastor also volunteered to mentor me. I founded that interesting and a good way to lay the ground for my plan.

LIFE STYLE AS A MUSLIM:

Behavior: I was always irresponsible, selfish and self-centered. I rarely admitted to making any mistakes. I always had excuses to justify my actions and to easily blame any misconduct on others. When the time came where I had serious problems, I would just run away and leave the problem for others to take care of. Out my immature behavior in tough times, I caused trouble and harm to several people.

Morality: Regardless of my countless sins, I often felt proud of my self-righteousness. Whenever I compared my short-comings with those of others' around me, especially the religious ones, I always thought I was better than most or at least not worst than the majority. As a Muslim and according to Islam and tradition, I used to believe that each good work I perform has the power to cancel ten of my sins. My religiousness never bothered me or caused me to feel that I owed God anything. Instead it led me to be proud of myself and of my deeds.

Religiousness: My faith and belief in Islam looked quiet strong and firm. Islam wasn't just a religion for me, it was a part of my culture, identity, pride and being. As with most Muslims, I enjoyed discussing and to arguing about spiritual matters but was also skeptical, and didn’t just believe things naively. There were times where I leaned toward fundamentalism and there were also times where I leaned toward atheism. When I settled overseas, I had a chance to interact with people from different religions and backgrounds. I often thought that I was a person who seeks to know the truth. But actually, I was just trying to prove myself as being right. Whenever, I noticed that truth wasn't on my side, I would quickly run to the other direction and hide behind an excuse. I was also driven by fear in my heart: I was afraid of Allah's curse and wrath if I tried to search beyond what Islam allows. I was also afraid to give up my pride.

EARLY CHRISTIAN IMPACTS:

The wise nun: When I was a baby I got a dangerous sickness and my mother had to leave me in hospital for three days in the intensive care unit. The nurse who was in charge of me was a Catholic nun. When I became a boy my father told me several times: "That nun saved your life." I never understood what he said and why until years later. When I became a Christian, the story came back to my memory and I understood what my father's message was. When I was struggling between life and death in that nun's hands, she prayed for me and the Lord answered her. I owe that nun my life and I am so thankful for her gift of prayer and love.

The foolish nun: When I was a teenager, my mother got very sick and had to stay in the hospital (another one) which was under the supervision of a Catholic nun. Technically, she was a hard working nun but had what seemed to be little compassion or respect toward anyone. Everybody hated her because of her meanness. Regardless of her many good works, I believe that her lack of love toward people destroyed her true ministry and she misrepresented Christ. I still have a bad memory of her and I find it hard to forgive her still.

Muslim Christian debate: Once, a friend invited me to watch a videotape with him, it was a debate between the famous Muslim scholar Ahmed Deedat and a Christian apologetic. The topic, I still remember, was about which one is God's genuine Word: Is it the Bible or the Koran? The debate was an entertainment for me just like any of the WWC matches, as opposed to a debate to find the Truth. At the end of the debate, I noticed that none of the debaters won and I benefited nothing from any of the two.

First challenge: During my first journey overseas I lived with two foreigners, one was an Arab (outwardly religious) and the other was a Western (worldly Christian). We, the Muslims, planned to convert the Christian. We tried very hard to convince him to renounce Christ and follow Muhammad but he was 'stubborn'. During my last debate with him about Christianity, especially the deity of Jesus, we ended up our conversation something like this:

- He asked me: "Do you believe that God is all powerful and nothing is impossible for Him?"

- I replied: "Yes, of course!"

- Then He said: "Would it then be impossible for Him then to come to earth and to take a human form?"

Before answering his challenge, somebody came suddenly, so we had to change the subject. Later on, I tried to find an answer to prove him wrong but I couldn't. To avoid embarrassment, I simply ignored the matter, since it went against my Islamic belief. We never raised that topic again, but deep in my heart a first seed was sown.

CONFUSION:

After my outward conversion to Christianity, I began digging in the Bible for clues that could bring Islam and Christianity close to each other. However, I contrarily began to notice that the difference between them was getting deeper and larger to the point that there was no way these two religions could be from the same source. The Islamic idea that the Bible was falsified by the Jews could no longer convince me. Very soon, I accumulated several remarks and doubts that confused me. They were mainly as follows:

1- If Allah is the true and personal name of God, why he didn't use it in the Bible but instead used Yhwh?

2- It is obvious that the Allah of the Koran and Yhwh of the Bible can not be the same God, who speaks in

both books. Which one is the True God or even who is God?

3- Where in the Bible does it mention about the coming of Muhammad and Islam?

4- If the Koran and the Bible are the book of the same God, why then do they contradict each other?

(Both the Bible and the Koran often talk in the first person of a heavenly being speaking to men.)

5- Why do Christians claim that Jesus is God and that God is Triune? What biblical evidence do they have?

6- If God really exists and really spoke to the prophets and still speaks to theses Christians, can't He speak to someone like me too?

At that time, I couldn't open up to anybody and share about my questions. Out of my fear, I kept all those doubts tormenting me on the inside. I thought that if our pastor knew that I had those doubts about Christianity, he would throw me out of the Church and take back the job from me. At the time, I was unaware that these fears were a lie from Satan to keep me in darkness and under his control. We can always be honest before God with any doubt or question.

PART TWO: JESUS' INTERVENTION

BREAKING THRU:

Seeking the truth: I couldn't bear it anymore by avoiding the truth and continuing to play a dirty game. This time, I decided to find the truth at any cost. I fasted for three days in a row without any food, except water and for the first time, I prayed earnestly from my deep heart: I called upon the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. I cried out to the Creator of the universe, the Eternal God whomever He might be. I asked him to reveal to me the truth and nothing but His truth. I made a promise to Him that if He would answer my questions and reveal Himself to me, I will follow His path even if it will be different than Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Speaking out: I waited for several weeks but it seemed that nothing was happening. I became very anxious and depressed. Finally, I decided to speak out and directly ask the pastor. I still remember, it was a Saturday evening. At the end of our meeting that evening, I told him that I couldn't find anywhere in the Bible where it talks about Jesus being God or about God being a triune God. Immediately and in a relaxed and gentle manner, he opened his Bible and asked me to take a look at the following verses:



The lifting of the veil: Suddenly, something incredible happened. It seemed like if I was blind or covered by a spiritual dark veil then I began to see. I began to read the Bible in a clear light and with understanding. The words of the Bible became alive while I read them and carrying power within. Furthermore, I began to decode the hidden mysteries of the gospel and the symbolic prophecies.

First answers: Within a three day period of reading the Holy Scriptures in the light and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit I was able to discover many of the answers I was looking for (i.e. the Trinity, the Deity of Jesus, his crucifixion, resurrection…). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit extended my spiritual sight to see beyond the natural realm like discerning about time and sights. Regarding Islam, I discovered overwhelming biblical prophecies that were bitter for me to swallow. The most shocking answer I received was about Allah. He is not God "Yhwh" of the Bible, but someone else.

A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE:

The message: Monday afternoon was a beautiful day in the beginning of the spring. The sky was so clear and blue. It was my third day of new exploration of God's Word. Whenever I felt tired of reading I stood up by the window to enjoy the view outside. During one of these times of relaxation and at the very moment when I lifted up my head toward the heavens something strange began to happen:

* Sight: A bright light appeared coming from the Southwest. It looked like a star heading forward toward me. I got so amazed at the sight because I never saw before a star shining in the sky during the day and while the sun is still standing. I quickly began to think that it was maybe a comet going to strike the earth. As it kept approaching and increasing in light, I began to feel more and more scared.

* Word: I returned to my Bible and tried to look for where it talks about a comet going to hit the earth. But, and I didn't know exactly how I found myself reading from the following passage (Revelation 2:8-10):

The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:

'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich),

and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

'Do not fear what you are about to suffer.

Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison,

that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.'

Immediately after reading the last sentence I looked again at the star and it stopped right there. I stared at it very closely to see if what I was looking at was real or just a vision. As far as I could tell, it was real and the star was the biggest and the brightest I had ever seen, especially during the day. Another amazing thing, the star remained in that exact location for the whole night.

* Voice: Out of skepticism still, I decided to forget about the whole matter, I put my Bible away and turned on the radio. The first words that came out of the speaker were exactly these: "Yes it's true, all I want is to be with you. Yes it's true, yes it's true!" I can't explain how that happened but I was totally convinced that God spoke to me. I realized that the star was a sign to attract my attention and the sound coming from the speaker was a tool to convince me that what I saw was a real vision and what I read was Jesus' message for me at that very moment. Furthermore, I realized that God is not only a being who hears and answers and does miracles but He is also a God who seeks to develop a very personal and intimate relationship with us. He wants to treat us as close friends, not as slaves. The message, which came from the radio, revealed to me that Jesus is not only a God who is capable of doing amazing and strange things but a God who also has a sense of humor even when He is speaking seriously.

Meanings: I looked at my Bible again to carefully examine the passage. I realized that the communicator was Jesus and that He spoke to me and that He answered most of my questions through those three verses. Respectively, Jesus communicated to me that He is indeed the Eternal God. He truly died on the cross and rose from dead. He showed me that He knows everything about me in the past, present and future. He confirmed to me what I have found regarding Islam. He let me know the consequences of following Him while living in the world. He instructed me how to overcome the world. And He promised me a reward and confirmed that it is a real one. The heavenly sign of the star was meant to attract my attention and to show me that God wants to talk to me in person. The voice, which came from the speakers was meant to confirm to me that it was truly Jesus who shared with me the message and that He meant to invite me to become His.

Confirmation: One year later an evangelist came to our Church to preach. While he was sharing his message, he suddenly turned toward me and prophesied to me God’s plan for my future. After the service I went directly to him and asked what made him tell me those words. I noticed he had no clue why, except that he felt that God put those words in his mouth while he was sharing. His prophecy was a confirmation that it was indeed God who spoke to me, since the context of his prophecy was identical to the context of the second part of the message in Rev. 2:8-10.

TRUE CONVERSION:

Renounce of Islam: By Monday evening, I had made up my mind and was determined to renounce Islam, along with my Muslim name and to put my faith in Christ, the only True God, and to follow Him forever. The next morning, I called my pastor and told him about my decision. I also suggested that I must be re-baptized. At first he disagreed to re-baptize me, but since I insisted, he decided to pray about it and seek God's direction. When we met later in the evening, he informed me that he was willing to re-baptize me after God confirmed it to him. We went together to a remote place and we burned all of my Muslim items, then we went back to his home to finish the process.

Rebirth: After renouncing Islam and rejected all that linked me to it, I confessed my sin and I received Christ as my only Savior, Lord and God. This time my confession was with faith and total confidence in Jesus. Immediately, I was baptized. When I went into the water, it symbolized my death to my sin, which became buried with Christ. Coming out of the water symbolized my resurrection into a new life, a life in Christ Jesus. During the process we used only my nickname, because my old name was included in all the Muslim things I renounced. Then my pastor prayed for me, for the filling with the Holy Spirit. This time I was truly baptized with faith in Christ and surrendered to Him. I was literally and spiritually born again.

Filling with the Spirit: A few days later, while I was sleeping in the night, I had a dream where I saw a fire coming from heaven and it entered into my chest. However it didn't harm me. Immediately, I got up from my bed (half-asleep) and my mouth began talking loudly in a strange tongue. I tried to control my mouth and stop speaking, but I couldn't. The fire was a sign and the speaking in a strange tongue was the manifestation of my filling with the Holy Spirit. There was only one other time where I prophesied in tongue in such manner, but there were several times where I felt the power of the Holy Spirit's anointing on me. I still can't describe exactly any of those moments, except the fact that they were so real. I don't know why God let me pass through such experiences, but I guess one of the reasons is due to my skepticism and lack of belief in the supernatural.

Realizations: During the whole following week since my baptism, my appetite for food and desire for the things of this world were totally gone. I spent most of the time crying like a child. My tears were the tears of grief and sorrow for my former wicked and foolish ways, because I realized that I have participated in persecuting Jesus, my Creator, Father, Redeemer and God. I realized that I wasn't any better than those who flogged and crucified Him, but verily one of them. I realized that I was completely lost and I was going to end up in hell if Jesus didn't take the initiative and rescue me. I realized that all my life I believed in lies and I promoted them. The most painful thing was the realization that my parents are most likely already in hell and that the rest of my relatives and my people are going to join them if they don't turn to Christ. Meanwhile, my tears were also the tears of joy. I couldn't imagine how Jesus, even the heavenly Father loved me, regardless of all of my evil deeds, hate and mocking of His children and blasphemy against Him. I realized that I have being saved and rescued only by His grace and mercy, but nothing of my own.

Immediate healing: Immediately after my conversion to Christ, all the hatred and bitterness that I have accumulated for years toward the Jewish people and the Westerner world was totally gone. I was also totally healed from a habit, which I struggled with for years without having the strength to overcome it. What was amazing in both of those cases, nobody, except God, knew about my bondage. None prayed for my healing from those two secret diseases. Also, I was miraculously healed from them instantly.

ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS:

My other experiences: After my conversion, I had several dreams where I had direct encounters with Jesus. I have seen Him as a fearful God and I have seen Him as a meek and humble person. He never told me directly that He is Jesus but from His way of speaking and through His deep piercing eyes, I knew in the deep of my heart that it was Him.

Not only me: In the beginning, I thought that my experience was one of the greatest. It was special and unique of kind, and could be compared with the story of Moses at the burning bush or Paul on his way to Damascus. When I later read and heard the testimonies of some other people's encounters with Jesus, theirs were much more powerful and incredible than mine. One of those is the story of a former devout Muslim Pakistani woman. She wrote a book about Jesus literal visitation and miraculous healing of her. ("The Torn Veil" By Ghulshan Fatima [Esther]. CLC Books' publication.)

PART THREE: RENEWAL PROCESS

A GENERAL SUMARY:

Multi-Blessings: It has been three and half years since my conversion. These years have been for me a period of renewal and transformation in my personality, character, thinking and behavior. They have been also my years of "seminary" in Christ's personal school of theology and discipleship, where I began to learn about God through direct experience. Before the end of this period of my elementary training, the Lord has met my needs and provided for me the whole amount I needed to cover my debts. He has begun to open the door for me to get new documents and even the possibility to change my name officially. He provided me a wife, the right one I was looking for and the one I need to be my partner. He gave me a new family and a countless number of relatives and friends. Till now I am still occupying the job of janitor and watchman in our Church. My calling also is to write articles and materials about Islam and to Muslims. This testimony is a part of my writing works.

Who Christ is: It is a true statement that Christ is always the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. In both easy and difficult circumstances, He is so good all the time and His mercy and loving-kindness are renewed every day. He is truly our Father who cares for every detail in our lives and who seeks the best for our interests. He is also the ultimate faithful friend who never fails us even if we fail him.

Christ my redeemer: Without Christ in my life and in the center of it, I was in a mess and in a total ruin. If Christ didn't save and protect me, I may have already ended up in jail and destroyed without hope. Christ has set me free from my troubles and saved my life literally from destruction. Christ has given me a new and abundant life, full of hope, peace and joy. Christ has sucked my troubled water into His vine and transformed it into a clear and clean juice that flows from it.

TO BE CONTINUED…



The very best conclusion I could come with, is the following section from one of Saint Paul's letters (1Timothy 1:12-16)

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord,

who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service; even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.

And yet I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;

and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love,

which are found in Christ Jesus.

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance,

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,

among whom I am foremost of all.

And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience,

as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God,

be honor and glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Source

I still don’t know why I am writing my story. Maybe I want to be heard because in the real world I still can’t tell many people that I have left Islam.

I was born into a Muslim family and remained a devout practicing Muslim for 30 years. But then something happened nine years ago. It wasn’t an explosion, or a revelation. I was living in a Muslim country, surrounded by Muslims, leading a happy Muslim life. I didn’t need to start reading the history of Islam. But I did. And everything changed. It still took me nine years to realize that Islam can never be from God.

My quest for truth began when I first found out about the legality of raids and slavery in Islam. I started re-reading the Quran – this time in Arabic and English to find out what God really allowed and what He banned. I was disappointed. I read it several times. I read ahadith and commentaries and biographies of Muhammad. The more I read, the farther I grew from Islam. It came to a point where I prayed fervently and cried on my prayer mat beseeching Allah to guide me. At that time, I still believed that the Quran was from God.

I prayed and fasted but salah (Muslim prayer) never calmed me and I never enjoyed Ramadan. I know that salah is extremely calming for many Muslims and they really enjoy Ramadan. I say, good for them. But I also know Muslims who think that Islam is not as easy as people claim. It is highly ritualistic with some very frustrating rituals. You fart and your ablution is void. One has to do it all over again. If you fart while praying, you have to repeat the ablution and the prayer. If you have sex you have to shower as soon as possible so that you are ‘clean’ before next prayer. That cleansing shower has its own ritualistic steps. A woman having her period can’t even touch the Quran and in an orthodox culture like most Islamic cultures she can’t let her brothers and father know that she is on her period so even when she is not fasting she will wake up at four in the morning for suhoor (small breakfast before fasting in Ramadan) so that the men in the family don’t find out she is menstruating.

I still continued to pray and fast and give zakat. But the one thing I didn’t want to do was go for Hajj. I have done Umrah and it wasn’t a wonderful experience. I will not deny that it was an elating experience to finally be able to see and touch the Kaaba because that is every Muslim’s dream, but I found most of the Umrah rituals aimless and odd. Even as a young adult I couldn’t understand why we had to go around a building seven times or push and shove others to kiss a stone that carried everyone’s germs.

Hajj always frightened me. A distant relative was burnt in the 1997 Hajj fire. Two years later he died from complications. In 2003 a friend died in the Hajj stampede. Accidents can and do happen anywhere and everywhere but when you set out to worship God, you go with the expectation that your experience or at least your worship will be blessed, not that you will be either roasted or crushed to death. Over the years one thought disturbed me time and again: why would God kill His worshippers so mercilessly if what they were doing was right? Since the early 1970s until today (2009) there have been seven stampedes (isn’t that an ominous number?), three instances of violence, two instances of fire, and once a hotel collapsed that was housing pilgrims. I thought, aren’t these signs; signs that something is not quite right about Hajj?

When Hindus were crushed to death during their pilgrimage stampede, Muslims were quick to point that it was a curse from God for worshipping idols but when Muslims die almost every other year in Hajj stampedes while stoning the pagan-looking towers they are called martyrs. I still don’t understand that.

Over the years I came to realize slowly that like Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Muhammad truly believed that he was a prophet of God and that he was receiving revelations. In that way he was not completely at fault. In fact there are several similarities between these two men. Ahmad also means Muhammad. Both men claimed they were prophets. Both called people to take oaths of allegiance with them. Both made prophecies. Ahmad like Muhammad claimed God spoke to him through angels and dictated him books that are incomparable in language and style. Ahmad challenged native Arabic speakers to bring a book like his just like Muhammad and like Muhammad he challenged them to even work collectively. Like Muhammad, Ahmad is recorded to have gone into trance while receiving revelations. Once he spoke extempore in Arabic for an hour during which his voice changed and he later collapsed – he was Indian and was not a native Arabic speaker. Thus, he was as illiterate in the Arabic language as Muhammad claimed he was unlettered (See more on Mirza Ghulam Ahmad here). 

What is even more interesting is that both Muhammad and Ahmad liked to indulge in Mubahala (a cursing prayer contest) in which both parties pray to God cursing the opponent and the one who is lying dies within a year of the Mubahala or dies before the truthful party.  It is believed that Ahmad died because his Mubahala failed him. Muhammad is believed to have brought his daughter, son-in-law and grandsons to engage in a Mubahala with the Christians of Najran in the 10th year after the Hijrah. Muslims claim the Christians refused to enter into Mubahala because they knew they were at fault and Mubahala would have meant they would have died within a year and their future generations would have faced dreadful fates. We know what Muhammad said to the Christians in argument but what the Christians said as counter-argument is not recorded in Islamic books. We do know that they claimed they were not convinced that Muhammad was a prophet. Whether or not the Mubahala really took place, Quran records it as being ordered by God and interestingly Muhammad died the following year, his daughter died less than five months later and his son-in-law and grandsons were all murdered – not by Christians but by Muslims! That is something no Muslim book will point out.  

When I read this I began to think: if the vast majority of Muslims think that the followers of Ahmad are kuffar (non-Muslims) and that he was a fake prophet even when his claims were very much like Muhammad’s and he had more powerful miracles (the incidence of the eclipses and the revealed sermons), why do they believe in Muhammad? If Ahmad was defying the message of the Quran by claiming to be a messenger receiving revelations, wasn’t Muhammad defying the message of the Gospel by claiming that Jesus was ‘just a prophet’? Muhammad was a lot more popular than Ahmad because the former brought a new message of monotheism to the polytheistic Arabians while Ahmad was reinventing the wheel. Furthermore, he was against jihad and tried to preach to a people of 20th century India who had far more sense than the 7th Century superstitious Arabs.

I also thought, for the three days that the Christians of Najran stayed in Medina Muhammad claimed to receive constant revelations from God but, when his own wife was accused of adultery he waited for a month for a physical proof to ensure she wasn’t pregnant before bringing a revelation to announce her innocence! Many verses were ‘revealed’ because one of Muhammad’s wives, companions or Omar Ibn Khattab inspired them. Does God really do that? I don’t even want to go into how women are ‘put in their place’ in the Quran. Most of the Quran addresses Muhammad or men. It was only after Umm Salama pointed out how God forgets women when He dictates the Quran that the tone of the Quran changed and began addressing women as well.

I guess the turning point in my religiosity came one summer when I read how Muhammad used to go into a trance when he received revelations. My paternal grandmother had the ability to capture demons / spirits / supernatural-beings (called jinn in Arabic) to learn about the future and lead a comfortable life after her husband suddenly died. Apparently my grandmother had subdued a supernatural force which Muslims call a jinn. This demon/jinn was several hundred years old and belonged to ancient Persia. When my grandmother summoned him, her body would stiffen, she would sweat profusely and go into a trance. Her lips moved very fast  but if someone tried hard they would not hear her but hear a faint sound of a man’s voice speaking in a different language. My father recalled that it sounded like “a hefty animal was snoring.” She would then begin to write several sentences without pause. When the supernatural force left her, she would collapse, drained out of all energy. Her writing, though sometimes muddled, was often in faultless Arabic and always provided answers to the questions that she had asked the spirit. The spirit gave insight into past events which were often accurate and told her about the future. It even prophesized when she would die. 

Such stories are not uncommon in Arabian lands. There is always someone or the other who has the gift to control supernatural beings and use them for their advantage. When the human capturer dies, the supernatural being is released with him/her. Many times their predictions are accurate and help humans in winning lover’s hearts, bets and battles. But not everyone is powerful enough to be able to possess a complying and friendly demon and these spirits don’t always remain loyal.

This wasn’t uncommon fourteen centuries ago either. Quran refers to it in several places and challenges all jinns and humans to band together and bring a book like the Quran. It may seem like a silly challenge today, but the 7th Century Arab knew exactly what it meant. The text of the Quran was composed by someone so powerful that no ordinary human or jinn ever took up the challenge. Even when Mirza Ghulam Ahmad made a similar challenge, no one took it up. When I learnt about Muhammad’s experiences, I couldn’t help but draw similarities between his physical state when he claimed to receive revelations and the physical state of my grandmother when the spirit spoke through her and even Mirza Ahmad when he claimed he was receiving revelations. In all three cases, something was definitely revealed, but it was not God speaking through angels. I thought to myself: angels spoke to all prophets and sometimes even to their women but they never went into a trance. Even encountering demons didn’t cause them to sweat and collapse. Prophets had power over those beings. Then I read a hadith in which Muhammad said:

“There is no one among you but he has with him a constant companion (qareen) from among the jinn and a constant companion from among the angels.” They said, “You too, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Me too, but Allah has helped me against him (the devil-companion) and he has become Muslim, so he only enjoins me to do that which is good.” (Underlining mine). (This hadith is quoted here and a similar one exists in Sahih Muslim, Book 39, Hadith No. 6759). 

It is quite clear that at least Muhammad had a demon/Jinn as a constant companion. Muhammad had power over that Jinn and had controlled it and made him to submit (he had become Muslim) so he joined Muhammad in what the latter thought was good. Muhammad is recorded to have acknowledged it.

The Quran is certainly beautiful in many places. Surah Rahman is extremely beautiful poetry that one can not only appreciate if they understand Arabic but even non-Arabic speakers find it captivating. But my question has always been: is that all the All Mighty God is capable of composing? Didn’t Muhammad limit the power of God by claiming that Quran was His word? When a mere human can’t even imagine the glory of God and what He looks like; when Moses couldn’t even bear to catch a glimpse of God, how can we, the ordinary human beings, be asked to imagine how He speaks? Shouldn’t we all be consumed and scatter as dust when He speaks to us? Wouldn’t a paper that bears His word turn to ashes? Quran is certainly not as glorious as God and it certainly limits His power.

But Muhammad didn’t compose it either. The language actually may have been too sophisticated for him and may have impressed him as well. Quran claims that Jinns listened to the Quran and spread the word (46:29-30). Could it be that Muhammad’s Jinn too heard the Torah and the Gospel and reported it to his master? Muhammad didn’t know the Scriptures or the Biblical history or about Science, but could his Jinn have known all this, albeit through his own faulty understanding since Jinns are a creation of God and not divine or all powerful? God doesn’t err but a Jinn can and hence we find contradictions and bad science in the Quran. Perhaps Aisha secretly knew that it is not God who was eager to fulfill Muhammad’s wishes, but it was the Jinn that was eager to please his master because she wasn’t one to blaspheme like that.

I continued to study Islam more closely. When I questioned various points, others told me that I was inviting Satan to whisper to me; that I should stop reading too much. Most Muslims either don’t know the little details of their religion or don’t care about them for the peace of their mind. Those close to me continued to explain that I wasn’t doing anything wrong: I was worshipping one God – praying more in a day than a person from any other religion; I wasn’t cheating anyone, lying or stealing. Wife beating, polygamy and oppression didn’t affect me. What else did I want? So I began to search for Truth secretly and quietly.

I was worshipping one God five times a day but the associated rituals were wearisome. The call to prayer attested five times a day that Muhammad was a prophet of God. After every call to prayer I was taught to make a supplication blessing Muhammad and asking Allah to give him the best place in Heaven at a rank above everyone else and to allow him to intercede as Allah promised him! Five times a day I sat on my prayer mat in Tashahhud and spent almost half of my prayer in blessing Muhammad and his ummah several times. Which prophet ever taught his people to bless him endlessly every day? I could sense hidden paranoia.

But no Muslim I knew could see this.

My faith in Islam hung by a thin thread and I was just waiting for God to show me the final sign. That sign came in the form of an Islamic talk I was attending. The speaker was talking about the Quran. Someone from the audience very casually asked how many verses are there in the Quran since there is some confusion on the exact number. The speaker explained that no one really knows (adding that it doesn’t matter how many there are): the number is disputed because scholars differ in their opinion over where some verses end or if some verses are actually one or multiple verses depending on how the Quran was compiled. According to the current version there are 6,236 verses without bismillah and 6,349 with bismillah. However, there are scholars who look at oldest compilations of the verses and believe that the correct number with bismillah is 6,666!

He hadn’t even finished his talk when my arms broke out in goosebumps and I walked out of the building. At home I spent a long time searching the internet on information about the AntiChrist. What I found was very significant.

Revelation 20:4 reads:

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his MARK upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Some distinct features characterize the AntiChrist:

1. His number is Six hundred threescore and six = 666 (Revelation 13:18.) — There is a strong possibility that the actual number of verses of the Quran as compiled and standardized by Uthman is really 6,666. Certainly many Muslims believe that.

2. There is a mark on the foreheads of the followers of the Anti-Christ (Revelation 13:16) — Devout Muslim men develop a scar on their foreheads called zabiba in Arabic, from rubbing their foreheads on the prayer mats. It is even mentioned in the Quran in 48:29.

3. And there is a mark on their right hands (Revelation 13:16) — To enter the fold of Islam Muhammad took the oath of allegiance from people which is called bayah in Arabic and entailed a man or woman placing their right hand into the right hand of Muhammad. Sufi Muslims still practice bayah.  Bayah is also mentioned in the Quran in the same surah in 48:18, and also in 60:12. Also, whatever a Muslim possessed in the way of Allah from lands to women was called "that which their right hand possessed." Islam came to possess everything with its right hand.

4. The Anti-Christ will change the calendar (‘times and laws’) (Daniel 7:25) — The Muslim holy day is not the Sabbath day but Friday and the Muslim Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar which is very different from the relatively fixed solar Julian or Gregorian calendars.

5. He will spread through the lands by his sword (Daniel 11:40) — It is common knowledge that Islam spread through the different lands by wars and occupations.

6. Anti-Christ will preach a different Jesus from what was preached by the Apostles (2 Corinthians 11:3-4) — According to the Muslim faith and particularly the Quran, Jesus was not God; he spoke as a baby in the cradle; gave life to clay birds; and was neither crucified nor resurrected.


I still believe that Muhammad was not an evil man and he was convinced that he was a prophet. But whatever is not from God has every possibility of turning into something that is evil. Because no divine force stopped Muhammad when he waged wars and began giving himself concessions, he must have thought that whatever he was doing had God’s approval and blessing. Quran insists that a Muslims must obey God and Muhammad and must bless Muhammad every day. And while there are many ahadith that teach that Muhammad was only a man, there are also many more that urge Muslims to put their complete faith in Muhammad, give their oath of allegiance to him, bless him, and seek his intercession on the day of judgment because when “all prophets from Adam to Jesus” will fail to intercede, Muhammad will speak up from his ‘Maqam Mahmoud’ (exalted position) to intercede for his followers.  Knowing all this and more, I couldn’t go on being a Muslim.

A prophet comes to change the evil status quo and reform the society. Arguing that raids, polygamy, child marriages, slavery and wife beating were the ancient customs of Arabia which Islam allowed to continue but tried to control just shows what Muhammad should have done and didn’t do. If my teacher wants me to write with an ink pen, he shouldn’t use a ballpoint pen in class and should set a positive example by using an ink pen himself instead of claiming that he can do whatever he likes because he is the teacher. By including such acts in his practice and in the Quran, Muhammad may have tried to set boundaries but he also sanctioned them in the process. Did he really think these practices would gradually end as Muslims claim when he also claimed to be the last prophet who is to be followed completely?

This is how I felt about the religion in which I was born. But I didn’t blindly jump into Christianity. I studied other religions and came to the conclusion that while I may not agree with some Christians and their practices, the message of Christ is indeed the best and the most peaceful. One can bring about change through love. Nothing and no one compares to Jesus, the Christ. He doesn’t need my praise because his actions still speak for themselves, and he doesn’t need my blessings because he is the one who blesses, for the Lord is indeed my Shepherd.

I continue to read the Bible every day and study Christianity. I must admit that those who love me have been very supportive. They have not converted to Christianity but they know and appreciate how Christ has brought peace into my life. I do not stay up all night any longer reading and re-reading the Quran in horror and disbelief and I am not bitter about the teachings of Muhammad any longer because I find solace in the words of Christ; words that warn gently and make us humble and kind human beings.

I now firmly believe that if you earnestly seek truth and keep your heart and mind open, Jesus does find you eventually for he promised - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Source

My name is Walid. I was born in Bethlehem, Israel. On the day that I was born it was one of the holiest days to Islam, the birthday of the Muslim prophet Mohammad (Al-Mauled Al-Nabawi). This was an honor to my father. For that, he named me Walid which relates to the Arabic word (Mauled) and in English (The Birth) to always remember the birthday of the Muslim prophet.

My father was a Palestinian Muslim who taught English and Islamic studies in the Holy Land. My mother was an American who married my father during his studies in the United States in the year of 1956.

Fearing the impact of the American way of life for their two children and while my mother was pregnant with me, my parents left to live in Israel in 1960 which was called Jordan at that time. When they arrived to Bethlehem I was born. As my father changed jobs, we moved to Saudi Arabia, then back to the Holy Land -- this time, to the lowest place on earth, Jericho.

I can not forget the first song I learned in school just before the Six Day War titled "Arabs Our Beloved and Jews Our Dogs." I used to wonder at that time who the Jews were but with the rest of the kids, I repeated the words without any knowledge of their meaning.

As I grew up in the Holy Land, I lived through several battles between the Arabs and the Jews. The first battle (while we lived in Jericho) was the Six Day War when the Jews captured old Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine. This was a great disappointment to Arabs and Muslims worldwide.

The American Council in Jerusalem came just before the war to evacuate all the Americans in the area. Since my mother was an American, they offered us assistance but my father refused and turned them down because he loved his country. I still remember many things during the war -- the noise of the bombing and shelling that went on day and night for six days, the looting of stores and houses by the Arabs in Jericho and people running to cross the Jordan River from fear of the Israelis.

The war was called the Six Day War because it was won in six days and on the seventh day a Rabbi by the name of Goren blew the ram's horn on the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem declaring the victory. Many Jews claim that this was a parallel to Joshua when he went around the walls of Jericho six times, then on the seventh day seven times, and on that day the priests blew the trumpets and everyone shouted with one voice and took the city. To my father in Jericho, it seemed that the walls had crumbled on him. During the war he was always listening to the Jordanian radio station. He used to say that the Arabs were winning the war, but he was listening to the wrong station. The Israeli station was announcing the truth of their soon coming victory. Instead my father chose to believe the Arabs who claimed that the Israelis were promoting propaganda.

Later on, we moved back to Bethlehem and my father enrolled us in an Anglican-Lutheran school as they had a better English course. My brother, sister and I were the only Muslims in the school. Being half Americans, teachers would beat us and students would laugh at us. When the Bible class started, I would leave the class and remained outside waiting. One day, I walked in the Bible class and the class 'bully' stood up to fight. He shouted, "We don't want this half American and Muslim to be here!" I refused to get out and the lady who was teaching the class asked me to sit down. Since then, I changed the school's policy and for the first time, the school allowed a Muslim to study the Bible. For the next three years, I studied it despite all the mocking.

Later, my father transferred me to the Government school where I grew in the faith of Islam. I was fed the idea that one day, a fulfillment of an ancient prophecy by the Muslim prophet Mohammed would come to pass. This prophecy foretold a battle in which the Holy Land would be recaptured and the elimination of the Jews would take place in a massive slaughter.

This prophecy in fact is documented in Mohammed's Book of Traditions which states the following:

"The day of judgment shall not come to pass until a tribe of Muslims defeat a tribe of Jews." (Narrated by Abu Hurairah, Sahih Muslim, Hadith #6985; Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, #177)

When Mohammed was asked of the place this would take place, he said:

"In Jerusalem and the surrounding nations."

During my youth, like my father, I was always tuned to Islam and what our Muslim teachers taught. Believing in Muhammad's prophecy, I offered my life to 'Jihad' or 'Holy War' as the only means to obtain either victory or martyrdom. In Islam martyrdom is the only way you can ensure salvation and enter into heaven -- especially since Allah and his prophet Mohammed promised it. As the Quran states it:

"Do not think of whom are killed for the cause of Allah (in a Holy War), to be dead but living with their Lord receiving his blessing". -- Sura: The Family of 'Imran ('Al-'Imran, verse 169)

During school riots against what we called the Israeli occupation, I would prepare speeches, slogans, and write anti-Israeli graffiti in an effort to provoke students to throw rocks at the armed Israeli soldiers. We shouted, "No peace or negotiations with the enemy! Our blood and our souls we sacrifice to Arafat! Our blood and our souls we sacrifice to Palestine!" and "Death to the Zionists!"

I vowed to fight my Jewish enemy believing that I was doing God's will on earth. I remained true to my word as I participated in many riots against the Israeli army, always trying to inflict harm to them by all means and methods I could devise. I would start and participate in any riot I could initiate: in schools, streets, and even on the holiest place (the Temple mount site) in Jerusalem called by Arabs (Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa). All through high school I would always be one of the first to provoke a riot.

Many others got involved in terror tactics against the Jews using bombs and armed assaults on Jews in an attempt to force them to leave Israel. But they never could pluck them out.

Nothing could change my heart, I could only die or a miracle needed to happen. The simplest way to describe myself is that I was one of those one would view on CNN throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails in the days of the Intifada or 'The Uprising'. I was one of these who Jews would call a terrorist. The interesting thing is that I was not only terrorizing but I was terrorized by my beliefs which required me to gain enough merit and good deeds to go to heaven. But I never was sure if my good deeds would outweigh my bad deeds in the scale when I would be judged by God. Of course to die fighting the Jews would ease Allah's anger towards my sin and I would then be secured a good spot in heaven with beautiful wide-eyed women to fulfill my most intimate desires. Either way, I won and terror was the only way.

I remember one time in Bethlehem all viewers clapped their hands with joy in a jam packed theater watching the movie, "21 Days in Munich". The moment we saw the Palestinians throwing grenades into the helicopter killing the Israeli athletes, hundreds of viewers yelled, "Allahu akbar!" (Allah is the greatest). This is the slogan of joy used by Muslims for victorious events.

I remember students used to ask the teacher during our Islamic studies in Bethlehem High School if it was permitted for Muslims to rape the Jewish women after we defeated them. His response was, "The women captured in battle have no choice in this matter, they are concubines and they need to obey their masters, having sex with slave captives is not a ‘matter of choice for slaves’". This in fact was written in the Koran, for it says:

"Forbidden to you also are married women, except those who are in your hand as slaves, this is the law of Allah for you." -- Sura: The Women (al-Nisa, verse 24)

And in a different verse the Koran says:

"O prophet; we allowed thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowries, and the slaves whom thy right hand possesseth out of the booty which Allah hath granted thee, and the daughters of thy uncle, and of thy maternal aunt, who fled with thee to Medina, and any believing woman who hath given herself up to the prophet, if the prophet desired to wed her, a privilege to thee above the rest of the faithful". -- Sura: Confederates (al-Ahzab, verse 50)

We had no problem with Mohammed taking advantage of this privilege as he married 14 wives for himself and several slave girls from the booty he collected as a result of his victorious battles. We really never knew how many wives he had and that question was always a debatable issue to us. One of these wives was taken from his own adopted son Zaid, as Allah declared that she was given to the prophet while others were Jewish captives forced into slavery after Mohammed beheaded their husbands and families.

In an attempt to change the hearts of Palestinians, the Israeli TV station would show Holocaust documentaries. I would sit and watch cheering the Germans while I chewed on food. It was impossible for me to change my mind or heart concerning Jews, only a "heart transplant" would do that job.

They once took our school for a week to a Jewish camp on the coast of Eshdod to mingle us with other Jewish schools. That didn't work. On the contrary, every teacher who spoke to a Jew was mocked.

My mother on the other hand tried to teach me a different idea at home that she called God's plan. She spoke to me about Bible prophecy; she said that the return of the Jews was pre-planned by God and had been fulfilled. This, to her, was Gods miracle in our generation for the world to see that "His will shall be done."

She also told me about many future events to be fulfilled in our generation which is surfacing every day now. She told me of false Messiahs and counterfeits; but all that had little effect for my heart was set on fighting against the Jews.

My mother was influenced by an American Missionary couple who she asked secretly to baptize her. When she refused to be baptized in a pond full of green algae, the missionary priest had to plead to the YMCA in Jerusalem to clear the pool of men, and my mother was then baptized. No one from our family knew.

Many times my mother would take me on trips to several museums in Israel and I fell in love with archeology. I was fascinated with it. In my many arguments with her, I would bluntly tell her that the Jews and Christians had corrupted the Bible. She responded by taking me to the Scroll Museum in Jerusalem and showed me the scroll of Isaiah, still intact. There was no one taking pictures of any Biblical errors to prove of any corruption and I could not respond to my mother.

I remember when I still tormented my mother by calling her an "infidel" and a damned American Imperialist who claimed that Jesus was the Son of God. I'd show her the pictures in the newspaper of all the teenagers supposedly martyred as a result of violence demanding that she answer. I hated her and always asked my father to divorce her and remarry a good Muslim woman.

I would even pose with a grim and sad face for the school picture as if I knew that my turn to be in the paper as a martyr would be next. Many times I risked being killed during youth protests and clashes with the Israeli Army.

I lived in Israel during the Six Day War, the PLO resistance, the Jordanian Black September civil war, the bloody wars in Lebanon, and the war of Yom Kippur. With no hope to destroy Israel and all these losses, we still hoped for that one victory since that is all it would take to destroy them.

My parents worried a lot about me as I got thrown in prison by the Israeli Army. My mother went to the American Council in Jerusalem to try to get me out. She was so stressed her hair started to fall out. In jail, I learned more about the art of terrorism and when I got out, I was more fanatical than before.

When I graduated from high school, my parents sent me to the United States to seek a higher education. Of course I got involved with many anti-Israeli social and political events. I still remember my favorite sick joke I used to like to tell my friends, that I hated Hitler very much because he never got the job done, that is: he never finished the Jewish problem "once and for all".

With Hitler being my idol, and Mohammed my prophet, I went on with my life with little regard for Jews, Christians, or anyone who was not a Muslim. I believed that one day the whole world would submit to Islam and that the whole world owed the Palestinians for their losses in all the battles with Israel. I also believed that Jews were prophet-killers and that they had corrupted the Scriptures to serve their evil desires. This is what Muslims teach. They also teach that Mohammed is our only redeemer and God's favored prophet.

As I lived in America, I could not forget the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who died just in the last 20 years in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Afghanistan and in every single Muslim nation. I had to get revenge for them and someone had to pay the price. Of course there was no question in my mind that the Jews had to pay the penalty, somehow we always managed to twist things together and make it their fault.

One day I fought with a man and struck his eye blind, I was so happy to learn that the man was a Jew.

I was fascinated with Islamic history and I learned that the Islamic prophet Mohammed extradited a Jewish tribe from Saudi Arabia and ordered the beheading of all the men from another tribe. The women were taken as concubines. I used to believe, as Islam taught, that only a Caliph (Islamic ruler) could rule the world. Islam is not a religion for one's personal and moral life, but a system of law and government to the whole world. If not achieved through peaceful means, it would have to wage war against all who did not submit to Islam. With one billion Muslims living today, I believed that it could happen.

I'll be honest, all my life, I was terrified every time I read the Koran, as, after every other verse, there was always threats of hell fire for this sin and that. All I wanted was to reach out to my Maker to say I am sorry, forgive me, give me another chance. But I failed to keep count of all my sins and my good deeds and I was sure that at the end, my sins would outweigh my good deeds. So, I lived my sinful life depending on the love and mercy of my Maker. I always wondered about my destiny. Lost in my fears and doubts, I really hated the idea of killing for my salvation and, in reality; I never had the heart to kill a rat! How then could I kill a Jew!

Sometime in 1992, I was fascinated when I read a book titled "Armageddon, Appointment with Destiny", by Grant Jeffrey. Some of the things explained in this book had many detailed prophecies about Jesus: his birth, life, death and resurrection and the re-creation of the state of Israel. Many of these prophecies came to pass just as God put them down in the Bible! What also amazed me was to find out that the chances for a man to predict hundreds of historic events written hundreds and thousands of years before their occurrences are one in zillions. What is more fascinating is that the margin of error had to be zero, especially when the fulfillment of many of these prophecies was happening in my generation. This kind of evidence had to come from a divine origin that origin had to be God Almighty.

The struggle began. I was puzzled. How could the Bible be a fake and corrupted by the Jews if the land I grew up in, spoke and cried out as thousands of pieces of archeological evidence surfaced from the land of Israel confirming the Bible? The book of Isaiah, discovered in the Qumran caves, was found by a Muslim from the town next to Bethlehem by the name of Muhammad Deib while looking for a lost sheep. From that discovery, they found the rest of the Old Testament which matched the Old Testament Bible in our hands today. It contained hundreds of verses predicting the coming of Jesus Christ.

I had to read the Bible to know who Jesus really was, to find out for myself. God finally led me to get to the bottom line as I started reading what Jesus said:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, who was and is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

Christ also said to the Jews:

"Truly, truly I say to you; before Abraham was born I AM (God)." John 8:58

It amazed me to find similar claims between Jesus and Mohammed. These claims were serious, as Mohammed said:

"I am the beginning of all creation and the last prophet."

He also said:

"I was a prophet of Allah while Adam was still being molded in clay."

Moreover, he claimed to be the intercessor for Muslims in the Day of Judgment, by all of these, claiming to be the world's last and final prophet and savior.

These things always puzzled me. If Mohammed claimed all that he claimed, than who was Jesus who claimed to be our Redeemer and Savior? That question troubled me a great deal. One of the two claims had to be a lie, if there were two redeemers; this would be association with God since God is the only Redeemer.

Christ or Mohammed had to be the Redeemer and Intercessor for mankind. The Bible or the Koran had to be correct. One of them was pure gold and the other had to be a fake, but which one...?

Vowing to make a decision for "The Truth", I stayed up late many nights comparing many details between the Koran and the Bible. At some point during my study, I prayed saying: "GOD, you are the Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jacob, you are the beginning and the end, you are 'The Truth', 'the only Truth', the Maker of the true Scripture, the one and only word of God. I suffer to find your truth, I want to do your will in my life, I long for your love and in the name of 'The Truth' I ask. AMEN!!!"

I wanted real gold and would not settle for an imitation. I had to scratch very hard to look beyond the surface of the world's plastic religions.

I believed in the Koran as the word of God because it had modern scientific laws and only a book with a divine origin could have scientific facts written a thousand years before their discovery. I spent a month using a computer program searching for scientific clues in the Bible. Every verse in the Koran that was a scientific miracle that led me and millions of Muslims to believe in the Koran was already in the Bible. Many stories in the Koran had serious errors and with my knowledge of history and archeology, I knew that the Koran had serious faults.

With many of these discoveries, my claim that the Koran was a miracle was in question. The Bible had all of its miracles hundreds and thousands of years before. My foundation shook and I felt the sinking sand under me. Even the nations mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel in chapter 38, whom God would destroy -- most of them were Muslim nations growing towards Islamic Fundamentalism today.

What also helped me was that God led me to discover, through my study of the Bible, hundreds of detailed and unique verses concerning prophecies fulfilled to the letter. No man has ever presented such detailed predictions of future events without having more errors than truth. God is the only one that holds the key to future events and only the Bible has the key, not the Koran which lacks those most important elements of "Salvation and Redemption". I knew at that moment I would have to be a fool knowing all of this and continuing worshipping a different God than the God of the Bible. I really thought with my prayer, that God will lead me to the Koran, but that was not the case with me. In fact it was the other way around, I had to give up my pride and be open-minded to truth.

God said in the Bible:

"For I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things are not yet done, saying: My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure." Isaiah 46:9-10

God not only foretold future events, but declared them and brought them to pass, unlike the Koran which simply used terror tactics to conform Muslims to believe. Since I did not believe that the Bible was corrupted, I spent many days searching the Bible for Mohammad, as he claimed to be in it, but never found him. If the Bible had been corrupted it had to have happened after the prophet Mohammed since the Koran always addressed the Bible that was 'between his hands' at his time. From that time until now Muslims have failed to provide one single Bible from the face of the earth to prove the corruption, and not one historical or archeological evidence has been discovered to disprove the Bible.

Even the death of that Muslim prophet was different than the death of Jesus, as Mohammed died on the lap of his favorite wife, Aisha, while Jesus died on the cross in order to redeem man's sins.

I felt sad that hundreds of millions of Muslims today live without ever hearing or being challenged with this kind of evidence.

It was astonishing to me to find that Muslims and the rest of the world recognized three main religions that worship God even though God said that He is One and his Word is One.

I was blind, but with the Bible only, I began to see -- I mean really SEE!!! With so much Biblical prophecy fulfilled showing the return of Israel from the grave and the attitudes of Muslims and the world towards Jews, the end time is near.

Man has never changed. He still kills his brother as Cain killed his brother Abel. The only difference is that we don't behead and stab each other in battles as much as we used to. We simply wage chemical warfare to exterminate each other like bugs as human life is becoming less and less valuable. I began to see that sin was the source of all man's problems and that the Devil was man's worst enemy, not the Jews, of whom Hitler exterminated 6 million less than 50 years ago. Ironically today, there is tons of literature being sold denying the incident even occurred. I wondered what would happen if a Hitler or a Mehdi or an Islamic Khalifa (Caliph) came to power and has what we have today: all these nuclear bombs capable of destroying earth seven times over. God led me to look at the world that I live in and ask myself if the world today so foolishly denies the Jewish Holocaust despite all the evidence we have, why should I still wonder why most of the world today denies the Messianic claim of Christ and the accuracy of the Bible -- especially when the evidence is all around.

God opened my heart and mind and led me to see how people today deny all the proofs He has provided for us in His Word, adapting themselves to false forms of worship.

The Lord began to show me the satanic influences which affected my way of thinking. Regardless of my Islamic background, I used to think these influences were from God.

I was led to a new view of the world and the meaning of life and saw the need for salvation. Today, we all can see man's goal for a world government waiting for the Devil to be the king!

"Babylon" is being revived from the grave to unite the world one more time; we have only changed its name to "The New World Order" when it should be called "The New Babylon". I started reading the Bible and began to wonder why Zechariah prophesied:

"For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem, the city shall be rifled, and the women ravished." -- Zechariah 14:2

In Islam I was taught that the second coming of the Messiah was in Islamic prophecy. He was portrayed as the one to break the cross and kill the pig, another setup for Muslims to follow the "false" messiah, the Mehdi, the coming Antiochos Epiphinias.

Contrary to Mohammed's prophecy, the Bible prepares its readers that the outcome of the siege in the time of Jacob's trouble will not be the total annihilation of the Jews but that Christ himself will descend on the Mount of Olives for judgment as He fights the enemies of Israel. Unfortunately, it will be too late for repentance and redemption for non-believers.

The saddest part is that hatred towards Jews is not an old out-moded idea from the far past. Millions of Muslims today have the same sick idea that one day they will do the same to all Jews in the Holy Land as Mohammed did to the Jews in Saudi Arabia.

In fact, the permission to kill Jews and Christians and to take their wives as concubines was engraved in the Islamic "Holy Koran" and is the main cause for the hatred of Jews by Muslims to this very day.

The word "Truth" was stuck in my heart day and night, pounding on my soul as I continued to compare the two books and to finally conclude that the Bible could be proven beyond any shadow of a doubt to be true gold. Not only by hundreds of ancient prophecies that came to pass, but by one ancient word created by God from the time of Jacob until our generation. For all who doubt, that word was and still is 'Israel'.

Israel's existence today, and the re-gathering of the Jews from ALL parts of the world is an irrefutable proof that the Holy Bible is the true Word of God. God scattered them throughout the whole world and then re-gathered them again from ALL nations back to their original land in fulfillment of His promises in the far past, until our present, for He said:

"I will gather you from ALL the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive." -- Jeremiah 29:14

The true God has never changed, He is still the same. I also learned that my enemy, the Jews, were chosen by God to write God's Word and God's plan for salvation through Jesus the Messiah, the only Messiah and Redeemer for man. I also learned that Jesus, the man from my hometown, was a Jew and that even my hometown was Jewish 'Beth-Lechem', which means 'Home of the Bread', as He said:

"I am the Bread of Life, he who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." -- John 6:35.

Beth-Lechem was given its name before Jesus came to this world. Jesus was from the people of my enemy, the Jews. Yet, He died for my sin. I had never heard of an enemy who died for another enemy and loved him so much that he allowed Himself to be beaten, spat on, mocked and finally crucified. Would your enemy die for you? Yet He said:

"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." -- Matthew 5:44.

The Truth was in front of my very eyes, knocking constantly on my heart, and wanting to come in. I called on The Truth and He answered, I was blind and sought the truth, and now I see. He knocked on my door and I opened, and now had set me free! Christ said:

"I am The Way, The Truth and The Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me." -- John 14:6

My way of thinking, my feelings, and my goals in life began to change. I began to feel for the Jewish people. All the hatred left me. The desire to see them hurt was no more a thing in my life. Now, I hurt for them and pray peace for Jerusalem continually. Instead of laughing at images of the Holocaust on TV, I weep for them. I am even ready to give my own life for them, as did my Lord. I say it despite the outpouring of hate that could come from my own fellow Arabs and Muslims.

Yes, I say it to the whole world, I love Jews. I love them because of their Messiah. I love them because they brought Light to the world and through them came the Light and the Truth and for that I love Jews. I no longer despise them and I know from the Bible that the Jews are God's chosen people to give light to Arabs and to the whole world if we only allow them. For God made them a blessing to the world and we need to love and support them as God said to Abraham:

"I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." -- Genesis 12:2

Knowing the truth transferred my way of thinking from believing in Hitler to believing in Christ, from believing lies to knowing the truth, from being spiritually sick to being healed, from living in darkness to seeing the light, from being damned to being saved, from doubt to faith, from hate to love, and from evil works to God's grace through Christ. This transformation taught me that without the (true) word of God, things could look good on the surface but in the core lies deception. I accepted Jesus the Messiah who died for all of our sins as my Lord and Savior; to Him I submit.

Jesus said:

"Come to me all you labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." -- Matthew 11:28

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for fulfilling your promise.

Dear Muslim, let me tell you why I believed: A detailed account of Walid's research into Bible and Qur'an

Source

Love The Jewish People

Hello and God bless you. My name is Amal and I testify that what you are about to read is all true and correct to the best of my knowledge as God Himself is my witness. My prayer is that God will speak to your heart and use this testimony to bless you in a special way in your life.

Basically I grew up in a strict Moslem home. My father is Palestinian from Israel. My mother is from Brazil. She was Catholic. My father met my mother in Brazil while away from his homeland on a trip. They got married and my mother converted from Catholic to Islam. Like most people who come to the states, they both traveled to the USA in search of a better living. They settled in Los Angeles where I was born less than a year later.

I believed everything I was taught about Islam and felt our religion was superior to all religions of the world. Though, as I grew older some of the teachings of Islam began to bother me, like the dress code of being all covered up. I could never figure out why I had to wear long sleeves. I mean how much can a man be stumbled by my elbow? Then there were the ritual prayers. I didn't like saying the same thing over and over. It felt so strange like a kind of alienation towards God. I was taught that if you prayed in the Arabic language God would hear it even more, but I couldn't speak the language and felt left out. I tried writing out the Arabic prayers in English, but still something was missing. I wanted to pray from my heart, not from words that were not mine. Other teachings bothered me also like abstaining from certain foods, but the one that got me most was the - many wives in heaven - theory. I asked my dad if I was going to heaven and he couldn't answer me. He was quiet about it. As a teenager I thought "I don't want to be in heaven in some strange man's harem...just the thought gave me shivers up my spine. No, I definitely knew for sure I did not want to go to "that heaven" at all.

In 1981 at the young age of eighteen, I made the decision to marry my first cousin in order to please my family. I was always wanting to please my family, especially my father. I had never attended a high school dance nor had I ever dated anyone because it was against my fathers' wishes. Yet two months out of high school I was married. To my dismay not even this action seemed to please my father.

In 1985 I enrolled in college against my husbands and my fathers wishes. They felt that I should be home in the kitchen "where a woman belongs" . With the agreement that I was to maintain all my "wifely" duties at home, I was allowed to continue college. I had become pregnant with my first and only child. I had a precious baby boy. It was probably the biggest struggle of my life but, I managed to complete my tasks at home, maintained an honor roll status and won two awards at school, became a new mother, and finally graduated college. As I look back I now know that I had done it all for my fathers approval, yet still this did not seem to please him either.

It was 1991 when I was away on a business trip with my husband. He had started this business of selling clothing at state fairs. My husband, me and our friend, whom I'll call "John" to maintain his privacy, had traveled through different states. We slept in hotels, and worked 16-18 hour days. Oklahoma was our next stop. We had a fourteen hour drive ahead of us and we had to leave in a hurry to make it there in time to set up for the state fair. I wanted to take something to read on this long drive, except I didn't have anything with me and we had no time to stop at the convenience store. Instead of being bored for 14 hours, I decided to take a brown Bible that was sitting on the night-stand of the hotel room we were staying at. When I was approaching the door to leave, my friend John, a catholic, stopped me and said "Amal you've never stolen a thing in your life and now your going to start with a Bible? You can't do that! Are you O.K. ?" I laughed at him "Oh John," I said "It's just a bible it's not like someone's going to miss it. No one really reads these things, and anyway I'm just borrowing it. I will mail it back." Then John said "Hey I thought you were a Moslem, why do you want to read the bible all of a sudden?" I replied "Well, I'm just curious about what it says and besides, there's nothing else to read on this trip." With that we all hopped into the truck and started the long drive. While in the truck for about an hour I soon became bored. I was sitting on a small stool in-between John, who was driving and my husband, who was sitting in the passenger seat. I was staring in awe at the array of colors the setting sun was casting against the clouds in the sky. At the same time I began singing a song I remembered as a child... "Glory, glory hallelujah, glory, glory hallelujah, glory, glory hallelujah." and then I stopped because I couldn't remember the rest of the song. We were passing through a scene that I gave thanks to God for creating. Once again I sang those words again having no clue what they meant but somehow knew it was exalting God for his creation. With the frustration of not being able to recall the rest of this song's lyrics, I asked "God teach me a new song to sing to you." I looked into the clouds thinking surely He'll answer me, but alas I heard no thundering voice coming through the clouds as I imagined this is how God would speak. All of a sudden, I thought to myself how silly I am while remembering I was taught, "God speaks to no one". I looked down at the bible I brought that was sitting on my lap and opened it. I had decided I would read whatever page I opened to. This is what I read:



O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. [2] Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. [3] I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations. [4] For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. [5] Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth; [6] That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me. [7] God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. [8] Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver; [9] Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph. [10] Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? [11] Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts? [12] Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. [13] Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

It was so odd, but I felt that somehow God was speaking to me through what I read. Out of curiosity I looked at the page number I was reading, it read "666". Whoa! I shut that book so fast remembering all the teachings of satan and his number, 666. "Is God trying to tell me this book is satanic?" I thought. After more pondering I came to the conclusion that all books with so many pages had to have that page number also. Feeling terribly silly, I discarded the thought of the bible being satanic.

A few days later in Oklahoma I was very sick with a bad flu. I was so dizzy and unable to walk that I stayed in the hotel room that day while my husband and John were working at the fair. I was alone and in bed in this dimly lit room. My thoughts began to wander and I began thinking of how miserable my life was. I was so unhappy. I missed my child because I hadn't seen him in a month. And here I was on this "so-called business trip". My husband was not a very sharp business fellow, he was always searching for that "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow", so to speak. I had calculated out that we were losing about $400.00 a day yet we were bound by state fair contracts. This and so many other problems in my life began to scream at me inside my head. I decided that if I went on thinking about my problems it would not be good for my health. With that thought, I grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV. I was switching channels looking for a movie or some show that could get my mind off of my problems yet, it was too late. I began crying and in anger threw down the remote control on the bed and the TV switched channels by itself. I didn't know what channel it had landed on because my eyes were so full of tears. As I was crying I heard a voice of a man on the TV he was saying something about Jesus and immediately I thought "Oh great that's all I need now, one of those crazy Christian preachers on my TV set. In self pity I cried even more while this man kept talking. He said "Your feeling so confused because you've got so many problems" and in my crying state I agreed and said "yes I'm feeling so confused and I've got so many problems". Then he said "Your crying and your desperate." And I replied out loud "Yes I'm crying and desperate". It was that moment that I decided I wanted to see who was talking to me. So I sat up in bed and reached for a tissue to wipe my tears and focused on this man on TV. Then he shouted, "You just sat up!". I began to cry even more loudly while I put both my hands up to my face shaking my head left and right. "Yea I just sat up", I replied. Then he said "You just put your hands up to your face like this and your shaking your head like this" I gasped and quickly and intensely stared at the TV set as this man was imitating my exact action. I couldn't believe it, He was talking to me! Then he said very loud while pointing straight at me through the TV, "Woman Jesus is your answer! Come right now to the TV set right where your at !" Without even thinking twice I leaped from the bed, and ran to the TV set and knelt down in front of it. Mind you I couldn't walk prior to this though somehow I was able to almost fly all of a sudden. He said, "Quickly there's no time to waste, put your hand up to mine and repeat after me." He held his hand up with his palm towards me and asked that I put my hand up to his. As I pressed my hand against his hand on the TV screen he said, "Now repeat after me." He then began what I know today as "the sinners prayer". Somehow I knew deep within that this was the way to God. He began talking so fast while I was concentrating hard on the words... you see in Islam I was taught if I didn't say the prayer correctly God wouldn't honor it. As I began to repeat after him the best I could a strange blue neon colored light pierced through the very center of my palm that was pressed against the screen. This light went through my hand, up to my shoulder, to the top of my head and down to my feet but only on the right side of my body. It then shifted to the left side of my body. It felt like a type of soothing energy. This blue energy light then began to circle in an oval shape inside my body and began to grow outward spilling out into the dimly lit room. I was not frightened at all and knew this was good. The circle of light grew bigger and lighter in color until the whole room was filled with a brilliant white light. A feeling of love that I never knew overwhelmed me. I felt so safe, somehow I had become one with this light of love. I knew this was the closest I had ever been to God. When it was all over the man on TV said to call the number on the screen if I had said that prayer. I quickly picked up the phone and called. A dear sweet old lady answered the phone. She congratulated me on accepting Jesus into my heart. And I said "Oh thank you. I knew something good was going to happen today you see because it said so in my horoscope." She replied, "Now dearie... as Christians we don't read horoscopes." That was my first lesson. She said to me that God wants to give me gifts now that I'm a Christian and asked if I would like info on receiving these gifts. "Sure I would like that" I said while my mind pictured a pretty box with a ribbon on it. I didn't really know what she was talking about. Still I gave her my address to mail the info. I hung up the phone and sat on the bed thinking of all that had just happened.

Was this real? What did just happen? Immediately God brought to my memory a day in my life two years prior. I remembered crying out in misery to God while kneeling on the floor of my living room at home. I remembered holding my fist up towards the ceiling and saying to God "Are you real? Why don't you answer me if your real? Why is my life so miserable? I want you and no one else to answer me because I just can't trust anyone anymore! I want to follow you but I don't want to waste my time in the wrong religion, I want to be sure. Answer me, please answer me!" God was reminding me of my questions to Him in such a vivid way it was like a movie screen in front of my eyes. Now I knew what had just happened. God Himself answered me in His own miraculous way. I don't know if the light I saw in that room that day was a vision or actually in the physical realm, but I do know that what I saw and heard was real and that I had finally met the one true God in a very special way.

The next day I was back to work at the fair. Earlier, I found a blue bible in the hotel room that was exactly the same as the brown one from the previous hotel room. Secretly in my heart thinking blue would look better in my living room, I exchanged bibles. My mind was not on work, but rather on the bible and I had a strong desire to read like I never had experienced before. When my husband finally left the booth I took out the bible being so careful that he didn't see me. I then began to read Genesis. Wow! I was reading the same bible but it was different now, more powerful, more real! I loved it and kept reading even to the point that I forgot I was at work. All of a sudden a man's voice asked "What are you reading?" Startled, I looked up and realized my booth was filled with about a dozen people, yet I hadn't heard any of them come in. Shyly I held up the bible to the man and showed him the title on the cover and then I put the bible back down. Suddenly shame and fear filled my mind as I thought "Oh if my dad saw me reading this bible he would be so angry." Then the same man again asked with a big smile "Well, what are you reading?" Could this man not read I thought, what is his problem? In frustration I finally said out loud "The Holy Bible!"

All of a sudden the other people in the booth began shouting in turn, "Glory to God", "Amen", "Praise the Lord", "Hallelujah!". I looked around the booth smiling back at these faces that seemed to be beaming with light and they all seemed to be so happy.

I looked back at the man who asked me the question and asked "Are you all together?"

"No, I'm just here with my wife" he said with a huge smile. Feeling so overwhelmed with all these customers all of a sudden, I quickly went around the booth asking if any of them needed help. No one needed any help, but each one in turn encouraged me to go sit and read the bible. They were all Christians! Then another man that stood beside me said, "You sure look like your enjoying what your reading" "Oh yes it's very good. Have you ever read this book? You really should." I said. "Yes I have read that book and it is very good" he replied. "Are you a Christian?" I asked. He smiled at me and replied "Yes, I am". "Oh", I said shyly "Are you with any of these other Christians here" "No", he replied. I stood up from my chair, "Really? Can you answer a question about Christianity" I asked. He looked at me grinning "Well he said I think I may be able to help you because that's what I do. You see I'm a minister and my father is a minister and my grandfather was a minister and my son is studying to become a minister. So you can feel safe to ask me a question about the bible." "Well", I said "I have this problem. You see yesterday I became a Christian and I kind of took this bible from the hotel and now I fear that God may be very angry with me for stealing." He chuckled and said "That's great that you've become a Christian but you have no problem because that there is a Gideon's bible and these people make bibles to put into hotel rooms for people like you to take. They are happy when they find a bible missing. And God is even happier that you are reading His Word." I was relieved and filled with joy that I could actually keep the blue bible. When they all had left I found that I sold more that hour than I had in any day during the month and it happened while reading God's Word. From that day on I never again was fearful or ashamed of reading the "Holy Bible". God had placed all these Christians who were all separate yet there in my booth at the same time that day to encourage me. Is it coincidence? No it's God!

Back at home in California, I received that pamphlet in the mail with info of "How to receive gifts from God". I remembered the sweet old lady on the phone the day I became a Christian. It was evening time and I was alone in my bedroom. I took the pamphlet and began to read about the "gifts". The first gift was called the gift of tongues. It said pray that the lord will touch your vocal chords then wait. So I got on my knees next to my bed and prayed to God that he would touch my vocal chords. I then got back up sat on my bed and closed my eyes and waited. About 2-3 minutes later my mouth moved and made the shape of an "o" and I spoke the sound "O" then in turn my mouth began making other shapes and I would speak those sounds...the sounds repeated to form different words and the different words repeated and became sentences. I was speaking a language I had never heard in my life. It was fun. I looked at the pamphlet again and saw the next gift called "Interpretation". I prayed again and received that gift. Then came prophecy, and so on down the list. By the third day, the God that was so far away was now my best friend in the whole world. The very first thing I remember Him saying to me was "Amal I love you", I cried for 3 days after that because I was feeling so unworthy of his love. I couldn't understand why Jesus would die for me. I was not accustomed to this kind of love.

One day in prayer I asked God who the Holy Spirit was. He answered very clearly "1 Corinthians 2: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16". I said "God, I don't understand" . He then repeated the same answer and told me to open my bible. I had never heard of this word "Corinthians" before and I wondered what all those numbers meant. But God knew me and knew that I would open to the table of contents. I soon found it and this is what I read:



Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. [13] Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. [14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. [15] But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. [16] For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

After reading that I said to the Lord God "You mean the Holy Spirit is my teacher?" Then I heard very clearly "Yes" said the Lord. Oh was I overwhelmed with joy. Then I asked "Holy Spirit do you mean You will teach me this bible?" Once again the Lord God spoke "yes" He said. A feeling of warmth and joy overwhelmed me so much I thought I was going to burst. You see I wasn't allowed to go to church. My newly divorced father had disowned me, my brothers were ashamed of me and my husband persecuted me daily. I had Moslem relatives calling me daily, because they wanted to teach me Islam in a better way. Yet my heart was fixed and no one could ever tell me that what happened wasn't real. God does speak to us! God himself took care of me and every time I had a question, he told me where to look in the bible. This took place for three months. One day he instructed me to go get baptized at this local church in my community. So on the day of my baptism my friend "John", yes the same one that was in Oklahoma with me, asked to come. He said he never witnessed a "Christian baptism" before. While at the baptism, John was holding my towel and the Pastor mistook him for someone whom was there to get baptized. John told the Pastor that he was planning to get saved at the church service first. I stood there in shock at what I just heard come out of Johns mouth. Then right there he repeated the sinners prayer and was baptized also. I was so full of joy that my friend had found God. To this day I claim Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And heaven, yes I want to be in heaven with Jesus where I will praise the best friend I will have ever had on earth. He is my Father God and it's Him whom I try to please today.

It took two years for God to answer me and it was His perfect timing. You may have finished reading this just now and probably wonder if this is true. I assure you I wouldn't have wasted my time writing this if it were not. Jesus Christ is the answer, He is God!

In Service to my Lord,

Amal

Source

Dear Muslim, let me tell you why I believed

-Walid

Introduction:

Today over half of the population of the world claim to be either Muslim or Christian, each faith has its own religious book, each teach that someday everyone will stand before God and be judged, and each claim to believe that they alone have the true message from God. Muslims claim that the Bible we have today is a corrupted version of the original, while Christians maintain that God would never allow his word "the Bible" to be corrupted. It is however God's judgment which will decide our eternal destiny (heaven or hell), and that depends on whether we accept His truth. Islam claims that the way to heaven is to declare Allah as the one and only God and Muhammad as His last and final messenger for mankind, whereas Christianity claims that faith in Christ's redemption and his dying on the cross as the final act from God is the only way to heaven. The bottom line is that one of these choices is true and the other, false. The right choice leads to eternal life in heaven, and the wrong choice leads to eternal hell. Which would you choose? I will share with you why I believe that the Christian choice is the only way to heaven.

To understand the differences one must spend ample time searching through the evidence for each claim. As the Quran declares; "Produce your evidence if you are really truthful." (Al-Baqarah[2]:112). The Bible on the other hand declares; "Produce your cause saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons saith the King of Jacob." (Isaiah 41:21). And In respect to both requests and as commanded by both, I will ponder these issues, and weigh each claim on the scientific scale.

I dedicated several years of my life to studying this very issue, comparing both the Bible and the Quran side by side, and pondering the Bible, attempting to find the alleged corruption with which it is charged. The results of this comparison are astonishing. Readers will increase their knowledge with the evidence I have gathered in the areas of Prophecy, History, and Science.

These issues will include a comparison between the Bible and the Quran on subjects, events and persons such as: Peace and War in Islam, Science in the Bible and Quran, Israel and the Muslim Nations in Prophecy, Prophecy in the Quran, and the Historical, Manuscript, Prophetic and Archaeological evidence of the Bible.

My aim is to show the problems of how Muslims view the Christian faith, and to provide hundreds of facts, and evidences to prove to Muslims why Christianity is the only way.

With 18 years living in the Holy Land, and growing up as a Muslim, I lived, breathed, and walked the Islamic path, studying the Quran and practicing the faith.

I hope the reader keeps an open mind and heart as he searches for the true word of God. I pray that God will open our hearts and minds to better understand His truth, and may God be with you as you ponder these words. To Him we give all the glory, and to Him we submit.

Dear Muslim, let me tell you why I believed

-Walid

What's Faith?

Regardless of what we believe in, all of us have faith in someone or something which dictates the way we live. In our case here, and since both Muslims and Christians believe in eternal destiny (hell or heaven), the choice one needs to make becomes the most important struggle for truth and life. If you are afraid to read this, it is perhaps that you do not have a strong knowledge in your faith. You should have no fear if you know that what you believe to be true, is indeed true.

On the other hand, one could choose for some reason to ignore this issue altogether, thinking that it does not matter what one believes, since we will find out at the end which was right. That is your choice, and no one including God will force you, but if you are wrong, and end up in eternal torment, do not blame me because I have done my job, I offered you the challenge.

The "Quran" Challenge to the Judeo-Christian Faith: In Islam the Quran states it clearly; "And they say: `None shall enter paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.' Those are their desires. Say: `produce your (Evidence) if you are really truthful'." (Al-Baqarah[2]:112).

The "Bible" Challenge: "Present your case, says the Lord. Bring forth your strong reasons, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show us the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us the things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination." (Isaiah 41:21-24).

So, for that challenge which was ordered by both books, and since both encourage us to produce "proof", or evidence to each claim, I will respond to answer each challenge. Since Christians need to be in obedience to God, they are required to respond and fulfill the commission, to defend the faith, to fight the battle, the real war for souls, not by the Sword but by the Word.

We are ordered by God to produce evidence, and witness to those lost in darkness, to the world that we seek for Christ. As the Bible said: "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15).

In the Old Testament, God encourages debate and challenge; "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord." (Isaiah 1:18a).

Both challenges assure us, that there is no need to pick up stones and fight, no need for anger or fits of rage. Simply let us reason together, and prove with evidence each his own claim.

The Bible claims that the true Christian faith is the only way to God, while Islam's Quran says that it’s the other way around. I have seen many debates concerning this issue, and the problem with such debates is that neither side is able to fully express their opinion. The element of time is always a factor, and the heated arguments would always upset Muslims, who were too quick to throw in shouts of "Allahu Akbar' (God is greater). We need to see how God is great, not by just shouting it, but by proving it. We need patience to avoid quick judgments.

The bottom line is that one of the two (Muslims or Christians) are deceived, and to understand the deception one must first understand the nature of the deceiver, Satan the Devil. The Bible gives the best explanation of him, and in general he is the most intelligent, smart, and beautiful being God ever created. He deceived 1/3 of the angels, he deceived Adam and Eve, and he even deceives the very elect. You stand no chance against his tricks without God and his Spirit on your side. He is the best con artist this world has ever seen. He appears as an "Angel of Light". He created all false theology, and he claims to be God. The Bible describes him as the false God of this world, and this world is the domain he wants to rule.

The Quran on the other hand gives some different descriptions of Satan. The Quran calls him "Iblees", which is a fiery creature or "jinn", from which the English word "genie" is derived. Muslims deny the Biblical claim that the Devil is an angel, however one cannot ignore the Quranic verse; "And as we told the Angels to bow down to Adam, All did except Iblees (Satan), refused. He was one of the jinn" (Al-Kahf[18][18]:50). One could ask, why would God order only the Angels to bow, and then expect Satan, who the Quran declares as being one of the jinn (genie) to do the same? That would logically refer to jinn (genie) as angels, albeit fallen ones, but not another creature made from fire as the Quran claims in other verses.

In the Quran, devils are found doing the work of Solomon by Allah's command. Allah is also found protecting them as declared in the Quran: "And sundry satans who should dive for him and perform other work beside: and it was We who guarded them." (Alanbya[21]:82). These devils are also found in the Quran to be Solomon's messengers: "He said (Solomon),: "Ye Chiefs! which of you can bring me her throne[Queen Sheba's] before they come to me in submission? Said an `Ifrit, of the Jinn (devils): "I will bring it to thee before thou rise from thy council: indeed I have full strength for the purpose, and may be trusted." (Al-Naml[27]:38-39). Such claims are rejected by Christianity, as nowhere in the Bible are devils used to do any physical work, especially not in the building of God's temple. God used Solomon and his people, (God's chosen people) to carry out this task (1 Kings 6:1-2). The most interesting part in the Quran's description of devils is in Surah Saba[34]:14, where Allah declares: "Then we decreed Solomon's death, nothing showed them (the devils) that he was dead as the termites gnawed the staff which supported his corpse. And when it fell, the devils perceived that if they had known ..." Muslim interpreters say that Solomon died suddenly while he was leaning on his staff, and that a full year passed while his corpse stood there leaning. Finally when the termites had eaten part of that staff, it broke and Solomon fell to the ground, and only then did the devils realize that Solomon was dead. On hearing this we must ask: What did Solomon's servants, wives, and army do while Solomon was dead leaning on his staff for a whole year? Muslim scholars conclude that demons are stupid beings whose main job is to whisper into peoples ears to try and make them sin. This description is unlike that of the Bible, which warns us that demons are in fact fallen angels, able to mix a mass of truth with just enough lies to kill.

Jamal Badawi, a well known Muslim apologist, when debating Christians, always accuses the Christian Trinity of evolving from ancient pagan beliefs such as mithraism.[1] What Mr. Badawi ignores to mention is that the idea of pagan trinities did not evolve from Persia, Rome or any other ancient empire, but from way back at the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. Satan defied God and deceived Adam and Eve. He then formed a false trinity -- Satan, The future coming Antichrist (Al-Maseeh Al-Dajal), and the False Prophet. The first prophecy in the Bible was concerning this very issue. In Genesis 3:15, God’s judgment was declared: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." In this prophecy we find the promise of the virgin birth of Christ from the seed of the woman (her seed). The woman representing Eve and her seed representing Christ, Christ was not the seed of Adam as He did not have a human father. This was the first prophecy in the Bible of the coming Christ. This prophecy foresaw the crucifixion of Christ (when Satan was able to "bruise His heel") who was pierced in His hands and feet (heels). The verse also reveals the Antichrist to be the seed of Satan. Just as Christ, the son of Mary, was uniquely the "seed" of the woman", the Antichrist in some mysterious way will be the "seed" of Satan. Christ will ultimately bruise Satan (who will manifest himself in the body of the Antichrist) in the head, and thus the Antichrist will be Satan's seed. Satan has introduced false trinities and false gods throughout the centuries in an attempt to cover the truth. He is the crafty deceiver who will ultimately introduce his son, the Antichrist, as the one to take on the most deceptive mission yet -- to make man worship Satan, and declare himself as the God of man.

While all false religions believe that Satan and his devils are simple beings who promote sin and discord, the Bible reveals them as intelligent beings who never cease to introduce Satan's agenda in the real battle between Satan and God, a battle that is not mentioned in many false religions. Though we are unaware of this battle, God in the Bible warns: "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). The Bible describes Satan as "The ruler of darkness", "The father of lies", and "The prince of this world". He imitates the real God, and will eventually manifest himself in the body of the Antichrist to rule earth for a while. He will be represented by a false prophet. This false trinity (Satan, Antichrist, False Prophet), is indeed a false setup designed by Satan the Devil to imitate the True God and to seduce man into worship him, when they think they are following God.

This imitation started from the beginning, when Satan exalted himself to be better than God: "I will ascend above the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like The Most High." (Isaiah 14:14). The Bible clearly shows that Satan is a counterfeit, and that he claims to be God, The Most High. If he is doing that today, through which religious system, and to whom do you think he is lying?

The Bible gives the opposing names to those of the true God, and attributes them to the Antichrist. Christ is called "The Truth", while Antichrist is called "The lie". Christ is called the "Holy One", while Antichrist is called "The lawless one". Christ is called "The Son of God", while Antichrist is called "The Son of Perdition". Christ is called "The Mystery of Godliness", while Antichrist is called "The Mystery of Iniquity". God allows Satan to continue, and though He could destroy him, the Bible teaches that it is Jesus Christ who will finally destroy Satan's Son of Perdition (The Antichrist) "by the brightness of His coming". Satan's main tactic to destroy God's plan is to counterfeit the biblical prophecies concerning the coming Christ. Over the centuries, Satan has tried to destroy God's plan by burning, banning, and attacking the Bible and persecuting Christians and Jews. He introduced false doctrines, false books, and false prophets. Covering God's Truth with lies has been the major mission for Satan and his demons. Consequently, Satan has always failed in his missions to destroy and conquer since God's plan is indestructible.

God gave many warnings in the Bible concerning Satan and his works:

"Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done" (Daniel 11:36). The Antichrist's will is his fathers will (The Father of lies or the Devil), while Christ's will is His Father's will (The God of Truth). The mystery of God's nature is presented in the Bible as One God in a Holy Trinity: "Behold O Israel, the Lord your God is One". The unity of God is supported in both the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament.

When Elijah (Elias), encountered the prophets of Baal (false prophets), Elijah stood before the people and cried out "How long halt you between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." (I Kings 18:21). Elijah won the battle, as he was on the side of God, while the false prophets standing with Satan lost their lives and their souls forever. God even sent fire from heaven, cooked the beef and consumed it. Elijah prayed as I did "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." God reveals to us the truth, just ask him and say "O Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, reveal to me your truth", he is faithful and just.