Abdulhakim, the son of Christian parents and who had been a regular church-goer from an early age, began questioning the Christian belief in the Trinity in adulthood. He became acquainted with Islam through a friend and reflected particularly on the subject of death. He later began reading the Qur’an and was profoundly affected by its verses. Abdulhakim describes his thoughts on first reading the Qur’an:
“I read the suras al-Baqara, Al ‘Imran, an-Nisa’, al-Ma’ida, al-An‘am, al-A‘raf, al-Anfal, at-Tawba, Yunus and Hud one after the other. These had such an impact on me that I cannot fully describe my feelings. When I read the suras al-Kahf, Maryam and Ta Ha I became convinced that the Qur’an had been sent by a Creator and I decided to become a Muslim… The Qur’an both answered my questions and also bestowed great peace on my heart. Another reason why I was so profoundly affected by the Qur’an is that the Qur’an re-arranges a person’s life from top to bottom. This Book sets out a number of rules in every sphere of life that people need to live by and introduces them to a brand new life. I never saw any such thing in the New or the Old Testaments. It is also impossible for any thinking person to read the Qur’an and not believe… I loved the Qur’an so much I was reluctant to put it down even for a moment.”
Abdulhakim goes on to describe his amazement when he learned how easy it is to become a Muslim: “…
When I asked how I could become a Muslim I was told that all I needed to do to convert to Islam was to recite the Kalima. I was amazed it was so easy to become a Muslim because all kinds of rituals have to be held when you want to become a Christian.”
Islam and the Qur’an, Allah’s Book of Truth, brought about permanent changes in Abdul Hakim.
“I changed as I read the Qur’an and I realized that the Qur’an had illuminated my heart, my mind and my life. I felt like a new-born child… I wanted to spend all my time reading the Qur’an.”
In the wake of this turning point in his life, his family began taking an interest in Islam and his two brothers also became Muslims. Abdul Hakim says that, despite being a Christian herself, his mother is happy at her three sons’ conversion to Islam.
“Although my mother is still a Christian, she constantly says: ‘It was a good thing you became Muslims. You are in a much better state now than you were before. Never abandon Islam.’”
Abdul Hakim also says that the number of people entering Islam in England every year is rising and that British women in particular are exhibiting considerable interest in Islam. He said the reason why 51 British women in London converted to Islam last month was that they had learned about and been profoundly influenced by the importance Islam attaches to women.
