Reading Qur’an made Me Convinced of Truth

Not convinced with the Christian concept of trinity, Erin (Sumaya Fannoun) wrestled with the ideology of faith and looked for the right path. She explains that she became Muslim when she began to research and study Islam.

It is no wonder that our prisons are over-flowing, and that parents are at a loss to control their children. That is not to say that in Islam we believe that we get to heaven based on our deeds. On the contrary, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told us that we will only enter paradise through God’s mercy, as evidenced in the following Hadith: Narrated Aisha: “The Prophet said, ‘Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and receive good news because one’s good deeds will not make him enter Paradise.’ They asked, ‘Even you, O Allah’s Apostle?’ He said, ‘Even I, unless and until Allah bestows His pardon and mercy on me’.”

I did not even know who God was. If Jesus was not a separate god, but really part of God, then who was he sacrificed to? And who was he praying to in the Garden of Gethsemane? If he was separate in nature from God, then you have left the realm of monotheism, which is also in direct contradiction to the teachings of the Old Testament. It was so confusing, that I preferred not to think of it, and had begun to thoroughly resent the fact that I could not understand my own religion. That point was brought home when I began to discuss religion with my future husband at college. He asked me to explain the Trinity to him. After several failed attempts at getting him to understand it, I threw my hands up in frustration, and claimed that I couldn’t explain it well because, “I am not a scholar!” To which he calmly replied, “Do you have to be a scholar to understand the basis of your religion?” Ouch!, that really hurt; but the truth hurts sometimes. 

By that point, I had tired of the mental acrobatics required to contemplate who I was actually worshipping. I grudgingly listened while he told me of the Oneness of God, and that He had not changed his mind, but completed his message to mankind through the Prophet Muhammad, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. I had to admit, it made sense. God had sent prophets in succession to mankind for centuries, because they obviously kept going astray, and needed guidance. Even at that point, I told him that he could tell me about his religion, just for my general information. 

 “But don’t try to convert me,” I told him, “because you’ll never do it!” “No,” he said, “I just want you to understand where I’m coming from and it is my duty as a Muslim to tell you.” And of course, he didn’t convert me; but rather, Allah guided me to His Truth. Alhamdu Lillah.

At about the same time, a friend of mine gave me a “translation” of the Qur’an in English that she found at a book store. She had no way of knowing that this book was actually written by an Iraqi Jew for the purpose of driving people away from Islam, not for helping them to understand it. It was very confusing. I circled and marked all the passages that I wanted to ask my Muslim friend about and when he returned from his trip abroad, I accosted him with my questions, book in hand. He could not tell from the translation that it was supposed to be the Qur’an, and patiently informed me of the true meaning of the verses and the conditions under which they were revealed. He found a good translation of the meaning of the Qur’an for me to read, which I did. 

I still remember sitting alone, reading it, looking for errors, and questioning. The more I read, the more I became convinced that this Book could only have one source, God. I was reading about God’s mercy and His willingness to forgive any sin, except the sin of associating partners with Him; and I began to weep. I cried from the depth of my soul. I cried for my past ignorance and in joy of finally finding the truth. I knew that I was forever changed. 

I was amazed at the scientific knowledge in the Qur’an, which is not taken from the Bible as some would have you believe. I was getting my degree in microbiology at that time, and was particularly impressed with the description of the embryological process, and so much more. Once I was sure that this book was truly from God, I decided that I had to accept Islam as my religion. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.

I learned that the first and most important step of becoming Muslim is to believe in “La illaha ilAllah, wa Muhammad Ar-Rasool Allah,” meaning that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His messenger. After I understood that Jesus (peace be upon him) was sent as a prophet, to show the Jews that they were going astray, and bring them back to the path of God, I had no trouble with the concept of worshipping God alone. But I did not know who Muhammad was, and didn’t understand what it really meant to follow him. May Allah bless all those people who have helped me to understand and appreciate the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), throughout these last seven years. I learned that Allah sent him as an example to mankind. An example to be followed and imitated by all of us in our daily lives. He was in his behaviors, the Qur’an exemplified. 

May Allah guide us all to live as he taught us!