Stories Of New Muslims


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  • Stories Of New Muslims






  • 8. Mrs. Lara  - Discovering Islam:

    A Canadian
    Muslima's Story

    Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem

    April 25, 1996

     

     

    As-Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmahtullahi wa Barakatu (May
    the peace, the mercy, and the blessings of Allah be upon you). I am
    Canadian-born of Scandinavian and other ancestry, and I was raised in Canada. I
    have been a
    Muslima since
    February 1993 when I was 23. While growing up, I was never affiliated with any
    religion nor was I an atheist. When I was in my mid-teens I started to think
    somewhat about religion and at that time I did believe in the Oneness of God (
    Tawheed). Christianity never interested me.

    My first contact with
    Muslims occurred when I was introduced to some Muslim international students in
    1988. Through them I learned a bit about Islam, such as Ramadan fasting. But it
    was really not until 1992 that I became interested in Islam. In the summer of
    that year a Canadian newspaper published a series of articles attacking Islam
    by using examples of anti-Islamic behaviour of some Muslims in an attempt to
    vilify Islam itself. Non-Muslims tend to judge Islam on the basis of the
    behaviour (which is not necessarily Islamic) of Muslims. I was not yet a
    Muslima but the articles were so outrageous that
    I sent a letter to the editor in defence of Islam. Now I was curious about
    Islam. I re-read some articles I had picked up several months earlier from the
    MSA Islam Awareness Week display at my university. One was about
    'Isa (Alaihe Salam) [Jesus] as a Prophet of
    Islam. Also, I asked a Muslim to get me some books about Islam; they were about
    the overall ideology of Islam and were written by two famous Muslim authors.
    Impressed, I thought, "This is Islam? It seems so right." Over the
    next few months in my free time while attending university I continued to learn
    about Islam from authentic Islamic books, for example The Life of Muhammad
    (Salallahu Alaihe wa Salam). One certainly does
    not learn the truth about Islam from the mass media! Also, newcomers to Islam
    especially must be careful to avoid the writings of deviant groups which claim
    ties to Islam so as not to be misled. And just because the author has an Arabic
    name does not necessarily mean that he or she is a knowledgeable Muslim or even
    Muslim at all. Also, I learned about Islam from some kind, knowledgeable
    Muslims and
    Muslimas who
    did not pressure me. Meanwhile, I had begun to Islamize my behaviour which did
    not require huge change. I already avoided consuming alcohol and pig meat.
    Also, I always preferred to dress conservatively/modestly and not wear makeup,
    perfume, or jewellery outside my home. I started to eat only Islamically
    slaughtered meat. Also during this time I visited a
    masjid (mosque) in my city for the first time.

    Until I discovered
    Islam, I knew almost nothing about it. I say discovered because the
    "Islam" that I had always heard about through the mass media is not
    true Islam. I had always assumed that Islam is just another man-made religion,
    not knowing that it is the Truth. I had also assumed that a person had to be
    raised as a Muslim to be one. I was not aware of the fact that all humans are
    born Muslim (in a state of Islam - submitted to the Creator). Like many
    "Westerners" I associated Islam with the "East" and did not
    know that Islam is universal in both time and place. However, I never had
    negative feelings about Islam, al-Hamdulillah. The more knowledge that I
    acquired about Islam, the more I felt that I too can actually be Muslim as I
    found that many of the beliefs that I already had were actually Islamic not
    merely "common sense."

    So after familiarizing
    myself with what Islam is basically about and what are the duties and proper
    conduct of a Muslim person, as well as thinking and reflecting, I felt ready to
    accept Islam and live as a
    Muslima. One day while at home I said the Shahada (declaration of faith) and began to perform the five daily salawat (prayers), al-Hamdulillah. That was in February 1993, several days before the fasting month of
    Ramadan began. I did not want to miss the fasting this time! I found the
    fasting to be much easier than I had anticipated; before I fasted I had worried
    that I might faint. At first there was a bit of an adjustment period getting
    used to the new routine of performing salah and fasting, and I made some
    mistakes, but it was exciting and not difficult. I started to read the Qur'an
    (Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation) when I was given one soon after accepting
    Islam. Before that I had read only excerpts of it in other books. Also in the
    beginning, I found The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam by Dr. Yusuf
    al-Qaradawi to be a useful guide.

    In January 1996 (during
    Ramadan) I started to wear the Islamic headscarf (
    Hijab). I realized that I could not fully submit to Allah (SWT), which is
    what being Muslim is about, without wearing it. Islam must be accepted and
    practised in its entirety; it is not an "alter-to-suit-yourself"
    religion. Since becoming a
    Muslima I was aware that the headscarf is required of Muslim women and I had
    intended to wear it eventually. I should have worn it immediately upon
    accepting Islam but for many
    Muslimas (even some from Muslim families) it is not easy to take that step and
    put it on in a non-Muslim society. It is silly how so many persons get upset
    over a piece of fabric! Also, it is interesting to note that Christian nuns are
    never criticized for covering their heads. Never in my life did I have negative
    feelings toward
    muhajjabas
    (women who wear
    Hijab) when
    I saw them. What made me hesitate to put it on was fearing receiving bad
    treatment from others, especially family. But we must fear Allah (SWT) only,
    not others. In the few months before I permanently put on
    Hijab I started "practising" wearing
    it. I wore it when I travelled between my home and the local
    masjid on Fridays when I started attending the jum'a salah (Friday congregational prayer). (Of
    course, since becoming Muslim I always wore it during every salah). A couple of
    weeks prior, in
    du'a I
    began asking Allah (SWT) to make it easy for me to wear it.

    The day I finally put
    it on permanently I had reached the point where I felt that I could no longer
    go out with a bare head, and I thought "tough bananas" if others do
    not like me wearing it since I alone am accountable for my actions and am
    required to perform my Islamic duties, and I could never please everyone
    anyway. Sometimes opposition to
    Hijab is a control issue: some persons just plainly do not like those who are
    determined and independent especially if it is their child.

    Upon wearing it I
    immediately felt protected and was finally able to go out and not be the target
    of stares/leers from men. At first I felt a bit self-conscious but after
    several weeks I felt completely used to wearing
    Hijab. Sometimes other persons look puzzled/confused, I think because they
    are not used to seeing pale-faced, blue-eyed
    Muslimas! By the way, wearing Hijab is da'wah in a way as it draws
    attention to Islam.

    Since accepting Islam I
    continue to seek knowledge about the
    Deen (religion) which is a lifelong duty for all Muslims--male and female.
    Currently, I am learning Arabic and hope to be able to read the Qur'an in
    Arabic soon,
    insha'Allah.
    Reading, discussing Islam with other Muslims, and the Friday
    jum'a khutba are all educational. Striving
    to be as pious as one can be and fighting against one's own evil traits
    (jihad al-nafs) takes effort and is
    continuous and never ending for Muslims. I find Islam ever-more fascinating,
    and I enjoy living as a Muslima.

     

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