First of all, I would like to start by saying that this true story is not for my own fame or admiration, but for the sake of my Lord and your Lord God.  All praises due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the Beneficent, the Merciful Owner of the Day of Judgment.  I would like to repeat to you something I heard: the journey of a thousand miles has to start with the first step, and this is the first part of my journey and conversion to Islam.

My name is Malik Mohammed Hassan, and I have recently converted to Islam.  When I was in junior high school, I was first introduced to Islam by reading the book Roots by Alex Haley.  It taught me a little bit about the strong will that most Muslims possess, myself included.  It also introduced me to Allah.  I had never heard of Allah in his real form until I read that book, and I was very curious.  I then started reading about The Nation of Islam (specifically Malcolm X), and it fascinated me how devoted he was to God, especially after he left the self-serving Nation of Islam.  Reading about Malcolm made me think about a God who (for a change) did not have any physical … limitations and, being a totally blind person, it made me relate to these people: the people who Malcolm and Haley referred to as Muslims.  I continued reading what I could about Islam, which wasn’t as much as it should have been.  My reading material was very limited, because like I said above, I am a totally blind person, and the material available about Islam in Braille or on tape was not only very little but also very general.  I believe the reason was that the material that I had access to wasn’t written by Muslims, and it kind of painted a dark picture of Islam.  I think most of the literature written by Christians or non-Muslims about Islam tends to do that most of the time.  And I didn’t know that there were even Muslims in Halifax, so I obviously didn’t know any.  I didn’t even know about the local Islamic association until I was already a Muslim.

So I read what I could until my first year out of high school, around the month of May 1996, when I received a phone call asking me if I wanted to participate in a camp for blind and visually impaired people, known throughout Canada as Score.  I agreed and sent them a resume, and praise be to God, I was accepted for work.

At first, I really didn’t want to go, but something kept telling me it would be a good idea if I went.  So, on June 30th, 1996 I boarded a plane from Nova Scotia to Toronto and took my last trip as a non-Muslim; I just didn’t know it yet.

I got to Toronto, and everything at first was pretty normal...  It was on the second day I was there when the journey of a thousand miles first started.

I arrived on a Sunday, and on the next day, I met the person who God would use with His divine power to help guide me to the beautiful Religion of Islam.  I met a sister named [...], and if she reads this, I hope she doesn’t get mad at me for using her name.

When I met her, I immediately wanted to talk to her because I liked her name.  I asked her what origin her name was and she told me that it was Arabic; so I asked her if she was Muslim and she replied with the answer of yes.  I immediately started telling her what I already knew about Islam, which lasted about ten seconds.  I started asking her questions and also asking her to talk to me about Islam.

One particular incident that comes to my mind is when all of the workers at the camp went to a baseball game, and the sister and I started talking about Islam and missed pretty much the whole game.

Well, anyway, we talked for about three, maybe four days on and off about Islam, and on July the fifth, if my memory doesn’t fail me, I became a Muslim.  My life has been totally different ever since.  I look at things very differently than I used to and I finally feel like I belong to a family.  All Muslims are brothers and sisters in Islam so I could say that I have approximately 1.2 billion brothers and sisters all of whom I’m proud to be related to.  I finally know what it feels like to be humble and to worship a God that I don’t have to see.

For any non-Muslim reading this, just look at it this way.  It’s good to learn, but you never know when you will be tested, and if you’re not in the class at the time of the final exam, no matter how much you know, you’ll never get any credit.  So like I said, it’s good to learn, but if you want to get credit, sign up for the class.  In other words, declare shahada (testimony to faith) and let God teach you everything you need to know.  Believe me, the reward is worth it.  You could say the reward is literally heaven.

If any good comes out of this story all the credit is due to God; only the mistakes are my own.  I would like to mention a part of a hadith that has had a great effect on me and that is:

“Worship God as if you see him and if you don’t see him, know that he sees you.” (Saheeh Muslim)

 By Malik Mohammed Hassan

Resources

new muslim story

Are you one of those who think converting to Islam is a funny idea? Do you think the name of Islam is associated with terrorism, oppression, and dogma? The same goes with many other groups which have been wrongfully stereotyped. And it takes courage, quest, and deep understanding to catch hold of the true idea about them.

Why Would You Convert to Islam?

If you, as a non-Muslim, ask me whether Islam wants you to convert to it, we should give you a preliminary “No!” What Islam wants from you in the first place is “to be not indifferent,” to keep looking and searching for God and the deeper meaning of life.

No one can embrace a faith before they have ample reason (in a broad sense of the word) that it contains a bigger share of truth than any others. And you will surely have God’s help and guidance on your side.

“As for those who strive in Us, We shall surely guide them in Our ways, and Allah is indeed with the virtuous.” (26:69)

That’s what every “Muslim by birth” is also required to do as they reach puberty. In this sense, we are all “New Muslims,” and whether born in a Muslim family or not, we each have a unique story!
You can hear of many converts and the story of how they found their way to Islam here.

Marriage and Conversion to Islam

Now, some people could have uncommon intentions in order to convert Islam. So, when a person takes the testimony of faith (Shahadaain) and converts to Islam, is it for anyone to question his or her true faith? Or it’s only God’s business to tell the true faith from false in all of us, and not anybody else’s?

For example, you might have heard Muslims are not allowed to marry non-Muslims. Well, generally speaking, that’s true. But are there any exceptions? What if a person wants to convert to Islam so that he or she could marry a Muslim? Is it acceptable or not?

You can find the answer to these questions here.

And What Happens to a Marriage if one of the two spouses converts to Islam? Are there any circumstances in which the couple can go on with their marriage as before? Or that such a marriage is dissolved unless the other half also accepts Islam?

As a New Muslim, How Can I Deal with My non-Muslim Family?

Would converting to Islam turn all our life and actions upside down? The answer is both yes and no. One of the aspects of our lives that would be influenced when we convert to Islam is the relationship with our family. In this article, new Muslims will learn how to step into this new path with the least physical and spiritual challenges, while committing to Islamic rulings.