A story of an American teenager

A story of an American teenager, Valerie Wright who discovered Islam from many signs that God had placed for her.

Islam came before she was even aware of it. She was born with a progressive hearing loss. And at first she was placed in classes that contained only deaf children. Then she began to attend some classes with hearing children, and she had a teacher come to help her learn how to integrate. So she felt at home there.

The story began when she had special teacher which come from Turkey. Even she never spoke about Islam in the class she made her impressed. From her teacher she got us involved in a pen pal project with students from Turkey. She thinks that it was just one among many signs that God had chosen for me. And during the period of her life, she yearned to be close to God (Jesus Christ). She became very involved in the church.

...Near the end of the school year, I was at a good-bye party for one of my foreign exchange friends. One girl's mother came to me.
I knew the girl as a friend, but I had never seen the mother before. She told me, "When my daughter speaks about you, I get such a feeling of joy and happiness in my heart, and I feel a strong need to tell you that God has a plan for you."

Some time passed, and I was almost ready to graduate from high school. That was when I met some Muslims and had real in-depth contact with them. There was something I liked about their interactions with each other. There seemed to be a mutual feeling between them that was stronger than any I had seen between any people before. They also spoke Arabic with each other a lot of the time, and I wished to understand what they were saying. So I determined to find an Arabic class and surprise them.

The only classes I found that suited my schedule were given at a local Mosque, so I went there. I never learned much Arabic, but the sisters in the Mosque taught me about Islam. For every big, deep question I had, they provided me with very simple, logical, and profound answers. I felt within myself that Islam was a religion I could accept. So on my 19th birthday, I officially declared my Shahadah. After saying it, I leapt up with joy, my arms in the air. "Yes!" I am a Muslim now, praise Allaah.

After becoming Muslim, I felt much more at peace with my spiritual foundation. My family was quite upset at first, but they never stopped speaking with me or reaching out to me with love. Some of them have come to understand a little more about Islam and have become more comfortable and accepting of my decision.
All praise be to Allaah.

Through its life-permeating system, Islam has affected the decisions I make in life. Islam is not just a "Sunday-feel-good affair." I don't doubt that some sincere Christians make the effort to practice their religion in their daily lives, but Islam has a much more comprehensive set of guidelines to follow. Everything I do comes with an awareness that I will be held accountable for my actions and that I need to constantly ask for Allaah's forgiveness.

Islam has given me the purpose in life that I had been seeking. It is one of the few things I am passionate about. Before Islam, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. One of my great wishes is that I can help another person become Muslim. That still has yet to happen.And praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds!