3 vicars convert to Islam in Saudi They hail from US, Philippines and Kenya

Three Christian vicars from the United States, Philippines and Kenya converted to Islam after they attended lectures by key scholars in the Gulf kingdom.

Newspapers said the three went together to an Islamic guidance centre in the capital Riyadh and embraced the new religion.

“I have been a vicar since 2002 and I have offered my life to the church…but I now feel that I want to change my life and get out of the vicious cycle….can you help me,” ‘Sabq’ newspaper quoted the unnamed US vicar as telling a Saudi scholar.

Source:http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/3-vicars-convert-to-islam-in-saudi-2015-01-10-1.576043

Nine new Muslim reverts of different nationalities honored in Jeddah

Nine new Muslim reverts of different nationalities were honored at a reception at the Maulana Hifzur Rehman Seoharvi Academy, an organization that aims to spread Islam.
One of the reverts hailed from India, and the other eight from the Philippines, while the two guests of honor, Mariam Sani (formerly known as Pauttine Thomas) and Mariya Attarji (Lisa Quiroga), were born in the UK and the US respectively.
Some of the women reverted recently, while others entered the faith over a year ago. During the ceremony, in which they were showered with gifts, the women recounted their journey into Islam and the obstacles they faced.
“I must say that it was my destiny to choose the right path,” Nureman, one of new Muslim women, told the audience at the ceremony. “Finding a job here in Saudi Arabia was the first step of my journey toward Islam, since it was here where I started reading books about the religion without actually really thinking of converting. But the more I read, the more interested I was, and now I am properly studying Islam at a dawa center.”
Sheikh Fatima, another new revert, explained that she was born into a Christian family. When her brother and his friend came to Saudi Arabia, they reverted to Islam and tried to convince her to do so as well upon their return to India.
“My brother told me that if I wanted to come here I had to accept Islam which I did, thinking that in order to come to Saudi Arabia it was a requirement. At first, I didn’t accept Islam in my heart,” she said.
But a traumatic experience related to her one-year-old daughter made her change her mind about the religion.
“Since then I have accepted Islam from the bottom of my heart and I practice it every day, even my family back in India knows that I am Muslim now,” she said. 
Other new reverts also shared stories about their religious journey, and how their families turned their back on them after accepting Islam.
Mariam Sani, the British convert, said that it was Allah’s will that she turned from being a Christian missionary to a Muslim convert. She wanted to spread Christianity’s teachings around the world but found out she was spreading the wrong religion after learning about other faiths.
“My first books were Mohammed in the Bible and Jesus in the Qur’an, and after that I was researching more about Islam. While doing so, I unintentionally got closer to Islam, and one day I found myself accepting the faith,” she said.
Umme Fakeha Zinjani, in charge of the academy’s women’s wing, presented the vote of thanks.



http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/688251

HOMELESS MAN RACIALLY ABUSES A MUSLIM MAN, HE RESPONDS BY FINDING HIM A JOB AND A HOME

Aminur Chowdhury from Bradford, England was racially abused by homeless man Ben Gallon but rather than throw insults back, Aminur decided to engage in conversation with him and invited him to have a drink.

Aminur says: “Initially I turned the other cheek but then I was challenging Ben about what he had said to me, I stopped and had a chat with him for about 15 minutes.”

After speaking to Ben, Aminur said he can help him find a job and the pair exchanged contact details. Initially Ben thought he was only being polite about the job offer but he says he got a call from him the next day with a job interview at his friend’s business.

“The next day he gave me a call, said ‘can I come pick you up Ben, I’ve got an interview for you’. That same day, he came round to get me, drove me down to the place on Canal Road and then within ten minutes I had been offered the job.”

Aminur didn’t stop there, he also helped him find an apartment to rent in Bradford.

Ben, now regretting his actions says:
“There was no justification for me using those words.. Kudos to him for forgiving me, I regret it. A positive thing has happened out of this situation.”

“I’ve learned my lesson. What I said was completely out of character for me, I’m not a racist.”

“Things are starting to look up for me. I’ve started the job and it’s fantastic.”

Aminur explains what motivated him to respond the way he did:
“I was targeted for racist abuse but a great way of overcoming racism is to show some tolerance…I realise I can’t put the world to rights but I can try to educate people.”

“This is a great way of teaching Asian people across Bradford of how to respond to racism. The more love you show, the more endeared they will be to you,”.

Some of the worst racially aggravated riots took place in Bradford in 2001 between the large and growing British Asian communities and the city’s white majority, which resulted in 300 police officers being hurt and 297 arrests being made. Both men now hope this positive story helps improves the relations of different races and people of religions in the community.

This story is indeed a great lesson for us all and highlights the best way of winning people’s hearts – good character.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also won people over with his good character and many people went onto embrace Islam because of that.

A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume

On the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

"A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace."
Bukhari and Muslim.

An-Nawawi, rahimahullah, said “There is a desirable quality in associating with righteous people, (that possess with them) integrity, decency, piety, knowledge, and good manners. Likewise, there is a prohibition of associating with people of wickedness, innovations (in the religion), (likewise) people who backbite others, people (who are known) to commit a shameful amount of sins, and people with plenty of free time.”

This hadith encourages the companionship of the righteous and warns against the companionship of the wicked! The Messenger of Allaah, (salla Allahu alayhe wa sallam), used these two examples (i.e. the carrier of misk and a blacksmith) in order to clarify (for us) the clear distinction between the two.

Russian Model Masha Alalykina Converts to Islam

She was never a religious person and even in a million years she would have never thought about converting to Islam “ It did not even cross my mind that I might perform the pilgrimage and drink the best water – the water of Zamzam” she says.

One day she got a phone call where they tell her, that her best friend in another city was in coma-no one really knew if she would survive or not! Being helpless and unable to do anything to help her friend, she thought to pray and ask God to help her friend.
The next day her friend calls her and says : “I saw you when I was unconscious and you helped me a lot.” She start crying and realized that she have never asked God for anything and when she prayed with all her heart and put the faith in it, the prayer was heard.

She now works as a Language Teacher in Russian University and says she is studying Arabic language-and although at first it was hard, the Arabic language fascinates her.

After being asked to why she choose Islam and not other religions she said that Islam is the religion that has the strongest foundation, and that if all the Islamic rules are being applied in real life-that’s when you can achieve success.

After being asked how she feels about her exotic modeling pictures being seen by everyone on the internet, she says that she doesn’t see any problem with that as she is not that person anymore, she feels born again and that her pictures and her story can help other people around the world to find the right path.

This is her message to non-believers: I am hopeful for people who have yet to become Muslims to come to themselves and to think beyond all the trash that is presented to them in this age.

'It really makes me think about becoming a Muslim': Liam Neeson considers converting to Islam following trip to Istanbul - Turkish Restaurant

He may have been named after the local priest in his Irish hometown but Liam Neeson could be leaving his Roman Catholic beliefs behind.

The 59-year-old actor is said to be considering converting to Islam following a working trip to Istanbul.

According to The Sun, Neeson admitted that Islamic prayer 'got into his spirit' while he was filming in Turkey.

The call to prayer happens five times a day, and for the first week, it drives you crazy, and then it just gets into your spirit, and it's the most beautiful, beautiful thing,' he said.

'There are 4,000 mosques in the city. Some are just stunning, and it really makes me think about becoming a Muslim.'

Neeson was raised in Northern Ireland as a devout Roman Catholic due to his parents beliefs.

Christian brother from Jordan send us his revert story ...

I was a Christian and I've reverted to the religion of Islam In 2007

In 2005 my mom had a dream (Ro'ia) she saw a woman with a white veil and white mantle or it's called an Islamic dress.. She told my mom one sentence (accept the religion of Islam and don't fear of that) she said that sentence in Arabic language(أسلمي ولا تخافي) she repeated that sentence three times... After two years I knew that mom was a muslim she told us (me and my three sisters) about that vision (Ro'ia)..I was surprised from that.. My mom told us that she was praying and do fasting in Ramadan month privately... In the beginning I was tough and angry.. I asked myself why my mom saw that and what's Islam... Is my religion true or not... What's Quran.... etc.... In 2007 during this year I have started to read about the religion of Islam I have read the Holy Quran, it's a great wonderful book..it talks about Allah.. Some prophets... One of them the prophet Jesus -peace be upon him -and the mother of Jesus, too. There is a whole chapter about the mother of Jesus.. Chapter 19.
It talks about Jannah (Paradise) and about Jahannam (Hell).... I knew after reading this book why Allah created us... I knew what will happen after death... What's the day of judgment, too.

After that I have studied the Bibles, the old testament and the new testament.. I found many many contradictions, many mistakes..in translation, in events...
I knew that Jews have distorted the bible and they have made a lot of mistakes in it..
(There are a thousands of examples).
One of them the trinity.

Now I am very happy because I am muslim.. I have announced my conversion to Islam in 26/November /2013.Me and my family
My mom and my three sisters wear the Islamic dress (the hijab and my three sisters wear the hijab and the julbab(the Islamic dress).

I want to to say that the religion of Islam is religion of mercy,of grace of Allah to all mankinds and worlds.

I love the Holy Quran and the sayings of prophet Mohammed peace be upon him, especially the scientific precisions about the facts like the verses and sayings about the universe, About the creation of human.. etc.
I have known alot of them by the books of Prof.Dr Zaghloul El-Naggar.
I have meet him in his house in 5/August /2014.

In this photo.. Me and Prof.Dr Zaghloul El-Naggar.