By Yusuf Estes
Many people ask me how a preacher or priest in Christianity can ever
go to Islam, especially considering all the negative things that we
hear about Islam and Muslims everyday. Some people are simply curious,
while others take a profound exception to my "conversion" to Islam.
Some have asked how I could have turned my back on Jesus, or if I
truly understood the Holy Ghost and some even questioned whether or
not I considered myself as "born again" or had ever really been saved
at all. These are good questions to which I will offer answers to at
the end of this writing. I would like to thank everyone for their
interest and offer my humble story, God Willing.
One very nice Christian gentleman asked me in email why and how I left
Christianity for Islam. This is more or less a copy of the letter I
sent to him.
Introduction
My name is Yusuf Estes now, but in years past my friends used to call
me Skip. I have preached Christianity and worked in the entertainment
and music industry since I was a boy in the 1950's. My father and I
have established music stores, TV and radio programs and outdoor
entertainment for fun (and profit). I was a music minister and even
used a pony ride and entertained the children as "Skippy the Clown."
Once, I have served as Delegate to the United Nations Peace Conference
for Religious Leaders. Now I am a retired former Muslim Chaplain for
United States Bureau of Prisons, Washington, DC. and I join alongside
many American Muslims, working with Muslim student and youth
organizations as well as schools for Muslim children. As such, I
travel around the entire world lecturing and sharing the message of
the Christ of the Quran in Islam. We hold dialogs and discussion
groups with all faiths and enjoy the opportunity to work alongside
rabbis, ministers, preachers and priests everywhere. Some of our work
is in the institutional area, military, universities and prisons.
Primarily our goal is to educate and communicate the correct message
of Islam and who the Muslims really are. Although Islam has grown now
to nearly tie Christianity as the largest of religions on earth, we
see many of those who claim Islam as Muslims, that do not correctly
understand nor properly represent the message of "Peace, Surrender and
Obedience to God" [Arabic = 'Islam']
Dear me, I am afraid that I got a bit ahead of myself. I was trying to
give a bit of background of our work perhaps to see if it would in
anyway benefit those who may being going through what I experienced
while trying to resolve some of the issues of Christianity.
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How It Happened
This may seem quite strange, while we perhaps may share a few
different perspectives and concepts of God, Jesus, prophethood, sin
and salvation. But you see, at one time I was in the same boat as many
folks are today. Really, I was. Let me explain.
Born A Strong Christian
I was born into a very strong Christian family in the Midwest. Our
family and their ancestors not only built the churches and schools
across this land, but actually were the same ones who came here in the
first place. While I was still in elementary we relocated in Houston,
Texas in 1949 (I'm old). We attended church regularly and I was
baptized at the age of 12 in Pasadena, Texas. As a teenager, I wanted
to visit other churches to learn more of their teachings and beliefs.
The Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Charismatic movements,
Nazarene, Church of Christ, Church of God, Church of God in Christ,
Full Gospel, Agape, Catholic, Presbyterian and many more. I developed
quite a thirst for the "Gospel" or as we say; "Good News." My research
into religion did not stop with Christianity. Not at all. Hinduism,
Judaism, Buddhism, Metaphysics, native American beliefs were all a
part of my studies. Just about the only one that I did not look into
seriously was "Islam". Why? Good question.
Music Minister
Anyway, I became very interested in different types of music,
especially Gospel and Classical. Because my whole family was religious
and musical it followed that I too would begin my studies in both
areas. All this set me for the logical position of Music Minister in
many of the churches that I became affiliated with over the years. I
started teaching keyboard instruments in 1960 and by 1963 owned my own
studios in Laurel, Maryland, called "Estes Music Studios."
Business Projects In Texas, Oklahoma and Florida
Over the next 30 years my father and I worked together in many
business projects. We had entertainment programs, shows and
attractions. We opened piano and organ stores all the way from Texas
and Oklahoma to Florida. We had earned millions of dollars during
those years, but could not find the peace of mind that can only come
through knowing the truth and finding the real plan of salvation. I'm
sure you have asked yourself the question; "Why did God create me?" or
"What is it that God wants me to do?" or "Exactly who is God, anyway?"
"Why do we believe in 'original sin?" and "Why would the sons of Adam
be forced to accept his 'sins' and then as a result be punished
forever." But if you asked anyone these questions, they would probably
tell you that you have to believe without asking, or that it is a
'mystery' and you shouldn't ask - "Just have faith, brother."
Trinity Concept
Strangely enough, the word "Trinity" is not in the Bible. And it has
been a concern for religious scholars as early as 200 years after
Jesus was raised up by Almighty God. I would ask preachers or
ministers to give me some sort of an idea how 'one' could figure out
to become 'three' or how God Himself, Who can do anything He Wills to
do, cannot just forgive people's sins, but rather and had to become a
man, come down on earth, be a human, and then take on the sins of all
people; keeping in mind that all along He is still God of the whole
universe and does as He Wills to do, both in and outside of the
universe as we know it. They never seemed to be able to come up with
anything other than opinions or strange analogies.
Father - Ordained Non-Denominational Minister
My father was very active in supporting church work, especially church
school programs. He became and ordained minister in the 1970s. He and
his wife (my stepmother) knew many of the TV evangelists and preachers
and even visited Oral Roberts and helped in the building of the
"Prayer Tower" in Tulsa, OK. They also were strong supporters of Jimmy
Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker, Jerry Fallwell, John Haggi and the
biggest enemy to Islam in America, Pat Robertson.
Distributing "Praise" Tapes for Jesus
During the early 1980's my Dad and his wife worked together and were
most active in recording "Praise" tapes and distributing them for free
to people in retirement homes, hospitals and homes for the elderly. We
were really "winning souls to the Lord - for Jesus" day after day.
Met A Man From Egypt
It was early in 1991 when my father began doing business with a man
from Egypt and told me that he wanted me to meet him. This idea
appealed to me when I thought about the idea of having an
international flavor. You know, the pyramids, sphinx, Nile River and
all that.
He Was A "Moslem"
Hijackers; Kidnappers; Bombers, Terrorists - and who knows what else?
Then my father mentioned that this man was a 'Moslem.' First, I hated
the idea of meeting an "infidel, hijacker, kidnapper, bomber,
terrorist, non-believer." Any normal person would be repulsed at the
idea. I couldn't believe my ears. A 'Moslem?' No way! I reminded my
dad of the various different things that we had heard about these
people.
Lies Against Muslims & Islam - They Told Us, Muslims:
They don't even believe in God
They worship a black box in the desert.
And They kiss the ground five times a day.
No Way! I Did Not Want to Meet Him!
I did not want to meet this 'Moslem' man. No way! My father insisted
that I meet him and reassured me that he was a very nice person. This
was too much for me. Especially since the evangelists that we used to
travel around with all hated Muslims and Islam very much. They even
said things that were not true to make people afraid of Islam. So, why
would I want anything to do with these people?
Idea - "Change Him To Christian"
Then an idea came to me, "We can change this man to Christian." So, I
gave in and agreed to the meeting. But on my terms.
Met Him With A Bible, Cross and Cap with "Jesus Is Lord!" on it.
I agreed to meet him on a Sunday after church so we would be all
prayed up and in good standing with the Lord. I would be carrying my
Bible under my arm as usual. I would have my big shiny cross dangling
and I would have on my cap which says: "Jesus is Lord" right across
the front. My wife and two young daughters came along and we were
ready for our first encounter with the 'Moslems.'
Where Is He?
When I came into the shop and asked my father where the 'Moslem' was,
he pointed and said: "He's right over there."
I was confused. That couldn't be the Moslem. No way.
Turban & Beard?
I'm looking for a huge man with flowing robes, a big turban on his
head, a beard half way down his shirt and eyebrows that go all the way
across his forehead with a sword or a bomb under his coat.
No Turban - No Beard - [No Hair at All!]
This man had no beard. In fact, he didn't even have any hair on his
head at all. He was nearly bald. Best of all, he was very pleasant
with a warm welcome and handshake. This didn't make sense. I thought
they are terrorists and bombers. What is this all about?
He Needs Jesus
Never mind. I'll get right to work on this guy. He needs to be 'saved'
in the 'Name of Jesus' and me and the Lord are going to do it.
Introduction & Interrogation
After a quick introduction, I asked him: "Do you believe in God?"
He said: "Yes." - (Good!)
Then I said: "Do you believe in Adam and Eve?"
He said: "Yes." - (Very Good!)
I said: "What about Abraham? You believe in him and how he tried to
sacrifice his son for God?"
He said: "Yes." - (Even better!)
Then I asked: "What about Moses?" "Ten Commandments?" "Parting the
Red Sea?"
Again he said: "Yes." - (Better still!)
Then: "What about the other prophets, David, Solomon and John the
Baptist?"
He said: "Yes." - (Great!)
I asked: "Do you believe in the Bible?"
Again, he said: "Yes." - (OK!)
So, now it was time for the big question:
"Do you believe in Jesus? That he was the Messiah (Christ) of God?"
Again the said: "Yes." - (Fantastic!)
Well now - "This was going to be easier than I had thought."
He was just about ready to be baptized only he didn't know it.
And I was just the one to do it, too.
Shocking Knowledge - Muslims Believe in the Bible?
One day in the Spring of 1991, I came to know that the Muslims
believed in the Bible. I was shocked. How could this be? But that's
not all, they believe in Jesus as:
* A true messenger of God;
* Prophet of God;
* Miracle birth without human intervention;
* He was the 'Christ' or Messiah as predicted in the Bible;
* He is with God now and most important;
* He will be coming back in the Last Days to lead the believers
against the 'Antichrist.'
After "winning souls to the Lord for Jesus" day after day, this would
be a big achievement for me, to catch one of these 'Moslems' and
'convert' him to Christianity.
Cup of Tea - Discuss Beliefs
I asked him if he liked tea and he said he did. So off we went to a
little shop in the mall to sit and talk about my favorite subject:
Beliefs. While we sat in that little coffee shop for hours talking (I
did most of the talking) I came to know that he was very nice, quiet
and even a bit shy. He listened attentively to every word that I had
to say and did not interrupt even one time. I liked this man's way and
thought that he had definite potential to become a good Christian. -
Little did I know the course of events about to unravel in front of my
eyes.
Agreed to Do Business
First of all, I agreed with my father that we should do business with
this man and even encouraged the idea of him traveling along with me
on my business trips across the northern part of Texas. Day after day
we would ride together and discuss various issues pertaining to
different beliefs that people have. And along the way, I could of
course interject some of my favorite radio programs of worship and
praise to help bring the message to this poor individual. We talked
about the concept of God; the meaning of life; the purpose of
creation; the prophets and their mission and how God reveals His Will
to mankind. We also shared a lot of personal experiences and ideas as
well.
Moved to Our Home
One day I came to know that my friend Mohamed was going to move out of
the home he have been sharing with a friend of his and was going to be
living in the mosque for a time. I went to my dad and asked him if we
could invite Mohamed to come out to our big home in the country and
stay there with us. After all, he could share some of the work and
some expenses and he would be right there when we were ready to go to
out traveling around. My father agreed and Mohamed moved in.
Continued Ministry & Preaching
Of course I still would find time to visit my fellow preachers and
evangelists around the state of Texas. One of them lived on the Texas
-- Mexico border and another lived near lived Oklahoma border. One
preacher liked to a huge wooden cross that was bigger than a car. He
would carry it over his shoulder and drag the bottom on the ground and
go down the road or freeway hauling these two beams formed in the
shape of a cross. People would stop their cars and come over to him
and ask him what was going on and he would give them pamphlets and
booklets on Christianity.
Preacher Has Heart Attack
One day my friend with the cross had a heart attack and had to go to
the Veterans Hospital where he stayed for quite a long while. I used
to visit him in the hospital several times a week and I would take
Mohamed with me with the hopes that we could all share together in the
subject of beliefs and religions. My friend was not very impressed and
it was obvious that he did not want to know anything about Islam. Then
one day a man who was sharing the room with my friend came rolling
into the room in his wheelchair. I went to him and asked him his name
and he said that it didn't matter and when I asked him where he was
from he said he was from the planet Jupiter. I thought about what he
said and then began to wonder if I was in the cardiac ward or the
mental ward.
Man in Wheelchair - Needed the Lord
I knew the man was lonely and depressed and needed someone in his
life. So, I began to 'witness' to him about the Lord. I read to him
out of the book of Jonah in the Old Testament. I shared the story of
the prophet Jonah who had been sent by the Lord to call his people to
the correct way. Jonah had left his people and escaped by boat to
leave his city and head out to sea. A storm came up and the ship
almost capsized and the people on board threw Jonah over the side of
the ship. A whale came up to the surface and grabbed Jonah, swallowed
him and then went down to the bottom of the sea, where he stayed for 3
days and 3 nights. Yet because of God's Mercy, He caused the whale to
rise to the surface and then spit Jonah out to return back home safely
to his city of Nineveh. And the idea was that we can't really run away
from our problems because we always know what we have done. And what
is more, God also always knows what we have done.
Catholic Priest
After sharing this story with the man in the wheel chair, he looked up
and me and apologized. He told me he was sorry for his rude behavior
and that he had experienced some real serious problems recently. Then
he said that he wanted to confess something to me. And I said that I
was not a Catholic priest and I don't handle confessions. He replied
back to me that he knew that. In fact, he said: "I am a Catholic
priest."
I was shocked. Here I had been trying to preach Christianity to a
priest. What in the world was happening here?
Priest in Latin America
The priest began to share his story of being a missionary for the
church for over 12 years to south and Central America and Mexico and
even in New York's 'Hell's Kitchen.' When he was released from the
hospital he needed a place to go to recover and rather than let him go
to stay with a Catholic family, I told my dad that we should invite
him to come out and live with us in the country along with our
families and Mohamed. It was agreed by all that he would so, he moved
out right away.
Priests Must Study ISLAM? - YES!
During the trip out to our home, I talked with the priest about some
of the concepts of beliefs in Islam and to my surprise he agreed and
then shared even more about this with me. I was shocked when he told
me that Catholic priests actually study Islam and some even carry
doctors degrees in this subject. This was all very enlightening to me.
But there was still a lot more to come.
Different Versions of the Bible
After settling in, we all began to gather around the kitchen table
after dinner every night to discuss religion. My father would bring
his King James Version of the Bible, I would bring out my Revised
Standard Version of the Bible, my wife had another version of the
Bible (maybe something like Jimmy Swaggart's 'Good News For Modern
Man." The priest of course, had the Catholic Bible which has 7 more
books in it that the Protestant Bible. So we spent more time talking
about which Bible was the right one or the most correct one, than we
did trying to convince Mohamed about becoming a Christian.
Quran Has Only ONE Version - In Arabic - And Still Exists
At one point I recall asking him about the Quran and how many versions
of it there were in the last 1,400 years. He told me that there was
only ONE QURAN. And that it had never been changed. Yet he let me know
that the Quran had been memorized by hundreds of thousands of people,
in it's entirety and were scattered about the earth in many different
countries. Over the centuries since the Quran was revealed millions
have memorized it completely and have taught it to others who have
memorized it completely, from cover to cover, letter perfect without
mistakes. Today, over 9 million Muslims have memorized the entire
Quran from cover to cover.
How Could This Be?
This did not seem possible to me. After all, the original languages of
the Bible have all been dead languages for centuries and the documents
themselves have been lost in their originals for hundreds and
thousands of years. So, how could it be that something like this could
be so easy to preserve and to recite from cover to cover.
Priest Goes to the Mosque
Anyway, one day the priest asked the Mohamed if he might accompany him
to the mosque to see what it was like there. They came back talking
about their experience there and we could not wait to ask the priest
what it was like and what all types of ceremonies they performed. He
said they didn't really 'do' anything. They just came and prayed and
left. I said: "They left? Without any speeches or singing?" He said
that was right.
Priest Enters Islam!
A few more days went by and the Catholic priest asked Mohamed if he
might join him again for a trip to the mosque which they did. But this
time it was different. They did not come back for a very long time. It
became dark and we worried that something might have happened to them.
Finally they arrived and when they came in the door I immediately
recognized Mohamed, but who was this alongside of him? Someone wearing
a white robe and a white cap. Hold on a minute! It was the priest. I
said to him: "Pete? -- Did you become a 'Moslem?'
He said that he had entered into Islam that very day. THE PRIEST
BECAME A MUSLIM!! What next? (You'll see).
My Wife Announces Her Islam!
So, I went upstairs to think things over a bit and began to talk to my
wife about the whole subject. She then told me that she too was going
to enter into Islam, because she knew it was the truth.
Shocked!
I was really shocked now. I went downstairs and woke up Mohamed and
asked him to come outside with me for a discussion. We walked and
talked that whole night through.
Truth Had Come!
By the time he was ready to pray Fajr (the morning prayer of the
Muslims) I knew that the truth had come at last and now it was up to
me to do my part. I went out back behind my father's house and found
an old piece of plywood lying under an overhang and right there I put
my head down on the ground facing the direction that the Muslims pray
five times a day.
Guide Me! O God! Guide Me!
Now then in that position, with my body stretched out on the plywood
and my head on the ground, I asked: "O God. If you are there, guide
me, guide me."
Sign Inside of Me
And then after a while I raised up my head and I noticed something.
No, I didn't see birds or angels coming out of the sky nor did I hear
voices or music, nor did I see bright lights and flashes. What I did
notice was a change inside of me. I was aware now more than ever
before that it was time for me to stop any lying and doing anything
sneaky. It was time that I really work at being an honest and upright
man. I knew now what I had to do.
Wash Away the "OLD"
So I went upstairs and took a shower with the distinct idea that I was
'washing' away the sinful old person that I had become over the years.
And I was now coming into a new, fresh life. A life based on truth and
proof.
- And Become New!
Around 11:00 A.M. that morning, I stood before two witnesses, one the
ex-priest, formerly known as Father Peter Jacob's, and the other
Mohamed Abel Rehman and announced my 'shahadah' (open testimony to the
Oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him).
"I bear witness, there is no deity to worship, except Almighty Allah,
alone and He has no partners and I bear witness that Mohammad is His
messenger and servant."
My Wife Was Next
A few minutes later, my wife follow along and gave the same testimony.
But hers was in front of 3 witnesses (me being the third).
Then My Father
My father was a bit more reserved on the subject and waited a few more
months before he made his shahadah (public testimony). But he did
finally commit to Islam and began offering prayers right along with me
and the other Muslims in the local masjid (mosque).
Children Too!
The children were taken out of the Christian school and placed in
Muslim schools. And now ten years later, they are memorizing much of
the Quran and the teachings of Islam.
Father's Wife (Stepmother) Next
My father's wife finally acknowledged, before she died, that Jesus
could not be a son of God and that he must have been a mighty prophet
of God, but not God. She passed away within a few months of this
statement at age 86. May Allah accept her statement of faith, ameen.
Houseful of New Muslims - What's Next?
Now stop and think. A whole entire household of people from varying
backgrounds and ethnic groups coming together in truth to learn how to
know and worship the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Think. A
Catholic priest; a minister of music and preacher of the Gospel; an
ordained minister and builder of Christian schools; and the children,
even a great-grandmother - they all come into Islam!
His Mercy and Guidance
Only by His Mercy were we all guided to see the real truth of Islam,
by removing the coverings over our ears and the blinders on our eyes,
no longer having seals over our hearts - He was Guiding us now.
Amazing Story - Family and Friends Entering Islam - From One Man
If I were to stop right here, I'm sure that you would have to admit
that at least, this is an amazing story, right? After all, three
religious leaders of three separate denominations all going into one
very opposite belief at the same time and then soon after the rest of
the household.
More? - Yes! Baptist Seminary Student Reads Quran - Accepts Islam
But that is not all. There is more! The same year, while I was in
Grand Prairie, Texas (near Dallas) I met a Baptist seminary student
from Tennessee named Joe, who also came to Islam after reading the
Holy Quran while in BAPTIST SEMINARY COLLEGE!
More? Yes. Catholic Priest Loves Islam - But Needs His Job!
There are others as well. I recall the case of the Catholic priest in
a college town who talked about the good things in Islam so much that
I was forced to ask him why he didn't enter Islam. He replied: "What?
And loose my job?" - His name is Father John and we still pray for
Allah to Guide Him.
Another Catholic Priest Makes Shahadah
The very next year I met a former Catholic priest who had been a
missionary for 8 years in Africa. He learned about Islam while he was
there and entered into Islam. He then changed his name to Omar and
moved to Dallas Texas.
Any more? Again - Yes! Orthodox Arch Bishop leaves church for Islam
Two years later, while in San Antonio, Texas I was introduced to a
former Arch Bishop of the Orthodox Church of Russia who learned about
Islam and gave up his position to enter Islam.
Daughter of Hindu Pundit (Religious Leader) - Accepts Islam - Helping
thousands to Islam
I met a woman in New York who wanted to make our CDs about "What Is
Islam?" After giving her permission several years ago, I have learned
she has produced and distributed over 600 thousand of these to the non-
Muslims in America. May Allah reward her and keep her strong in her
efforts, ameen.
Hundreds - Thousands - Still Coming
And since my own entrance into Islam and becoming a chaplain to the
Muslims throughout the country and around the world, I have
encountered many more individuals who were leaders, teachers and
scholars in other religions who learned about Islam and entered into
it. They came from Hindus, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Greek and Russian Orthodox, Coptic Christians from Egypt,
non-denominational churches and even scientists who had been atheists.
Why? Good question.
The combination always seems to be the same; people are sincerely
seeking the truth and are willing to put their different prejudices
and biases out of their minds and begin to ask God for His Guidance in
their lives.
So, now you have the introduction to the story of my coming into Islam
and becoming Muslim. There is more on the Internet about this story
and there are more pictures there as well. Please take the time to
visit it and then please take the time to email me and let us come
together to share in all truths based on proofs for understanding our
origins and our purpose and goals in this life and the Next Life.
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9 Steps to Purify the Heart
May I suggest to the seeker of truth do the following NINE STEPS to
purification of the heart?
Clean - your mind, your heart & soul - remove all prejudices &
biases.
Thank God - for what you have - every moment of every day.
Read - a good translation of the meaning of the Holy Quran in a
language that they can understand best. (http://islamtomorrow.com/
downloads/noblequran.exe)
Reflect on the meanings & consider the bounties of your Lord.
Seek - Forgiveness From God & Learn to Forgive others.
Ask - in your heart for Guidance from Above.
Open - your heart and mind.
Continue - to do this up for a few months. And be regular in it.
Avoid - the poison of evil while your heart is opening for the
"rebirth of your soul."
Remember: Clean; Thank; Read; Reflect - then: "Seek, and ye shall
find. Ask, and it shall be given thee. Knock, and it shall be opened."
Then: Continue & Avoid
The rest is between you and the Almighty Lord of the Universe. If you
truly love Him, then He already Knows it and He will deal with each of
us according to our hearts.
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ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
Now as I promised here are the answers to the questions many have
asked me connected with my choice of Islam:
1. "How could you have turned your back on the perfect plan of
salvation of Jesus Christ on the cross for you sins?"
Answer: Your question implies you have not considered the similarities
and teachings of the Bible and the Quran.
"ISLAM" means - "Surrender, submit and obey your Lord in sincerity and
peace." Whoever is trying to do this, is a "MUSLIM." If someone
believes in Almighty God as One God and One Lord and wants to commit
their life to serving Him and obeying His Commandments, then that
person will be in the right way and they will be "saved" according to
God's Mercy. No one can take the sins of another and the guilty must
stand accused for what they have done. It will be up to Almighty God
to Forgive or Punish according to His Judgment on that Day.
According to the remains of the translations of the Bible [see:
"Bible, A Closer Look"] Jesus, peace be upon him, did not preach a
message of salvation by worshipping him. This was something added
later by Saul (who later became Paul). We find clear statements
indicating salvation would come only through acknowledging Almighty
God as One God and worshipping Him with all the heart, mind and
strength. Jesus, peace be upon him, taught his followers to worship
"My God and your God, My Lord and your Lord."
Again, according to the remains of the English translation of the
Bible, we see the one on the cross crying out a very blasphemous
statement, "Eli! Eli! Lama sabachthani?" (Which being translated
means, "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?") This statement on
the cross clearly indicates the one on the cross is not pleased with
the situation nor does he consider it right or just. Therefore, one
would have to conclude this was not something Jesus approved of nor
did he accept, or else someone else was on the cross in his place.
Either way you look at it, the one on the cross did not accept this as
a plan of salvation.
The Quran is absolutely in agreement with these teachings and Muslims
do worship the same God and Lord of Jesus, Moses, Abraham and Adam,
peace be upon them all. The Quran states in many places, no one will
be taken to task for the sins of another, nor can anyone carry the
burden of another. We will all be on our own on that Day. And I ask
Allah to have Mercy and Forgiveness for all those who believe in Him,
ameen.
I consider that I have not left the teachings of Jesus Christ, peace
be upon him. On the contrary, I feel much closer to Jesus, peace be
upon him, and I look forward to His return on earth more than ever
before. Now I am worshipping the same God he worships and I serve the
same Lord he serves, in the very same way he does. Jesus prayed to
Almighty God and taught his followers to do the same. I am simply
doing what he commanded to the best of my ability and ask Almighty God
to accept it.
2. "Do you consider you were really "saved" and that you had in fact,
been "born again?"
Answer: The Baptists have a statement, "Once saved, always saved." I
asked one of them about this and he agreed it was true. Then I
mentioned at one time I had become a Baptist (in my teen years) but
now I was a Muslim. I had also been "saved" and baptized at the age of
12. I had accepted the very statement of Jesus being the way, the
light and the truth and no man coming on to the Father except by him.
I understood these statements to mean I must follow Jesus and his
teachings. Therefore, I read the Bible for myself and did not let
others tell me what to think about what I was reading.
The Bible states that Jesus prayed for salvation for himself in the
garden of Gethsemane in this way, "Let this cup pass from me, even so,
Thy Will be done." This prayer was repeated by Jesus, peace be upon
him, a number of times and it is mentioned in more than one Gospel.
Yet, according to Biblical accounts, the cup did not pass from him and
his prayers were NOT ANSWERED. Islam teaches us his prayers were
answered and he did not have to endure the cruel treatment and death
on the cross, but rather he was taken up while still alive and is with
Almighty God even now and ready to return in the Last Days to bring
victory to the believers.
Additionally, we find Jesus, peace be upon him, teaching his disciples
to pray like this, "Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy
Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from all evil. For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and
Glory, forever and ever, ameen." Every Muslim I have met accepts every
single word of this pray with the exception of calling "Allah" our
"Father." Muslims consider it better to call on Almighty God by His
Names, which we do consider to be "Hallowed."
3. "How did your family respond to your conversion?"
Answer: This is always difficult for families to adjust to and it
usually takes time. My family was no exception. Although my wife,
children entered into Islam and eventually my father came to declare
Islam to be the way of salvation for himself, still my own mother and
many others in my family resented our going to Islam at first.
Eventually, things became more normalized and we do stay in touch,
although they are all still very much involved in Christianity.
Allah promises to test those who declare their faith in Him with many
types of difficulties and family is one of those mentioned as a test
in the Quran. I do pray for them and ask Allah to guide them to the
very best in this life and the very best in the Next Life. But it is
up to Allah if He wants them to be in Submission to Him (Islam means,
submission to Allah) or not.
4. "How about your congregation? What did they say?"
Answer: I never had my own church. I was a music minister in the
Church of God (Anderson, Indiana branch) in Texas and did my preaching
to businessmen and informal gatherings. Those who knew me for the most
part did not object and some even came to Islam, but there were a few
who felt very upset and accused me of "Turing my back on Jesus, peace
be upon him." No matter what I tried to say or do, these particular
individuals would not listen nor did they want to learn anything about
Islam.
5. "Did you experience a lot of difficulties in changing religions?"
Answer: Certainly anyone who wants to consider Islam in these times,
just as in times gone by, will have to recognize there will be certain
difficulties and tests along the way. The followers of Jesus, peace be
upon him, were highly criticized and persecuted even until death (read
what Paul said he used to do to them in the Bible; Book of Acts of the
Apostles). Those who followed Muhammad, peace be upon him, suffered at
the hands of their very own tribes, yet they were determined to
continue to worship Almighty God Alone, without partners and submit to
His Will.
The biggest problem with non-Muslims, is their lack of understanding
and lack of knowledge as to what Islam is really all about and who the
Muslims are supposed to be. I pray for them all and ask Allah to
forgive the Muslims for not showing a better picture to everyone.
6. "Who was responsible for converting you?"
Answer: As Muslims we believe that it is only Allah who guides the
people and whoever He guides will not be misguided and whomever He
lets go astray none will be able to guide them. As such, it means we
don't believe anyone really can "convert" someone else.
Also, we accept that all children are born in the natural state of
submission to Almighty God and as such that means they are Muslims.
Should a child die he or she would go to Heaven as they are not
responsible for what they do not understand.
7. "Don't you ever think about coming back to being a Christian?"
Answer: "Christian" indicates a follower of Christ. When Jesus, peace
be upon him, returns to earth in the Last Days, all the Muslims will
be obliged to follow him. But we would not call ourselves "Christians"
anymore than he would. He never called himself or his companions
"Christians." The Bible tells us they were never even called
"Christians" until Paul was preaching his message in Antioch.
8. "Doesn't it bother you to have left the way of peace, justice and
love for a religion of hatred, violence and oppression toward women
and others?"
Answer: All the prophets, peace be upon them all, called the people to
worship Almighty God as One God and One Lord. As such, those who did
not want to submit to Almighty God would combat them and treat them
with hostilities, even unto death, as Paul had done while still being
a Pharisee. The prophets, peace be upon them all, did encourage their
followers to live in peace and deal with people in justice and
certainly love is the highest form of emotion a human can have for
another human being.
Yet at the same time, believers have to defend themselves, their
families and the religion itself, lest those who are not believers
should remove belief from the very face of the earth. Islam, like
Christianity preaches a message of peace and tolerance - to a point.
But when this is no longer possible without totally compromising and
loosing one's way of life and belief system, then there is no
alternative except to engage in open combat against those who are
combating against the believers.
Jesus called upon his followers to sell their coats and buy swords. He
explained that he did not come with peace, but rather a sword. He and
his companions were engaged in mortal combat with their enemies, the
Pharisees when one of the priests slaves had his ear cut by the sword.
Jesus then told them to put down their swords. This is mentioned in
the Bible.
The word "sword" appears over 200 times in the Bible - but even though
the Arabic language has more than a dozen words for sword, there is
not a single occurrence of any of these words anywhere in the Quran.
Combat is ordered in the Quran, only under very specific and limited
conditions and it is nothing more than what we would today call "The
War on Terrorism." Fighting against all acts of organized aggression,
oppression, persecution and terrorism is an obligation on all
believers. But it certainly has limits and women, children, elderly
and any innocents are not to killed or injured during such occasions.
Treatment of prisoners is not to be humiliating or torture of any
kind. Even the dead of the enemy are to be buried with dignity and
respect.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now since writing my story and publishing here on the internet many
other websites have picked up this story and it had become a famous
example of how "Priest and Preachers Are Coming to Islam."
Again, I thank you for visiting. And I thank our Christian friend for
his email. If he hadn't sent it, I probably would still not have
completed this task of putting down the story once and for all of how
my family, friends and myself all came to Islam.
Please feel free to share this story with others. You should print it
out and make copies for everyone. Give them our links, add our story
to your website or blog page, and send out emails to everyone you
know. Maybe it could make a difference for others like us, God
Willing.
May Allah guide you on your journey to all truth. Ameen. And May He
open your heart and your mind to the reality of this world and the
purpose of this life, ameen.
Peace to you and Guidance from Allah the One Almighty God, Creator and
Sustainer of all that exists.
Your friend,
Yusuf Estes
Chaplain Yusuf Estes
Email request for information on "Christian Preachers Entering Islam"
sent to me from Japanese newspaper staff writer:
I received an email from a Japanese newspaper requesting information
about Americans coming to Islam. Here is a copy of the email:
Subj: Convert story
Date: 07/28/2000 02:35:30 Eastern Daylight Time
From: (Takashi Settai)
To:
Dear Mr. Yusuf Estes:
My name is Takashi Settai. I am a staff writer of Nikkei, a Japanese
newspaper, based in New York. I am writing an article about Muslims in
America now and I am looking for a Caucasian guy who recently
converted from Christian to Muslim. I happened to find your home page
on the Internet and became very interested in your personal story. If
you are OK to answer my questions about your conversion and call or
return an e-mail to me ASAP, I very much appreciate it.
Nikkei is a Japanese newspaper, considered the Wall Street Journal of
Japan, that is published twice daily with a nationwide circulation of
about 3 million. In addition, we have an international circulation in
Japanese and a weekly edition in English. The number of Nikkei offices
worldwide stands at 37 bureaus on five continents and employs over
4,000 persons.
Thank you for your help on this matter in advance.
Takashi Settai
Nikkei
212-261-6327 or 212-888-5741
Here is my reply email to the Japanese newspaper staff writer, Takashi
Settai:
From the Desk of: Chaplain Yusuf Estes
TO: Takashi Settai
Staff Writer for Nikkei (Japanese Newspaper)
New York, New York
RE: Your email request for more information on former Christians
coming to Islam
[email copy below]
Peace be unto all those who follow right guidance.
Greetings Takashi:
Thank you for your kind letter and for your offer of publishing the
story of my "converting" from Christianity to Islam.
Before I begin, I must mention that I am leaving on a flight from here
(Washington, DC) to Atlanta in 30 minutes to speak at a special event
there. You had requested information on how a Christian priest (a
Catholic priest friend of ours named Peter Jacobs), a preacher
(myself) and a reverend (my father came last) came to Islam. This
email will serve as our permission to publish any information
published on our website or in this email for your newspaper. You may
feel assured that we are most happy to cooperate with you in any way
possible.
I could perhaps begin by saying, that I have personally witnessed many
"converts" coming into Islam in this country (and Mexico as well). But
many people consider my own personal experience to be rather unique in
that it was not simple one person changing their religion, but rather
an entire household of very religious Christians of three different
denominations [Catholic, "Born Again" and Protestant) all "converting"
to Islam.
[The reason I choose to put the word "convert" in brackets is because
the understanding as taught by the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him, is that all children are born in a state of "Islam" (surrender,
submission and obedience to Almighty God) and it is their parents who
raise them up as Jews, Christians, Fire Worshippers. So, Muslims
consider it more like returning or "reverting" to Islam.]
But please do not get the wrong idea, although we entered into Islam
within a close proximity in time we each individually came to the
conclusion that Islam was our own personal choice and it was not an
instant decision as a group coming over to Islam.
While we would all agree that there are always going to be a certain
number of people who, for whatever reason, will change from one
religion to another, we must also quickly agree that it is highly
unusual to find a number of priests, preachers, reverends and holy men
(and women) from various faith groups, simultaneously entering the
same faith around the world.
My own personal story begins on the Texas/Mexican border in December
of 1990. I was born a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant and at that time I
was working very actively toward preaching "Born Again" Christianity
to anyone and everyone that would listen. I was definitely NOT LOOKING
FOR ISLAM. In fact, religious leaders of Christianity and Judaism
would have us believe, that Islam is a cult of some kind with the
followers worshipping a black box in the desert and kissing the ground
five times a day. Additionally, we have been programmed by the media
to classify most Muslims as "terrorists," "highjackers" and
"kidnappers." So why would anyone even look at Islam???
Good question . . .
All my close friends at that time were either preachers, ministers or
very much active and involved in preaching a message of "Saving Grace
by blood sacrifice from the Holy Trinity of Jesus."
One preacher I knew used to carry a huge (12' long) cross on his back
and walk alongside the highway to attract people to "come to Jesus."
Another preacher used to take me into Mexico and we would preach in
the square or market to individuals about the "salvation of Christ."
We were even arrested in the night by the Mexican Federal Police and
investigated (Mexico is predominantly Catholic and does not encourage
other religions).
Ah alas, I feared that I would run out of time before completing this
story for you. I must go immediately to the airport now....
Please feel free to write to me and to discuss this subject and other
stories of priests and preachers coming to Islam...
Best Regards and May Allah Guide us all in all that is best, Ameen.
Yours Very Truly,
Yusuf Estes
Yusuf Estes.
National Muslim Chaplain.
Today Islam Project - USA.
Try to read more about Islam. You will be the winner.
www.beconvinced.com
www.Islamway.com
www.Islamtomorrow.com
www.Islamfortoday.com
www.Islamhouse.com.
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