A Muslim Convert Once More

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Dr. Jerald F. Dirks is a former deacon of the United Methodist Church.   He holds a Master's degree in Divinity from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Denver.   He is the author of ‘The Cross and the Crescent: An Interfaith Dialogue between Christianity and Islam’.   He has published over 60 articles in the field of clinical psychology, and over 150 articles on Arabian horses.   His story may also be found here: A Christian Minister’s Conversion to Islam .   The following are in his words.   “One of my earliest childhood memories is of hearing the church bell toll for Sunday morning worship in the small, rural town in which I was raised.   The Methodist Church was an old, wooden structure with a bell tower, two children’s Sunday School classrooms cubby-holed behind folding, wooden doors to separate it from the sanctuary, and a choir loft that housed the Sunday school classr...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The poet looked beyond the edge of a cliff, In the face of a wind, blowing strong and stiff. He looked at the starts, myriad diamonds above. He spoke from a heart, broken words of love.   “Were it so possible to proclaim that I have always loved you. From the Day of Promises, my soul intimate, would forever ensue. I’ve wondered have you ever loved me the way I loved you. I’ve pondered if you’ve ever seen me the way I see you.   I know the tides of Reality will always move us back arace. I await with arms open when you come reluctantly to my embrace. And then torn from my grasp to whirl in eddies and currents of strife. Dolphins dance and rainbow fishes perform their ballet of life.   All that I have for you are words, more mere words so cold. But these words are all shards of my shattered soul. And every shard is a cosmos larger than a universe of love. Would they fly to you on the wings of a sno...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   A merchant sent his son to learn the secret of happiness from the wisest of men.   The young man wandered through the desert for forty days until he reached a beautiful castle at the top of a mountain.   There lived the sage that the young man was looking for.   However, instead of finding a holy man, our hero entered a room and saw a great deal of activity; merchants coming and going, people chatting in the corners, a small orchestra playing sweet melodies, and there was a table laden with the most delectable dishes of that part of the world.   The wise man talked to everybody, and the young man had to wait for two hours until it was time for his audience.   With considerable patience, the sage listened attentively to the reason for the boy’s visit, but told him that at that moment he did not have the time to explain to him the secret of happiness.   He suggested that the young man take a stroll around his...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ A new Muslim and an old convert sat in the kitchen during the middle of Ramadhan, across the stone table.   The hour was late.   The swalah at- tarawih was done, and the spiritual exercises were finished.   At least until the last third of the night.   The older man said to the younger , “Open the fridge and take out a single grape.”   “Now, tie a string to the grape and let it hang.   Recite something.”   “Recite what?”   “Anything.   Try ‘ Laa ilaha illa Allah .’”   And so he did.   And the grape on the string started to move.   Slowly at first, and then faster.   An elliptical movement.   But the hand was still.   “Say ‘ Allahu, Allahu, Allahu Haqq .’”   And he recited the litany.   And he felt a stronger vibration.   And the ellipse was unbalanced.   As if the grape was drawn like a magnet draws iron in a particular direction.   ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is attributed to Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ).   Moses ( a.s. ) heard a shepherd on the road, praying, “God, where are You?  I want to help You, to fix Your Shoes and comb Your Hair. I want to wash Your Clothes and pick the lice off.  I want to bring You milk, to kiss Your little Hands and Feet when it’s time for You to go to bed.  I want to sweep Your Room and keep it neat.  God, my sheep and goats are Yours.  All I can say, remembering you, is ay and ah .”   Moses ( a.s. ) could stand it no longer.  “Who are you talking to?  The One Who Made us, and Made the earth and Made the sky.  Do not talk about shoes and socks with God!  And what is this with your little hands and feet?  Such blasphemous familiarity sounds like you are chatting with your uncles.  Only something that grows needs milk.  Only someone with feet needs shoes.  N...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is adapted from a swuhbah by Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani ( q.s. ) on 19 th April 2010.   It is the nature of mankind to want to collect as much as possible of this world’s treasures.   We are bent on gathering as much of dunya as possible, despite it not having any value at all.   It is a rare thing to find a person who will not like this.   Why does Allah ( s.w.t. ) Surround us with temptation in dunya ?   Allah ( s.w.t. ) Says:   سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىۡءٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَٲلِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ‌ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ (١٥٥)   Be sure We shall Test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods, lives and the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. ― (Surah al-Baqarah:155)   Allah ( s.w.t. ) Test everyone, on every level, with so many different tests. ...