Some Meaningful Quotes from Recent Reverts "O Lord, send us back and give us another chance.' The Lord will say, 'If I send you back, you will do the same"- Yusuf Islam (Pop star Cat Stevens) "You cannot simply read it(Quran). You either have surrendered to it already or you fight it. It attacks tenaciously, directly, personally; it debates, criticizes, shames, and challenges. From the outset it draws the line of battle, and I was on the other side...... For those whom Isl! am has embraced, the greatest witness to God's unremitting, pursuing, sustaining, and guiding love is the Qur'an. Like a vast magnificent ocean, it lures you deeper and deeper into its dazzling waves until you are swept into it. But instead of drowning in a sea of darkness, as described above, you find yourself immersed in an ocean of divine light and mercy. . as I read the Qur'an and prayed the Islamic prayers, a door to my heart was unsealed and I was immersed in an overwhelming tenderness. Love became more permanent and real than the earth beneath my feet; its power restored me and made it so that even I could feel love . I was happy enough to have found faith in a sensible religion. But I never expected to be touched by such intoxicating mercy." - Dr. Jeffrey Lang (professor of mathematics) "Stupid that! everyone in his case Is praising his particular opinion! If Islam means submission to God, We all live and die in Islam." "Stupid that everyone in his case Is praising his particular opinion! If Islam means submission to God, We all live and die in Islam." Jesus felt pure and calmly thought Only the One God; Who made himself to be a god Offends his holy will. And thus the right(ness) has to shine What Mahomet also achieved; Only by the term of the One He mastered the whole world" -German poet Goethe ( novelist, playwright and natural philosopher ) Embraced Islam "Faith is not a question of national loyalty, but a search for salvation. It's a journey everyone takes, and something everyone hopes to find. I found it in t! he most unlikely of places, at the most unlikely of times.." - Fernandes -U.S. Army Sgt. Matt Fernandes , a former Catholic http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/06/BAGFOHIUKD1.DTL "There are guidelines for everything. It shows you how to do the right thing, to be nice to people,". "The Bible does this as well, but it has been translated too much, it has been tampered with too much. Imams (holy men) lead you in prayer. But beyond that it's just you and Allah. You're talking directly to God, that simplifies things." - said Mr Cremer, a former Catholic "People should not connect Islam with terror because suicide and hurting innocents, particularly women, children and the elderly, were forbidden by the Koran. I also like the idea of kneeling five times a day and talking to God rather than once a week or once a year - we see praying as a privilege, not a duty.In Islam, there's a rule for absolutely everything - how I eat my food, how I go to the toilet, how I get marri! ed, how I lend money...I liked the clarity of Islam; that you prayed just to God, not saints or others. I drank alcohol . . . smoked cigarettes, about a pack-plus a day, partied very hard. Now my days are spent looking after my kids, helping the community, still taking Arabic, Koran and religion classes twice a week. ..I read more and more about Islam...I wanted to know what it was that led so many people to submit entirely to ! this religion. When I read the Quran, I found the truth. It spoke about serving others, putting others first."- Perth banker Maariyah, a former Catholic http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,17822298%255E276 1,00.html "Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life." -Riffat Hassan "Islam is a very practical religion. It offers a lot of intellectual stimulation. The two main concepts of oneness of God and brotherhood of man are some thing unique about Islam. There is no intermediary between man and his creator. ..The Stipulation for prayer five times a day is an effective means of direct communion with Allah the Almighty and the weekly congregation of Juma prayer is a good opportunity for social interaction.. .It may seem strange to many, especially in the west, that I have embraced a religion that is an anathema to them in the context of terrorism. My answer to such a comment is that Islam as a religion is not to be blamed for terrorism. Islam does not instig! ate its followers to indulge in terrorist acts. All acts of terrorism have to be viewed in their respective local context."- Neil Sharp, a Canadian pilot Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Warrior, Conqueror of ideas Restorer of rational beliefs, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammed. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he? - John Austin As an adult convert, Islam gives me strength to move beyond a tortured past of molestation, prostitution and drug use. - Juwayriah, a formerly devout Catholics "Islam means submission to God, not that you are chosen to go out and bomb a place - that is a specific group that is not practicing Islam the way it was intended.We don't drink alcohol, we don't eat pork, we pray five times a day, and people look at that and call us fanatics... Punk girls wore tight pants, things that showed their figure..My hair was uncombed.I was always stressed out, doing things I shouldn't do..I prayed to be led to the right path...I read more and more about Islam..I wanted to know what it was that led so many people to submit entirely to this religion....When I read the Quran, I found the truth. ! It spoke about serving others, putting others first." -Gonzalez, a formerly devout Catholics Islam is a religion, which transcends all petty prejudices of color, race and territorial boundaries. That is why the followers of other religions, with a nearsighted vision, have a sense of overflowing pride and relief when they embrace Islam. Deserting the religion of one?s forefathers is one of the most difficult decisions, but the golden principles and the virtues of broadmindedness of Islam have persuaded mankind to adopt it as a way of life.-Jermaine Jackson, brother of world-famous star Michael Jackson, 'I am doing this for God...A Latino women embracing Islam http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9352969/ "I began to see Islam with its own eyes, as the unadulterated, pristine belief in the one and only, the true God, Who does not beget, and was not begotten, Whom nothing and nobody resembles . In place of the qualified deism of a tribal God and the constructions of a divine Trinity, the Qur'an showed me the most lucid, most straightforward, the most abstract - thus historically most advanced - and least anthropomorphic concept of God. The Qur'an's ontological statements, as well as its ethical teachings, impressed me as profoundly plausible, "as good as gold," so there was no room for even the slightest doubt about the authenticity of Muhammad's prophetic mission. People who understand human nature cannot fail to appreciate the infinite wisdom of the "Dos and Don'ts" handed down from! God to man in the form of the Qur'an." Dr. Murad Hofmann-Beltsville, Germany I am so very glad that I am a Muslim. Islam is my life. Islam is the beat of my heart. Islam is the blood that courses through my veins. Islam is my strength. Islam is my life so wonderful and beautiful. Without Islam I am nothing, and should Allah ever turn His magnificent face from me, I could not survive." -Torquato Cardilli (Italy's ambassador to Saudi Arabia ) "There is some irony in the fact that the supposedly best, brightest, and most idealistic of ministers-to-be are selected for the very best of seminary education, e.g. that offered at that time at the Harvard Divinity School. The irony is that, given such an education, the seminarian is exposed to ... much ... historical truth. .. As such, it is no real wonder that almost a majority of such seminary graduates leave seminary, not to "fill pulpits", where they would be asked to preach that which they know is not true, but to enter the various counseling professions. Such was also the case for me, as I went on to earn a master's and doctorate in clinical psychology." -Christian Minister's Conversion to Islam "When I told my colleagues at work that I had converted, their first reaction was to ask whether I had a Muslim boyfriend," she recalls. "They couldn't believe I had done it of my own free will......Islam demands a closeness to God. Islam is simpler, more rigorous, and it's easier because it is explicit. I was looking for a framework; man needs rules and behavior to follow. Christianity did not give me the same reference points." Ms Fallot (Birmingham University in Britain) http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1227/p01s04-woeu.html But human beings are fundamentally religious. When you reject belief in God as a society . . . people still search for the meaning of the! ir lives. Where do I come from? Where am I going? What is my life all about?"They want to know the purpose of their life. They don't just want an empty life filled with material things, a great house and a car. They want to know more," "-Brian O'Loughlin, Vicar-General for Perth's Catholic Archdiocese I would rather die with this(silken scarf) on than live without it.-Dr. Amina Haq
"[Before] I picked up the Koran, my attitude was, `There's something wrong with this religion,'" said Matos, 20, of Miramar. A friend gave her a copy ! of the Koran. "But then I saw it was filled discussions of grace from God, of the protection of things we talk about as human rights, of a universal brotherhood. ... This is a religion that encourages thinking and contemplation," she said. In May, Matos converted by reciting the shahada, a prayer in which converts attest to their belief in Allah and Mohammed in front of Muslim witnesses. Islam now circumscribes her life. She is studying Arabic, prays five times a day, wears a hijab and follows Islamic dietary laws.-Matos http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pconverts03jan03,0,7 380692.story What is the most dangerous and destructive invention that mankind has produced? It's Religion - The Miami Herald What betters and empowers women? It's Religion of Islam -The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women Throughout America Speaking on the aspect of equality before God in Islam, the famous poetess of India, SAROJINI NAIDU says: "It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: 'God Alone is Great'... I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother." (S. Naidu, IDEALS OF ISLAM, vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169) "During the last three years, I became interested in the Quran . . . . From my study and what I have learned from this conference, I believe that everything that has been recorded in the Quran fourteen hundred years ago must be the truth, that can be proved by the scientific means.. I think this is the time to say La ilaha illa Allah, there is no god to worship except Allah (God), Muhammad rasoolu Allah, Muhammad is Messenger of Allah......The most precious thing I have gained from coming to this conference is La ilaha illa Allah, and to have become Muslim." - Tejatat Tejasen( Chairman of the Department of Anatomy) "Islam is a religion of peace, love, coexistence, tolerance and modernity. But due to the behavior of a few of us, it's labeled as an intolerant orthodoxy. He says that the image of Islam is being tarnished by a small group of people and that Muslims must come forward to present before the world the correct picture of their divine faith. The enormity of their ignorance of the Islamic history and its code of conduct is mind-boggling. We should be united in fighting these elements for the cause of Islam..Muslims should go to lengths to follow the basics, which say 'be kind to your neighbors, keep smiling when you meet others, pray and do charity."- Dileep Kumar to A.R. Rahman( the famous music wizard-India) "It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Qur'an about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God, or Allah, because most of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a messenger of God, or Allah."-Prof Keith L. Moore (Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology) Muhummed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities.- Annie Besant, The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, Madras 1932, p. 4 ISLAM is the fastest growing religion in the West. Nevertheless, the West has many stereotypes and misconceptions about ISLAM that are due to the media, prejudice, and ignorance. ISLAM is often looked upon as an extremist, terrorist religion. Many people hate ISLAM and do not want to acknowledge its true teachings. In contrast to what many Westerners think of ISLAM, Islam is a peaceful religion, which does not promote any forms against the teachings. "A book which we have revealed to you (Muhammad) so that you may lead the people from out of the darknesses into the light by their Lord's leave to the path of the All-Mighty, the Praiseworthy." {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) ============================================================================ ========================================'Nay, seek (Allah's) help with patientperseverance and prayer: it is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit,' Al Baqarah ayat 45Wassalam p/s: Archive posting & articles can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Renungan_Iktibar/Jazzak Allahu Khairan ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Save Aceh now! visit http://www.pusatkrisisaceh.or.id Click English section for contact Islam Relief Organizations Want to learn about Islam and Christian? visit: http://come.to/christian-islam Yahoo! 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