Alhamdulilaah.
It’s 5 Ramadan 1446 in Malaysia, and I am sitting at my desk before my workday starts, reflecting on what comes next in my life and suddenly realizing what came before.
Today, 6 March, marks 23 Gregorian years since Allah guided me to accept Islam.
It was also the day I was born, 24 years earlier, my 24th birthday according to the Gregorian calendar.
It was a late afternoon in 2002, after months of searching, learning, debating, reflecting, seeking, and going back and forth in my mind about whether this was the right thing to do. I struggled with the whispers of Shaytaan, made lots of dua for guidance, read the Quran, and learned about Islam.
A few days, or perhaps weeks, before that I received an unexpected call from a long-lost acquaintance about a dream he had. He tried to dissuade me from becoming Muslim, which I later realized was one of the last attempts by Shaytaan to block my decision.
I began feeling something inside me taking control. I couldn’t stop it from rising and pushing me forward. I knew I couldn’t delay any longer, so I contacted my Muslim friends, telling them I needed to go to a mosque immediately.
They rushed to fetch me and took me to a masjid. I believe it was just after Asr. The prayer had already ended, and most people were leaving. My friends didn’t know what to do exactly. They asked someone leaving, “Our friend wants to become Muslim. What should we do?”
An uncle quickly arranged everything and took me to a local imam at a nearby Islamic centre. May Allah bless him and reward him and his family.
There, I met the Imam who took us upstairs to the private musalla at the Islamic Centre, where we sat on the floor on the carpet. He began asking questions to be sure I was serious about becoming Muslim, that no one was forcing me, and that I understood what I was getting into.
He explained the Shahada, the Five Pillars, the Six Articles of Faith, and other essentials of Islam, and then asked if I accepted them. I said yes. I was shaking most of the time. I was not in control that day; something inside me was pushing me forward with every step.
He then asked me to recite the Shahada. The uncle we had met at the masjid and my Muslim friends watched as he recited it slowly, first in English and then in Arabic. I repeated it after him.
As soon as I recited, it felt like something complete took over. It washed over me, and the emotions burst out like nothing I had ever experienced before. I have never felt anything quite like that since, except in moments of deep connection with Allah, maybe during Tahajjud, while reciting the Quran alone, performing Hajj or standing on Arafah. But in that moment, it was the most intense and the first time I felt that connection to Allah.
I cried like I never had before; everyone was crying, tears unlike any I had ever shed.
That was the start.
It was a moment I cannot buy or sell for any price, a moment I treasure and a decision I have never and will never regret.
It was the most important moment of my life then and ever since.
Alhamdulilaah. Alhamdulilaah. Alhamdulilaah.
If you are considering exploring Islam, accepting it, reading the Quran, or returning to Allah, do not delay even a second. Start right now.
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