Testimony
of Farooq Ibrahim
I
grew up in India and later migrated to Pakistan with my family. I was raised
in a typical Muslim family, where we would go to the mosque on Fridays and
on special occasions; fast for the month of Ramadan; and celebrate the typical
festive holidays of Islam.
When
I was a teenager, I completed the recitation of the Quran; and that in essence
was a confirmation of the duty of a Muslim youth. Later, in my teen years,
I was not satisfied with just reciting the Quran in Arabic; a language I could
only read, but not comprehend. So my dad got me a Study Quran with an English
translation and study notes. I studied it briefly as a teenager.
When
I was 18, I came to the United States to get my BS degree. I wanted to study
engineering, and the schools back in Pakistan were not very good; and especially
the political climate in the country resulted in a number of schools not being
open during these times, and therefore a 4 year degree took 5 years to complete.
I
lived a typical life in the States; spending time in getting my education
and holding onto part time or full time jobs so that I could afford to put
myself through school. My parents (who were still in Pakistan) helped, but
there was not enough money to support the family and my education here. After
a while, I got plugged back into the local Islamic Community and was involved
with the study of the Quran and Hadith and its applicability in the local
culture. After getting my 2-year degree from a community college, I transferred
to at a prestigious university with a scholarship and completed my BS degree
there. By the time I had completed my studies at this university, I had veered
away from the daily practice of my faith, and focused my life's interest in
the secular things in life. After working for a short while, I got my MS degree
at another well-known university.
Once
in the work place, I started doing what most typical men do in this culture
- start planning and working my way to the top of the corporate and financial
ladder. I married a woman who had grown up in the States, had two kids, and
life was stressful, but my eyes were focused on getting all I could out of
life.
Then
in March of 1987, I was in a bad accident and was very badly burned. Some
of the other passengers died. I had to take time away from work to recover.
During this time, I had to face my mortality and deal with my blind ambition.
I started to consider what legacy I was going to leave behind, and where was
I going to go when I die. I wondered if I was spared from death for a purpose.
Being a Muslim I knew I would end in Paradise; but because of my life being
the way it was - not actively performing the duties of a Muslim, I wondered
if I would perhaps be penalized in hell for a while?
I
then started again looking into the Quran and Hadith and Islam to find answers.
This times my zeal to know my faith was fueled with the knowledge that there
had to be a purpose to life; I was spared and had been given a chance. I wanted
to know this Quran - the revealed word of God for all eternity, and the Prophet
of Islam - his life and teachings. By this time I was back on my feet, starting
to go back to work, but now I decided to take a job in the company that required
minimum travel, so I would be spending a lot more time closer to home and
with my family. I adjusted my priorities, and side stepped onto the slower
track, away from the fast lane of the corporate world. Later on in this time,
I was challenged by Christians that there was only one way to Heaven, and
that was Jesus and the Bible was the revealed and uncorrupted word of God.
So
this challenge ignited an even greater zeal to study the Quran, Hadith and
the life of Mohammad to prove Christianity to be a false hope and Jesus being
merely a man and not God. I spent the next few months studying the Quran and
comparing it to the Bible. I compared the lives of Jesus both in the Quran
and the Bible. Also compared the life and teaching of Mohammad and that of
Jesus. I checked into the early history of Islam and Christianity and the
sad but unfortunate atrocities committed by both religions and why. I also
read articles by others who denied the existence of God.
I
reached a point where I was not sure how to deal with some of the difficulties
in the Bible that were very unclear such as:
- Why
4 books to present the "gospel" and not one, as Quran teaches
of one gospel.
- The
whole issue of Sin and the need for shedding of blood and a Savior
- Jesus
being God and Man and the whole concept of the Trinity
- Did
Jesus really die on the cross and was he resurrected or not.
- How
could followers of Jesus commit the atrocities that are part of the church
history such as the crusades?
But
also in my quest to use the Quran as my standard, and the teaching and life
of Mohammad as a model for life, I had some significant difficulties, for
example:
- The
whole concept of "abrogation". That God chose to reveal verses
in the Quran that supercede earlier revelation in the same Quran. How could
an eternal revelation of God have such time bound revelation seemed at odds
with the nature of God?
- The
inconsistency of the messages, for example facing Jerusalem and then Mecca;
or fornication being a sin, but one can have sex with many slave women that
have no legal marriage status; tolerance and peace message of earlier revelation,
but the command to fight all unbelievers in later revelation.
- The
need for revisions of the Quran to standardize it and ordering the burning
of all the older copies. Why this need to leave no trace of what the edited
versions did not contain and why.
- The
unequal status of woman compared to men in area of marriage, rule of law,
social etiquette, modesty, etc.
- Treatment
of non-Muslims in the community and the command to Jihad.
At
this point, I reached a place in my study that I could no longer defend the
faith of Islam as it was clearly at odds with issues of truth and character
of God as depicted in both the Quran and the Bible. However, I just was not
ready to walk away from Islam. Christianity had its own set of issues, most
of which revolved around the person of Jesus. At this point, I recalled my
growing up in India and knowing some of the tenets of the Indian religions
such as Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. In all of my study of life and the
sciences, it had become clear to me that there was a great creator and designer
who had formed the universe and us. So there was no point in venturing into
the philosophy of the Indian religions. I found they provided no answers that
were consistent internally within it own teaching and externally consistent
with the world around us.
Even
though I had issues with Islam, I believed that there was a Creator God that
I could and should pray to for answers. For me this was the God of Abraham
(Ibrahim). I felt "safe" to pray to the God of Abraham as Abraham
is considered the "first" Muslim, and is also highly regarded as
a patriarch of the Jewish and Christian faith. So, I ventured, that just as
God had revealed the truth to Abraham, I would pray to this God to understand
what was true and direct me on the right path. As I continued to regularly
pray and meditate, I studied the passages in the Quran and the Bible on Mohammad
and Jesus and reviewed books and articles by Muslim and Christian Apologists.
Some
weeks went by, as I prayed and reflected on Mohammad and Jesus. Finally, the
evening of Good Friday of 1989, I was jogging and reflecting on the importance
of this evening for Christians. Did Jesus really get crucified as taught by
the Bible and some secular historians or was it some big hoax as claimed by
Islam? What was this Sin that required payment by blood? As I prayed I sensed
a burden lifted of me. I looked up, as it felt like some heavy weight was
gone. I then looked down, to see if I was still on the ground. There was no
external evidence, but in my spirit there was a clear sense, and this particular
phrase came to life "Jesus is Lord" and occupied all of my thoughts.
I responded in my mind, but what about Sin and the Cross? Did Jesus die on
the Cross? The response in my mind came back loud and clear - "Jesus
is Lord". I asked again, but what about the Trinity and this concept
of three persons and one God, and again, the response was "Jesus is Lord".
At this point, all that I had read in the Gospel accounts of Jesus came together.
It was as if a veil had been lifted. That is why the Jewish Council had condemned
him to death, because he claimed to be God, - Blasphemy; that is why this
Jesus had authority to forgive sins; that is why he told the Pharisees, before
Abraham was I am, etc. He truly is God. Now the same old words in the Gospel
that seemed to be vague about his deity, were suddenly crystal clear. Jesus
is God. His crucifixion and resurrection were the ultimate calling card of
this God-Man. It all started making sense and I was at total peace accepting
Jesus as Lord. At this point, I also realized it did not matter that for so
many years I had been a Muslim, that my brothers, sisters and some of my best
friends were Muslim; I now believed - Jesus is Lord and I would follow him.
Soon thereafter I understood what had happened to me. Jesus talks about this
in the Gospel of Matthew 16:15-17: He said to them, "But who do you say
that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon
Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal {this} to you, but My Father
who is in heaven."
That
has been the start of a journey, of getting to know my Lord better, accepting
him as my Savior and his full payment for my sins. My desire has been to live
my life worthy of my Lord as he empowers me.
My
Pakistani Muslim family did not accept me at first. They tried to convince
me that I was wrong; while I tried to challenge them with the Truth of the
Gospel message. When they realized I was not going to return to Islam, I was
considered an outcast. Some time elapsed after which my mom's desire to bring
the family together was resolved by them respecting my faith. I in the meantime
developed some very close friendships with some of the Christians who challenged
me as well as met some new ones once I got involved with a local church fellowship.
I was welcomed as a brother. Also in the process, my character has changed
over time. Some of the traits that he has exposed and dealt with me include
pride, arrogance, anger, selfishness, and control among other sinful traits.
He continues to change me from inside out to be more loving and kind to all.
Life
has not been without its hurts and pain. While I was a Muslim, my daughter
was born with a heart problem. My family struggled with this, as we have had
to regularly visit specialists to meet her needs. In late 1989, a few months
after my conversion, my prayers for her health were answered. God promised
"a long and full life" for her. There were many times since, when
the doctors told us she would not live the year, but the will of God has prevailed.
She continues to struggle, and so does the family, but we have peace that
our God is a faithful God and will accomplish all that he has promised.
Today,
over 10 years later, having further studied the Bible, the Quran and various
books and articles on Christian and Muslim Apologetics; and having shared
with many Muslims and Christians alike, I am sure of my faith in Jesus, even
more than at that day he chose to reveal himself to me and called me to him.
Please
feel free to contact me with questions, comments or any thoughts you have
at Farooq_Ibrahim@hotmail.com.
