Sam Needham, Ex-Agnostic, UK

From: www.islamreligion.com

By Sam Needham


I think I first became aware of Islam through watching Spike Lee's film Malcolm X. Though America's Nation of Islam is more a political movement Malcolm X did convert to orthodox Islam after going for Hajj. I was impressed even back then when I was 15, how a lowlife hoodlum could completely rewire his upbringing and instinct to be an ambassador for freedom and spirituality. Though I myself was far more concerned with pursuits that I see now as due to a failing in myself and British society on a whole.

Drinking, substance abuse and women were my top priorities, and seemed to be everyone else's as well. Though my parents brought me up well, I couldn't resist the temptations surrounding me, and as a boy from a poor family, I began to steal to attain these habits. I disrespected myself, my girlfriends and worst of all my parents. It was an incredibly selfish and destructive path to follow. I became a better person when a Muslim family befriended me and invited me to live with them. The wife and mother of the family taught me many aspects of Islam, and that I should respect and honour my parents and myself, should eat halal and not ingest poisons, be lovings, kind and charitable and also be humble. I saw the wisdom in this and gained happiness briefly by following her example. I was 19 now. Unfortunately, this good woman's husband was not a very good Muslim, and was a thief and a drug dealer, and I began to follow his example as well, which was conflicting.

When we parted ways I was a better person with better morals. I believed in God now, would only eat halal, and was respectful of my parents, charitable and humble, and didn't steal, but I was not yet a Muslim. Being a night owl, I thought it would be impossible for me to commit to the Fajr prayer. I also didn't believe I could master the Arabic prayers and commit to giving up alcohol and women. I was also unsure as to which religion was the right one as I had met many wonderful Hindus as well. But it was a start.

For the next 16 years I worked, and studied and gradually elevated myself to a respectable place in society, earning a good degree in animation, becoming a successful animator/illustrator, marrying a wonderful woman and fathering a girl and boy (along with a girl from my wife's previous marriage). I had met many British Muslims along the way, and felt an affinity with them and respect for their ways, always defending them in discussions and looking up to them. We visited Turkey in 2010 and it opened my eyes to see how family-orientated, friendly and unmaterialistic the Muslim Turkish people were. But it wasn't until August 2011, the month of Ramadan, when we as a family visited Luxor in Egypt on holiday. My wife and I were dumbfounded by Muslim Egyptian people's hospitality and generousness, even though they were very poor. The fact that they would fast for 15 hours a day in the scorching heat and still be utterly kind and loving, especially to our children. Here was a people that prioritized charity and brotherhood and sisterhood over material possessions and wealth. Our family was welcomed into the family of a poor horse and carriage driver who took us into their very humble home and lavished us with feasts. At the end of each day we would be invited to dine by the side of the road by complete strangers in celebration of breaking the fast.

I began to look again closely at the beauty of Islam, the science of Islam, and the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him). The way that Muslims fast in order that they may know hunger and thirst, keeps them thankful to Allah for sustenance and enables them to empathize with the poor and suffering. The way they must pay Zakah to the poor and needy each year, where the more wealth a Muslim possesses, the more they will give as a 2.5% share (except the poor of course). The way that Muslims must be humble and pray 5 times per day, a constant reminder that they are mortal and following a higher power. The way that they must follow the example of Muhammad (peace be upon him), who sought to free the slaves, elevate the status of women in Arab society and put a gradual end to poverty and sufferance in his peaceful spreading of the word of the Quran.

Things that had originally put me off the religion with Western eyes now made perfect sense to me. When we returned from Egypt I could not find peace. I wanted to convert to Islam but didn't want to if my loving wife didn't as well. I read about the scientific research that had gone into researching the Quran from all over the world, such as the description of the developing stages of a foetus, and that a man living 1500 years ago could not have possibly known of such things, and that it was proof of Divine word, and this was the catalyst for me. Here was scientific proof for something otherwise deemed as faith alone. I decided to convert and pray that my wife would follow after seeing the change it brought about in me. I was apprehensive about learning the Arabic prayers, but within a month had easily memorized them to advanced level. I am now utterly at peace with myself and Allah. Though my wonderful wife has not converted, she believes in God and is a good person, is very supportive of my choice and is raising our 2 infants as Muslims.

Anyone who wishes to contact me and ask me about Islam, I can answer any question with concrete conviction.

Blogger comment:
See the Arab world today and read about the Arab tribes in Saudi, it is a miracle in itself to have these people unite live an ethical life pray long hours and fast Ramdan and other days in very hot wheather. If you do not beleive in Islam after all information I give you in my website, I swear to God you will be in hell in the day of judgament and I will enjoy it. Particularly the elites who are controlling the hits of my website despite thousands of people daily visiting my website. Muslims will not live in fear any more the years of oppression are gone. Talking about Ben Ladin if he truely did 9/11 he killed 3000 innocent lives while America killed millions. Tyranny in every thing in religion and in history. Muslims will not take it anymore God told us to live in diginity or die in diginity. If the corrupted west and the their slaves the Arab tyrants would let me out all these killings against Syrians would not happen.


(7) So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. ( سورة آل عمران ,
Aal-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #139)(Arabic, Transliteration,
Urdu, Yusuf Ali, Shakir, Picthal, Mohsin Khan, French, Spanish, Indonesian, Melayu, German, Bosnian, Russian)
(10) If you help him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) not (it does not matter), for Allah did
indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of the two; when
they (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه) were in the cave,
he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to his companion (Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه): "Be not
sad (or afraid), surely Allah is with us." Then Allah sent down His Sakinah (calmness, tranquillity, peace) upon him, and strengthened him with forces (angels) which you saw not, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowermost, while the Word of Allah that became the
uppermost; and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. ( سورة التوبة ,
At-Taubah, Chapter #9, Verse #40)(Arabic, Transliteration, Urdu, Yusuf Ali, Shakir, Picthal, Mohsin Khan, French, Spanish, Indonesian, Melayu, German, Bosnian, Russian)