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Khadijah
'Sue' Watson
A former Protestant fundamentalist
pastor, missionary and Bible College lecturer with a Master's
degree in Divinity. Her contact with a convert to Islam prompted her to seriously investigate Islam
and to conclude that "many Christians are sincere, but they
are sincerely wrong".
“What happened to you?” This
was usually the first reaction I encountered when my former classmates, friends
and co-pastors saw me after having embraced Islam. I suppose I couldn’t blame
them, I was a highly unlikely the person to change religions. Formerly, I was a
professor, pastor, church planter and missionary. If anyone was a radical
fundamentalist it was I.
I had just graduated with my
Master’s Degree of Divinity from an elite seminary five months before. It was
after that time I met a lady who had worked in Saudi Arabia and had embraced
Islam. Of course I asked her about the treatment of women in Islam. I was
shocked at her answer, it wasn’t what I expected so I proceeded to ask other
questions relating to Allah and Muhammad (pbuh). She informed me that she would
take me to the Islamic Center where they would be better able to answer my
questions.
Being prayed up, meaning-asking
Jesus for protection against demon spirits seeing that what we had been taught
about Islam is that it is Demonic and Satanic religion. Having taught Evangelism
I was quite shocked at their approach, it was direct and straightforward. No
intimidation, no harassment, no psychological manipulation, no subliminal
influence! None of this, “let’s have a Quranic
study in your house”,
like a counterpart of the Bible study. I couldn’t believe it! They gave me
some books and told me if I had some questions they were available to answer
them in the office. That night I read all of the books they gave. It was the
first time I had ever read a book about Islam written by a Muslim, we had
studied and read books about Islam only written by Christians. The next day I
spent three hours at the office asking questions. This went on everyday for a
week, by which time I had read twelve books and knew why Muslims are the hardest
people in the world to convert to Christianity. Why? Because there is nothing to
offer them!! (In Islam) There is a relationship with Allah, forgiveness of sins,
salvation and promise of Eternal Life.
Naturally, my first question
centered on the deity of Allah. Who is this Allah that the Muslims worship? We
had been taught as Christians that this is another god, a false god. When in
fact He is the Omniscient-All Knowing, Omnipotent-All Powerful, and
Omnipresent-All Present God. The One and Only without co-partners or co-equal.
It is interesting to note that there were bishops during the first three hundred
years of the Church that were teaching as the Muslim believes that Jesus (pbuh)
was a prophet and teacher!! It was only after the conversion of Emperor
Constantine that he was the one to call and introduce the doctrine of the
Trinity. He a convert to Christianity who knew nothing of this religion
introduced a paganistic concept that goes back to Babylonian times. Because the
space does not permit me to go into detail about the subject insha’Allah,
another time. Only I must point out that the word TRINITY is not found in the
Bible in any of its many translation nor is it found in the original Greek or
Hebrew languages!
My other important question
centered on Muhammad (pbuh). Who is this Muhammad? I found out that Muslims do
not pray to him like the Christians pray to Jesus. He is not an intermediary and
in fact it is forbidden to pray to him. We ask blessing upon him at the end of
our prayer but likewise we ask blessings on Abraham. He is a Prophet and a
Messenger, the final and last Prophet. In fact, until now, one thousand four
hundred and eighteen years (1,418) later there has been no prophet after him.
His message is for All Mankind as opposed to the message of Jesus or Moses
(peace be upon them both) which was sent to the Jews. “Hear O Israel” But
the message is the same message of Allah. “The Lord Your God is One God and
you shall have no other gods before Me.” (Mark 12:29).
Because prayer was a very
important part of my Christian life I was both interested and curious to know
what the Muslims were praying. As Christians we were as ignorant on this aspect
of Muslim belief as on the other aspects. We thought and were taught, that the
Muslims were bowing down to the Ka’bah (in Mecca), that that was there god and
center point of this false deity. Again, I was shocked to learn that the manner
of prayer is prescribed by God, Himself. The words of the prayer are one of
praise and exaltation. The approach to prayer (ablution or washing) in
cleanliness is under the direction of Allah. He is a Holy God and it is not for
us to approach Him in an arbitrary manner but only reasonable that He should
tell us how we should approach Him.
At the end of that week after
having spent eight (8) years of formal theological studies I knew cognitively
(head knowledge) that Islam was true. But I did not embrace Islam at that time
because I did not believe it in my heart. I continued to pray, to read the
Bible, to attend lectures at the Islamic Center. I was in earnest asking and
seeking God’s direction. It is not easy to change your religion. I did not
want to loose my salvation if there was salvation to loose. I continued to be
shocked and amazed at what I was learning because it was not what I was taught
that Islam believed. In my Master’s level, the professor I had was respected
as an authority on Islam yet his teaching and that of Christianity in general is
full of Misunderstanding. He and many Christians like him are sincere, but they
are sincerely wrong.
Two months later after having
once again prayed seeking God’s direction, I felt something drop into my
being! I sat up, and it was the first time I was to use the name of Allah, and I
said, “Allah, I believe you are the One and Only True God.” There was peace
that descended upon me and from that day four years ago until now I have never
regretted embracing Islam. This decision did not come without trial. I was fired
from my job as I was teaching in two Bible Colleges at that time, ostracized by
my former classmates, professors and co-pastors, disowned by my husband’s
family, misunderstood by my adult children and made a suspicion by my own
government. Without the faith that enables man to stand up to Satanic forces I
would not have been able to withstand all of this. I am ever so grateful to
Allah that I am a Muslim and may I live and die a Muslim.
“Truly, my prayer, my service of
sacrifice, my life and my death are all for God the Cherisher of the Worlds. No
partner has He, this I am commanded. And I am the first of those who bow to
Allah in Islam.”
(Holy Qur’an 6:162-163)
Sister Khadijah Watson
Visit her
web site
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