WILAYAH NEWS VOICE OF THE GLOBAL AWAKENING
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The Gift of Heaven: My Journey from Christianity to Islam
In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
Dedication
To the sacred beings and pure souls of all the prophets and messengers, from Adam (peace be upon him) to the Final Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family),
and their successors and chosen allies, upon them be the best of prayers and peace…
To their rightful successors, the righteous and knowledgeable scholars, the trustworthy guardians of the faith…
To all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the triumph of the word of truth,
and watered the tree of faith with their pure bloods throughout the ages…
To every person with a living conscience, one who rejects blind imitation,
and judges by reason alone in the pursuit of truth and reality…
Ali Al-Sheikh
(5)
Introduction
A Brief About My Life and Guidance:
I was born and raised in the city of Baghdad, in a committed Christian family that deeply believed in and followed the teachings of the Church. Naturally, it was expected that I would follow what my forefathers had believed in.
In the early days of my life, I underwent the ritual of baptism (1) in the church, like other children. At the age of seven, my father sent me to receive communion (2). That period was one of the most beautiful times in my life. During this period, I learned many things as the spiritual atmosphere in the church, along with the encouragement and support of my family, combined with the child’s natural love for learning and recognition, all helped build a Christian character in me. I would not exaggerate if I said that memories of this time remain in my mind to this day, as I can still recall some of the rituals and hymns I learned during that period. When I grew older and my beliefs were strengthened, I continued to practice religious rituals like prayer and fasting, and I regularly attended church, especially during the Great Mass on Sunday afternoons. I also learned how to confess sins and seek forgiveness from the Lord by confessing before the priest. The priest would sit inside a small wooden room, no more than a square meter in size, with a single door and a curtain with two small openings in the middle, one for men and the other for women. We would sit before the priest and confess our sins, and he would instruct us not to return to them and order us to recite prayers and hymns to atone for our sins.
My love for Christianity grew even more when my father sent my younger brother to the monastery (1) to study religious sciences and become a priest. My brother only came home once a year, and for a short period. So, my father would send me to visit him from time to time at the monastery. I would see the spiritual atmosphere that dominated that place, which left a deep impression on me. I would also ask my brother about his studies and the topics they studied, and he would talk to me about many things I didn’t understand at the time. I must admit, in my heart, I envied him for the life he led, secluded from the world and people.
When I passed the age of twenty, my beliefs grew even stronger, but unfortunately, not through conscious research, but through blind imitation, accepting all the teachings of the church as true and unquestionable, believing them to be the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). Never did it occur to me to search or investigate these beliefs. I don’t think I can be blamed for this, as I saw most people in the same situation. Being preoccupied with the material world, focusing on preparing for a happy life in this world, led to limiting one’s thoughts to a single perspective. As for the afterlife, religion, worship, and beliefs, they were merely traditions passed down from parents and grandparents, and we performed them out of habit. Attending church was not for learning the true Christian doctrines, but simply for performing the rituals commanded by the church, for confessing sins, and at best, for hearing some moral and educational advice.
One of the most strongly held beliefs I had was that Christianity was the only true religion, and all other religions were falsehoods. Judaism was false because the Jews did not follow the Savior, Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), and therefore deserved the wrath of God. Muslims were the same. Hence, anyone who was not Christian could not enter Paradise, no matter what they did. However, a Christian who believed in Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), loved him, and followed him would certainly go to Heaven, no matter their actions, for their sins had been forgiven through Jesus (peace be upon him).
The view my father had of Islam and Muslims was very negative. Whenever the topic of Islam or Muslims came up, my father would describe them badly. He would tell us stories that tarnished the character of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He said that Muslims insulted Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), the Son of God, and his mother, that they lied about them, and mocked them. I remember when the Quran was being read on the television, my father would tell us to…
