Fouad
   

Guidance to The TRUTH

by 

AbdulHAQQ
(DTF WONG, China)  

Received April 1st, 1997

WHO I AM

My name is AbdulHAQQ (formerly known as D T F Wong). I
am of Chinese origin and was born in Brunei Darussalam (which has a predominantly
Muslim population). I am 36 years old and male. I left Brunei Darusalam
in 1977 to further my education in UK and am now settled in London UK.
My education has mainly been at a missionary school (from kindergarten)
related to the church and later for nearly 2 years at a Christian independent
school in UK before entering College.

WHAT I WAS BEFORE

I was born into a Christian (protestant/anglican) family
who were (and still is) actively involved in the Church. In a secular society,
one could add that I had also accepted and followed secular laws and customs.I
remained a Christian till I was 27.

WHAT I AM NOW

I am now a Muslim - have been for nearly 9 years since
I left Christianity.

WHY I CHOSE ISLAM

According to Islam, guidance is of two kinds: a) Guidance
of Taufiq i.e. totally from Allah, i.e. Allah opens one's heart to receive
the truth (from disbelief to Belief in Islamic Monotheism). b) Guidance
of Irshaad i.e. through preaching by Allah's Messengers and pious preachers
who preach the truth, i.e. Islamic Monotheism.

In my case, the guidance from God is guidance of taufiq.
I say this because I was actively seeking the truth and was hardly preached
by Muslims.

When I was 23 (and in my last year in college), I became
god-conscious in a way I was never really taught in Christianity. I looked
out of my window and observed the signs of creation (eg sky, trees, people,
etc) and developed a strong belief in the existence of God. I was studying
Architecture (in College) and for me - when I look at buildings I know
that someone designed and built it. Same with the creation - the alternation
of night and day, the bodily functions, etc led me to believe strongly
that there was a Creator. Christianity tend to push forward the concept
Trinity which many can't explain and many accept to satisfy their spiritual
instinct. I had no problems with Christianity at this point. However this
new god-consciousness stayed with me. The way the Trinity was being 'pushed
to the masses' by the Church as well as Christians left this new god-consciousness
a personal experience for me.

I had never studied Islam even though I grew up in a predominantly
Muslim country. At that time in Brunei Darussalam, non-Muslims were exempt
from Islamic Education. One day I was passing by a Muslim bookshop and
decided to enter (without any idea what I was looking for). I came across
the Qur'an and decided to buy it. As any Muslim will tell you, the Qur'an
instructs (time and time again) all mankind to observe the signs of creation
around and affirm their believe in the Creator. This matched with the way
that I had developed my new god-consciousness and I decided that there
was truth in the Qur'an and Islam. The Qur'an also led me to question the
authenticity of the Bible and the Trinity for the first time. I began searching
and reading books questioning the authenticity of the Bible and the Trinity.
Many Christians answer difficult questions on issues like the trinity with
'God can do anything'.

I couldn't fault Islam and the knowledge I was gaining
had a profound impact on me more so than Christianity. I was slowly deciding
to switch to Islam. Islam had a simple purity that anyone would appreciate
- ie without the complexity of issues such as the Trinity. Islam allowed
mankind to have an intellectual conviction on fundamental matters of belief.
It didn't leave the spiritual instinct in man to be satisfied by an emotional
conviction such as one would say of idol-worshipping.

The decision to become Muslim was personal. When I told
my parents that I had done so, my mother asked two of my uncles (who were
in priesthood) to communicate with me - trying to convince me that Christianity
was right. They failed and decided that I was not dragged into a cult and
that I had made an informed decision - so they left me to continue as a
Muslim.

As I continue learning and increasing my knowledge of
the deen of Islam my faith in God increased. I became more aware of Christianity's
lack of guidance for mankind. Church services was man-made, Christian festivals/celebrations
was man-made, arguments as to whether to accept homosexuality in Christianity
or Christians at war, etc. Islam had guidance for relationships between
man/woman and God, between man/woman and himself/herself, and man/woman
with other men/women. Islam had guidance on issues relating to economics,
politics, education, social, legal/penal system, etc. In Islam there is
guidance on how God wants us to pray, how to conduct Friday prayers, what
and how to celebrate, what is right and wrong, what the penalties for crimes
are, how to set up the state, what the state should implement, how the
ruler should rule, etc. Islam offered guidance on establishing a society
based on divine guidance.

Christianity placed heavy emphasis on faith/beliefs and
seemed happy to co-exist in a secular world. Islam had laws and guidance
for individuals and society. I believed this to be right - that the Creator
would not leave the Created to argue and make laws of their own. The Creator
knows best for the Creation. Anyone would follow instructions from the
manufacturer to make best use of the manufactured item. Islam is submission
to the will of God, our Creator. Muslim is one who submits to the will
of God, our Creator. Society will only function well and in peace when
we all submit to the will of the Creator.

I could not be a Jew - Jews are a chosen people (descendants
of Judah of the tribe of Israel). Christianity I now see as a deviation
from the real teachings of Jesus - leading mankind from guidance from God
to guidance of man/woman. With a world dominated by man-made laws and the
evident injustices in society, the time is ripe a return to laws from the
Creator - as Islam offers. I am convinced I made the right choice in becoming
Muslim.       

AbdulHAQQ 

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