from decadence to islam - how a slovakian young man found islam

7/27/2019 From Decadence to Islam - How a Slovakian Young Man Found Islam

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From Decadence to Islam

How a Slovakian Young Man Found Islam

My road to the truth has been tricky but

resolute.

I was born into a simple family my father

was an atheist and my mother was a devout

but not persistent Christian who used to only

attend church services during major Christian

holidays.

My grandmother, whom I am very close to,

has tried to build in me faith in the one and

only God since my early childhood. Even

though she was not a very active church

member, her faith was sincere and came

from her personal belief and her direct

worship of God rather than traditional

Christian dogma.

She told me about her insistence to get me

and my brother baptized. My parents did not

agree with her idea because my paternal

grandfather was a high-ranking official in the

bureaucratic hierarchy of Communist

Czechoslovakia.

When I turned 12, religion started to be

taught at schools, so I was among the first



students to enroll. I was very eager to be

baptized, hoping that only this way I could be

saved. Even though I was not very

enthusiastic about catechism classes, I

insisted on my decision to enroll, earning the

sarcasm of my schoolmates and close family

as well. I prayed, read the Bible, participated

in Masses, and assisted the clergymen.

After two years of catechism classes, I was

told that because my parents hadn't married

in a church, I couldn't be baptized. This

definitely broke my faith in Catholicism.

Meanwhile, my brother was born and I tried

to help my parents as best as I could. My faith

went away with time.

At secondary school, I chose classes on ethics

while trying to develop within myself a faith

similar to that of my grandmother. I felt that

in order to believe in God, I didn't need

baptism or church Masses, so I stopped

praying and reading the Bible.

My parents were in a mixed marriage, so I

had always to face the racist behavior of my

schoolmates, neighbors, teachers, and even

ordinary citizens in the streets, buses, and

everywhere. To most of them, I was simply a dirty gypsy. I lost contact with most of my

childhood friends because they later felt

uneasy about being my friends.



As a 16-year-old teenager, I quarreled with

my parents and subsequently left my home,

submitting myself to a decadent lifestyle. One

day, I met with three young Muslim students

from Sudan. This meeting changed the course

of my life. Subhan Allah!

One of them told me that if I really wanted to

cope with my mounting problems, I had to

stop living the way I was living. I was

surprised by their words because, on the

other hand, all of my "friends" had supported

and encouraged me in that lifestyle. These

Muslims, on the contrary, told me that God

didn't like this.

Since that moment, I spent a lot of time with

the Sudanese students, abandoning my old

party lifestyle and camaraderie. I started

attending school again, and, from time to

time, I went to visit my parents. I didn't feel

handicapped because of my skin color

anymore, and I didn't feel inferior at all. I had

friends whom I could trust.

I always talked to my friend Ahmed about

God. I learned a lot and realized how little I

knew about the subject. Once, overcome by

emotions and with eyes full of tears, he told

me how much he wanted to see me become

a Muslim and confessed that he prayed to

God for this to happen in his regular prayers.

I was surprised and impressed.



I knew that my beliefs were not in

contradiction with Islam's teachings. I always

believed in the oneness and uniqueness of

God; I always knew that God was one and

only. The conception of the Trinity (the

Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) as it

stands in Christianity had always been

confusing and vague to me.

Islam appeared so straightforward, free of

nonsense claims, unanswerable questions,

and unquestionable or irrational dogmas and

opinions forcedly imposed on believers. I

promised my friend to step up my efforts

and to learn more on the subject. He replied

enthusiastically that he would help me with

locating literature.

After a year, my Muslim friends had to go and

study elsewhere. Consequently, my faith

went downward after they left. I found

myself in the whirl of decadent lifestyle and

sin. In despair, I visited the Baptist

community a couple of times and was told

that in order to be saved, I didn't need to be

baptized. However, they couldn't respond to

some crucial questions I had asked.

Allah helped me again, and I met another

Muslim student who helped me. His name was

Omar and he was from Yemen. He was a very

devoted believer and worshiped God above

all. He obtained the necessary literature for



me and I started reading it in order to

understand Islam.

Omar taught me how to pray to God, show

my gratitude to God, how to avoid sin, and

how to show respect to parents as well as my

brothers and sisters in Islam. He witnessed

my Shahadah and took me to visit a mosque

for the first time in my life. My heart was

balanced and was filled with calmness at the

mosque. I was sure that I had found the truth

while many live in a self-deception. I was sad

because most of my relatives were non-

Muslims; however, I was grateful to Allah for

my new direction and felt His blessings.

Al-hamdu lillah, all praise be to Allah, I

accepted Islam when I was 18. I still

remember the feeling I had when I declared

my Shahadah. I remember that I was

trembling and was worried while learning the

words of the Shahadah and then I felt

tranquil and self-fulfilled after saying them.

What joy and pleasure I witnessed in the

eyes of my new brothers in faith. God

blessed me! Many times afterwards, Allah

showed how right my decision was, which

strengthened my faith.

Al-hamdu lillah, during the following three

years I had the opportunity to live with

devoted Muslims, to learn from them, and to

understand and accept them. My life changed



completely since that moment. In sha' Allah

(Allah willing), my faith will stay strong.

I ask and pray to the only God that in

Slovakia and Czech Republic more people will

find the truth, and I hope that my relatives

will find this blessing, too.

O Allah, please may Your rewards and

blessings pass over all those brothers who

helped me to find the truth.

from decadence to islam - how a slovakian young man found islam

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