Muslims increasing: continuing service to our Prophet

Huthifa is his new name since becoming a Muslim. He has an interesting story of which he is very proud about how he embraced Islam. One day, his teacher ordered him and his classmates to write a report about any religion they chose. Everyone wrote about other religions, whereas Huthifa noticed a site about Islam that attracted him. So, it is from here that his story starts.

Since the Cultural Center for Foreigner’s Call was established in May of 2001, it has been calling non-Muslims to embrace Islam. It attracts foreigners by sending callers to the places foreigners work and giving them information about Islam. When the new initiates gain enough information they are requested to visit the center to get an idea of its activities and programs. Since the establishment of the center until the present, 247 people of all different nationalities including Africans, Asians, Europeans, Americans, Ethiopians, Philippinos, Indians, Canadians, Russians, French, Germans, Spanish, British, and South Africans have embraced Islam. The center gives courses in universalism, low and comparative religions, memorization drill and Arabic language to create a better understanding of the Islamic religion.

Dr. Mana Hussin al-Hazmi, the center’s manager, said that the center is not-for-profit and that they do not have a donor, but they do market their projects and extend invitations to people who might like to participate in calling and helping the center realize its goals. He clarified that there is also limited financial support that the center offers for new Muslims: for example, the center may help them go to hajj in order to make their faith stronger.

Dr. Al-Hazmi declared that there was a big difference in the center’s activities since the events of September 11th. As a result of these events, the numbers of new Muslims are increasing yearly; statistics from the center show that 10 people came there to embrace Islam in 2002, while the next year 31 people came. The rate increased in 2005 to reach 33 and to 47 at the end of 2007. Ethiopian people are the most common to embrace Islam at the center, maybe because they live in Yemen!

Aaron Hernandez is from the United States of America. He tells his story of how he had no previous information about Islam and how he became a Muslim. He says that it seems to be a very general word in the United States where he is from. He recollects the times when a hint of Islam came his way when his teacher told him that the Holy Quran and Islamic religion were the New Testament, whereas Jesus Mission and evangel were the Old Testament. What made him embrace Islam is that the Prophet Muhammad is similar to Jesus and their mission came from one source. This is what attracted his attention to the New Testament. He also had a friend who suggested he become a Muslim and who gave him a translation of the first volume of Sahih hadith collections, sayings of the Prophet, by al-Bukhari. On reading an article on the concept of God in Islam and the falsehood of the divinity of Jesus, Aaron was convinced to become a Muslim. Aaron added that he has accepted Islam as a considerable religion, and he has even started praying with Muslims in their congregation. He is striving to learn the Quran and the way of the Prophet to gain further understanding. He would like to become a caller to Islam in his country, so that people can turn back to the way of God for all people’s hearts to be together in the uplifting of God’s good law and word. He asked God to give His Messenger Muhammad peace and mercy as well as all of those sent by God, His Prophets and their followers.

To continue Huthifa’s story, he says that after he finished his school report and received his marks, he bought some books from an Islamic library. He started to understand that Islam was not like Christianity. He found that there was something which fascinated him; that was tawhid. The simple idea that there is only one God and all worship is for Him only. When a devotee needs something, they can ask that one God directly. There is no need to ask any other person between the worshipper and the one who created him. 

Then, Huthifa searched for Arabic lessons. His teacher was a German Muslim and at that time was the second leader of the mosque in his city. Huthifa’s teacher took him to the mosque where he met a lot of other students from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Yemen. One of the Yemeni students gave him a video of Innaho al-Haqq (it is right) from Sheikh Abd al-Majid al-Zindani. Before Huthifa saw the video, there was something in his heart asking him if Islam was really the truth. After he saw the video he was 100 percent certain that Islam was the right way. 

Huthifa added that when he told people that he had become Muslim, they were shocked, and contact with his family became very strained. “They were asking me, ‘why must you pray five times a day, Why don’t you shake hands with women? and Why is alcohol forbidden?’ I answered them, ‘That’s because God has ordered us to do this or not to do this.’ After this discussion my parents told me that we could live with each other only under one condition: if I stopped speaking about religion.” Huthifa explained to them that he loved them and gave them an example, asking them what they would do if there was a bomb in the house. He asked them if they would do everything to make people leave the house. They replied that they would, and he said that he knew there would come a day bigger than any bomb, where they would meet their Creator and he would ask why they did not follow His Messenger. But they became angry at this, so he decided to come to Yemen because he knew that this was the right choice for him.

Ator Rkasah is from Ethiopia. She converted to Islam just a month ago and she wants to learn everything about Islam, especially the prayers. “I have a little knowledge about Islam, and I want to spread it to everyone who does not know about it, especially in my country, to change what they believe in order that they can embrace Islam. But my financial circumstance is difficult; it makes me stay here to earn money and work in Yemen’s houses. But that will help me to learn more about Islam and let my faith be stronger,” Rkasah said. She added that when she finishes her work here and goes back to Ethiopia, she will be more confident to call others to Islam. From her speech, one can see how much she loves Islam.

Akintona Alalekan Hassan is from Nigeria. How did he become a Muslim? Maybe by chance. One day, two of his friends argued in front of him. One of them was Muslim, and the other was Christian. They hit each other because of their religions. Akintona started to think about Islam, and the days passed. A debate took hold in his small village between the two men of differing religions. Akintona attended this debate and what impressed him was that the Muslim man came without any books and with the ability to discuss everything without looking at any references, whereas the Christian came with books and had to consult them when he had any objections to give his reasons. This is what made Akintona embrace Islam and ask for a place where he could make his faith stronger, which turned out to be Yemen.

As a result of immigration, many Yemenis have married people from other countries in which they have traveled and lived. Tena is a Christian Russian woman who married a Yemeni Muslim who tried to convert her to Islam, but she refused. Her husband returned to Yemen with her, and after 8 years of marriage, she became a Muslim of her own free will. Now she wants to learn everything about Islam, especially fiqh (law), and she is thinking of being a caller to Islam.  The events of September 11th are not obstacles for Islam and Muslims. In contrast, they give Islam a chance to be known and to let non-Muslims embrace Islam. The new Muslims facing all the things that have happened to them have made their own decisions to choose this way. Those people believe in the decision that they have made with all their will, and this means they feel the sweat of Islam and the cooperation of places like the Cultural Center for Foreigner’s Call which helps them find their way. 

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