International Shia News Agency
EDITOR'S CHOICEInterviews

Lady Jac a revert from USA: Islam Is the Most Beautiful Religion

SHAFAQNA-

My name is Jac. I’m 19 years old and I converted to Islam late 2017 in September. Before Islam, I was baptized in the name of Catholicism. As a child though, religion never really mattered to me no matter how hard I tried. The whole concept of religion and God seemed so funny to me. Most of that came from me struggling with severe depression in my early teens. I blamed God for my struggles and decided not to believe in him at all and become an Athiest. That was definitely the hardest part of my life even though it seemed to become easier. When I say that I mean it became easier in the wrong ways. My life became the definition of haraam. To this day I still have guilt for everything I’ve done and the way I abandoned Allah.

How did you get familiar with Islam? 

I became familiar with Islam when I began dating my boyfriend at the time who is now my fiancé. He is a Muslim along with the rest of his family members. His mom was very pushy about him being with another Muslim, so she sent me  a PDF of the Quran. That had to be the point in which I honestly started learning about Islam.

 

What drived you to convert to Islam? 

I think finally being able to read the Islamic Holy book really drove me to convert. It was the reason for my research of Islam. The Quran gave me a sense of completion in my life with so many voids. Everything just started to make sense and I felt so full of happiness. It’s hard to explain really. The overwhelming feeling of finally being complete. That’s the most foreign concept to me within western society. My completion finally didn’t come from a man, but rather Allah and His book. Without reading the Quran, I may have never converted to begin with. Subhanallah though, Allah guided me to the most beautiful path.

 

What was your family’s reaction after you became a Muslim? Did you have any problem with people who knew you?

Once I became Muslim, my family didn’t know until I had received the Quran in the mail. My mom was just kind of like, “What’s this? Are you becoming a terrorist?” I’m not even kidding. Her exact words. She didn’t hate me or anything she was just confused. My dad didn’t really see any difference in me. For my grandmother, she didn’t really want to accept it or talk about it because she felt I was “sinning” in some ways. When I finally explained everything to my mom she was more relaxed and went with the flow. Alhamdulillah for my situations. I’ve heard many don’t have it as fortunate as I was blessed to have.

 

How do you see the spread of Islam in your country? 

Here in the US I’m actually seeing a lot of converts to Islam like myself MashaAllah. I think it will continue to spread throughout the country. Once more people decided to open their minds to it. It’s still so crazy to think how many people are converting. In a good way. This country seems to be the most racist it has in a long time and they are still pulling through. It’s beautiful really and it just shows the love Allah has for those who are his servants.

 

What is the most beautiful Ayah of the Quran in your opinion? And why? 

The most beautiful Ayah would have to be “So remember me, and I will remember you…” (۲:۱۵۲). I say this Ayah because it’s keeping both you and Allah in mind. We tend to forget Allah when he grants our Dua’s or when he fixes a hardship we are going in. It’s almost like a ATM transaction. We get what we need and don’t come back until we need something else and it shouldn’t be like that. Allah continues to give us blessings everyday whether we see them or not. As Muslims we should always remember Allah and be grateful for what he has given us.

 

What’s your opinion about hijab? Did wearing hijab have any effect on your private life? Do you think it is only dedicated to women? 

The hijab is the most amazing thing to ever be placed upon my body. Hijab is such a beautiful statement declaring that we are Muslims and we are not giving into exposing ourselves. That’s the thing. That’s the most interesting. It’s not just a piece of clothing. With the Hijab, it will always affect a person’s private life for the better. For me, it drove me away from the toxicity of being around many guys and dating many guys. Instead of being “guys’ favorite girl” I became “Allah’s servant.” This goes for guys as well. Men can also be modest by not exposing imprints of certain areas or watching the graphics on their T-shirt’s.

 

How do you analyze the family institution according to Christianity and Islam?  

I’m going to answer this to the best of my knowledge considering I am sure what you mean. The family institution according to Christianity means people who pray before dinner and attend church on a Sunday. Typically just people who read the Bible and who try to be above decent beings. They try to raise the beliefs of Jesus and Easter towards their family, etc. As for Islam, it’s a Ummah dedicated to praying five times a day to remember Allah, towards helping others and towards gaining as much knowledge as possible to best please Allah. We are focused together on everyone including ourselves to help one another from the hellfire. Not just as to how we singularly can get to Jannah.

 

What specifically attracted you to Islam? 

Specifically, the feelings it gave me. I’d never felt that way towards any religion or really any person for that matter either. The feelings of calmness, fulfillment, peace, etc were all signs to me that this was right. Islam was right for me Alhamdulillah.

 

What was your feeling when you prayed for the first time? Wasn’t it hard for you to pray 5 times a day? 

It was definitely difficult. Even though I was epically failing to focus and read the prayer at the same time, I felt very calm and just so blessed. It was a feeling of purity and actual love for Allah. Praying is something to this day I am still working on to perfect and learn. Praying is something very dear to me ever since converting and doing it the best of my ability is what I will accomplish. Also just to put this out there, I still haven’t prayed five times a day yet. Why? Because I believe sincerity is better than quantity. I am striving every day to perfect each prayer to Allah. InshaAllah.

 

If you want to say some words about the beauty of Islam, the peace, the calmness you have found in this religion what do you say?

Islam is the most beautiful religion. It has so many blessings that most of us didn’t even realize were blessings. For example, it may be tough at first not to eat bacon. You might not even understand why you’re not supposed to begin with. Eventually through research you learn pork in general isn’t good for your health. Allah loves us so much he has prohibited stuff that will harm us. Subhanallah. Aside from the small blessings as those, reading the Quran will fulfill you. No joke. I could be feeling so drained and so empty from a day and as soon as I start reading it, it’s like laying in a bed of feathers. All of my anxieties are replaced with relaxation and contentment. Through Islam I have discovered what it means to be truly happy.

 

Thank you very much for your attention. May Allah bless you and keep you strong and firm on this true path.

 

Edited by Miss. Mohadeseh Alizadeh

Related posts

What is the Fast of the Month of Ramadhan?

parniani

England: Two Muslim women hit by car in Walthamstow

nasibeh yazdani

Turkish President: Global market for Halal products-services hit over $5 trillion

asadian

USA: North Carolina to hosts first Muslim Festival

asadian

France: Muslim students gather for Iftar in Paris

asadian

Leave a Comment