SHAFAQNA-
You Wont Believe How This Man Converted to Islam, Amazing Convert Story!
A very loud voice in the middle of the night said “Pray!” In my mind I answered “I don’t know how to pray!”
This is a beginning and so I think like oh my God. What did I do?
I’m a new muslim. I’m sorry. I’m sorry and everyone around me said he’s a new muslim
Please don’t they said. no, you can’t do this can’t do this. My name is John Nelson
I’m 69 years old. I was born in San Diego California. I was the first person in the family to go to university
[it] was the 60s and so what did I become a philosophy major?
Which drove him crazy because he thought what’s the point?
You’re not going to do anything with that anyway. when I was a young man I was raised as a catholic and
when I finished the eighth grade
[I] thought that I would become a priest [so] [I] entered a seminary a prep seminary
I became Muslim in December 2010 two experiences which happened to me
They were wake-up calls in the middle of the night. I was sleeping. I live alone
and in the middle of the night, I heard a voice a very loud [voice] and it was in English, and it said pray and
I thought I’d this has not happened to me before so I thought
Okay, [so] [I] and then in my mind
I just said I don’t know how to pray and the voice against that in English pray and
then two thoughts crossed my mind one of them was I believe and the other one was I submit just thoughts
So I closed my eyes, and I went back to sleep [four] weeks
or five weeks later the same thing middle of the night I hear a voice and the voice this time says read and
There happened to be a copy of the Quran on my bed table
One that someone from work had given me when I after I first came [to] the uae
and I used to read it and look through it at night and kind of transition between
Being my work day, and then going to sleep. That’s all I used it for and then after a while
I stopped reading so I just sat it there
but it was there and
So I turned the light on and I got the book and I began to read and then
The thought occurred to me it occurred to me
This is not a book for you to read and relax and this is not a transition
For you between your day job and going to sleep at night
There is something in this book and you need to read this and that’s what the whole purpos
That’s why this book is here. This is the beginning of our
adult relationship with God with Allah {subhannahu wa taala} this [is] where we recognize who we are and
who he is and what [our] relationship is with him for me the real benefit of Islam its direction and
its connection because I know that if I
Follow the principle and the spirit of this religion this Islam this submission
That I’m not going to go wrong my biggest concern was and is my family at the time
I was completely wrapped up in this experience
But when I went back home and met my wife I did not discuss this with her
I was going back [home] and in three weeks. I went and I told her that I become Muslim and
If you’re married you [can] imagine what she said she said you didn’t talk [to] me [about] this you didn’t talk about this I said
it’s not something that I can ask your permission for just as if
When your relationship with God I cannot say don’t do that, and what Islam has taught me Islam has taught me that
Everything has its time
It’s not a time of your choosing. It’s not a time [of] my choosing
the opening is from God [so]
[if] our heart is open that our mind is open then it can come to us if it’s closed then it’s not going to come
My recommendation however old you [are] is:
listen to That part of you listen to that voice and follow that voice [and] trust in that voice
Because the person who’s giving that voice the words that calling you is the God [that] created you you have to find inside
That connection you make that connection with yourself and with the God that created you and then you will be connected [with] everything around
including your family.