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I was
raised as a strong Muslim. When I was young, my father forced me to go to the
mosque and keep all rituals. I, however, did not want to pray simply because I
was forced to. I often cried "God, I would like to know you. Talk to
me!" |
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Once, I
was sitting in a train, next to a foreigner called Bill. We talked, and got
to know one another, and met again some time later.
I was astonished to hear that he was a Christian. He showed me a Koran.
"I am a Christian, and have a Koran. You're a Moslem - do you have a New
Testament?", he asked me. "No, why should
I? It's forbidden," I replied. "Can you show me the verse in the
Koran which forbids it?", he asked. I could not
- I had only heard that it is forbidden from the Iman. Bill showed me the
verse in the Koran which tells us that we should also read the earlier books,
not only the New Testament (Injil), but also Moses and the Prophets. |
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On one occasion,
I asked Bill "How can God have a son? You'll burn forever in hell for
believing that. Let me save you from this false belief." He replied
"Be open and don't reject the truth. God created you and will be able to
show you. Ask him!" That started a storm in my heart. I was so used to
the Islamic rituals. Bill said "Kneel in your room and ask God in the
name of Buddha, the Hindu god, in Mohammed's name and in Jesus' name. See
which name he answers to." |
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I washed
my face, closed the door to my room and closed the window, then knelt before
God and said "God, I have prayed to you all these years. You know my
heart. I want to know you. Speak to me. You are the God who created me. Come
to me in Buddha's name." I waited. There was no answer. "Come to me
in the name of the Hindu gods. If you want, I will worship all these
gods." |
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For 10
minutes, nothing happened. Then I prayed with a heavy heart in Mohammed's
name. For all these years, I had prayed to Allah. In tears, I waited 10, 20,
30 minutes for an answer. None came. |
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Then I
said, unwillingly, "If you would like me to pray in Jesus' name, then
please come and speak to me." I didn't have to wait 30 minutes: in that
moment, it was as if someone walked into the room. All my hair stood on end.
From my head to my feet, I felt as if someone was touching me. I heard a
voice saying "Omar, I am Jesus, your Lord. I love you. Do you want to
know more?" I cried. "No, my Lord. I trust you. From now on, you
are my Lord. Today, you have answered me." |
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I could not
sleep that night. I was baptised soon afterwards, and today, I serve Jesus. |
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Source:
"Omar", excerpt from Baptist Press |
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From: http://www.jesus.org.uk/ |