As I started my new job, I notice that my boss was Muslim. I have always been intrigue towards Islam but I was afraid to look into it due to all the bad reputation it has been given by this country. And of course being born Catholic didn’t help either in being scared of my parents of what they would think. I eventually started listening and seeing my boss pray. I thought it was so beautiful. Little after I started my new job, I met my husband now, Aziz online. He too is Muslim.
We became really good friends, I started asking him questions about Islam and the more I knew the more I wanted to know. Something new started to burn inside of me, it was like if I was lost and I was finally being found. That feeling when you have been in a long trip and you’re just happy to be back home. I had never felt this way towards anything or anyone. Aziz was the one who answered all my questions and he guided me to online website about Islam. In my own secrecy I would read the Koran which is the Muslim book sent my God.
I would go to the Mosque with my boss. The Mosque is the Muslims place of prayer. I was afraid what my family would think if they found out but eventually I didn’t care. Four months had pass since I started researching Islam and I had finally decided that I was no longer going to hide about my passion towards GOD! And Islam. I wanted to surprise Aziz by telling him that I had return (converted) to Islam. I asked my boss if he could guide me on how and what I needed to do to return to Islam.
I wanted this with all my heart, I wanted to go back home. My boss was really nice in guiding me on how to convert. He bought me my very first Koran and a couple of other Islamic books. April of 2008 my boss took me to the Mosque and told the Imam that I wanted to do my shahada. An Imam is the person who leads prayers in a mosque and the shahada is the Muslim profession of faith (“there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”). I did my shahada that very same day and it was the most beautiful experience I had ever experienced.
The same day I did my shahada I went online and I told Aziz that I had converted to Islam Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah is an Arabic phrase meaning “Praise to God”. Aziz was so happy for me a few months after my shahada Aziz propose to me and I accepted. Six years have passed since I returned to Islam and I can honestly say my life has never been better Alhamdulillah! I am married to my best friend, I have two wonderful children, we have our daily aches and pains but ALHAMDULILLAH! We have each other and we have God to thank for.
