I was born and raised as a Shia Muslim and praying to God became the norm. We went to ‘Madrasa’ which is an extra class to learn how to read Arabic. I was taught to read Arabic but I could NOT understand it.
I seemed to enjoy going to the mosque. I didn’t understand why the women and girls were divided so men couldn’t see them. As the years progressed, and different religious leaders came into operation, rules became stricter. In the 70s, most women could easily go to the mosque wearing a ‘Pakistani dress’ and were also allowed to wear ‘saris’. This all changed in the 80s when the traditional dress of a ‘Rida’ was enforced on women and young ladies too. Men had to have a cap on and grow a beard. A picture of the ‘Moalana’ of the Head of the community was posted up in each mosque and each member’s house. People would queue for hours to shake (salaam) this ordinary man’s hands.
It was in my teens that I began to ask questions. I found I wanted something more rather than just a set of rules to live by. I dated and rebelled and unfortunately, this led to a range of damaging relationships. On holiday, I walked into a shop and saw a necklace with a ‘cross’ on it and I was immediately drawn to it. I had the urge to buy it.
I was hungry for a connection with God and I was seeking him with my heart. And I remember visiting Kenya that year to see my extended family and me chatting with my aunt about my life. She was sympathetic and suggested that I once again bow down to Allah and pray and seek him. So I did and I returned to England and I continued to pray the namaaz but I felt nothing.
On a tube one day into work, I found myself flicking through ‘the Bible app’ that I had downloaded that day. I immediately felt a sense of peace and curiosity. Through dark times, I found myself living with a landlord. This man was a Christian. This person chose to engage with me, cooking meals, inviting some amazing wise friends, and opening up the Bible with me.
It was a journey into the unknown. When I dined with Christians I felt this peace that I’ve never felt before. It was unquestionable and I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. My new Christian friends would ask me to turn to the Bible chapter of John and start there. I had lots of questions for example why do Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet and that God wouldn’t send him to such death and that he was actually dead before he was crucified?
I read certain books that helped me to understand some of my questions. There is evidence that Jesus took his last breath on the cross and not before that. His tomb is empty and the Bible talks about 500 people seeing him after he had RISEN. So for me, reading from claimed authors like Bikis, Ravi Zacharias and others helped me to understand the real truth.
It was a journey and over a period of a year, I began to attend church even though I hadn’t told my family of this. And it was one time that I will never forget when I was at church and the pastor was talking about the covenant that God made with Moses. And I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit resting over me and repeating my name. I just remember having a conversation with him which went a bit like this ‘ OH MY God – this is you? ‘ to which he replied ‘yes this is me..’ and I’m saying this in my head ‘ ahh I can’t go back now can I – this is you God?’ and him saying ‘no you cant..’ I felt overwhelming sensations of peace, joy, and fear and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I gave my life that night to Jesus and He has been so faithful and so tolerant of me.
Right now, if you’re like me and wondering whether there is a true God then here’s the verse that will open up your adventure with Him. In John 3:16 it says this:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God gave us His only son Jesus and we see this revealed to us in the Bible again and again. So don’t hesitate, friends, I urge you. Put your faith in Jesus. Jesus defied religion. Jesus seeks a relationship with us friends. Choose Jesus above all else.
Are you ready to begin the adventure of your life?
The Rae Cast 