From Atheism to Belief : Prof Jeffrey Lang...

Dr. Jeffrey Lang is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Kansas, one of the biggest universities in the United States. The first 18 years of his life were spent in Catholic schools, which left him with many unanswered questions about God and the Christian religion, Lang said, as he narrated his story of Islam. “Like most kids back in the late 60s and early 70s, I started questioning all the values that we had at those times, political, social and religious,” Lang said. “I rebelled against all the institutions that society held sacred, including the Catholic Church,” he said.

By the time he reached the age of 18, Lang had become a full-fledged atheist. “If there is a God, and He is all merciful and all loving, then why is there suffering on this earth? Why does not He just take us to heaven? Why create all these people to suffer?” Such were the questions that came up in his mind in those days.




........ ............ ................




"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
Owner of the Day of Judgment,
Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.
Show us the straight path,
The path of those whom Thou hast favoured. Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray."
Surah al Fatihah,1 : 1-7


"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Alif. Lam. Mim. (1) This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil).
Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We have bestowed upon them;
And who believe in that which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter.
These depend on guidance from their Lord. These are the successful."
Surah al Baqarah, 2 : 1-5



"And when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to place a viceroy in the earth, they said: Wilt thou place therein one who will do harm therein and will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee? He said: Surely I know that which ye know not."
Surah al Baqarah, 2 : 30


"And when We said unto the angels: Prostrate yourselves before Adam, they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He demurred through pride, and so became a disbeliever. And We said: O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and eat ye freely (of the fruits) thereof where ye will; but come not nigh this tree lest ye become wrong-doers.But Satan caused them to deflect therefrom and expelled them from the (happy) state in which they were; and We said: Fall down, one of you a foe unto the other! There shall be for you on earth a habitation and provision for a time.Then Adam received from his Lord words (of revelation), and He relented toward him. Lo! He is the relenting, the Merciful. We said: Go down, all of you, from hence; but verily there cometh unto you from Me a guidance; and whoso followeth My guidance, there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve. But they who disbelieve, and deny Our revelations, such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein."
Surah al Baqarah, 2 : 33-39



"Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth,
Createth man from a clot.
Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous,
Who teacheth by the pen,
Teacheth man that which he knew not.
Nay, but verily man is rebellious
That he thinketh himself independent!
Lo! unto thy Lord is the return."
Surah al Alaq, 96 : 1-8



"By the declining day,
Lo! man is a state of loss,
Save those who believe and do good works,
and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance."
Surah al Asr, 103 : 1-3



"Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
The King of mankind,
The God of mankind,
From the evil of the sneaking whisperer,
Who whispereth in the hearts of mankind,
Of the jinn and of mankind."
Surah An Nas, 114 : 1-6

Scholarly Discussion with Donelle Bergeson[ M. Divinity]

"Laila haillallah Muhammadarasullallah"
There is no god but God, Muhammad is His messenger.
The second part of the shahadah is the 'syariah' part, one can just follow the way of Muhammad as the ulama' do or teach via the hadith and the sunnah.'There is no god but God', this first part of the shahadah requires true faith. There is no short cut to this. It has to come through ilm, ilm and ilm......We have to know our Qur'an.



In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"Alif. Lam. Mim. Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel. Aforetime, for a guidance to mankind; and hath revealed the Criterion of right and wrong. Lo! those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah, theirs will be a heavy doom. Allah is Mighty, Able to Requite (the wrong). Lo! nothing in the earth or in the heavens is hidden from Allah. He it is Who fashioneth you in the wombs as pleaseth Him. There is no God save Him, the Almighty, the Wise."
Surah Al Imran,'Family of Imran', 3 : 1-6
Translation of The Noble Qur'an by Marmaduke Pickthal

Yvonne Ridley......

Yvonne Ridley (born 1959, Stanley, County Durham, England) is a British journalist, war correspondent and Respect Party politician best known for her capture by the Taliban and subsequent conversion to Islam after release and her outspoken opposition to Zionism and the perceived propaganda of the Western media. Ridley currently works for Press TV, the Iranian-based English language news channel.







"Lo! verily unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. He knoweth your condition. And (He knoweth) the Day when they are returned unto Him so that He may inform them of what they did. Allah is Knower of all things."
Surah Al Nur ,'Light', 24 : 64

Why I came to Islam... Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

" Every soul must taste of death, and We try you with evil and with good, for ordeal. And unto Us ye will be returned. "
Surah Al Anbiya, The Prophets, 21 : 35

Why I came to Islam .....Joshua Evans

Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing. (27) O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot. (28) Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy? (29) He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet, (30) And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive, (31) And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest. (32) Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (33) Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. (34) It befitteth not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. (35) And lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path. (36)

Surah Maryam, 19 : 27-36

Why I came to Islam......Dr Jerald Dirks

Part 1




Part 2






............... .............

A Christian rebuttal:






"O People of the Scripture ! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah , Jesus son of Mary , was only a messenger of Allah , and His word which He conveyed unto Mary and a spirit from Him .So believe in Allah and His messengers , and say not " Three--Cease !{it is } better for you !--Allah is only one God. Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son..His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth . And Allah is sufficient as Defender ."
Surah An Nisa, 4 : 171
The Noble Quran
Translated by Pickthal
http;//www.quranexplorer.com/


Maryam
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Kaf. Ha. Ya. A'in. Sad. (1) A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zachariah. (2) When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret, (3) Saying: My Lord! Lo! the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord. (4) Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor (5) Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee). (6) (It was said unto him): O Zachariah! Lo! We bring thee tidings of a son whose name is John; we have given the same name to none before (him). (7) He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age? (8) He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me, even as I created thee before, when thou wast naught. (9) He said: My Lord! Appoint for me some token. He said: Thy token is that thou, with no bodily defect, shalt not speak unto mankind three nights. (10) Then he came forth unto his people from the sanctuary, and signified to them: Glorify your Lord at break of day and fall of night. (11) (And it was said unto his son): O John! Hold fast the Scripture. And we gave him wisdom when a child, (12) And compassion from Our presence, and purity; and he was devout, (13) And dutiful toward his parents. And he was not arrogant, rebellious. (14) Peace on him the day he was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive! (15) And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East, (16) And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man. (17) She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art God-fearing. (18) He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son. (19) She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste? (20) He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a Revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained. (21) And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place. (22) And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm-tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten! (23) Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee, (24) And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee. (25) So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal. (26) Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing. (27) O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot. (28) Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy? (29) He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet, (30) And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive, (31) And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest. (32) Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (33) Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. (34) It befitteth not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. (35) And lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path. (36) The sects among them differ: but woe unto the disbelievers from the meeting of an awful Day. (37) How well they hear and see and hear them on the Day they come unto Us! yet the evil-doers are to-day in error manifest. (38)
Surah Maryam, 19 : 1-38
The Noble Qur'an


Al-Ikhlas
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say: He is Allah, the One! (1) Allah, the eternally Besought of all! (2) He begetteth not nor was begotten. (3) And there is none comparable unto Him. (4)
Surah Al Ikhlas, 112 : 1-4
The Noble Qur'an



Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedeth with Him save by His leave? He knoweth that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous.
Surah Al Baqarah, 2 : 255

Why I came to Islam.....Shaykh Hussain Yee

Say: Lo! As for me, my Lord hath guided me unto a straight path, a right religion, the community of Abraham, the upright, who was no idolater. (161) Say: Lo! my worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the Worlds. (162) He hath no partner. This am I commanded, and I am first of those who surrender (unto Him). (163) Say: Shall I seek another than Allah for Lord, when He is Lord of all things? Each soul earneth only on its own account, nor doth any laden bear another's load. Then unto your Lord is your return and He will tell you that wherein ye differed. (164) He it is Who hath placed you as viceroys of the earth and hath exalted some of you in rank above others, that He may try you by (the test of) that which He hath given you. Lo! Thy Lord is swift in prosecution, and Lo! He verily is Forgiving, Merciful. (165)
Surah Al Anaam , 'The Cattle' , 6 ; 161-165
The Noble Qur'an
Translated by Pickthal

http://www.quranexplorer.com/

The Core of the Matter....: Yusuf Estes

Say: He is Allah,the One!
Allah, the eternally Besought of all!
He begetteth not nor was He begotten.
And there is none comparable to Him.
[Surah Al-Ikhlas, 112:1-4]

And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son.
Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing.
Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder
and the mountains fall in ruins.
That ye ascribe unto the Beneficient a son!
When it is not meet for the Majesty of the Beneficent that
He should choose a son.
There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave [Surah Maryam, 19:88-93]

O people of the Scriptures!
Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth.
The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary and a spirit from Him.
So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three--Cease!".
It is better for you!
Allah is only one God. Far it is removed from His transcendent Majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the Heaven and all that is in the earth.
And Allah is sufficient as Defender.
[Surah An Nisa, 4:171]

And Lo! This religion is one religion and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me.
But they[mankind]have broken their religion into sects, each sect rejoicing in its tenets. So leave them in their error till a time.
[Surah Al Mukminun, 23:52-54]

link: Trinity; Pearls and Gem from Surah An Nisa [ Letter 4 Verse 171 ]