SR ZAHRAH ABDULLAH

New South Wales

I grew up as a Christian but my family was not really religious. I grew up believing there was a God. I knew there were other religions, but I didn't know what they were.

Then one day I was with a group of friends and one of them said it was the Islamic Christmas. "Oh No!!" I thought to myself. I sank back in my chair and immediately my mother's words rang in my mind. "Be careful if someone tells you, they are of a different religion, be very careful!".

Perhaps she stressed this point to me because of my curiosity. I remember being quite young and asking my mum to take me to a place we'd often driven past, that looked and felt very attractive to me. "No" she'd repeat everytime I asked to go inside. One day she got so angry with me that she screamed, "Those people are of a different religion, they don't even follow the Bible". After that she never took me past that place again. Well after being told it was the Islamic Christmas, someone asked to be told more about the religion. I looked at her and in my mind I was asking "Are you crazy?" I had no other choice but to listen. I didn't even want to hear but I liked what I heard. Alhamdullillah.

I bought a Qur'an and started reading and I liked what I read but at the same time I felt lost. I had no Muslim role models. I was very young and I thought I was the only Australian who was interested in becoming a Muslim. I didn't start practising or wearing the hijab because I didn't understand it at the time and as I said, I had no example to follow. After a while I decided to go to a mosque. I got nowhere at the one that I visited. At another mosque, the people there decided that I must get married. Me, get married to someone I don't even know? Not me, no way!!!

Now I realised those people meant the very best for me but at the time I was young and I felt quite afraid so I left seeing no point to return, not for a while anyway. A few years later I met, by the Will of Allah (swt) an Australian sister who was wearing the scarf (hijab). I was very surprised. Then she introduced me to other Australian converts. I was even more surprised. From then the missing pieces were explained to me Alhamdullillah and I started practising immediately. Looking back I feel so much time has been wasted. Islam is the perfect religion and it should be easily accessible to people.

As a child, 1 was very confused about some things in my religion. I could not comprehend why I was told, in the one sentence, that we are all God's children but Jesus (pbuh) is a God's son. This is a very silly thing to tell a child, who does not understand sexuality and where and how babies come about. Do we have to be adults before we can understand our religion? Muslims do not because our religion is simple, logical and honest. This enables even our children to understand and not be confused.

People have often commented, "Your religion is so strict" but, everybody needs rules. The laws ordained for each Muslim enable us to live in a decent way, to live in a society together, and are for our own good, if we but know. For all the Halal and all the Haram, there are good reasons. As long as we understand the reasons, we realise that all our rules fit in together resulting in a perfect way of life. This is possible if people follow and practise properly of course. We do not raise our children without rules. When a baby is born we begin a routine. As a child grows we tell him "no, you can't write on the walls, no, you can't break everything, no, you can't just eat chocolate" etc. We give him rules to enable us to live in the house in peace and in harmony. Just as Allah (swt) has given us rules to enable us as adults to live in peace, health and harmony.

I am so happy to be a Muslim, Alhamdulillah. Life has meaning, purpose as well as answers and it is all so simple. My advice is do not fear Islam, for it is a beautiful religion, fear Allah (swt) and what will be in store for those who do not believe.

"By (the Token of) Time (through the Ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of truth, and of patience and constancy." (Qur'an 103:1-3)

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