Short Stories by American Converts to Islam IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE GRACIOUS, THE MERCIFUL By the Dawn’s Early Light: Short Stories by American Converts to Islam BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT By the Dawn’s Early Light: Short Stories by American Converts to Islam First published in the United States of America in 2009 Published by: Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya USA An Auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community 15000 Good Hope Road Silver Spring, Maryland 20905 USA Printed in the United States of America at: Fazl-e-Umar Press, Inc. Chauncey, Ohio 45719 ©2009 Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher. To contact the publisher, e-mail us: [email protected] The views and personal opinions expressed by individual contributors in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, USA or its auxiliaries. To learn more about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, please visit: www.alislam.org. ISBN: 978-1-882494-25-5 Short Stories by American Converts to Islam BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT: Short Stories by American Converts to Islam A Publication of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya USA BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT Contents Publisher’s Note ix Foreword x Acknowledgments xi Introduction xii Ahmad Nuruddin 2 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ronald Abdur Rahim Hubbs, Jr. 8 Chino, California Bashir Abdul Haqq 14 Bronx, New York Luqman Hecimovich 20 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Alex Ali Navarro 26 Glen Ellyn, Illinois Mirza Ghulam Rabbi 30 New York, New York Hamza Abd-Al Qadir Ilyas 34 New York, New York Ahmed Michael Jones 40 Portland, Oregon Evan Umar Wicks 46 Portland, Oregon Short Stories by American Converts to Islam Basiyr Rodney 50 St. Louis, Missouri Rasheed Reno 54 Portland, Oregon Alauddin Ahmed 60 Charlotte, North Carolina Daud Ahmad 66 Racine, Wisconsin Michael Peterson 70 Herndon, Virginia Sohail Husain 74 New Haven, Conneticut Mahershalalhashbaz Ali 80 Oakland, California Luqman Malik 84 Chino, California Atif Mian 90 Chicago, Illinois Borey Bashir Song 94 Silver Spring, Maryland Israh Ahmad 98 Chino, California BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT Michael Morris 102 Boston, Massachusetts Hashim Mumtaz 108 Long Island, New York Ahmad Antar 114 Charlotte, North Carolina Mumin Salaam Ali 118 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Syed Shahzad Hussain 122 Baltimore, Maryland Edin Bajrektarevic 126 Ankeny, Iowa Omar Latif 130 Racine, Wisconsin Sazzad Khandaker 136 Monroe Township, New Jersey Camil Cerimovic 140 Syracuse, New York Ismail Anani 146 Naperville, Illinois Aaron Gage 152 Chicago, Illinois Abubakar Mohammed Rana 158 Queens, New York Short Stories by American Converts to Islam Tariq Tamir 164 Chicago, Illinois Miguel Caliz 168 Guayanilla, Puerto Rico Omer Fahim Shiekh 174 Houston, Texas Edvin Bajrektarevic 180 Ankeny, Iowa Jalil Musiddiq Designeiora 186 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Zaman Mohammad 190 Queens, New York Alpha Bah 194 Zion, Illinois Micah Taair 198 Oak Park, Illinois Dr. Mufti Muhammad Sadiq 202 First Muslim Missionary to America Ten Conditions of Initiation 208 Glossary 210 BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT Publisher’s Note ix Publisher’s Note To enhance readability, we have translated and simplified use of Islamic and Arabic terminology wherever possible. Islamic tradition narrates that after the name Muhammad, or his titles such as the Holy Prophet or the Founder of Islam, one should say “peace and blessings be upon him.” After the names of other Prophets and Messengers of God, one should give respect by offering “on whom be peace” after their respective names. The actual salutations have not been set out in full for the sake of brevity; however the reader should treat the full salutation as implicit upon seeing the names of these noble personalities. While the Arabic term Khalifa may refer to a “successor” of any prophet, in the present work it generally refers to the successors of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The reader may refer to the Glossary for more details. In referencing the Holy Qur’an, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community counts “In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful” as the first verse of the chapter in which it appears. However, some publishers of the Holy Qur’an begin counting after the above-mentioned verse. Should the reader not find the relevant verse under the number we have given, it would be found in the adjacent lower number. Translation of the Arabic verses of the Holy Qur’an mentioned in this book have been taken from Maulawi Sher Ali’s translation found in “The Holy Qur’an - Arabic Text and English Translation” published in 2004 by Islam International Publications Ltd. Many translators add explanatory words in their translation, which is not found in the Qur’anic text; but they see to it that the reader is not misled to consider them as the words of the Qur’an. We have italicized such words when reproducing the translation within this book as well. Rather than include footnotes, we have preferred to provide a Glossary of Arabic and and Islamic terms. These can be found starting on page 210. x BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT Foreword “Our Lord, we have heard a Crier calling us unto faith, ‘Believe ye in your Lord,’ and we have believed.” Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya USA presents 40 stories, 40 lives, of young men born into diverse faiths and belonging to different racial and cultural backgrounds – all sharing one common trait: they were blessed with the courage to follow their inner voice. These brothers challenged the status quo and did not allow dogma to cloud their vision. They prove to us that human beings can change. During that process, some lost their families while others lost much more. But they heard the crier, believed, and in the end, found God Almighty! I have the distinct honor of personally knowing many of these brothers. Whenever I meet one of them, I am awestruck by how the ‘Crier’ is still calling people unto faith. Whether you were born into the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, joined it in your lifetime, or are still seeking, at some point must not each ‘hear the Crier’ and proclaim with your actions that you believe? Making that decision is a heavy burden, one which requires the painful process of self- analysis, personal change and sacrifice. Please join me in praying: “Our Lord, forgive us, therefore, our errors and remove from us our evils, and in death number us with the righteous” (Qur’an 3:194) and let this process begin. Faheem Younus Qureshi Sadr, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya USA Acknowledgments xi Acknowledgments His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Fifth Khalifa of the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, blessed this initiative with much needed prayers and guidance. May Allah strengthen his hands. Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya (MKA) USA conceived, staffed, and funded the publication of this book. A terrific team of editors worked diligently with our writers to ensure high quality stories: Managing Editor Sardar Anees Ahmad, Salaam Bhatti, Qasim Rashid, Imran Tahir, and Harris Zafar. As the Production Editor, Naem R. Mohamed took 40 separate stories and sifted through hundreds of photos to design and produce this book. Our Cover Artist, Muksit Jamil, created a simple and thought-provoking piece, which represents precisely the message we wish to convey to our readers: Islam is just as much for Americans as it is for those in the East. Salman Sajid helped to bring the cover from concept to final form. National Amila (Board) members guided the project from its nascent stages on through copyediting. In particular, we owe a debt of gratitude to its Sadr (President), Faheem Younus Qureshi, for his gracious and selfless support. Rizwan Alladin, Bilal Rana, Atif Mian, Muhammad Ahmad Chaudhry, Abdul Hadi Ahmed, Nasir Ahmad, and all Qaideen (Leaders) of MKA shared advice and reached out to converts in their locales to make the book come to fruition. Amjad Mahmood Khan served as Copy Editor for the compiled manuscript. Finally, we thank our writers for their inspiring stories. The Holy Prophet Muhammad said, “When a person dies, his actions come to an end except in respect of three matters that he leaves behind: a continuing charity, knowledge from which benefit could be derived and righteous progeny who pray for him.” (Sahih Muslim) We pray that these stories continue to benefit and guide readers for generations to come. Naveed A. Malik Editor-in-Chief Chicago, Illinois May 27, 2009 xii BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT Introduction Who speaks for Islam? The short answer is everyone. Politicians, pundits and priests – everyone has an opinion. Lost in the discussion, however, are the voices of American converts to Islam. Converts offer a unique and insightful perspective on Islam; neither did they inherit their Islamic beliefs, nor did they engage in agenda- driven research. By the Dawn’s Early Light represents the voice of a new generation of American Muslims. Despite the fact that fanatical clerics misrepresent Islam, Americans continue to be drawn to Islam’s true teachings; indeed they are converting at an increasing pace, especially since the tragic events of September 11, 2001. This book captures the stories of 40 young men from diverse religious, ethnic, racial and geographical backgrounds. They share their personal relationships with the Muslim world’s only Khalifa. Raised as Christians, Jews, or Orthodox Muslims – all who are now Ahmadi Muslims – they come to you from all across America – Hawaii to Massachusetts – and indeed from around the world. They are Black, White, and Latino. They are security guards, professors, truck drivers, actors and engineers.