Khadijah 'Sue' Watson - Former pastor, missionary,
professor. Master's degree in Divinity
“What
happened to you?” This was usually the first reaction I
encountered when my former classmates, friends and co-pastors saw
me after having embraced Islam. I suppose I couldn’t blame them,
I was a highly unlikely the person to change religions. Formerly,
I was a professor, pastor, church planter and missionary. If
anyone was a radical fundamentalist it was I.
I had
just graduated with my Master’s Degree of Divinity from an elite
seminary five months before. It was after that time I met a lady
who had worked in Saudi Arabia and had embraced Islam. of course I
asked her about the treatment of women in Islam. I was shocked at
her answer; it wasn’t what I expected so I proceeded to ask
other questions relating to Allah and Muhammad (S.A.W). She
informed me that she would take me to the Islamic Center where
they would be better able to answer my questions.
Being
prayed up, meaning-asking Jesus for protection against demon
spirits seeing that what we had been taught about Islam is that it
is Demonic and Satanic religion. Having taught Evangelism I was
quite shocked at their approach, it was direct and
straightforward. No intimidation, no harassment, no psychological
manipulation, no subliminal influence! None of this, “let’s
have a Quranic study in your house”, like a counter part of the
Bible study. I couldn’t believe it! They gave me some books and
told me if I had some questions they were available to answer them
in the office. That night I read all of the books they gave. It
was the first time I had ever read a book about Islam written by a
Muslim, we had studied and read books about Islam only written by
Christians. The next day I spent three hours at the office asking
questions. This went on everyday for a week, by which time I had
read twelve books and knew why Muslims are the hardest people in
the world to convert to Christianity. Why? Because there is
nothing to offer them!! (In Islam) There is a relationship with
Allah, forgiveness of sins, salvation and promise of Eternal Life.
Naturally,
my first question centered on the deity of Allah. Who is this
Allah that the Muslims worship? We had been taught as Christians
that this is another god, a false god. When in fact He is the
Omniscient-All Knowing, Omnipotent-All Powerful, and
Omnipresent-All Present God. The One and Only without co-partners
or co-equal. It is interesting to note that there were bishops
during the first three hundred years of the Church that were
teaching as the Muslim believes that Jesus (PBUH) a prophet and
teacher!! It was only after the conversion of Emperor Constantine
that he was the one to call and introduce the doctrine of the
Trinity. He a convert to Christianity who knew nothing of this
religion introduced a paganistic concept that goes back to
Babylonian times. I must point out that the word TRINITY is not
found in the Bible in any of its many translation nor is it found
in the original Greek or Hebrew languages!
My
other important question centered on Muhammad (S.A.W). Who is this
Muhammad? I found out that Muslims do not pray to him like the
Christians pray to Jesus. He is not an intermediary and in fact it
is forbidden to pray to him. We ask blessing upon him at the end of
our prayer but likewise we ask blessings on Abraham. He is a
Prophet and a Messenger, the final and last Prophet. In fact,
until now, one thousand four hundred and eighteen years (1,418)
later there has been no prophet after him. His message is for All
Mankind as opposed to the message of Jesus or Moses (peace be upon
them both) which was sent to the Jews. “Hear O Israel” But the
message is the same message of Allah. “The Lord Your God is One
God and you shall have no other gods before Me.”(Mark 12:29).
Because
prayer was a very important part of my Christian life I was both
interested and curious to know what the Muslims were praying. As
Christians we were as ignorant on this aspect of Muslim belief as
on the other aspects. We thought and were taught, that the Muslims
were bowing down to the Kabah (in Mecca), that that was there god
and center point of this false deity. Again, I was shocked to
learn that the manner of prayer is prescribed by God, Himself. The
words of the prayer are one of praise and exaltation. The approach
to prayer (ablution or washing) in cleanliness is under the
direction of Allah. He is a Holy God and it is not for us to
approach Him in an arbitrary manner but only reasonable that He
should tell us how we should approach Him.
At
the end of that week after having spent eight (8) years of formal
theological studies I knew cognitively (head knowledge) that Islam
was true. But I did not embrace Islam at that time because I did
not believe it in my heart. I continued to pray, to read the
Bible, to attend lectures at the Islamic Center. I was in earnest
asking and seeking God’s direction. It is not easy to change
your religion. I did not want to loose my salvation if there was
salvation to loose. I continued to be shocked and amazed at what I
was learning because it was not what I was taught that Islam
believed. In my Master’s level, the professor I had was
respected as an authority on Islam yet his teaching and that of Christianity in general is full
of Misunderstanding. He and many
Christians like him are sincere but they are sincerely wrong.
Two
months later after having once again prayed seeking God’s
direction, I felt something drop into my being! I sat up, and it
was the first time I was to use the name of Allah, and I said,
“Allah, I believe you are the One and Only True God.” There
was peace that descended upon me and from that day four years ago
until now I have never regretted embracing Islam. This decision
did not come without trial. I was fired from my job as I was
teaching in two Bible Colleges at that time , ostracized by my
former classmates, professors and co-pastors, disowned by my
husband’s family, misunderstood by my adult children and made a
suspicion by my own government. Without the faith that enables man
to stand up to satanic forces I would not have been able to
withstand all of this. I am ever so grateful to Allah that I am a
Muslim and may I live and die a Muslim.
“Truly,
my prayer, my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are all
for God the Cherisher of the Worlds. No partner has He, this I am
commanded. And I am the first of those who bow to Allah in
Islam.” (Holy Qur’aan 6:162-163)
Sister Khadijah Watson is presently working as a
teacher for women in one of the Da'wah (Invitation) Centers in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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