As Salaamu Alaikum .............here is my story It all started when I was in the 5th grade.  I had joined the schools district band the previous year, but this year one of the bands newest member was a young girl named Aisha.  We sat across the room from each other because I played the clarinet and she played the flute.  She attended one of the schools south of  Maywood (the town we lived in) and I attended another school about 6 miles away.  We rarely talked during band class, for she was somewhat shy.    We said the occasional “HI’s and Good-byes” and joked every now and then.  We separated once I graduated 8th grade.  I attended the local high school and joined the schools band  there as well.  I was able to get through the first year of high school without appearing too much like a geek because my sister was a senior at the time and had showed me the ropes.  The following year I was alone.  I had met a few friends the previous year, but many of us separated during sophomore year.  The only class I felt somewhat comfortable in was band.  This year was a bit different for Aisha had joined the band.  Now the high school band was a bit smaller than the grade school band.  There was not much separation amongst the different instruments.  The flutes and the clarinets sat on the same row instead of across from each other.  Aisha and I were now no longer looking across from each other because we now sat next to each other.  We began talking more to each other, reminiscing our old band class amongst other things.  She began telling me about her and her 4 other sisters who were Muslims.  I wasn’t too interested in the religion itself because I believed at the time that Christianity was the way to go.  She did however begin to tell me about the dress, and food of Muslims and I would joke about how her father would wear a dress (thoub).  We talked and joked with each other.  The school year ended and we separated for the summer break. Now my junior year I was ecstatic, because I was no longer a lower classman.  I was an official “Upper Classman.”   Not only would I be the best clarinet player in the band this year (the one girl who sat in the first chair had graduated), but my academics had improved as well (I was in the top percent of my class).  Aisha had returned, but to my surprise her younger sister, Naimah had joined also.  Naimah played the clarinet as I did.  I was a bit concerned that perhaps she would compete with me for the first seat.  I remained in the first chair.  Naimah and I still kid with each other to this day as to who was the better player.  I would make fun of Naimah about how she was a lower class man.  We didn’t have many conversations then, I talked more with Aisha.  I still say to this day, that my junior year was the best year I had in high school.  Once again, me and Aisha separated for the summer break. My senior year started out a bit differently.  After 10 years of living in Maywood, my mother decided to move.  She choose to move further south, which meant I would have to change schools.  I was upset because I would have to leave all of my friends including Aisha.  We moved and that was that.  I graduated high school and decided to go to the local college near Maywood.  I didn’t quite know what direction I wanted to go in with my studies, so I decided to stay close to home. I got my first job in a neighboring town to Maywood.  A few years went by and I continued to work and go to school.  There was a Dunkin Doughnuts near my job I would always pass by and say to myself that I would go and get me a cup of coffee after work when I wouldn’t be so tired.  One evening I decided to go in.  To my surprise, Aisha was the cashier behind the counter.  We both found out that we both attended the same local college.  Our class and working schedules conflicted with each other so we didn’t have much time to talk with each other.  Every now and then I would stop in and we’ll talk.  Nothing much happened other than that.  I decided to change jobs due of management problems.  Lo and behold at my new job, Naimah worked there as well.   I felt then that this was not the usual meeting, there was something more I just didn’t know then that it was Islam.  We would have debates of Christianity vs. Islam.  The  more and more she would talk about Islam the slower I would respond as to how Christianity was better.  I thought I knew Christianity, but slowly I realized that I didn’t know anything.  At school, I would go to the library between classes.  It was there that I began to search about Islam.  There were many books about The Nation of Islam, Warith Deen Muhammad, and terrorism, but very few that dealt with the basics of Islam.  I did find one book however that did talk about the basics of Islam.  This book truly inspired me to learn more about Islam through reading and asking questions.  I checked this book out of the library and had to renew it a few times.  I would ask Naimah about other issues of Islam such as polygyny, beating of the wives, women working, etc.  These were issues that I believed were problems in Islam (authubillah).  The more she informed me about Islam and dispelled the stereotypes I believed were the truth, the more I became interested in Islam.  I was confused.  I didn’t know what I believed in.  I kept the belief that there was a greater being than myself, I just didn’t know who.  Me and Naimah began to develop a relationship more as friends and not as rivals.  We would hang out after work and spend hours talking.  We would occasionally go to were her sister Aisha worked and talk, but I felt I was now closer to Naimah than her sister Aisha.  I believed that you had to be born Muslim in order to be called Muslim like the Jews.  One day I asked her if a person who is not born Muslim could become Muslim and she said yes.  She told me that her father was not born Muslim but later converted at a younger age.  I went on to as her how does a person become Muslim.  At the time she did not know.  Although her father tried to teach Naimah and her sisters Islam, there were things that she did not know.  She told me that she would ask her father.  Some days went by and she said that her father wanted to talk to me about Islam.  I was nervous, but prepared myself with whatever questions I thought were necessary to ask.  When I arrived at her house, she had me to sit down while I waited for her father.  We were separated by a closed door; he was on one side and I was on the other side.  I believed this to be rather strange, but was later informed about the necessity of men and women being separated. He began to talk to me about the fundamental beliefs in Islam.  All of the questions that I wanted to ask I had forgotten them.  I believed in everything he said about worshipping one, Allaah, believing in all the angels, believing in all the books and that the Quraan was the last revealed book, believing in all the messengers, the day of judgment, and predestination.  He talked to me about Salaat, Zakaat, Saum, and Hajj.  Then he asked if I was ready to become Muslim and I said YES.  I took my shahada in March 1994.  He instructed me go home and take a bath and to learn Salaat from Naimah. Even now, some seven years ago, I reminisce about the events that led up to me embracing Islam, and all I can say in SUBHANALLAAH.  I believe that Allaah allowed me to embrace Islam through Naimah and through me embracing Islam allowed Naimah Naimah to become a better Muslim.  Me and Naimah are still close friends.  We both are married with children.  We are constantly trying to encourage each other to be pious worshippers of Allaah.