Rahyafte (The Guided Ones)
When Professor Muhammad Legenhausen joined the University of Texas for teaching, he never thought that one day, after familiarizing himself with the rich teachings of Islam and the intellectual principles of the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them), he would embrace…
Can you provide more details about your conversion to Islam and the circumstances at that time?
My conversion to Islam, for those engaged in religious propagation, is a complex story because scientific, emotional, and various other issues were involved. During my teaching at the University of South Texas, I met an Iranian student named Akbar Nowdohi, who was taking an "Introduction to Philosophy" course with me. Akbar didn't attend class for two weeks, and when I saw him at the university office, I asked him why he wasn't coming to class. He said, "Our people in Iran have had a revolution, and I think it's important that students here have accurate information about it. Therefore, I felt it necessary to introduce this revolution to students, and because of this, I can't come to class. I agreed with him and said, "Okay, that's right, but you have to read the lesson yourself." Later, I arranged with him that I would take care of introducing the Iranian revolution to students, and he agreed to read his lessons. After this incident, we became friends and collaborated on various activities until he graduated and returned to Iran. Later, I heard that he went to the front lines and achieved martyrdom there. We used to discuss his beliefs. He was a good student, spoke very sincerely, and had serious beliefs with no doubts. Since meeting Akbar, it took almost three years for me to convert to Islam. During this time, I attended mosques, talked to Muslims, and gradually understood the attractions of Islam more. I had learned how to perform prayers, and sometimes I prayed, especially enjoying congregational prayers. However, I hadn't uttered the two testimonies of faith. One day, after the Friday prayer in the mosque parking lot, several African American Muslims came up to me and said they wanted to get to know me, asked about how I got acquainted with Islam, and so on. I recited the two testimonies of faith in front of them and officially became a Muslim, and I cried! They were very happy, and on the very first day, they suggested that I lead their prayers! We decided to work more closely with each other. Later, with their cooperation, we founded the Muslim Student Association at the University of South Texas. Of course, the group we had there was mostly Sunni, but from the beginning, I had no doubt that I would become Shia because I had read Nahj al-Balagha and wanted to accept Shia Islam.
How did it happen that after meeting African American Muslims, you uttered the two testimonies of faith and formally became a Muslim? Did anything special happen to you?
No, this did not happen overnight, and I had thought a lot about Islam before. But meeting these African American Muslims aroused my enthusiasm for accepting Islam. I was very close to Islam before seeing them, and I was almost at the threshold of Islam. However, meeting them was interesting for me, and their sincerity encouraged me to accept Islam and drew me towards Islam.
#ProfessorLegenhausen #ConversionToIslam #ShiaIslam #IslamicTeachings #AhlulBayt #ReligiousJourney #MuslimCommunity #InspiringStories #SpiritualTransformation
Source: Hawzah
🌐 @rahyafte_en
My conversion to Islam, for those engaged in religious propagation, is a complex story because scientific, emotional, and various other issues were involved. During my teaching at the University of South Texas, I met an Iranian student named Akbar Nowdohi, who was taking an "Introduction to Philosophy" course with me. Akbar didn't attend class for two weeks, and when I saw him at the university office, I asked him why he wasn't coming to class. He said, "Our people in Iran have had a revolution, and I think it's important that students here have accurate information about it. Therefore, I felt it necessary to introduce this revolution to students, and because of this, I can't come to class. I agreed with him and said, "Okay, that's right, but you have to read the lesson yourself." Later, I arranged with him that I would take care of introducing the Iranian revolution to students, and he agreed to read his lessons. After this incident, we became friends and collaborated on various activities until he graduated and returned to Iran. Later, I heard that he went to the front lines and achieved martyrdom there. We used to discuss his beliefs. He was a good student, spoke very sincerely, and had serious beliefs with no doubts. Since meeting Akbar, it took almost three years for me to convert to Islam. During this time, I attended mosques, talked to Muslims, and gradually understood the attractions of Islam more. I had learned how to perform prayers, and sometimes I prayed, especially enjoying congregational prayers. However, I hadn't uttered the two testimonies of faith. One day, after the Friday prayer in the mosque parking lot, several African American Muslims came up to me and said they wanted to get to know me, asked about how I got acquainted with Islam, and so on. I recited the two testimonies of faith in front of them and officially became a Muslim, and I cried! They were very happy, and on the very first day, they suggested that I lead their prayers! We decided to work more closely with each other. Later, with their cooperation, we founded the Muslim Student Association at the University of South Texas. Of course, the group we had there was mostly Sunni, but from the beginning, I had no doubt that I would become Shia because I had read Nahj al-Balagha and wanted to accept Shia Islam.
How did it happen that after meeting African American Muslims, you uttered the two testimonies of faith and formally became a Muslim? Did anything special happen to you?
No, this did not happen overnight, and I had thought a lot about Islam before. But meeting these African American Muslims aroused my enthusiasm for accepting Islam. I was very close to Islam before seeing them, and I was almost at the threshold of Islam. However, meeting them was interesting for me, and their sincerity encouraged me to accept Islam and drew me towards Islam.
#ProfessorLegenhausen #ConversionToIslam #ShiaIslam #IslamicTeachings #AhlulBayt #ReligiousJourney #MuslimCommunity #InspiringStories #SpiritualTransformation
Source: Hawzah
🌐 @rahyafte_en