In the lush, rain-kissed town of Tena, Ecuador—nestled between rivers and rainforests—lives a man whose story reminds us that guidance often finds us not through thunderous events, but quiet certainties long nestled in the heart. His name is Don Segundo.
For much of his life, Don Segundo had heard whispers of Islam, scattered mentions in conversations, but the faith remained a distant concept—foreign, unfamiliar, unexplored. That all changed on a seemingly ordinary day in downtown Tena.
He was walking through the plaza when he came across an iERA Ecuador dawah table. Around it, voices rose in debate. A passerby was questioning the very existence of Adam and Eve, casting doubt on the origin of humanity. But while others argued, Don Segundo approached with quiet resolve, his voice cutting through the noise—not with doubt, but with conviction.
“Tell me more about your faith,” he asked one of the team members. “Because I do believe that Adam and Eve were the first human beings created by God.”
This belief, one he had always held close, found unexpected resonance in a place he hadn’t expected to find it—in Islam.
For years, different religious groups had come to him, each eager to convert, to preach, to persuade. But none had been able to answer the one question that lingered in his soul:
“If they claim to believe in one God, why do they worship Jesus?”
It was a question born from both faith and frustration. He had always believed in the Oneness of God—intuitively, instinctively—but struggled to reconcile this belief with doctrines that seemed to blur that truth.
“What do Muslims believe about Jesus?” he asked.
Instead of offering abstract explanations, the iERA team gently placed a Spanish translation of the Qur’an into his hands. They opened to the verses that spoke of Jesus—Isa (peace be upon him)—with honor, reverence, and clarity. They showed him that Muslims believe in Jesus as a Prophet and Messiah, born of the Virgin Mary, but never divine. That Islam teaches that worship belongs to none but Allah alone—Laa ilaha illaa Allah.
“I believe in that,” Don Segundo replied, with a calm certainty.
That moment wasn’t just the start of a conversation—it was the beginning of a transformation. Don Segundo saw in Islam a path that honored all the prophets he already loved—Abraham, Moses, Jesus—and led him to the final messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). A path of pure monotheism. A path that made sense to his heart and soul.
Today, Don Segundo lives a quiet, humble life in the heart of Ecuador, far from the noise of debate, but close to the stillness of truth. His life is simple, but his purpose is profound.
He asks for nothing more than to continue on this journey with sincerity and to leave this world with one legacy:
To die as a servant of Allah.
A man who searched, who questioned, who believed—and who, by the mercy of Allah, found peace
