During a door-to-door dawah outreach in their village, an iERA Outreach Specialist met a family who had grown up believing that Islam was a religion in which Muslims worshipped stones in Makkah. They also believed that Muslims rejected Jesus (peace be upon him) by saying that he was not God. When the Outreach Specialist introduced himself as a Muslim who had come to the village to conduct dawah, the family immediately questioned him about these beliefs.
One member of the family asked the others to allow the Outreach Specialist to explain what Islam really teaches rather than judging the religion based on what they had heard from other people. The Outreach Specialist explained that Muslims worship Allah alone and do not worship the Ka’bah or any stone. He also explained that Muslims believe Jesus (peace be upon him) was a prophet and messenger of Allah, not God Himself.
To help them understand, the Outreach Specialist shared verses from the Bible about the Oneness of God and verses from the Qur’an explaining that Allah is One. As he explained these teachings, the family began to realize that many of the things they had heard about Islam were misconceptions and did not represent the true teachings of Islam.
As the discussion continued, the family became interested in learning more about Islam. One woman who had not been practicing any religion told the Outreach Specialist that she was ready to become a Muslim. Her decision encouraged the other members of the family, and they all decided to embrace Islam together. They took their Shahadah and expressed that they had been viewing Islam from the wrong perspective because they had grown up following the religious traditions of their parents.
