After a long day of spreading dawah, the IERA daees were finally heading back to rest. Little did they know that before the day ended, Allah had prepared for them one more soul to touch.
As they moved along the roadside, they noticed a young woman walking home alone. Her name was Maria, a 21-year-old. The daees greeted her warmly and politely asked if they could share a few words about Islam with her.
At first, Maria hesitated. Then with confidence mixed with frustration, she openly admitted, “I actually hate Islam.”
The daees remained calm and listened carefully. Maria explained that what disturbed her most was the way Muslim women dressed and veiled themselves. To her, the hijab looked like oppression and restriction. She had grown up hearing many negative statements about Islam, and over time those words had shaped her opinion.
Instead of arguing, the daees responded with wisdom and kindness. They explained the beauty and purpose of hijab in Islam, that Muslim women veil themselves out of obedience to Allah, dignity, modesty, and protection. They told her that the hijab was not a sign of weakness, but a symbol of honor and faith.
Maria listened attentively, the daees then explained that Islam was not a new religion, but the religion of submission to the One true God. They referred her to verses from the Qur’an, including Surah Al-Baqarah 2:213, 2:132–133, and Surah Al-Imran 3:19, showing her that all prophets called people to worship Allah alone.
At that moment, something changed inside Maria and the hatred she once carried slowly began to disappear. The misconceptions she had believed for years suddenly felt empty and misleading. She admitted that much of what she knew about Islam came from false information and negative words from others.
For the first time in her life, she was hearing Islam directly and clearly. After listening carefully and asking several questions, Maria looked at the daees and asked sincerely:
“How can I become a Muslim?”. The daees smiled and right there by the roadside, they gently guided her through the Shahadah. She then chose a new beautiful name Mariam.
That evening, what began as an ordinary walk home became the beginning of a completely new life. Allah had replaced hatred with guidance, confusion with clarity, and darkness with light.
