Assalaamu alaikum Warahmatullahi wabarakatuh sisters
I grew up in a Christian family (Ukrainian background ) with a lovely mother and father and one older sister. Alhamdulilah, May Allah guide them to Islam one day if he wills-Aameen.
My father always used to take me to Church as a kid. I would attend Sunday school at the church and other than that really only went to church for Christmas and for the plays. I never connected with the religion and noticed a lot of people saying they were Christian’s and religious people but doing horrible things. And I had a lot of questions that could never be answered even as a kid.
In 2000, when we moved to Milton. When I was in grade 1, for some reason we stopped going to church. Not sure why. Growing up, We didn’t really have much religious practices in our household, other just getting together than “Christmas” and “Easter” and saying
“Grace”Before eating. When trials would come, and I would see bad and evil in the world, I started to feel lost and wonder what the purpose of life was. And why we are here. And believed there was too much evil in the world for there to be a God, so I began having atheist / agnostic beliefs. I started working in Correctional facility at 22 years old as a corrections officer . I saw even more bad, and evil, and I was dealing with my own internal struggles as well. I was really lost and depressed and kept contemplating what is the purpose of life…. At times in my early 20s I even contemplated just ending it all…I didn’t even know it but I guess I was asking for Guidance.. subhan Allah. I was going out every weekend to escape from my depression , partying. Always travelling and having the mind set you only live once.. only to try to run away from my own emptiness. When I was 24 years old I got in to Law enforcement, in Toronto, and when I just finished my coach officer training, I got partnered up with this male partner (now my husband) who I just fell in love with him/ his character and his kindness, well one night shift passes and then we knew we loved each other. Through him I got exposed to who Muslims are, to what Islam is, and I took it upon myself, to learn about Islam, not knowing anything at all about the religion, and to be quite honest having some Pretty horrible misconceptions about Muslims before from the media and the news. I was given a copy of the Clear Quran, and I opened it up and read a page or two. And something just clicked. Subhan Allah, It was like the smoke was clear. I watched so many revert videos on YouTube and saw all these white people and people from different countries who converted to Islam so I thought if they could do it I could do it too. I remember watching mufti Menk and just thinking this religion sounds so beautiful and I don’t even understand what was really Being said but it just made my heart full and happy. I just connected with it. Over time my love for Islam grew more and more and I knew I was destined for this. For the first time in my life, I felt peace, true inner happiness, connection with our Creator, I started to learn our purpose in this life, I Began to understand why people on this earth do bad things and why people are tested, and why bad things happen to good people sometimes. I began to learn about the contradictions in the Bible and how everything I was told and taught as a kid was pretty much wrong that’s why I never connected with it and only ran away from it. Alhamdulilah, I took my shahada one year ago, and then we got married 3 months later. Alhamdulilah
Coming to Islam was the best thing that ever happened to me. I am so so grateful to Allah swt for guiding me back to Him. I have no words to thank Him.
May Allah swt keep us all steadfast and keep our hearts firm upon His religion. And use us as a means of giving dawah… and also helping other people learn About the one true religion. Aameen ya Rabbul Alameen