Mahdi Bray .. Imam of American Muslims

1. Mahdi Bray .. Imam of American Muslims

2. Mahdi Bray tells his story sayingduring my studying days in my collage, a Pakistani friend gave me a copy of English translated Qur'an. It was covered with a plastic bag and he told me: this Book will help you. I’ll give it to you but promise me with one thing,,so what did he promised him? and how did he repent from Christianity to Islam ..?

3. I was a Christian, that’s true. I lived my childhood in a system seemed to be like the apartheid in South Africa. And though I was a Christian, they separated between black and white people in the church as black Christians wasn’t accepted. This racism had a big influence on my as a child. My house used to be thrown with rocks by a racist group who was against the presence of black people in the city. Due to that my whole life has all become about social integrity and I’ve visited many places looking for justice. The civil rights movement in the church, African Nationalism, Left Socialists and others. Finally, I started thinking about capitalism when I started my work in Rock and Roll music

4. I’ve learned many things by joining these organizations. Even though, I felt an empty space in my heart, and this space ended when I was working in rock music with Rock and Roll stars. I’ve got a lot of money and I had an enormous fortune. Still, my deeps stayed empty.

5. during my studying days in my collage, a Pakistani friend gave me a copy of English translated Qur'an. It was covered with a plastic bag and he told me: this Book will help you. I’ll give it to you but promise me with one thing; wash your hands before reading it and put in a clean place, don’t enter the bathroom while having it and don’t left it or put it in the floor. And I promised him so. He also gave me “Yusuf Ali” translations for Qur'an meanings and I took it with me in all the places for about seven years. When I was in my job in music, I used to read it from time to another,,, but it’s words hadn’t passed through my heart yet.

6. In a day in 1972, I stood before the mirror and I looked at myself remembering that little child. I started thinking with the things my parents have taught me. Honesty, integrity, respecting women and modesty, I lost them all, my heart was totally void but somehow it was missing something. So I opened Yusuf Ali translation for Qur'an meanings, opened Surah number 55, Arrahman , and  there I read verse seven which says: {وَالسَّمَاءرَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَانَ} [الرحمن: 7]And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance) of Justice) felt like stones falling over my head…! There I knew that, justice doesn’t come from Martin Luther King, not from Chi Guevara nor Malcolm X or any one of these. Justice, comes from Allah.

7. And I wanted to be involved in this justice. I escaped with myself to The Forgiving God. I didn’t know how to say: La Elaha Ella-Allah There’s no God but Allah” I just said: Oh God, I want to be a Muslim.

8. So I continued reading Surat Arrahman, and I found in it such great blessings from The Almighty. How can we praise His Blessings? I started crying. Not because I was upset, but due to all these wonderful things I found., I found Islam! And I’m a Muslim from 30 years now. Actually I haven’t found Al-Islam, but Allah SWT has guided me to it. There was no place in America to teach it because in that time, Islam was still humble in there and there were no masjids. So, I started reading books. At first, I was transliterating Arabian letter into English, like saying “Astagfirollaha” than saying,أستغفر الله

9. At the end, I went to an Islamic Center in Washington, the biggest Masjid there. It was a day of Eid Al-Fitr and I didn’t know the meaning of “Eid”. Everyone was shouting “Eid Mubarak”! I though there’re saying “Eat Mubarak”. I didn’t get what they meant, I thought they’re saying “Blessed Food” !! And that’s, my story with Islam.

10. Text source : Islam story web site… www.Islamstory.com Prepared by :- Translation Campaign Team www.facebook.com/translation.campain 2012

11. الحمــد لله.. praise be to Allah .. لا تنسونا من صالح دعواتكم ..