Why I Choose to Become Muslim II

"Asyhadu Allah Illa ha Illauwlah.

Wa asyhadu anna Muhammada rasullulah"

The meaning of these sentences are :

I'm witnessing there is no other God than Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

It's called Shayadat, the first sentences Muslim have to say from the heart to become Muslim.

I was born Muslim by heritage. But my family was not faithful one. I live and enjoyed the life like non believer; thought that I was happy and want to held the world in my arms and become a conqueror. Yes, I did taste your way of life, but then in my way, I found myself in Islam.

If asking about why I become Muslim, the answer is because I believe Islam is the truth. But why I believe Islam is the truth? Because I believe Muhammad is messenger of Allah, and Al Qur’an is the book of Allah, which mean, like Al Qur’an introduced us with Him as our one and Only God, I believe there is no other God than Allah. But why? Why chose Allah? What I have been seeing inside this strict religion that become object of fear for many unbeliever in western world?

To answer this, first I should explain to you the basic reason of my faith.

Let's talk about Muhammad first.

Who is Muhammad? Let’s take a look inside Muhammad's life to understand more the reason behind my trust on Muhammad.

Muhammad came from noble family, whom his genealogy can be track far to Abraham, from Ishmael, Abraham's son with Hagar. As a noble child, Muhammad never tasted the life of noble child usually have. Circumstanced put him away from his family and living under guardian of her nursing mother who cannot read neither knowledgeable. As a result Muhammad become uneducated man, couldn’t read. He also had to taste the life as a Sheppard like many prophets before him. Also as a child He had to keep changed guardian by misfortunes.

When grown as adult, Muhammad reached great reputation from others as ‘Al Amien’, meaning as the one who we can put trust on. This reputation came from his decent and wonderful attitudes toward others and his honest way of life and in doing business. His characteristic of course became another reason why we love and trust him, but it is not enough to acknowledging him as our prophet.

There are two primary reasons why I believe Muhammad is our Prophet. Three, for real, but because the third reason is ‘that is what Al Qur’an told Muslim’, so it is not good argumentation to providing non believer the real reason of my trust to Muhammad because He has role as the messenger of Allah to passed down Al Qur’an, so it is possible if Muhammad is the one who written all the stories about him inside Al Qur’an, by himself, and you will surely failing my argumentation. So let’s eliminate the third reason on my mind for while and bellow here I’ll give you the reason why I believe Muhammad is truly the last prophet, the Messenger of Allah, and Al Qur’an is really book of God.

First, because his coming already being predicted in previous book of God, as Ahmad, like Al Qur’an had mentioned:

"Those to whom we have given the Scripture, they recognize him, Muhammad(s), As they recognize their sons, because of the descriptions of him in their Scripture:[‘Abd Allāh] Ibn Salām said, ‘I recognized him the moment I saw him, As I would my own son; but my recognition of Muhammad (s) was more intense’; Even though there is a party of them that conceal the truth, that is, his description,While they know, this [truth] which you [Muhammad (s)] follow." Al Baqarah (2) : 146

“So, if you, O Muhammad, are in doubt concerning what We have revealed to you, Of stories then question those who read the Scripture, the Torah, before you, For it is confirmed [therein] with them and they can inform you of its truth. The Prophet said, ‘I have no doubt, nor will I question’.Verily the Truth from your God has come to you; so do not be of the waverers,[of] those who have doubts about it.” QS Yunus (10) : 94:

"And, mention, when Jesus son of Mary said, ‘O Children of Israel I am indeed God’s messenger to you, confirming what is before me of the Torah and bringing Good tidings of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.’ God, Exalted be He, says: Yet when he brought them, [when] Ahmad brought the Disbelievers, the clear signs, the revelations and the indications, they said, ‘This, Namely, what has been brought is manifest sorcery!’ "QS As Saff (61) : 6

Just open your Book of God and look for it, you absolutely will find the truth about these ayyah.

The second reason of it laid in the fact that Muhammad at the time, before he received first Surrah of Al Qur’an, couldn’t even read. He never read anything, never learned to wrote anything with his right hands and not knowledgeable enough whether to created nor to written such a wonderful book like Al Qur’an, which even in that time, written in the highest art of Arabic language. To the person like this, who’s lacked of knowledge but only the experiences he gathered from his previous life, Al Qur’an had been passed down. If Muhammad the one who writing it, it will really insignificant to the fact of his as uneducated one. He had to read it to understand the words of God. Gabriel, under God order, is the one who taught Muhammad to read at first time.

The first word that passed down to Him to be read is ‘Iqra’ mean ‘read’. It is the order to Muhammad who couldn’t read at the time, to read for the first time in his life. Took three times for Gabriel to pushed Muhammad to do that, and after Gabriel held him, Muhammad started to read.

“Read.

In the name of your God, Who created.

Created man from a clot of congealed blood.

Read, and your God is Most Generous.

Who taught knowledge by the pen.

Taught man what he did not know.”

QS Al Alag (69) : 1-5

Muhammad, came from noble family but lacked of knowledge and caused him couldn’t read, but in only one night, in that night when first ayyah passed down to Him, he becomes the man of knowledge.

It is hard to believe? Well, that is the truth about Muhammad. He really couldn't read at the time. So, why Allah made Muhammad become uneducated person if He should be the last Prophet who had to lead His ummah to meet Allah?

“And you did not use to recite before this, namely, [before] the Qur’ān,

any [other] Book, nor did you write it with your right hand, for,

had you been reciting [something] and writing, then those who follow falsehood,

the Jews, would have had doubts, about you and would have said,

‘What the Torah states is that he will be unlettered , unable to read or

write’.” QS Al Ankabut (29) : 48

Simply because, if Muhammad had ability to read from before first revelation, many of unbeliever will surely said that he is the one who created Al Qur'an, which absolutely not. Muhammad never written Al Qur'an nor put a thought and changed its contents.

Knew that Muhammad couldn't read at the time, non believer started to told other that Muhammad got a help to written Al Qur'an, which is impossible because no one could ever write as good as what it had been written inside Al Qur'an.

And verily We know that they say, ‘It is only a human that is teaching him, theQur’ān’. God, exalted be He, says: The tongue, the language, of him to whomthey refer, to whom they incline, [with the accusation] that he is [the one] teachinghim, is foreign’; while this, Qur’ān, is [in] a clear Arabic tongue, one of lucidityand clarity: so how can a foreigner be teaching him?" QS An Nahl (16) : 103

And for they who didn't believe, Allah simply challenge them to make a book, even only have one ayyah as it content which surely able to beat Al Qur'an in its art of words, and this challenge open until today.

"And this Qur’ān is not such as could ever be produced, that is, [it could not be] a fabrication, [by anyone] besides God; but it is, revealed [as], a confirmation of what is before it, of Scriptures, and a detailing of the Book, a exposition of the rulings and other matters which God has prescribed from the Lord of the Worlds . Or do they say, ‘He has invented it’?, Muhammad (s) has invented it. Say: ‘Then bring a sūra like it, in terms of the clarity and the rhetorical excellence of its language, by way of invention, for you are eloquent speakers of Arabic like me; and call upon whom you can, for help in this [matter], besides God, that is, other than Him, if you are truthful’, in [saying] that this is an invention. But they were not able to do this." QS Yunus (10) : 37-38

Who is the one that written Al Quran? Muhammad? No! Like I did mention above, Muhammad couldn’t read nor write before first Ayyah revealed. So it is definitely impossible.

When the Angel said to the Holy Prophet,"Read", the latter replied, "I cannot read!"" This indicates that the Angel had presented these words of the Revelation before him in the written form at first and had asked him to read them. The words itself can't came from Muhammad because Muhammad still uneducated Man at that time. And because Gabriel who brought it to Muhammad, the only possible One who written Al Qur'an no other than Allah himself.

"Verily it is We, Who have revealed the Remembrance, the Qur’ān, and assuredly Wewill preserve it, against substitution, distortion, additions andomissions." QSAl Hijr (15):9

"And thus, in the same way that We have revealed to messengers other than you, have We revealed to you, O Muhammad (s), a Spirit, namely, the Qur’ān, by which hearts are revived, from Our command, that [command] which We reveal to you.You did not know, before revelation came to you, what the Book was, [what] theQur’ān [was], nor faith, that is, its ordinances and [ritual] ceremonies ; butWe have made it, namely, the Spirit — or the Qur’ān — a light by which We guidewhomever We will of Our servants. And verily you guide, you are summoning[people], by means of what is revealed to you, to a straight path, [a straight] way: the religion of Islam" QS Asy Syuraa (42):52

"And[it is] a Qur’ān that We have divided, that We have revealed in portions (over 20or 23 years), that you mayrecite it to mankind at intervals, gradually and with deliberateness so that they [are able to] comprehend it, and We have revealed it by [successive] revelation, one part after another, according to what is best [for mankind]."Al Israa (17):106

"We will have you recite, the Qur’ān, so that you will not forget, what you recite,

exceptwhat God may will, that you forget, by abrogating its recitation and its ruling, assuredly He, exalted be He, knows what is overt, of words and deeds, and what is hidden, of both of these." QS Al A'la (87):6-7

It is clearly to said that during revelation, the Angel will read Al Qur'an and Muhammad recited, and revealed it to Ummah soon after that. There is no way he would forgot or missed remembered the content ofAl Qur'an, because it is what he is, the reason for him to be created, as the Messenger of Allah, the last prophet, and it is one of many miracle he had which miss from non believer sight.

it,that is to say, the Qur’ān, is indeed the speech of a noble messenger,

in other words, he has spoken it as a message from God, exalted be He.

Andit is not the speech of a poet. Little do you believe!

Nor[is it] the speech of a soothsayer. Little do you remember!

Rather, it is, a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds."

QSAl Haqqah (69) : 40-43

Al Qur’an is the book of God passed down to Muhammad during his life as prophet to become the guide of life for human. Al Qur’an is thebook of revelation of God, where inside of it, there is no other than God himself that had spoken for himself, and nobody ever put his hand to change itwords.

"And had he, namely, the Prophet (s), fabricated any lies against Us,

by communicating from Us that which We have not said,

We would have assuredly seized him,

We would have exacted vengeance [against him],as punishment,

by the Right Hand, by [Our] strength and power;

thenWe would have assuredly severed his life-artery, the aorta of the heart,

avein that connects with it, and which if severed results in that person’sdeath,

and not one of you could have defended him, in other words,

there is none to prevent Us from punishing him."

QSAl Haqqaq (69) : 44-47

In passing the words of God, Muhammad never put any changed inside even for small effort to made Al Qur'an become easier to understand. Change the content of Al Qur'an is prohibited, even for Muhammad himself, and no changed had ever been made until today. In that way Qur'an will always be preserve as pure and trusted material, and what inside it will always stay the same to make the understanding of Qur'an will always in the right concept from the very beginning of revelation, until the end of the day,because Allah already put guarantee on that.

“And recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord.

There is none who can change His words. And you will not find, besides Him,

Any refuge.” QS Al Kahf (27) : 19.

Those above are the reason why I believe Muhammad, and for believing him, of course I believe on Al Qur'an too, and believing Al Qur'an mean I believe Allah is the one and only God for everyone and everything in the whole universe and all other universes if there are ever existed. Believing Allah mean to be Listen and obey what He taught us through Qur'an and through Muhammad, his Mesengger.