To be in a totally new environment is quite difficult at first

To be in a totally new environment is quite difficult at first, but
to discover ways of relieving oneself of boredom and homesickness is
much better than to suffer the consequences of loneliness all the
time. This was my experience upon arriving in Jeddah in 1993 as a
contract worker at the National Glass Beads Co.

The day after my arrival, a Friday morning, two of my Filipino co-
workers who had arrived a week earlier, accompanied me to the city
center to buy a radio cassette player-recorder, as we all agreed
that music would be the answer to the boredom we were encountering.
How typical of an overseas Filipino worker!

On our way back to our villa, I heard an unfamiliar and strange
sound; strange, because it was my first time to hear such chanting,
melodious tune. I was informed later that it was the call for prayer
for Muslims. Soon I got used to hearing the same call through a loud
speaker in every mosque.

This experience aroused my curiosity and led me to know about the
culture, traditions and religious practices of the Arabs in
particular and the Muslims in general. The adhan or call to Islamic
prayer became my own call to study and embrace Islam, which, I was
to find out later, is the True Religion from God, Allah, and the
birthright for all mankind.

I began to observe Muslims of various nationalities and occasionally
involved myself in discussions on this religion. I inquired about
Islamic beliefs and practices, and I was surprised to receive the
same answers from different nationalities. I got most impressed of
their kindness, patience, hospitality and peace-loving nature, that
is, they avoided physical harm no matter they argued loudly out of
misunderstanding.

After a year, our residence was transferred to our factory site at
the Industrial Estate. A few months later, a Filipino propagator of
Islam from the Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance in the area,
started a series of lectures on Islam to us Filipino workers in our
factory. The next lecture was given by another Filipino propagator
from the same Center. Aside from the lectures, we were given Islamic
reading materials, and thus began my thorough study of Islam, in
comparison with my former religion.

My readings and study of comparative religion did not fully convince
me yet to embrace Islam. So I requested my production manager to
provide me with a copy of the Qur'aan in English translation so I
could verify the references made by the reading materials. He
immediately granted my request, and soon I got deeper into the study
of Islam, to satisfy my doubts if the Qur'aan was really the Word of
God and if Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was indeed the
last Prophet and Messenger of Allah. These truths, for a Christian
like me then, were the most difficult to accept, in the light of
Christian teaching that "the bible is the Word of God and Jesus is
the second person of God who died to redeem mankind and guide them
into salvation."

It took me one long year more of studying the translation of the
meaning of the Qur'aan, as well as the biography of Prophet Muhammad
(sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) and other reading materials, to fully
convince me that indeed Islam is the True Religion.

Finally, I walked my way to Islam on March 9, 1997 at the Islamic
Center – the Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance, Industrial
Estate, not knowing where it was located – to declare my testimony
that THERE IS NONE WORTHY OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ALLAH AND MUHAMMAD IS
HIS LAST PROPHET AND MESSENGER.

Abdul Kareem Paguta

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