"Father, father believe heaven exists?" Said Jeffrey when he was small his father about the existence of heaven, while the two walked their dog along the beach.Not a surprise when Jeffrey Lang later became professor of mathematics, an area where there is no other logical place.
When a student last year at the Notre Dam Boys High, a Catholic school, Jeffrey Lang has some rational rejection of belief in the existence of God.Discussions with the ministers of the school, parents, and classmate was also not able to satisfy the existence of God. "God will make you downcast, Jeffrey!" Said his father when he denied the existence of God at the age of 18 years.
He finally decided to be atheist at the age of 18 years, which lasted for 10 years during their college S1, S2, and S3, and finally converted to Islam.
It was some time before or after deciding to be atheist, Jeffrey Lang had a dream. The following discussion Jeffrey Lang about his dream:
We are in a room without any furniture. Nothing else in the room walls are white-gray. The only 'decoration' is the dominant red-patterned carpet that covered the floor white. There is a small window, like a cellar window, which is located above and facing us. Bright light filled the room through the window.
We formed a row. I am on the third row. All men, no women, and we all sat on the floor on our heels, facing the window.
It feels foreign. I do not know anyone. Perhaps, I was in another country. We looked down at the same time, we face facing the floor. Everything is calm and serene, like all the sound turned off. We once again we sit on our heels. As I look ahead, I realize we are led by someone who was in front of my left hand, in the midst of us, at the bottom of the window. It stands alone. I can only see a flash back section. He wore a long white robe. He wore a white scarf on his head, with red patterns. It was then that I woke up.
During the ten years to become atheists, Jeffrey Lang several times the same dream. However, it does not interfere with that dream. It only feels comfortable when he wakes up. A strange feeling of comfort. He did not know what it is.There is no logic behind it, and therefore it does not matter even if the dream is over.
Ten years later, the first time giving lectures at the University of San Francisco, he met Muslim students who attend class. Not only with the student, Jeffrey was not long after making friends with the family of the pupil.Religion is not a topic of discussion when Jeffrey spent time with the family of the student. Until after a while one family member to give students the Koran to Jeffrey.
Although not currently intend to know Islam, Jeffrey began to leaf through and read the Koran. At that time, his head full of prejudices.
"You can only read the Qur'an, not if you do not take it seriously. You must, first, I really have to give to the Koran, or both, 'oppose', "said Jeffrey.
He then found himself in the middle of a struggle that is very interesting. "It (the Koran) 'attack' you directly, so personal. Qur'an that will argue, criticize, humiliate, while challenging you. Since the beginning of it (the Koran) sets out a line of battle, and I was in a conflict area. "
"I suffered a severe defeat (the struggle). From there it became clear that the 'author' (the Qur'an) to know me better than I know myself, "said Jeffrey. He said the author seemed to read his mind. Every evening he prepared a number of questions and problems, but always found the answer at the next reading, as he read page after page, the Koran in sequence.
"Quran is always far ahead of my thinking. It is to remove obstacles that I faced many years ago and answer my question. "Jeffrey tried to fight hard with objections and questions, but it became clear he was defeated in a struggle. "I was led to a corner where there is no other choice."
At that time the early 1980s and not many Muslims on campus, the University of San Francisco. Jeffrey found a small room in the basement of a church where a number of Muslim students to pray. Done a long struggle in his mind, he decided to visit the place.
A few hours visiting the place, he found himself uttering the confession. Finish the creed, prayer time and he arrived Dhuhr invited to participate. He stood in rows with other students, led by a priest named Ghassan. Jeffrey began to follow their prayers in congregation.
Jeffrey joined prostrate. His head was stuck on the red carpet and white. The atmosphere is calm and serene, like all the sound turned off. He then sat back in between the two prostrations.
"As I look ahead, I could see Ghassan, on my left side, in the middle, under the window that illuminates the room with light. He was alone, without a row. He wore a long white robe. Shawl (scarf) covering her head and white, with shades of red. "
"Love it! I screamed to myself. Dream it, sebijik! I had really forgotten it, and now I am stunned and afraid. Is this a dream? Will I wake up? I tried to focus on what is going to make sure that I was sleeping. Cold flow quickly to the rest of my body. My God, this is real! Then the cold was gone, changed sense of warmth that comes from within. I was streaming with tears. "
Speech by his father ten years ago proved. He is kneeling, and her face was stuck to the floor. The highest parts of her brain that had been contained all the knowledge and intelektualitinya is now at its lowest point, in a total submission to Allah SWT.
Jeffrey Lang was God himself who menuntunnya to Islam. "I know God is always near, directing my life, creating an environment and opportunity to choose, but still leaving the crucial choices to me," Jeffrey said today.
Jeffrey is majoring in mathematics professor University of Kansas and have three children. He wrote three books are widely read by U.S. Muslims: Struggling to Surrender (Beltsville, 1994), Even Angels Ask (Beltsville, 1997),and Losing My Religion: A Call for Help (Beltsville, 2004). He gives lectures in many campus and has spoken at many conferences Islam.
He has three children, and is not a surprise that his son had the same curiosity.Jeffrey is now must face the same questions that once he threw to his father.One day he was asked by his daughter who was eight years old, Jameelah, they finished Asr prayers in congregation. "Dad, why do we pray?"
"The question surprised me. Never thought came from children aged eight years. I know the most obvious answer is that Muslims must pray. But, I do not want to waste the opportunity to share experiences and gain from the prayer.However, after compiling the answers in the head, I started with, 'We pray because God wants us to do it', "
"But why, father, what is the result of prayer?" Jameela said again. "It is difficult to explain to a child, baby. One day, if you do pray five times every day, I'm sure we'll understand, but my father will try our best to menjawan your question. "
'Listen, dear sweet heart. God is the source of all love, love, generosity and wisdom of all the beauty - that we experience and feel. Light sources like the sun we see during the day, God is the source of all this and more. Thus, the father felt compassion for you, brothers, brother, and mother all came from God. We know that God is Loving and Caring by Giving us all in this life.But only in prayer, we can feel love, pemurahnya God, and was ungrateful in a very special way, in a way that is kukoh.
For example, my son know that your mother and your father was loved by both of us care about you. but only when we hug and kiss you, my son will be able to feel how sadly we are against. Tamsilnya So, we know that God loves us all and we pemurahnya him for Trees outside. But only when we pray, we can feel his love is so real and special. "
'What is prayer that makes the father a father who is better? " He bertanyaku.
'S father and father hope so hope to think so, because when a person has "disentuhi" with love of God in prayer, it is too beautiful and kukoh, that person feels like they are there memperkongsikannya diskelilingnya, especially to his family. Sometimes, after a hard work day, my father felt exhausted, and my father would like his own. But if the father can feel the love of God in prayer, the father will be remembered and to see family members, father and reminded of how great God gave you to my father, and all the love and affection of the father earned as a father and husband to your mother . I will not say who the father is a perfect, but my father did not believe the father may be a good father without the prayers. Can the father accepted the argument-argument? "
'I understand what my father meant,' said Jameelah.
Then he hugged me and said, 'And I love my father very kat! "
'Dad was love you. "
No comments:
Post a Comment