Page 90 - MY GREAT LOVE FOR JESUS LED ME TO TROUTH

How Islam Affected My Life

Any change undoubtedly requires certain adjustments, and my case was no exception.
Once I had embraced Islam, I promised Allah that I would do whatever I possibly could
to learn as much as possible about this religion. While I was still relatively young, having
just completed my first year at Oklahoma State University, I married a young Muslim girl.
In Stillwater, Oklahoma, the Islamic Center assigned me my first Islamic teacher, Brother
Faiz from Palestine (may Allah bless him and reward him for what he taught me), who
dedicated a substantial amount of time to teach me how to perform the daily prayer, the
other pillars of Islam, the articles of faith, about life after death, the Day of Resurrection
and many other topics. I can still remember the great impact the topic of life after death
had on me. As a Christian, no one had ever taught me anything similar and in such great
detail. Death was always a mystery to me.
I did not know what would happen to me after burial. In Islam, however, I found detailed
answers. When a person dies, Islam teaches, he or she must be buried according to the
instructions of Prophet Muhammad. The body of the deceased is washed completely and
perfumed. Then it is wrapped in two pieces of white cloth and is buried in the ground
without a coffin and facing the qiblah, which is the direction of the Ka'bah in Makkah, in
modern-day Saudi Arabia. According to one saying of Prophet Muhammad, the dead
person hears the footsteps of those who attend his or her funeral as they walk away from
the grave and will be aware that he or she is being left alone. Shortly thereafter, two
angels come into the grave and ask the deceased these questions: (1) Who is your Lord?
(2)What is your religion? And (3) Who is your prophet?

According to another saying of Prophet Muhammad, the believer will have no difficulty at
all answering these questions correctly, while the unbeliever will not be able to answer
them. Furthermore, depending on the deeds the person has done in this life, he or she
will feel either cool perfumed breezes from Paradise or scorching winds from Hellfire. The
dead person will remain in this state until the Day of Resurrection.

This information, which Brother Faiz had given me, dispelled some of my doubts about
people who commit crimes and are not punished during their worldly lives. It made me
aware of the reason why Allah gives people countless opportunities to repent and start a
new chapter in their lives as well as God's utmost justice and mercy toward his creatures.
I once thought I had deeply understood the concepts of temporary and eternal life. While