By Kaldeep Singh (Khalid Al Walid)

فَمَن يُرِدِ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُۥ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُۥ لِلْإِسْلَـٰمِ ۖ وَمَن يُرِدْ أَن يُضِلَّهُۥ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُۥ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًۭا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَجْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرِّجْسَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ١٢٥

So whoever Allāh wants to guide – He expands his breast to [contain] Islām; and whoever He wants to send astray – He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky. Thus does Allāh place defilement upon those who do not believe.
Quran, 6:125

Asalamualaikum dear brothers and sisters

I am going to share a brief story of how I was guided to Islam by Allahﷻ and the struggles I had to go through in order to be accepted by Allahﷻ as His slave and by the Holy Prophet Muhammadﷺ as his Ummah. I write this with the intention that it may help someone who may be contemplating about converting to Islam or returning back to it as a rediscovering Muslim.

We must not forget Allah’s beautiful words in the Holy Quran which states:

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِى مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ ٥٦

You surely cannot guide whoever you like ˹O Prophet˺, but it is Allah Who guides whoever He wills, and He knows best who are ˹fit to be˺ guided.
Quran 28:56

May we all be under Allah’s guidance till the day we breathe our last breath. Ameen

Reflecting on the above words especially “who are fit to be guided” brings tears to my eyes.

I am still not a very good Muslim. I have a lot of flaws and may still fall back into sins yet I was still guided by Allahﷻ.

I was born into a Sikh family and everything was normal while growing up. My mum was and still a devoted person in her beliefs. Things started to change for me when I was in my mid teens. I got involved with the wrong company and that invited unnecessary troubles for myself and my mum. In late 2007, my life was spiraling downwards into a dark abyss. It felt like there was no way out, and suicidal thoughts were at the back of my mind. I was drifting further and further away from my loving mum. I turned into a violent and aggressive person as the addictions were taking control of me.

A turning point in my life arrived eventually on 11 August 2008 when I was incarcerated with a lengthy sentence. While in prison, I had a lot of time to myself. It was on one fateful night when the Muslim inmates stood up for the Mahgrib night prayers and I heard the surah Al Fatiha being recited.

Hearing the Surah al Fatiha gave me a complete calmness within and eased my troubled heart. I felt an immense sense of peace which I have been longing for all this time. For the next few days I enquired about the al Fatiha with my friends and I decided to become a Muslim with His Guidance. I started to learn how to pray and recited the Al Fatiha using the transliteration guides. As time went by, I started to learn how to read the Quran with Tawjid. It is amazing how and where Allah guides a person.

A MOTHER’S SUPPLICATION IS ALSO VERY POWERFUL. I REALISED THIS AS A PLEASANT SHOCK WHEN I LEARNT THAT MY MUM HAD MADE A PRAYER WITH TEARS IN HER EYES JUST A DAY BEFORE I HAD TO FACE THE SENTENCING.

She supplicated: “Oh God, put a stop to whatever my son is doing before its too late”. Even though my mum was not Muslim, The Most Merciful heard her prayers. Please pray that Allah guides her into Islam too. Ameen

Dear brother and sisters, becoming and being a Muslim may definitely not be a walk in the park but the struggles we are willing to face for Allahﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ will eventually end in fruitful and beautiful results. Now that’s what I have understood when Allahﷻ says about those “who are fit to be guided”. This way of life (Deen) is all about sacrifices and struggles. A test.

Sins and shortcoming are part of being human, but consistent repentance and striving to be better everyday is what makes us conscious Muslims. Continue to have hope in Allah’s Mercy and work towards redeeming ourselves before Him. This beautiful verse is something that keeps me going everyday:

۞ قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٥٣

Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Quran 39:53

And send Selawats upon the blessed Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as its a special deed that is accepted by Allah readily and keeps us connected back to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who has sacrificed his entire life so that humanity can receive the message of salvation from our Lord.

I pray that Allah grants me the honor to benefit many others and may we all be always be guided and be under Allah’s Mercy and Love till the day we are destined to meet Him. Ameen

We all make mistakes. Through the powerful symbol of the yellow ribbon – hope, resilience and second chances, lives can be turned around for a fresh start and a new beginning.