"Quest for truth left Christian faith moribund"
In a thought-provoking lecture which he delivered at the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies on 27 October 1993, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, quoted the 17th century poet and hymn writer George Herbert:

A man that look on glass,
On it may stay his eyes;
Or if he pleaseth, through it pass;
And then the heaven espy.

Prince Charles was quoting George Herbert to drive home the point that one should not base one's conclusion on a superficial view of thing, but go deep into them to find out the truth lying underneath. He was speaking in the context of the anti-Islamic bias projected in the western media with no attempt to discover the real face of Islam.

Early upbringing

Since my student days, I had always been interested in knowing the truth. I suffered a lot but bore it patiently. I knew that hardship does not stay long and I would soon be able to realize my cherished goal. Before embracing Islam, I found myself vulnerable to all kinds of evils. The moment I embraced Islam, I was convinced that I found the Truth I have been searching for. I thanked Allah for showing me the right path. Islam teaches: "He whom Allah guides is rightly guided; but he whom Allah leaves in error shall find no protector."

I was born in a poor Christian family in the philippines. Although my father was a Protestant and my mother a Roman Catholic, I was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church. I was, not at all suprised, knowing fully that my father had been very considerate to my mother. Since my father was the head of the family, we were brought up in Protestant life. We were a religious family attending regular Sunday prayers in the town's chapal (church), where I used to attend Sunday Bible School.

Like the Roman Catholics, we Protestants believe in the Trinity. The cannot be three gods but one. When questions are asked about this mysterious combination of God, the priest would conveniently of God. In short, he was god and man at the same time through whom we could communicate to God.

Family conversion to Jehovah's Witness

After my high school, the Jehovah's Witnesses came to our place and there had been a series of dialogues between them and the elders of different sects (i.e., Roman Catholics, Protestants, Sabbath and others) for more than a year. Finally, my whole family converted to the faith of the Jehovah's Witness. Some of our question about the mystery of the Trinity seemed to have been between because our new faith teaches us that there is separate God but only an active power of God which He bestowed on some people, and that Jesus is not a god, but one described as below divine and above human. He is, in fact, a mediator between God and man.

However, all the present doctrines of Christianity, with the exception of Trinity for the Jehovah's Witness, are essentially the doctrines of all Christians denominations. My quest for the Truth had not ceased for there still remained major religious issues which made my Christian faith something moribund.

I believe that God is the epitome of justice, so, must have revealed Himself in the most intelligent manner. All men are equal in the eyes of God. Hence His justice requires everyone to have the same duties and responsibilities toward Him according to their intellectual calibre and circumstances in life. If, what God revealed to men, is incomprehensible and need interpretation by men, then He is not worthy of our admiration, as men are prone to error. Therefore, one must not change the literal meaning of Scripture to suit one's fancy unless it is done by God Himself. It must be settled once and for all that God's revelation does not contradict itself because God is not an author of confusion.

Contact with Islam

in 1984, I was hired by Tihama Contracting Co. Ltd., Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a construction company, as an administrative manager. After frew months, Islam was introduced to me by some of my colleagus. I remember a Sudanese, Awad Hassan Ibrahim, who told me: "Mr. Cave, I think you are a good man, why don't you embrace Islam, you will surely benefit from it?" Together with other Muslims, they taught me about Islam. Some of them brought Islamic literature from the World Assembly of employed. Besides these Islamic reading materials as my reference, I used to watch Television program of "Islam in Focus" featuring Dr. Jamal Badawi. In this program, Dr. Badawi discussed the absurdity of the different doctrines of Christianity of which I had some knowledge.

I learned that Judaism, Christianity and Islam share similar background. All claim that there is one God, that He is Omnipotent and Omnipresent. All believe God communicated through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jacob and all his Messengers and Prophets(peace be upon them). Further, all the three religions believe that God created the heavens and the earth, that there exist Angels and Satan, that there will be a Day of Judgement, that there is reward and punishment for good and bad deeds.

Christianity and Islam believe that Jesus was a prophet born of a virgin. That he was given the Gospel and that he performed many miracles. However, there exists a difference between Christianity and Islam which is a bone of contention.
Christians believe Jesus was a God and Muslims believe that he was only a Prophet. For Muslims, it is an utter blasphemy and degrading the majesty and glory of God by saying that Jesus was the son of God. Jesus himself said in the Gospel of Mattew (17:3): "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent." Jesus has clearly separated himself from divine nature by saying that he was sent by God. This verse corresponds to the verse in the Quran:

"And in their footsteps We sent I'esa, the son of Maryam(Mary), confirming the Taurat(Torah), in which was guidance and light.."(Surah Al-Maidah, 5:46)

Conversion to Islam

In my studies about Islam, I found out that Islam teaches the purest form of monotheism in the fullest sense of the word. God has no sharer and partner. He is the Creator, Chreisher, Sustainer and Sovereign of the entire universe. All our sincere worship and reverence belong to Him alone and that all the beautiful names of God are His exclusive perfect attributes which nobody of His creation has the right to arrogate them to himself. To associate partners or take other gods besides Him contradicts the Oneness of God.

Indeed, Islam has shown me the Truth, the right kind of Belief and the correct path that leads man to his Creator. So, after nine months of exposure to Islam, I was fully convinced of the truth without any reservation, I embraced Islam on June3, 1985. In fact, I had no difficulty in embracing Islam. As you know, man, being a rational creature, must not only uphold the truth but is duty bound to declare and defend truth under all circumstances. It would be an act of obstinacy, whimsy, shame and irreligious to ignore the truth which is tantamount to betrayal of the Creator to Whom we owe our every existence. Had God willed to wipe us, He could have done it anytime, but He has specific divine purpose for each of us. God has manifested what He requires from us when He said:

"And I(Allah) created not the jinns and humans exept they should worship Me(Alone)." (Surah Az-Zariyat, 51:56)

I cannot render better explanation of the meaning of creation more than the learned English translator and commentator of the Quran, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, whom I quote: Quoting the Quran "Creation is not for idle sport or play." Allah has serious purpose behind it, each creature is given the chance of development and progress toward the Goal which is Allah. He is the source of all power and goodness. Our progress depends upon our putting ourselves into accord with His will. This is His service(worship). It is not of any benefit to Him; it is for our own benefit.

Lastly, I qoute Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him), who said: "There is nothing better gift given by God to man than the gift of reason."
[The following are his answers of the questions put to him in an interview]

1. What were your feelings(impressions) before and after embracing Islam?

Before I venture to answer, I would like to state that being a devote Protestant Christian, I always had the feeling to look for the Truth through consistent study and research. As my research progressed, I found many contradictions in my Belief that made me accept the Jehovah's Witness faith. However, there still remained some important issues that belied the Christian's faith. The Justifications of the Christian doctrines were too narrow and short-sighted that questioned their validity. I couldn't accept the role of Jesus as a mediator between God and man or the need of it since it contradicts the essence of God, being the All-Mighty and All-Knowing. So, my Christian belief gradually became moribund.

After reversion to Islam, I found the key to all the problems that bothered me. The belief in Tauhid (Oneness of God) cleared all my misgivings about the essence of God. Allhamdulillah, I found the Ultimate Truth -- there is no deity worthy of sincere worship, except Allah, the Creator, the Cherisher and the Sustainer of all the worlds without sharer or partner.

2. What is the best way of calling people to Islam?

As vicegerent, man is not left without proper guidance from Allah in order to fulfill his duty toward Him. Hence Islam is a complete and comprehensive Code of Life that covers all human endeavours. With respect to calling people to Islam, the Quran gives us the right guidance in the following verse:

"Invite (mankind, O Muhamed 'Peace be upon him') to the way of your Lord (i.e., Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Quran) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided." (Surah An-Nahl, 16:125)

Man is a complex being not only endowed with many faculties but also with inner feelings with varying sensitivities that are very sophisticated.



In calling people to Islam, Abul Ala Maududi said that one has to bear in mind tow things--wisdom and good counsel. By wisdom, he meant the knowledge of prejudices prevailing among the people against Islam, their mental capacities and circumstances to whom the message is addressed. In short, 'Dawah' depends on how well we understand the people among whom we are working, their cultures, opinions, problems, hopes and aspiration. One has to admit that cultural variation exist and that there is a need of thorough knowledge of cross-cultural-outlook of the people.

By good counsel, he meant that one should not only be content with merely trying to convince people through rational arguments but instead try to appeal to the nobler human emotions. One does not merely shows erroneous doctrines(beliefs) but also the tragic implications in advocating them. He has to awaken the people of their mistakes and give the right solutions to their present state of affairs. In addition, one should be cautious so as to avoid unnecessary arguments. Discourse be courteous. Answers to questions should be straight forward and in elegant manner without offending anyone.

Another good good strategy for propagators of Islam is to learn the indigenous languages and local dialects of those people whom they addressl. Propagators will have better control of the situation and the impact of their message on the audience will be greater.

Further, through knowledge of the religion is a must for all Da'ees. It should be understood that one cannot propagate something which he does not know. Other aspects are sincerity of purpose and persistence on the part of Da'ees. They should set good examples because as the saying goes "action speaks louder than words."

Furthermore, one should exert more efforts and be a responsible Muslim. We need to learn from the progressive Christian missionaries(~1 see comment of Admin) by doing our best to negate their activities. Besides, constructing mosques, we should concentrate on the youth b y establishing Islamic schools at all levels. We should also provide social services like establishing clinics, hospitals, orphanages, relief agencies, etc., so as to ensure strong presence of Islam and maintaining Islamic environment in the society.

Prophet Mohamed(peace be upon him) as the leader of the Muslim Ummah gaves us good example of Da'wah, practicularly, when he sent delegation to Yemen calling people to Islam. The teachings of Islam were introduced gradually and the belief in Allah was given precedence. Similarly, the prohibition of wine was gradually enjoined until the Quranic injunction was revealed prohibiting its intake totally. The truth is that there is no God but Allah and there is no better way than that of Prophet Mohamed(Peace be upon him).


[~1 Admin comment: we don't need to learn or copy from the people, who invite people to the wrongway.The people who changed the books(Tora/Bible) of Allah for their won benefites, the people who take profit by the name of God. The people who lie to the people about God(God has son,...) to be respected because the son of God is from there people and by this respect to control people and have power on people. The idea comes from the Jewish, as they said Moses is the son of God, because Moses is one of them, as Allah send to them(jewish) Prophet Issa(Jesus) the leader of Jewish lost respect from people, they called later Prophet Issa(Jesus) as son of God, that people respect them indirectly because Prophet Issa(Jesus) was from Jewish.]

3. State your openion about the way Ahmad Deedat calls people of Isalm?
There is no doubt that the way Sheikh Ahmad Deedat calls people to Islam is to some extent effective. It has awaken the Christians especially about the true nature of their present Scriptures and the senselessness of their doctrines. However, in the process, it has also created enemies who veer further away from the truth and become more determined and relentless in their efforts to discredit Islam.

It is of human experience that by defeating your opponents in a debate(in public) does not bring him anything good, except sowing enmity and fire in their hearts. Most often the victor and the vanquished separate after the debate with more antagonism and hostility.

To my openion, calling people to Islam is more effective when one presents Islam in the way of Prophet Mohamed(peace upon to him), through the Quran and Sunnah. Tauhid or the belief in the Oneness of Allah, the Fountainhead of all teachings should be the basis of Da'wah activity. This does not necessarily mean to discard the use of the Bible when the need arises. In referring to the Bible, care should be taken to see that we need the support from the Bible to drive home our point(~1 see Admin comment).
By using the Bible, we might unwittingly prove its authenticity and validity as the revealed scripture which is not true. In a nutshell, the Bible should be used only as a reference by saying "Even your Bible says so" or referring only as a reference confirming our arguments, but in no way using it as support to prove our Islamic point of view.

What I am saying is that Islam is a complete religion which does not admit any addition or renovation. It is absolutely perfect as Prophet Mohamed(Peace be upon him) declared it in this Farewel Khubah(semon) when he recited the verse of the Quran:

THIS DAY, I HAVE PERFECTED YOUR RELIGION FOR YOU, COMPLETED MY FAVOUR UPON YOU AND HAVE CHOSEN FOR YOU, ISLAM AS YOUR RELIGION (Quran: Surah Al-Maidah: 5:3)


[~1 Admin comment: The real Bible/Tora does't exist anymore, all books are product of human and the books are unperfect as the human are. Only Quran is the perfect book on the earth, which proofs that Allah is our God and Mohmed(peace be upon him) our last Prophet.]


4. What are some of the methods applied by Christian Missionaries to convert people in Africa?

Christian missionaries in Africa enjoy the support of the colonial governments who wish to see Africa converted to Christianity for political and economic expediency. Thus, missionaries are able to get most of the favoured concessions and best facilities in fulfilling their mission.

Aside their vast resources, the mission devised many effective approachs to strengten their hold on the inhabitants. Missionaries study the social life and languages of the tribes to enable them to communicate freely. In fact, they translated the Bible into the local languages and dialects. They opened schools at all levels in their mission centers where they teach the people to read and write their vernaculars, and English, French or Italian as their second language. Churchs are attached to these schools where they preach Christianity with enthusiasm and zeal. They teach pupils to become teachers, catechists and prists in their own areas after graduation(~1 see comment of Admin).

Some advanced groups of missionaries also started industrial schools where young Africans are taught practical skills in agriculture, carpentry, iron works, handling industrial machines, mechanics, dress making, office works, etc. Many also are able to open clinics and hospitals where they treat common diseases prevalent in Africa. Through these kinds of strategies, the African Christians were able to lead in the fields of economic, political and cultural life. They always toe the line of their Christian sponsors.

So far, what has been mentioned, were those of common strategies. The Christian mission has gone further by enlisting priests in the field by training them in comprehensive sutdy of Islam. They also conduct interfaith dialogues between Muslims and Christians sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva and in Vatican like the University of Rome through is Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies.

The third method which has been very successful in Africa, is the establishment of international and regional Christian relief agencies. The aid has always carried the string of the Gospel and the Christian doctrines.




[~1 comment of Admin: Great Allah says in Quran, that we don't have to pay people to come to Islam. The politicans(Vatikan, UK Royals, USA, Israel) wants to have control on Africa, Asia and world for their own benefites(Oil, Gold, Slavery,..), they open Schools under the name of Religion,.. to build there their best slaves, that they control the rest of people. And dispath people by the order of devil from the way of Allah. There mission is to make people Christ, Jew or anything but never let people to be Muslim. The most clincs are working under contract of big Medical concerns to test the new medicins on people and send the results to the big concerns.



5. What are the results of calling people to Islam in Asia, Europe, U.S.A and other places?

The results of Islamic Da'wah in Asia, Europe and U.S.A are very much encouraging. Many non-Muslims, particularly Christians are embracing Islam by hunderds of thousands throughout the world. This is mainly due to the presence of Islamic institutions like the World Assembly of Muslim Youth(WAMY) in strategic places all over the world spearheading and supporting vigourous Da'wah programs.

By the turn of century, it is hoped that the present rate of Muslims will go up considerably. Islam has now become the second largest religion in the whole of Europe where there are over eighteen million Muslims. In Southeast Asia, like the Philippines, the trend of reversion to Islam is very encouraging. Many village inhabitants are chamed with the beauty of Islam which has long been veiled by the dominance of Christianity. The same is true with other Asian regions like in Thailand and Vietnam. So, also as far as in the South like in Australia and New Zealand, reversion to Islam is taking place at an unusual pace.

While in China and North Asian Republics, during the peak of Communism, Islam was completely subdued, its revival has been going on in full swing after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Mosques are being built at rapid pace including mainland Russia. Even in Japan as well as in Korea, Islamic Da'wah has been active and new Muslims are recorded in big numbers.

In North America, the United States and Canada, thousands of Afro-Americans embraced Islam. It has captured their imaginations because Islam advocates equality of races. Reversion includes other ethnic tribes due to strong racial discrimmination. For them, Islam provides emancipation of their human dignity as a people and elevates them from a second class citizens. Similar trend has also been going on for sometime in South America where new offices of the World Assembly of Muslims Youth(WAMY) are established.

With this present trend of world Islamic revival, it would not be long, God's willing, Islam will regain its past glory in establishing the religion of God on earth.

Muhammad Ameen C. Cave