Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatu,

    Thank you for the warm welcome.  May Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) grant us sincerety and strength in our lives so that we may deliver His message correctly to the whole world and soley for His sake.

I chose to follow Islam for many reasons. 

I would like you to know that I am an American.  Before Islam, I chose not to follow a religion at all, even though I was surrounded by Christians and had gone to church as a child.  I chose not to follow a religion because nothing seemed to make sense.  I believed in the basics of the bible, such as the concept of one all-powerful God and the stories of Abraham and Noah. 

I had to believe the basics because there is just too much evidence to pass it off as something false. The fact that so many people all over the world believe it is enough to make anyone give it a thought.  Is it possible that such a large number of people, including the Jews, Christians, and Muslims, is it possible that all of them are wrong?  I don't think so.  I chose not to follow a religion before Islam because nothing seemed to make sense.  For example, when I was in school there were only 16 people in my class and all were Christians, but they each believed a different way and some with a different book.  How can such an important matter be divided into so many different ways?  Each of them claims that there is only one way, so which one is it?  I chose to follow Islam because I feel that it sticks to the most simple of answers.  The message is clear.  There is one God.  Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has willed whatever happens, and we will be responsible for our actions.  I chose not to follow a religion before Islam also because I did not see that the lives or actions of Christians were any better than those of the nonbelievers.  When I began to learn about Islam, I saw that there were strict rules, such as the prayers, and Muslims actually followed them.  I saw that Islam was a religion of purity, as Muslims wash themselves five times a day and  in the bathroom. 

I was amazed by the cleanliness, and I began to feel that I did not want to shake the hand of a nonbeliever (but I keep that to myself).  Muslims restrain from alcohol, which makes the quality of life so much better.  The separation of males and females allows us to focus on more important things.  For many Americans, the opposite sex is a huge part of daily life.  For the Muslim, to think about the opposite sex is a reason to feel guilty in front of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala).  Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is, or should be, always in the mind of a Muslim, when he wakes, when he eats, when he works, when he studies, when he sleeps, etc.   To sum it up,  there is a huge difference between the life of a Muslim and the life of someone else.