Let us be very candid. We all know that rarely any non-Muslim would convert to Islam without exploring all the other religious options available. They only opt for Islam once they get disappointed in other religions such as Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity etc. They usually consider Islam as their last option, but once they chose it, they stick to it forever.
It is because not every religion successfully answers the major questions which pop up in the minds of people looking to opt for a religion. Questions such as “Who is our creator?” and “What is the purpose of our lives?” are answered convincingly by Islam alone. Maybe no other religion than Islam reconciles the unfairness of life with a Creator who provides justice. Many of the people may find the clergy to have double standards because many of the religions, other than Islam have altered their scriptures. May it be any reason, people perceive faults in the religions they are exposed to, and restart the search. Eventually, they end up choosing Islam as their religion because of its profoundness.
Irrespective of the fact that Muslims account for one-fourth to one-fifth of the world’s total population, the media (non Muslim) daubs Islam with such terrible maligns that a very few non-Muslims view Islam in a positive way. Therefore, it is generally the very last religion the seekers tend to investigate.
The story of Adul Rahman (Previously known as Fr. Anthony) is no exception. Fr. Anthony was formerly a Catholic priest in Sri Lanka. As a Catholic priest he was very well versed when it came to Christian teachings and the verses of Bible. But the question is why did he convert to Islam? He said that he found many contradictions in the Bible. He pointed out the ambiguities:
Fr. Anthony (now Adul Rahman) quoted Esaiah 9:12 and said: “And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith; I am not learned.” This verse indicates towards the last prophet of Islam Muhammad (PBUH), because Muhammad (PBUH) was an unlettered prophet and when he was invited by Angel Gabriel to recite the first holy revelation upon him, he said, “I am not learned” As opposed to the famous Christian belief that Jesus is God and also the Acts 2:22 of the Holy Bible considers Jesus as a human being. It says, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourself also know.”
As per Abdul Rahman (Fr. Anthony), prophet hood is not defined by Christianity or any other religion. Even Buddhism does not acknowledge its former preachers. Only Islam is the religion which has made compulsory for his believers to believe in all the former prophets and regard them. According to Abdul Rahman this fact is pretty persuasive and appealing to everyone.
Abdul Rahman (Fr. Anthony), says that there is significant logic or reasoning for the restriction on Roman Catholic priests to not to marry, when the priests of other Christian sects are allowed to marry. Abdul Rahman was left perplexed by all these variations within Christianity. While he was pondering over all these confusions, he received an audio cassette of one converted Christian priest in Sri Lanka whose Muslim name is now Shareef D Alwis. He found it to be very influencing and convincing. Later he stated listening to Ahmad Deedat to explore more. His continuous struggle to seek for the right knowledge led him to convert to Islam. This is now Fr. George Anthony became Abdul Rahman.
Abdul Rahman, is a resident of Rathnapura village, Sri Lanka. He used to provide his services as a catholic priest in Katumayaka church. He served as a priest for more than a decade.
After converting to Islam, he wrote numerous letters to his mother to introduce her to Islam. After spending months of studying, she converted to Islam. However, his father and sister remained Christian.
Abdul Rahman quitted his highly appreciated career as a priest for the sake of practicing Islam, the ultimate truth. He cheerfully and willingly gave up all of the materialistic things for the spiritual conquest. At present, he is working as an apprentice in Islam Presentation Committee of Kuwait.
This is the true miracle of Islam. Allah gives Hidayaah to whomever He chooses, whenever He chooses and whichever way he chooses. If a person is a good human, there is no way that Allah may deprive him or her from Jannah. Just like Allah bestowed Abdul Rahman (Fr. Anthony) with ultimate guidance. He keeps providing good people with numerous opportunities to convert and revert to Islam. May we all fall under the category of people Allah likes the most, become zealous about learning more about Islam and practice in the way which Allah likes the best.
