I didnt know what I was doing...

I didnt know what I was doing, I didnt know what was being said (I didnt know they were beginning with my beloved al-Fatihah!) but I knew this was true worship. I knew I had come home. At the conclusion of the prayers, I asked one of the leaders, Brother Hamdi, How do I join? He talked with me for several minutes, asked about my journey to that point. He asked what I knew, and what I believed. He asked what was my desire. He told me what Gods desire was. I said This makes so much sense. Then Bro.

Hamdi said Lets do it!. So he had the brothers sit back down, and led me through my shahada . When I was finished, all the brothers shouted Allahu Akbar! (God is the Greatest!) three times. They all embraced me and said Welcome Home Brother. Welcome home indeed! That night, as I was driving my truck across the clear, cold Minnisota night, I looked out my window and saw that the moon was a crescent moon. Welcome home indeed!

As I became acclimatized to my new life, learning the basic halals and harams of eating, dressing, behavior--I was a little overwhelmed at first. Every Friday would find me in a different city in a different Mosque.

They were always my Brothers, and it was really terrific to see that nothing important changed whether I was in a mosque that had been built as a mosque and had hundreds of members, or if it was an old church building converted into a mosque, or a house with only a handful of Brothers. It was always the same. But I did lack continuity in my spiritual life. I bet I was really a sight pulling my big truck into rest areas on the Interstate, and hopping out to perform Salat!

I prayed that I would get the continuity I needed to be more integrated into Islam. And, AlHamdulillah! My prayers were answered! I suffered a detached retina and am now unable to drive a truck. I am back in college studying to be a school teacher. And I am the member of al-Rasool Islamic Center in Salt Lake City. The Brothers have taken me under their wings and are providing me with the continuity (and sense of community that is central to Islam) that I needed.

I help out with the Eid Committee(my speciality is clean-up!) and the Muharrem preparations. We are a small, but very active shia community here. I am so blessed. It is all such a blessing! And that is how I got my name; Mubarak (which means blessed/blessing) because I feel so blessed to have Islam in my life. It is such a blessing to say: I am a Muslim!