After a while we turned off the main road down an alley and...

After a while we turned off the main road down an alley and some steps and he delivered me in front of this large building, pointed to it, and disappeared. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. But the daughter of the house came out to wash the steps, saw me standing there, and told me to enter. She showed me to an empty sitting room. Within moments the Sheikh entered. He said, in English Yes Beloved what can I do for you? I felt nervous and embarrassed, but asked him about the Truth.

He told me that if I wanted to find the Truth that I would need a Guide who knew the way to the Truth. When I asked him how to find the Guide he said Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. This touched me because although he was a Muslim, he was speaking the language of Jesus, and words that I could respond and relate to, because I had myself used those words on occasion.

At that time I was also very concerned that the world was heading towards Armageddon and had read some books that dealt with the signs concerning this in the Bible and other texts. So I asked what the Quran had to say. As soon as I asked the question my heart knew the answer---If you make your peace with God then you have nothing to fear. To be honest though, generally, I felt quite awkward, a scruffy, ignorant, hippy taking the time of this Sheikh.

So as soon as it was polite I took my leave to go. As I was leaving it came so strongly to my heart that I had begged God for guidance, I had knocked at the door, and when He opened a door for me I wanted to run away. At that moment I knew that this was the answer to my prayers. Wanting to be sure that I was not allowing myself to be swept along by events I returned to Jerusalem.

three days later I returned to the house of the Sheikh to ask to be his student, and so I embraced Islam a few days after my 28th birthday. Praise be to Allah, Who guides to His Light whom He Wills, and without whose Help and Mercy we would be in utter darkness. 7 years later he married me to my wife, Fatima, who originates from Austria and studied Arabic linguistics at Vienna University. Allah has blessed us with three children.

I was a drop-out and never qualified in anything, but Allah has been generous and gracious to me. I inherited a menswear shop from my father that I now run. The Sheikh is Muhammed al-Jamal ar-Rifai, formerly Deputy Mufti for Al Aqsa and the West Bank and Sheikh of the Shadhdhuliyyah Tariq.