Haitham al-Haddad – First encounter with an Arab Christian
AI: Summary ©
A speaker discusses a situation where a person they were speaking to initially rejected Islam and claimed to have a better life than the person they initially recognized. The speaker suggests that accepting Islam would encourage them to pursue their dream of becoming the next king. The speaker also warns that accepting Islam would result in them losing their position in the world and potentially losing their chance of getting into a new country.
AI: Summary ©
The first encounter
with an Arab, a Christian,
I had,
it was in Sudan.
In the hotel where I,
was staying,
the receptionist
was
a Christian,
a Christian Sudanese.
He knew that I was studying
Sharia.
He told me that he was studying
their Sharia,
theology,
Christian theology.
So we started to have a discussion.
Once he told me something amazing, and I
will never forget.
He told me
that there is no doubt that Islam is
the truth. I said to him, what?
Seriously? He said, yeah. This is given.
I said,
why?
He said to me, look, read the Quran
and read any other book. He said, for
example,
the story of Maryam in the Quran,
Read
it. And read the story of Maryam
in any other book.
You will find a huge difference between what?
Between this story and that story. The story
of Maryam in the Quran is very smooth,
very easy,
and it honored Maryam.
And we as Christians claim
that Maryam,
has
a very great status,
and she is the mother
of Isa. So she is the main personality
after
Isa in Christianity.
Yet the way we speak to her about
her, we don't honor her.
But the Quran honors Mariam
more than taught it book. Okay? The bible
honors
Mariam alaihis salaam. That's why it is the
truth. By the way, I was thinking about
the situation of this person.
And one time, I was thinking how to
what to tell him? He knew that Islam
is the truth. So I told him once,
why don't you accept Islam?
And what was his answer?
It was amazing.
He said that he is the son of
the chief of a big tribe in south
of Sudan.
South of Sudan is a tribal system,
and he is the son of one of
the kings there.
He said to me that if he were
to accept Islam,
he will lose power. He will lose to
be the sick the second in what, in
throne as they say. Yeah. That he will
never become the king
after the demise of his father.
So I was shocked.
Just because of this you reject Islam.
When I was taking my luggage,
checking out,
I said to him John,
listen,
if you feel
that this life is more important, has more
priority
than the second life,
then I agree with you that you should
what?
Sacrifice the second life for your position
in this life.
And yes, go ahead, don't accept Islam
because
you will be the next king.
However,
if the second life
has more priority
over this life, then what to do?
Sacrifice which life?
Sacrifice
this life
for the
hereafter.
Yeah? Because some people
they don't, yeah, they don't value the truth
in of itself.
They need an incentive to follow the truth.
Anyway,
I mentioned this and I left it to
him.