Sister Gwana (Ajibola)

The sister I have come to know as Sister AlSabira asked me to write about how I came be Muslim. Mashaa Allah, the truth is that this story started before I was born, when my mother ask Allah (whom she called God) for a child and dedicated the child’s life to His service.

Sometimes, when we forget that Allah is in the prayer answering business and because the answer does not resemble what we believed we asked for, we think we have been forsaken. Recently I wrote my mother telling her

“See how God works! He has made your prayer a reality for me. Sometimes we can’t see that God does answer prayers, but I am a witness to His answering your prayer for me.” Alhamdulillah.

I was raised in a very strong Christian home. Most of my family members are evangelists and preachers) (father, mother, sisters and brothers). It is truly a miracle that at age 12 when I went to the church doctrine class, I could not believe their teachings because these teachings were against, what I came to know later as “Tawhid.” It was in this church that I learned the 10 commandments, the first three of which address the oneness of Allah and His intolerance of associations.

1. You shall have not other gods before me.

2. You shall not make unto yourself any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is I the heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

3. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God...

In 1985 as a young woman, when I was introduced to Al Islam, I had no problem with “I bear witness that there is no god, but Allah. He has no partner.” I only needed to learn about Prophet Muhammad (SAAWAWS). From 1985 to 2000, while Muslim (for the most part practicing), I refused to call myself a sunni. Even after 13 years of being Muslim, I had never chosen a school of thought. I didn't want to commit to be a Sunni and already had a healthy disdain for the 2nd Caliph, Umar, (May he suffer continuously for his transgressions).

I began learning about Shi’a from my best friends (Hasanah, Asiila and Ali Talib) who I met in 1989. May Allah bless and reward them with the best for their dawah and constancy. So while I refused to be called “sunni” on the one hand, on the other, I did not want to be part of the 'political' rift and call myself Shi'a. The truth is, for years I did not commit to trying to find out about it (I thought ignorance was bliss).

Bro. Ali tells me he recognized long ago that I was shi’a, but I did not like politics and definitely I was against splintering into sects. I resisted discussions about Shi’aism for 10 years. May Allah forgive me. Ali finished his epic poem on the life of Imam Husayn in 1998. For two years I held onto the tapes without listening to them.

When I finally listened, I realized how ignorant of the history of Islam I really was. By time the tape got to the battlefield of Karbala, I could not stop crying. You see this served as my first real introduction to the Ahlul Bayt (Alaiyhus Salaam). You see I was one of them "Muslims" who didn't know anything about the history of Islam.

Bro. Ali's tape made it easy for me. Madhab-"less," I would listen to them driving to work. There were times when I would just sit in the parking lot and be late listening to them. My personal experience was that the description of the murder of Imam Hussein (AS) was so vivid that I was could actually "see" it. It was like I was there watching it all. Mashaa Allah, even as I write this, my eyes tear...

The gift was a mercy to me. Allah has been so very merciful to me because this gift softened my heart (mind) and opened up my mind to finally study the history and after serious heart searching, I pronounced that I had chosen the Jafferia Madthab...and would follow Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAAWAWS) as taught by the Ahlul Bayt (AS). Alhamdulillah.

Since then I have really started studying the religion of Islam as taught by the Ahlul Bayt. Where ahadith before was so contradictory, not there was consistency. Now Al Qur’an has taken on new meaning for me. May Allah bless all those who have provided me literature, listened to my rantings, and provided me instruction about the Ahlul Bayt (AS). Please make du’a for me that I will continue to grow on Al siratal mustaqeem and be of those who are momineen.

Salaam.
~Sister Gwana (Ajibola)