By Mubarak Mnisi
I was born in the Zion Church.
My father is a bishop, and for many years, that was the only path I knew. It was the faith of my parents, my grandparents, and my community.
But Allah, in His infinite mercy, guided me to Islam.
This picture tells the story of two journeys. My father standing in the faith he has known all his life, and me standing upon the faith that Allah guided me to.
A few days ago, my father did something that touched me deeply. He drove all the way to see me without telling me he was coming, simply to collect an English and isiZulu Qur’an that I had arranged for him as a birthday gift. I only realized he was there when he arrived.
As I handed him the Qur’an, I couldn’t help but reflect on the wisdom of Allah. I never imagined that one day I would be the first Muslim in my family, handing the Book of Allah to my own father.
I was the first in my family to hold the Qur’an.
The first to say:
“La ilaha illallah, Muhammadur Rasulullah.”
Islam started with me in my family, but by the permission of Allah, I pray it does not end with me.
– Mubarak Mnisi is Igbo Muslim still loved by his Christian parents.
