Pastor Wright, a senior priest in Ghana reverts to Islam. Saying I SACRIFICED MY WEALTH IN FAVOUR OF ISLAM.

They adopted him poor boy with shaggy clothes and bare feet, brought him up in their schools and the time they found that he was of a high mentality, they gave him full attention and care. He was known for his sharp intelligence and clear insight at an early age. He pursued his education to the highest degrees. Of course, all that was at the expense of his native religion. He looked here and there with poverty choking him to find himself isolated expect from those who call themselves missionaries. He became a renowned priest in his country with an enchanting rhetoric, attractive style and nice attire. The light that his eyes emit readily lead those who meet him to conviction, but unfortunately, to utter delusion, and they were, many. This was Mr. Wright who was a senior priest in Ghana. We met him following reversion to Islam to tell us his story.

THE BEGINNING

How was the beginning? One day, Allah willed to guide me. I began asking myself why did I abandon my religion and submit to Christianity? I was sure it was because of poverty. Although the missionaries and those who support them provided me with means of comfort and luxury, I did not feel happy or assured with respect to my life and destiny. I was always worried about the consequences of the life after this worldly life. I did not stand on a firm and secure ground to be assured of my destiny on the Day of Judgment. I had some knowledge of Islam but it was fake. It was put down according to the church. I wanted to know more about Islam through my own readings. Why should not I read the Quran directly instead of relying on my information about Islam? I started reading the Quran, pondering over the meaning of verses and comparing the principle it contained to those preached by Christianity. At last I found my way to Islam and light as told by Allah: “ you have been brought a light from Allah and a clear book with which Allah guides those who seek his satisfaction to the ways of peace and gets them out of gloom to light by his permission and guides them to a straight path.”

Moment of change

When did you decide to revert to Islam? I immediately took a final decision to revert to Islam and resolved to overcome all difficulties that may stand on my way to embracing Islam. I went to the church and met the senior European priest. I told him about my decision. He thought I was joking or it seemed that he wanted to believe that I was not serious. However, I affirmed that I was serious about my wish to become a Muslim. His face became black with anger to hear such words. He began threatening me but when he saw determined I was, he changed his tone and tried to seduce me by promising to increase my salary and benefits and add to my authority. However, all such promises met a deaf ear. Belief in Islam went deep in my heart and the light of faith mixed with all my senses.

Difficulties

What was his reaction? He was filled with anger and told me that I should repay all that I received and leave behind all things provided by the church. I replied that I could not repay him anything. However, anything I have now would be surrendered to him. I actually had four cars under my disposal, a spacious villa and other luxuries. I signed an assignment document the like that Suhaib did when the pagans besieged him and asked him to surrender his wealth before he could leave to Madinah, which he did. When he met the prophet, he told him that it was a profitable deal. “Allah has bought from believers their souls and wealth (as a price) for paradise.” The senior priest felt upset. He even stripped me out of all my clothes except underwear. He kicked me out of the church like a dirty thing. He thought that I would suffer the agonies of poverty and return to him asking for forgiveness based on his understanding of life as a materialistic thing.

To the mosque

Where did you go? I left the church barely dressed but with a deep belief in Islam. I felt I was the happiest man on earth. I walked toward the grand mosque in the middle of the city. On the way, people were walking beside me filled with astonishment. Some of them thought I had lost my mind. I reached the mosque but they tried to keep me out. I surprised them by saying that I came to declare my reversion to Islam. They did not believe that the key priest who made many people accept Christianity would come today to announce acceptance of Islam. They were very happy and made me feel I was with my brothers. Indeed, they saved me from retreating back to the agonies of misleading ideologies.

How did Muslims in the mosque react ?

As soon as I stood by the door of the mosque and announced that I accepted Islam, the poor Muslims cried out of happiness. One of them gave me trousers, another one a shirt and a third a head cover to be able to go inside mosque. i met the Muslims inside the mosque and addresses them announcing that I had become one of them. They cried out of happiness to see me follow Islam after I had been calling them to misleading ways. Within two days, many of those who followed Christianity returned to Islam to be blessed with the guidance and peace of mind as reflected in the verse: “those who believed and their hearts become assures with the remembrance of Allah. Verily with the remembrance of Allah hearts would be assured.”

How did Christian react?

Two days following my acceptance of Islam, Christians were filled with grudge. They began searching for me to murder me. Muslim trafficked me to Sera Leon secretly where the Kuwaiti African Muslim Committee radio announced that I would make a speech on the occasion of my reversion to Islam. All parties including the church were waiting to hear this speech. They expected that I would attack them and divulge many of their secrets before the public. They prepared a draft statement in retaliation to what they expected I would say. Their statement focused on the fact that they found me poor and helped me and taught me until I attended high degrees and now I repay their goodness with dishonesty and denial. To their utmost surprise, I started my speech with thank to them with everything they provided to me. However I explained that freedom should be protected and that one should not blindly follow any religion he is not convinced of. The speech made many of those who were served by the church reconsider the care provided to them by the church and that it should not be the standard for adopting a certain belief or the factor that contributes in one’s selection of religion.

What was the impact of your speech on the church?

My words blunted their plots and closed the way before them. They wanted to criticize me and defame my personality. However, I showed them that the Muslim does not react passively to any goodness offered to him. I affirmed to them that Islam teaches its followers to be faithful but at the same time does not accept from any one to cancel his mind. A couple of days following my acceptance of Islam, I was present at the ceremony of opening the university mosque where the president of Sera Leon and other officials and clergymen were present with the aim of establishing religious tolerance and add some sense of amity following my speech. Following a recitation from the Holy Quran, Sheikh Tayes Al Jameeli, the representative of the African Muslim Committee which sponsored building the mosque, delivered a speech in which he referred to my acceptance of Islam. He read the verse: “you would find closest in amity to the believers those who said we are Christians -as there are among them priest and monks and that they do not feel arrogant and when they hear the revelation to the prophet, their eyes would flood with tears (in response) to the truth they found in it- and they would say: “O Lord! We believe, so consider us among those who testify (to truth).” When he read the part of the verse “their eyes would flood with tears”, many of the monks and priests took their towels and began wiping their eyes. Surprising enough is that one of the priests told his colleague that this is what guided that priest to believe in Islam, the religion which enjoined on him to deliver that speech which embarrassed us.

Pastor Wright-(Ghana)