Formerly ‘Stewart Humes’ Australian Aboriginal

Abdur Rahman
(Formerly ‘Stewart Humes’ Australian Aboriginal)
Disclaimer: This convert story has been published on ChallengeYourSoul.com as is, without being edited. It may promote views & ideas not supported by ChallengeYourSoul.com and/or which are not Islamically correct.
I would like to go back in time and tell you a little bit about my history.

My culture is one of the oldest cultures in the world. I love creation. The history of aboriginal people, we connect so close to the Earth, that we are like the Earth. In my younger days as a child I grew up knowing about the mysteries and spirits, that everything that is made in creation has a spirit, a formed spirit, that guides it and looks after it and also guides us.
When we walked night and day in the bush or wherever, we knew that there was a spirit, a powerful God, that looked over us, all the time. Then as I grew up I went to high school, was taken away to high school, then I met this other God, same God but in a different form, had to go to Church and pray. I also learnt about racism, I was taken and put in a hostel with about 180 children, 90 boys and 90 girls. It was frightening really in a way because I didn’t know anybody and I didn’t know what to expect, but I stayed there for three years, and in that three years I learnt about God, Jesus and I learnt about other races. I learnt how to be hurtful, I learnt how to make people cry and it was sad really because where I come from, we were all sort of one, the white children and the black children grew up together, sort of as one family.

I left high school and then I went back home. I worked and then I wanted to know God more. I got baptized in the Church of England and I wanted to know more about God, so I read the Bible a bit, and had meetings with people and I still had my Aboriginal God too, spirits, and it was very hard to know that there is this other God, that is the same God you know? Anyway, I went to heaps of Churches. I went to the Catholic Church, the Methodists’ Church, and every Church that came from England, every church that came from America, I was a part of it. I went from one Church to another, trying to find this God. In 1967 I went to the University of Western Australia, that’s where I met Brother Mohammed Rais.

Brother Rais is a Muslim (revert) now. Anyway I knew that I had to find something because I became kind of ruff, for ten years, I became like a madman, I’m only small but I’ve done some things, some real bad things, and I needed to find a God, so I tried again, I went to people, to houses, people would slam doors on your face. I was a person, I had a hard life, I wanted everything to change for myself, so anyway I struggled on in life. I used to read the Bible to people, people used to come to me and ask me questions and I’d be out there talking about God and Jesus and I’d be fighting the next day. I would think why am I doing these things, when I know there’s someone more powerful, a God, that can help me?

So I was like in a washing machine, I was tumbling around, good times then the bad etc. I said I don’t want this, I want more good times in my life. I’d give talks at schools, and I’d tell children what to do and I wanted a better life for myself. So anyway, I met this lady. We were together for a while, then we fought, then we’d get back together again. Then we started looking into Muslims. I was with the lady that I’m now with, and I was going to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, one day a week. Then my family would come along and I’d go to the Jehovah Witnesses. I was a little mixed up as to where I was.

So anyway we went for a drive around and tried to find a Mosque. We went to one Mosque and I think it was the right time for me. We went away and we met another brother. The lady I’m with rang up one Brother and they said “Oh yes come around” so we went around and anyway his sister was home and he said can you wait outside and she’ll talk to your missus. And I thought this was a bit strange, because any other time everybody piles into the house, and don’t care less. Anyway, I was waiting outside. My missus spoke to the lady and her sister and we left. Then we were invited back again, and this time the Brother was there. We spoke to the brother, he was a very nice brother, and he told us as much as he could at that time about Islam, and about being a Muslim. I had about ten cups of tea! It was nice, and his wife was very nice.

So anyway we went to Thornlie Mosque, I was wandering around there and I met this brother and he said “I know you” and I said “You know me” and it was Brother Rais back from university in 1967. He was there. I remember I was at my Mum’s once and she got burnt and she was in hospital and he took me to the hospital to meet her. I nearly cried because he was such a nice person at the university, and I hadn’t seen him for so long, and I met some of the other brothers. I felt good you know, it was all men, ladies were one side and we were just having a yarn.

I’m not trying to put other churches down, but I feel this one. I feel better. When you’ve got the ladies and men altogether, you don’t know what’s going on, a lot of things happen in Churches. When you are with the brothers you know where you are, you find a place where you belong, and I felt that this is what I want, what I need in my life. So I went there for a time, and I said well I want to do this for myself, and I become a Muslim.

In the Quran, I hadn’t forgotten Jesus and the Prophets. I haven’t forgotten the followers of Allah, because they are all still in there. What I read in the Bible is still here in the Quran, and it makes me happy, it makes me feel good.

Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is something I need in my life. I read about his life, things he’d done and I feel free now, much freer than I used to feel.

I used to go to the Churches and I don’t know what sort of under arm I used to wear but nobody used to sit next to me. I said “gee” and I felt a little bit shy, but I didn’t worry. I don’t care what people are, I love them, because the Creator made them. He managed to love everybody and if you can’t love somebody with your heart, you can’t love Allah.

Allah created all things for all of us to enjoy, and I love creation.

When I look at creation, I see beauty. I see life. If you laugh with somebody, then someone’s laughing with you.

So I’d like to thank everybody for listening to what I’ve had to say.


Sura 46 - Al-Ahqaf [The Wind-curved Sandhills, The Dunes] Verse 4-4:
4. قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقُوا مِنَ الأرْضِ أَمْ لَهُمْ شِرْكٌ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ اِئْتُونِي بِكِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ هَذَا أَوْ أَثَارَةٍ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ


Sura 46 - Al-Ahqaf [The Wind-curved Sandhills, The Dunes] Verse 4-4:
4. Say: "Do ye see what it is ye invoke besides Allah? Show me what it is they have created on earth, or have they a share in the heavens bring me a book (revealed) before this, or any remnant of knowledge (ye may have), if ye are telling the truth!