Italian journeys to Islam
“Between
Christianity and Islam I understood immediately that Islam was the right choice.”
Born
in Italy Mamdouh Abdul Qawi Dello Russo entered Islam in 1998. “As a
practicing Catholic I attended church every Sunday and always read the Gospels.
But there were things in Christianity that did not convince me like praying to
statues and at times it really sounded strange ‘the son of God’.
When
I was 21 years old the girl I was to marry left me because I lost my job and was
unemployed for four years. But I grew closer to God; I prayed in the church
everyday on my own – I did not like confessing my sins to the priest. I wanted
to speak directly to God, without intermediaries.”
About
11 years ago I bought the Bible for the first time. I loved reading the Bible
and often fell asleep with it. I started traveling in Italy to find God and feel
closer to Him. In my travels I befriended Orthodox Christian Egyptians and went
to Egypt with them. I visited their church and found Orthodox Christianity more
sincere than Catholicism. In 1997 I started to read about other religions and
almost immediately fell in love with Islam because I felt the sincerity of it. I
asked an Egyptian Muslim friend for a tape of Qur’anic recitation but he
refused. I asked another friend and he gave me a tape immediately. I listened to
the tape for four days without understanding a word, and cried for four days –
the voice of Sheikh Abdul Basit! The Qur’an penetrated my soul and touched the
core of my heart and I couldn’t stop crying. All this without understanding a
word, Subhanallah!
I
got myself an Italian translation of the Qur’an and understood immediately
that this was the truth I had been seeking for years. I understood that these
suras were addressing me personally. It was the last days of Ramadaan and I
started fasting immediately.On the 3rd day of my fasting I went to the Mosque in
Milan and met with the Sheikh. When I took the Shahaada the Sheikh explained to
me that it was a very special day, Laylat al-Qadr. Subhanallah!. Consequently, I
lost all my Egyptian Christian friends, most of my Italian friends, and the
trust of my parents who were disappointed and angry with me for taking the
Shahaada without their approval. After a few years my parents started to
understand my choice although they have not embraced Islam.
The
Qur’an has touched me in the deepest part of my heart, more than the Bible
ever did. I say this with all respect without wanting to offend any religion,
but only Islam gives me serenity – an inner peace never felt before,
indescribable.
Mamdouh Abdul Qawi Dello Russo