◈ IN SEARCH OF ASSURANCE Psalm 27 : 10 http : / / www . the - good - way . com K . K . ALAVI ◑ 1 . IntroductionThis is my story . But it is not only my story . It is the story of God ' s goodness to me : how He loved me and showed me His salvation . Let me start at the beginning . ◑ 2 . MY CHILDHOODI was born on Friday , July 15 , 1951 . My father was a Mullah ( a Muslim religious leader ) in a small village of Cherukunnu inthe South Indian state of Kerala . Everyone in the village respected my family because we were strictly religious . My father ' s special duty was to read from the Qur ' an in Arabic to our Muslim neighbours . Yet he did not forget to teach his own children . I can still remember sitting on my father ' s knee after evening prayers , hearing him recite the Qur ' an and learning from him . Every day began and ended with readings from the Qur ' an and prayers . This strict discipline affected our entire life at home . At the age of five I went to the nearby Madrasa ( Muslim religious school ) to learn Arabic , so that I could study the Qur ' an . We also had ordinary lessons when I was ten years old . I was sent to a regular school at Kottakal not far fromhome , where I studied for a year and a half . However , I could not finish my education there for reasons that will become clear . ◑ 3 . AN EVENTFUL DAYOne Saturday , the market day at Kottakkal , when I was going home from school with my friends , we saw a large crowd in the market place . We went over and found a group of Christians there . They were telling the crowd about their faith - stories from the life of Jesus and selling Christian booklets . At first we laughed at the Christians and made fun of them . In spite of this , we bought two of the booklets . Mine was called " The Heart of Pak " and my friend got one about " The Way of Salvation ". on the way home we talked about the booklets about Christians . My friend tore his copy into pieces . I kept my booklet although I despised Christians . When I reached home , I sat down in a quiet place and started to read " The Heart of Pak ". There was an interesting conversation in the book between a Christian and a boy . As I read , I wonderedif the Jesus of this booklet was the same ' Isa whom I knew about as a prophet . To my mind , the Jesus of this booklet was different from the Jesus of the Qur ' an . Now I read that this Jesus could forgive sins . Yet this very forgiveness of Jesus had changed ( transformed ) the boy , and itmade me love Jesus . When I read this boy ' s spiritual plight , I felt as though the Christian was speaking to my heart also . In fact , I considered my heart to be in a worse condition from the heart of this youth . How could I findfreedom from this spiritual disease ? The booklet offered the cure . I rejected it because I had been taught that God alone forgave sins - not Jesus , the prophet . Nevertheless , I could not free myself from the strong argument in the booklet . I became uncomfortably aware of my ownsinfulness . What would become of me when I died ? I could not escape death or the Day of Judgement . I made up my mindto find out more about Jesus with the help of a correspondence course advertised in this booklet . ◑ 4 . FURTHER STUDYThe correspondence course centre promptly sent the course . Unfortunately , the postman delivered it to my uncle to give to me . He opened it and discovered its Christian contents . The next day heshowed it to my father and my uncles . They decided to end this study before it began ! That same evening when I came back from the school , my father tied me to a pillar of our veranda and beat me with a stick untilI felt weak . The next morning he called me and spoke lovingly to me . He said , " We Muslims should not read such books . Theyare forbidden , especially the books of the Christians . Since their books are so attractive , we , too , will become Christians if we read them . What will happen to our family then ? It will ruin our whole life . Our community will reject us , and it will be curse on Islam . " I promised my father that I would never again read these books . I tore up the booklet and burnt it cursing myself for failing to do what my friend had done earlier with his book . From that time on , I became a devout Muslim reciting daily prayers . Yet as the days went by , I lacked peace of mind whenever Iremembered the booklet and thought about the condition of my heart . How could I forget the name " Jesus " when I repeated it every evening in my recitation of the Qur ' an ! So I decided to make a study of Jesus in the Qur ' an and in other Muslim books . I did not know muchArabic , but I persevered in my study with the help of a friend - Yusuf Mawlawi . He was a Muslim teacher in an Arabic school near our house and a close friend of our family . I found that ' Isa has a very important place both in the Qur ' an and in the Hadith or Muslim tradition . In the Qur ' an , it seemed to me , ' Isa was even more important than my prophet Muhammad . Soon both the teacher and my family became suspicious about my desire to learn more about ' Isa . They gentlysuggested that I concentrate more on Muhammad . Still I continued to wonder about those Qur ' anic passages which referred to Jesus , to His unique birth , and to His marvellous deeds . ( And remember ) when the angels said : O Mary ! Lo ! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a wordfrom Him , whose name is the Messiah , Jesus , son of Mary , illustrious in the world and theHereafter , and one of those brought near ( untoAllah ) . He will speak unto mankind in his cradleand in his manhood , and he is of therighteousness . She said : My Lord ! How can Ihave a child when no mortal hath touched me ? He said : So ( it will be ) . Allah createth what Hewill . If He decreeth a thing , He saith unto itonly : Be ! and it is . And He will teach him theScripture and wisdom , and the Torah and theGospel . And will make him a messenger untothe Children of Israel , ( saying ) : Lo ! I come untoyou with a sign from your Lord . Lo ! I fashionfor you out of clay the likeness of a bird , and Ibreathe into it and it is a bird , by Allah ' s leave . Iheal him who was born blind , and the leper , andI raise the dead , by Allah ' s leave . And Iannounce unto you what ye eat and what yestore up in your houses . Lo ! herein verily is aportent for you , if ye are to be believers . And ( Icome ) confirming that which was before me ofthe Torah , and to make lawful some of thatwhich was forbidden unto you . I come unto youwith a sign from your Lord , so keep your duty toAllah and obey me . ( Sura Al Imran 3 : 45 - 50 ) I noticed also that the Qur ' an refers especially to the Torah ( Old Testament ) and the Injil ( New Testament ) , exhorting me to believe in them because they are " guidance and light " ( Sura Al - Ma ' ida 5 : 46 ) . Another verse in particular came to my mind often : " And if thou art in doubt ( Muhammad ) concerning that which We reveal unto thee , then question those who read the Scripture before thee . .." ( Sura Yunis 10 : 94 ) When I read this verse , I remembered the Christians and their booklet . According to Islam , Christians also are ahl ul - kitab ( thePeople of the Book ) . If the Qur ' an encouraged Muhammad to share his doubts with Christians , then why not me ? Yet it was difficult for me to approach Christians . I had so little contact with them . Besides , my family would hardly approve ! Not far from my home there is a Christian Mission Hospital . one day a friend Abdullah and I decided to go there secretly . When we arrived the hospital pharmacist , Mr . Kunykunyu , kindly directed us to the missionary . We were young and nervous and did not know what to expect . But the missionary greeted us in a friendly way and made us feel at ease . After some discussion the missionary suggested that we attend Sunday School classes and directed us to the Christian reading room . There we met the reading - room worker . Later he became myvery close friend and a true brother who helped me in many troubles . He enrolled me in a correspondence course based onthe Gospel according to John . Both Abdullah and I attended Sunday School for several weeks without the knowledge of our parents . Sometimes my friend kindly gave us bus fare ; sometimes wewalked the five mile distance . on one occasion some of our neighbours caught us . They questioned Abdullah and beathim until he finally revealed our secret activity . Next evening , when I returned from school , I saw my mother and younger sister crying . They knew what my father had already prepared for me . As I entered the house , my father suddenly appeared , shouting . He caught me , tied me up , put me against a wall , beat me and rubbed ground , green chilli on my face and in myeyes - all the while asking me why I read Christian books and associated with Christians . My mother fainted . After some time , with the help of a neighbour woman and my sister - in - law , I was taken to a water tank and washed . The following morning my father called and asked me to repeat the Muslim creed : " There is no god but Allah andMuhammad is the prophet of Allah . " He led me through the recitation . Then he warned me about Christianity , its false teaching about Jesus Christ , the corruptionof the holy Injil and the bad lives of Christians . He asked my sister - in - law to burn my Christian books , which she did . All this affected me greatly , and I cried bitterly . I had no peace of mind , for my opportunity to learn more about Jesus from the Gospels and from Christian friends had been frustrated . When I went to the place where I burnt " The Heart of Pak , " I sorely regretted the destruction of the booklet . As I recalled the conversation of this booklet , the same tension once more confronted me : the boy ' s joyful experience of forgiveness and the heavy burden of sin which lay on my own heart . As a Muslim , I had learned thatwe ourselves are responsible for our sins ; no one else can bear another ' s burden ( Sura Al - An ' am 6 : 165 ) . Then how could Jesus forgive anyone ? Nevertheless , I prayed to God for further guidance . An awareness of my own sin never left me . It gnawed at my heart continually . After two weeks , I felt again a strong desire to see my Christian friends . I had to share my difficulties and doubts . The missionary encouraged me and answered my questions about Christian beliefs and practices . Most of his answers satisfied me because he also knew the Qur ' an and Muslim faith . I returned home with a copy of the whole Gospel which my friend had given to me . Although I was very glad to have it , I was afraid that someone at home might see it . So I put the Injil in a plastic bag and hid it under a stone in the forest . I often went to the forest to read it , especially St . John ' s Gospel . one verse , the words of Jesus , gave me some consolation : " Do not let your hearts be troubled . Trust in God ; trust also in me " John 14 : 1 . The words " believe also in me " impressed me greatly at that time . Although I was anxious and troubled , this verse comforted me . The next Sunday , while on my way to Sunday School , I noticed my uncle on the same bus . I trembled at the thought of what my father would do to me after my uncle reported to him . In spite of this , Iattended Sunday School and spent some time with the missionary . Before I met my new Christian friends , I had strong feelings against Christians because I heard such bad reports about them . Yet when I observed the missionary ' s character , his way of life and his attitude toward Muslims , I knew that the accusations I had heard againstChristians certainly did not apply to him . This made me think . Was his love greater than that of the Muslims ? Had the Messiah Jesus done more for him than my prophet had done for me ? I was confused for I held the opinion that apart from Muslims , anyone else , including the Christians who believe that God is the Messiah , is an unbeliever ( Kafir ) and is rejected by God . As the Qur ' an says : " They surely disbelieve who say : Lo ! Allah is the third of three ; when there is no God save the one God . If they desist not from so sayinga painful doom will fall on those of themwho disbelieve " ( Sura Al - Ma ' ida 5 : 72 , 73 ) . I remembered also how I thought that because I was a Muslim who had submitted myself to God , I was holier than Christians . But as I became more aware of my own sinfulness , I realized that the missionary was the one who had submitted himself to God , for his character proved it . I could tell that his love came from JesusChrist , as " The Heart of Pak " had described it . Like a magnet the love of Jesus attracted me . I thought that if Jesus were my master too , how I would love him ! Yet , when the idea of becoming a Christian crossed my mind , I rejected it as an evil thought from Satan - for I was a Muslim . I returned from Sunday School in great fear . I was ready to accept whatever my father did to me , but for two days nothing happened . on the third day , after school my father caught me and threw me into a bush . Then he seized a stick and beat me so severely that I almost died . My mother ran to rescue me , but she was beaten also . It was only by the grace of God that I recovered . Again I confessed the Muslim creed and promised my father that I would have no more contact with Christians . Was my confession only an escape from further beating ? My friend Abdullah had spread this news throughout the district , and my life became very difficult . People jeered at me , called me names and even threw stones at me . on the way home from school they called out , " There goes the cursed one ! " and " Here comes Mathai , the Nasrani ( Christian ) ! " Even my relatives , friends and teachers were cruel to me . I was confused , weary , lonely and troubled . During this period theHoly Gospel was my only constant companion . Every time I had anopportunity , I went to the forest to read and study it . Again the old tension arose in my heart as I read the Gospel in secret . on essential points it clearly differed from my ownIslamic beliefs . How puzzling for a Muslim and yet how thought - provoking were the following words of Jesus ! I am the way , the truth and the life . No one comes to the Father except through Me . John 14 : 6 Now this is eternal life : that they may know You , the only true God , and Jesus Christ , whom You have sent . John 17 : 3 Yet to all who received Him , to all those who believed in His name , He gave the right to become children of God . John 1 : 12 If anyone loves Me , he will obey My teaching . My Father will love him , and We will come to him and make our home with him . John 14 : 23 I had no one who could explain the meaning of these verses to me . Yet I continued to ask God for guidance . ◑ 5 . CHANGED BY LOVEThe pain and wounds of my body were healed , but the marks produced by the love of the Christians and the effects of thebooklet remained . I felt something forcing me to renew this friendship and I decided to meet my friends again . As I set out , relatives and neighbours saw me , and I felt afraid . In fact , I decided to leave that place . When I reached the home of the missionary , I shared my problems with him . I showed him the scars of my woundsand asked him to help me to go to Mysore where my married sister lived . My sister loved me , and she and her husband would let me stay there . The missionary , however , advised me to return home . Hetold me that later , when I became older , I could leave . Until then I should live quietly at home , and growing in faith and love influence my family and friends . God , he said , would be my Saviour , Protectorand Friend . At that time I was in the seventh standard at school . Since it was evening I was afraid . I begged them to let me stay overnight in theChristian reading - room . I stayed there an extra day with my friend C . R . George . Some people from my area , knowing that I was there , came with the police to get me . They asked my friend to give me up , and even accused him of kidnapping me . He replied , " Alavi is here of his own accord . You can take him , but do not beat him anymore . " When some Muslims came to the support of their Christian friends in the reading room , a quarrel started among the Muslims themselves . While they were all arguing , I ran out the back door and across the field , jumped into a canal and pretended that I was taking a bath . After a while some Muslims came and found me . They took me to a Muslim reading - room called " Mappila Nadu " where they asked me questions , shouted at me and abused me . During this time , my mother had been searching for me in the homes of my relatives . Just at that time my brother - in - law found me and rescued me . As soon as we reached my home , my father sent my younger sister to call my uncles . By this time a crowd of people had gathered in front of my house . When they had all come together , my father asked each one , " What shall we do with Alavi ? We have tried our best to keep him away from Christians . What else can we do ? " The first uncle told my father to kill me by cutting my throat . The second uncle decisively answered the same . The third had a different idea . He suggesteddeath by starvation . If they killed me as my first uncle had said , the whole family would go to jail . Then my mother cried out , " Kill me first and then my son ! " This made me cry bitterly . I cannot describe the pain and fear that was in my heart while I wondered what they would do to me . Then the group accepted the advice of the thirduncle . one of the uncles beat me cruelly until my father stopped him . My father then tied my hands behind my back , and Istayed like that for three weeks . He ordered that I should be given food only once a day , but when he was away , my mother gave me food . One day my father and his younger brother came home , along with a blacksmith . My uncle asked me to confess the Muslim creed again before my father . The words would not come out of my mouth . Mymother , sister and others shouted at me to recite it , but still I could not . I did not know what happened to me . I could not speak . Finally , my father ordered the blacksmith to place two iron shackles andchain on my legs and lock it . I was chained up like this for the next six weeks . My former friend Abdullah , who had torn up his booklet , visited me and asked me what had made me do this . He knew it was the booklet ! I did not answer him , but as I lay chained , I remembered the words of the Holy Gospel : Do not let your hearts be troubled . Trust in God ; trust also in me . John 14 : 1 Then you will know the truth , and the truth will set you free . John 8 : 32 When I looked at my chains , was I mocking myself in recalling the words of Jesus ? Perhaps it is in hard circumstances such as these that we best experience the comfort of Jesus . He was very near to me , even more so than when I secretly read these words from the Gospel in the forest . ◑ 6 . GOD DELIVERS MEAfter six weeks I escaped . My mother ' s cousin helped me . one day , when no one else was at home , he broke open the chains . From that time on , I was allowed to be free since no one wanted to chain meagain . In fact , my family and friends treated me kindly . For two weeks I remained at home . Yet I wondered why I should live in a home and community that created more fear than peace in my heart . I made up my mind to leave . One day , after my noon meal , I looked at my mother ' s face and my eyes filled with tears - for my mother did not know my plan . It was my farewell to my home . I told my mother I was going to take a bath and left the house . May God forgive me for telling this and other lies that I should never have told ! I walked nearly ten milesto Tirur , the railway station and caught a train to the city of Calicut , thirty miles away . There I wondered about looking forwork . At last I found a job in a cafe . But my life continued to be very unsettled . Later I learned that during my imprisonment , my Christian friends shared my sufferings . They were praying for me and trying to find some way of helping me but could not . In the meantime , Muslimreligious leaders commanded the people to stay away from our Christian Mission Compound and to withdraw their childrenfrom the nursery school . My friends were attacked by name over the loudspeaker . Guards were placed at the compound gates to see that no one entered . Muslims were only allowed to go to the Christiandispensary for treatment . Soon , however , the situation returned to normal . Over another loudspeaker someone called out , " Let us stop troubling the Christians andpay more attention to the works of Allah ! " After some weeks the trouble ended . The owner of the cafe , a Muslim , was not pleased when I enrolled in another Bible correspondence course . I continued to work in the cafe for five months . Then I left Calicut and went to my sister ' s home in Mysore . There I wrote a letter to my friend George , who told my other friends . This was the first news they had that Godhad delivered me from my chains . I ended my letter with the words , " I am all right . I keep praying the Lord ' s Prayer . " After working a year in Mysore with my brother - in - law and another eighteen months on a merchant ship out of Calicut , I returned to my own area . Again I met my friend and other friends , who were happyto see me . I could not meet the missionary because he had returned to his homeland . From there I returned to Mysore where mybrother - in - law employed me in his hotel . Then through his recommendation I obtained an apprentice ' s post as a lineman in the telegraph department . But again misfortune struck . Hip trouble forced me to give up this job . I decided to return to Malabar for medical treatment . By this time my friend was working in a mission hospital . He helped me obtain a medical examination . The missionary , who had now come back to India , was very glad to see me and asked about all that happened to me while I was in chains and during my wanderings . He told me that many people had been praying for me . Then he gave me an introduction to another missionary who could help me with my physical problem . I was veryhappy to meet this new friend . Later he became one of my spiritual fathers , and his wife became my spiritual mother . With the help of this missionary and a doctor , I was able to go for treatment to the Christian College Hospital in Vellore . After I returned from the hospital , I joined the India Every Home Crusade at Mysore for three months . In this way I could distribute tracts and share the good news of Christ . When my sister and her husband came to know about this , however , they were angry and forbade me to come to their house . The missionary then found aplace for me to stay with a Christian pastor and his family at Gundulupet . It was a wonderful experience to be with them , andI had the opportunity to study Christian doctrine for four months . After this I joined a bookmobile project with the India Evangelical Lutheran Church and spent a year distributing Christian books indifferent parts of South India . God was leading me into His service . I was eager to study the Bible in more detail , so I joined a one year Bible course at Concordia Seminary , Nagercoil , in June , 1970 . I remember how glad I was to have this chance to study the Bible ! In the library there I also found many good books on Islam which helped me to clear many of my doubts . ◑ 7 . FINDING THE LIGHTNow at college I was able to study , and I concentrated on the Person and work of Christ . I did this by studying again the passages in the Qur ' an that spoke of Christ in the light of my growing faith in Jesusand increasing knowledge of the Bible . one of my chief doubts concerned the sinlessness of Jesus and His authority to forgive the sins of others . It was difficult to avoid the contrast between thesinlessness of Jesus and the Qur ' anic records of the sins of the other prophets . Thus the Qur ' an , addressing Muhammad in particular , says : " That God may forgive thee thy former and thy latter sins , and complete His blessing upon thee , and guide thee on a straight path " ( SuraAl - Fath 48 : 2 ; cf : Sura Ghafir 40 : 45 ; Sura Muhammad 47 : 19 ) . Since no laden soul can bear another ' s burden ( Sura Al - Fatir 35 : 18 ) then how can he or anyone of these prophets bear another ' s burden ? But the Qur ' an quoting the angel Jibra ' il , says of Mary ' s son : " He said , I am only a messenger of thy Lord , that I may bestow on thee a faultless son " ( Sura Maryam 19 : 9 ) . This fact is supported by a Hadith which says : " Each human baby is touched by Satan ' s finger at birth , save Mariam and her son . " The Injil also clearly indicates the purity and sinlessness of Jesus . " Can any of you prove me guilty of Sin ? If I am telling thetruth , why don ' t you believe me ? " ( John 8 : 46 ) . The Injil further states that He takes away our sins : Everyone who sins breaks the law ; in fact , sin is lawlessness . But you know that He ( Jesus ) appeared to take away our sins . And in Him is no sin . ( 1 John 3 : 4 , 5 ) . Was it in order to bear the burdens of others that Jesus Himself was an unburdened soul ? Though the Qur ' an declares Jesus as pure , it really offers no clue to the purpose of God in bestowing upon Mary a faultless son . Further the Qur ' an attributes qualities to Jesus which it attributes to no other prophets or apostles . He is described as God ' s Word and a spirit from God : O People of the Scripture ! Do not exaggerate inyour religion , nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth . The Messiah Jesus son of Mary , was only a messenger of Allah , and His Word , which He conveyed unto Mary , and a spirit from Him . So believe in Allah and His messenger and say not ' Three ' - Cease ( it is ) better for you ! - Allah is only one God . .. ( Sura Al - Nisa ' 4 : 171 ) . Thus also the angel Jibra ' il addresses Mary with the following words : "... He said : So ( it will be ) . Thy Lord saith : It is easy for Me . And ( it will be that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us , and it is a thing ordained " ( Sura Maryam 19 : 21 ; cf . Sura Al - Anbiya ' 21 : 91 ) . Whatever else the Qur ' an has stated about Jesus , it surely has established Him as a unique person : His relation to God as God ' s Word and a spirit from God ; His creative activities , His healings , Hisraising from the dead ( Sura Al Imran 3 : 49 ) ; His ascension into heaven and His presence in heaven today . Through further study I also began to understand how the Biblical significance of the term " Son of God " differs from the Qur ' anic understanding of " son of God ". The Qur ' an denies that God begets , or is begotten , in a physical sense ( Lam yalid wa lam yulad ) ) . Eventually , however , I accepted that Jesus could be called " theSon of God " ( as the Bible explains this term ) in a spiritual sense , in the same way that He is called God ' s Word . Here again I was grateful to the Qur ' an for serving as a bridge to a fuller comprehension of the Biblical significance of the term " Son of God " when uniquely applied to Jesus . No doubt , on the basis of Sura Al - Nisa , Muslims have rejected the Biblical account of Jesus ' death , resurrection and ascension : " And because of their saying : We slew the Messiah Jesus son of Mary , Allah ' s messenger - They slew him not nor crucified , but it appeared so unto them ; and lo ! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof ; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture ; they slew him not forcertain . .." ( Sura Al - Nisa ' 4 : 157 - 159 ) . Elsewhere , of course , the Qur ' an refers to the death of Jesus . But Muslim expositors offer conflicting opinions on some of theserelevant verses . The following are significant passages , as translated by Pickthall : " Peace on me the day I was born , and the day I die , and the day I shall be raised alive ! " ( Sura Maryam 19 : 33 ) . ( And remember ) when Allah said : O Jesus ! Lo ! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me , and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection . Then unto Me ye will ( all ) return , and I am judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ ( Sura Al Imran 3 : 55 ) . I spake unto them only that which Thou commandest me , ( saying ) Worship Allah , my Lord and your Lord . I was a witness of themwhile I dwelt among them , and when Thou tookest me Thou wast the Watcher over them . Thou art Witness over all things ( Sura Al Ma ' ida 5 : 117 ) . But is Pickthall ' s interpretation of mutawaffika " I am gathering thee ", ( Sura Al Imran 3 : 55 ) and tawaffaitani " Thou tookest me ", ( Sura Al - Ma ' ida ) correct ? Some respectable Muslim commentaries translate this verb " to cause to die ", indicating that the death of Jesus precededHis ascension into heaven . In any event the Biblical accounts leave no room for various interpretations about the time , place and circumstances of Jesus ' death . He was crucified , He died and Hewas buried . His crucifixion took place outside the walls of Jerusalem . It happened when Pilate was governor of Judea . These are facts of history . The Bible repeatedly refers to the death of Jesus in unambiguous language . Just as clear in the Bible is the connection of the death of Jesus with His resurrection from the dead and Hisascension , as well as the purpose of these three great events . Thus these and other passages of the Qur ' an became clear to me in the light of my reflection on the New Testament portrayal of Christ . Not only did all these passages reveal the special relationshipwhich Jesus had with God ; surely they indicated also God ' s special purpose in sending Jesus , His Word and Servant , into this sinful world . once more I recalled the booklet , " The Heart of Pak ". I concluded that God has spoken his word of forgiveness to all sinners through Jesus alone , through His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead . As I read the Bible more and more , it spoke to me and cleared my doubts , one by one . Yet this question perplexed my mind : What about Muhammad , whose coming , according to the Qur ' an , Jesus had prophesied ? And when Jesus son of Mary said : O Children of Israel ! Lo ! I am the messenger of Allah unto you , confirming that which was ( revealed ) before me in the Torah , and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me , whose name is the Praised one . Yet when He hath come unto them with clear proofs , they say : This is mere magic ( Sura Al - Saff 61 : 6 ) . The Arabic for " Praised one " is Ahmad , which has the same root meaning as Muhammad . Does this passage not mean that Jesus prophesied the coming of Muhammad ? That is what I had beentaught and believed . I examined the Bible to see what it says about Muhammad , but I could findnothing . I asked my professors the same question and they too said that there is nothing . But when I looked into a Muslim commentary on the Qur ' an , it quoted several Bible passages in support of this understanding of Sura Al - Saff 61 : 6 . The main passage quoted was : " And I will praythe Father , and He shall give you another counsellor , to be with you forever "( John 14 : 16 ) . The Greek Word for counsellor is parakletos . The commentator said that the original Greek word was periklutos , which means " Praised one ". Christians , he said , substituted parakletosfor periklutos to remove the reference to the prophet Muhammad . I did not know Greek , and since it was really difficult for me to give up faith in Muhammad , I felt really troubled . Muhammad still held a great place in my heart , and I found it hard to give up the belief in him as a prophet . I asked the Greek professor about these words . He replied that the word periklutos is not theGreek text of St . John . He then explained clearly the original Biblical word , parakletos , and how the promise of Jesus ( John 14 : 16 ) was fulfilled by the coming of the Holy Spirit ( Acts 2 : 1 - 11 ) who lives always with God ' s people as their Comforter and Guide . I placed the problem before God and asked Him to give me clear understanding . one night , after I had prayed and gone to bed , I could not sleep . I heard a voice or felt as though I had heard a voice . It said , " Get up and read ! " I thought it was only my imagination . But I heard it again and again . I got up and opened my Bible . Several times I read the passage in John 14 : 15 - 17 : " If you love me , you will obey what I command . I will ask the Father , and He will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever - the Spirit of truth . The world cannot accept Him , because it neither sees Him nor knows Him . But youknow Him , for He lives with you and will be in you . " As I read these verses many questions came into my mind . Did you read in the Qur ' an or Hadith , I asked myself , that Muhammad is the Spirit of truth who is always with you , a counsellor whom theworld cannot see or know , or who lives inside you ? Then I realised that these words do not contain any prophecy of a coming prophet and cannot possibly be applied to any human being . Moreover , I remembered the fulfilment of that prophecy in Acts 2 : 1 - 11 , during the life ofthe first believers in Christ . Now I understood this great truth . The Counsellor whom Jesus promised is the Holy Spirit , the eternal Spirit of the Living God , not the angel Jibra ' il . Later I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in my own life . Through Him I cameto Christ . Glory to God ! Amen ! I continued to read the Holy Bible with care and attention . In it I found treasuresuch as I had never dreamed of - it has the power to speak to those who really want tofind God ' s revelation and guidance . It showed me my real self , my sinful and guilty heart , and showed me also that I was spiritually blind . It asked me to bring all my sins and problems to God in the name of Jesus the Messiah . He came to this world searching for me ! He died for mysins and rose again ; He went up to heaven , and He will come again . I became convinced that the Holy Bible is indeed the Word of God . The Holy Bible brought the answers to the problems which worried me . Its living word was able to satisfy my soul . What I had never found before in my religious experience , I now discovered . I became sure that the Holy Bible faithfully and accurately recorded the works and teaching of Jesus - this mystery of God ' s eternal Word coming into our world as man . Now I became convinced of the truth of His death , resurrection , ascension and second coming , which before I had not understood and had even hated . The Bible contains the message of God ' s power tosave and His love for me and all men , and this brings us peace . This love of God focuses sharply on Jesus , His death and resurrection for sinners - as Paul , echoing Jesus and His other apostles , says in the New Testament , " For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures , that He was buried , that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures " 1 Corinthians 15 : 3 , 4 . No doubt , many Muslim friends will continue to think that the Holy Bible is corrupt and abrogated by the Qur ' an . Yet let him - especially if he is conscious of God ' s holiness and his own sins - giveserious thought to its message . Then let him , as I have done , draw his own conclusions . ◑ 8 . A GREAT DECISIONOn July 19 , 1970 , I surrendered to Jesus the Messiah . I confessed all my sins and my doubts , and by baptism I was joined to Him and His forgiving love . My whole body trembled . I could feel divine power entering into me . I rose from my knees a changed man with peace in my soul , joy in my heart , and assurance in my mind . And today I still have that same joy , hope and assurance . Although I could not explain it , in my heart I believed that all my sins were washed away through the precious blood of Jesus Christ , that I had received power for a new life of love , and that the Lord Jesus Himself was reigning in my heart . ◑ 9 . IN HIS SERVICESoon the opportunity came to work with a group called Operation Mobilization . This gave me a chance to go to different partsof India to tell the Good News . I continued to do this for about two years . During that time I learned more about what it means tobe a follower of Jesus . I am grateful to the Lord and to my friends in Operation Mobilization who gave me the opportunity to work with them . They helped me during difficult times . Later I went back toConcordia Theological Seminary and completed my theological studies in 1975 . My present concern is to bring the Good News of God ' s light to my own people wherever they are , especially in my own area . May they accept the invitation of Jesus Christ which He gives to all to knowthe great Salvation of God . I am the way , the truth and the life . No one comes to the Father except through Me . John 14 : 6 . Now this is eternal life : that they may know you , the only true God , and Jesus Christ , whom you have sent . John 17 : 3 . I am the light of the world . Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness , but will have the light of life . John 8 : 12 . ◑ 10 . CONCLUSIONI have accepted Jesus Christ as my own Saviour . He has been able to change my life to a life of real happiness , peace and hope . He has been able to give me strength in my weakness . As the living Lord , He comes into my life to give it new purpose , and promises me life in heaven that will never end . I know that I belong to God ' sheavenly family . I believe what David , the great prophet and king , said , " Though my father and mother forsake me , the Lordwill receive me " Psalm 27 : 10 . In all my troubles , doubts and temptations it is enough to look into His face . In times when I have been lonely , tired and disappointed , I have praised Him for His grace . Jesus said : " You did not choose me , but I chose you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last . Then the Father will give youwhatever you ask in My name . " John 15 : 16 I did not choose Him , but He chose me . Through Him the story of Pak has become the story of Alavi . To God be the glory for ever and ever . Amen . < Quiz > Dear reader , if you have read this booklet carefully , you will be able to answer the following questions easily . If you answer at least ten questions correctly , we will enroll you in our correspondence course . 1 . After K . K . Alavi had read " The Heart of Pak ", what prompted him to learn more about Isa ( Jesus ) through the help of a correspondence course ? 2 . In his study of the Qur ' an and the Hadith with Yusuf Mawlawi , what did K . K . Alavi learn about Isa ? 3 . How are the Tawrat ( Old Testament ) and the Injil ( New Testament ) described in the Qur ' an ( Sura Al - Ma ' ida 5 : 46 ) ? 4 . Compare what the Qur ' an ( Sura Al - An ' am 6 : 165 ) and the NewTestament ( 1 Corinthians 15 : 3 , 4 ) say about sin . 5 . Quote the four verses from the Gospel according to John ( with the references ) which K . K . read in the forest . 6 . Which Qur ' anic verses testify to Muhammad ' s sins , and which , to Jesus ' sinlessness . 7 . Explain the difference between the Qur ' anic and Biblical understanding of the term " Son of God ". 8 . Sura Al - Nisa ' 4 : 157 - 159 discredits the death , resurrection and ascension of Christ ; list three other Qur ' anic verses that validate these vital subjects . 9 . Which verse from the Gospel according to John is quoted in Muslim commentaries to support the Islamic belief that Jesus prophesied the coming of Muhammad ? 10 . What is the original Greek word for " counsellor " in John 14 : 16 , and how have Muslim commentators falsely translated this word ? 11 . How was the promise of Jesus in John 14 : 16 fulfilled ? 12 . How do John 14 : 15 - 17 and Acts 2 : 1 - 11 show us that " the counsellor " is not Muhammad ? 13 . What treasures did K . K . find in the Holy Bible as he continued to read it with care and attention ? 14 . Describe the changes in K . K Alavi ' s life after he surrendered his life to Jesus . 15 . What have you learned after reading this personal testimony ? 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