The story of: Abdul Kareem Paguta

Abdul Kareem Paguta

To be in a totally new environment is quite difficult at first, but to discover ways of relieving oneself of boredom and homesickness is much better than to suffer the consequences of loneliness all the time. This was my experience upon arriving in Jeddah in 1993 as a contract worker at the National Glass Beads Co.

The day after my arrival, a Friday morning, two of my Filipino co-workers who had arrived a week earlier, accompanied me to the city center to buy a radio cassette player-recorder, as we all agreed that music would be the answer to the boredom we were encountering. How typical of an overseas Filipino worker!

On our way back to our villa, I heard an unfamiliar and strange sound; strange, because it was my first time to hear such chanting, melodious tune. I was informed later that it was the call for prayer for Muslims. Soon I got used to hearing the same call through a loud speaker in every mosque.

This experience aroused my curiosity and led me to know about the culture, traditions and religious practices of the Arabs in particular and the Muslims in general. The adhan or call to Islamic prayer became my own call to study and embrace Islam, which, I was to find out later, is the True Religion from God, Allah, and the birthright for all mankind.

I began to observe Muslims of various nationalities and occasionally involved myself in discussions on this religion. I inquired about Islamic beliefs and practices, and I was surprised to receive the same answers from different nationalities. I got most impressed of their kindness, patience, hospitality and peace-loving nature, that is, they avoided physical harm no matter they argued loudly out of misunderstanding.

After a year, our residence was transferred to our factory site at the Industrial Estate. A few months later, a Filipino propagator of Islam from the Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance in the area, started a series of lectures on Islam to us Filipino workers in our factory. The next lecture was given by another Filipino propagator from the same Center. Aside from the lectures, we were given Islamic reading materials, and thus began my thorough study of Islam, in comparison with my former religion.

My readings and study of comparative religion did not fully convince me yet to embrace Islam. So I requested my production manager to provide me with a copy of the Qur’aan in English translation so I could verify the references made by the reading materials. He immediately granted my request, and soon I got deeper into the study of Islam, to satisfy my doubts if the Qur’aan was really the Word of God and if Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was indeed the last Prophet and Messenger of Allah. These truths, for a Christian like me then, were the most difficult to accept, in the light of Christian teaching that “the bible is the Word of God and Jesus is the second person of God who died to redeem mankind and guide them into salvation.”

It took me one long year more of studying the translation of the meaning of the Qur’aan, as well as the biography of Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) and other reading materials, to fully convince me that indeed Islam is the True Religion.

Finally, I walked my way to Islam on March 9, 1997 at the Islamic Center – the Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance, Industrial Estate, not knowing where it was located – to declare my testimony that THERE IS NONE WORTHY OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ALLAH AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS LAST PROPHET AND MESSENGER.