- Who is this?
What's this?
How's this?
(laughing)
This is a big insult.
So, I think, "Oh my God, what did I do?
"I'm a new Muslim.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
And everyone around me said,
"He's a new Muslim, please..."
They said,
"No, you can't do this, can't do this."
My name is John Nelson.
I'm 69 years old.
I was born in San Diego, California.
I was the first person in the family to
go to university.
It was the 60's and so what did I become?
A philosophy major.
(laughing)
Which drove him crazy because he thought,
"What's the point?
"You're not gonna do anything with that."
Anyway, when I was a young man,
I was raised as a Catholic.
When I finished the 8th grade,
I thought that I would become a priest.
So, I entered a seminary, a prep seminary.
I became Muslim in December, 2010.
Two experiences which happened to me
were wake up calls in the middle of the night.
I was sleeping, I live alone.
And in the middle of the night I heard a voice.
A very loud voice.
And it was in English and it said, "Pray."
And I thought,
this has not happened to me before.
So, I thought, "Okay."
And then in my mind I just said,
"I don't know how to pray."
And the voice again said, in English, "Pray."
And then two thoughts crossed my mind.
One of them was I believe,
and the other one was I submit.
Just thoughts.
So I closed my eyes and I went back to sleep.
Four weeks or five weeks later, same thing.
Middle of the night, I hear a voice.
And the voice this time says, "Read."
And there happened to be a copy of the Quran
on my bed table.
One that someone from work had given me
after I first came to the UAE.
I used to read it and look through it at night,
and kind of transition between being my workday
and then going to sleep.
That's all I used it for.
And then after a while I stopped reading it.
I just sat it there.
But it was there.
I turned the light on then I got the book
and I began to read.
And then the thought occurred to me,
it occurred to me that this is not a book
for you to read and relax.
This is not a transition for you between
your day job and going to sleep at night.
There is something in this book and you
need to read this.
And that's what the whole purpose,
that's why this book is here.
This is the beginning of our adult
relationship with God,
with Allah.
This is where we recognize who we are,
and who He is.
And what our relationship is with Him.
For me, the real benefit of Islam,
its direction and its connection.
Because I know that if I follow the principle
and the spirit of this religion, this Islam,
this submission,
that I'm not going to go wrong.
My biggest concern was and is, my family.
At the time,
I was completely wrapped up in this experience.
But when I went back home and met my wife,
I did not discuss this with her.
I was going back home in three weeks,
so I went and I told her that
I had become Muslim.
And if you're married you can imagine
what she said.
She said, "You didn't talk to me about this.
"You didn't talk about this."
I said, "It's just not something that I can
"ask your permission for.
"Just as if when your relationship with God,
"I cannot say don't do that."
What Islam has taught me,
Islam has taught me that everything has its time.
It's not a time of your choosing.
It's not a time of my choosing.
The opening is from God.
So if our heart is open and our mind is open,
then it can come to us.
If it's closed, then it's not going to come.
My recommendation, however old you are,
is listen to that part of you,
listen to that voice and follow that voice,
and trust in that voice.
Because the person who's giving that voice
the words that calling you,
is the God that created you.
You have to find inside that connection.
You make that connection with yourself.
And with the God that created you.
And then you will be connected with
everything around you.
Including your family.