Non-belief to Belief

All praise be to Allah, The lord of the sovereign and may peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the blessings of Allah! Also before I forget As-salamu alaikum Rahmatallah!

Now, before I start I would like to introduce myself to you brothers and sisters who read Al-Muhbusin (the imprisoned), my name is Bilal Jihad Abdul Rahim, but you can call me by Jihad or Bilal which ever one fits your liking, I prefer “Jihad” myself!

But anyway, before I was Muslim, I used to gangbang, sell and use cocaine etc. I was a young man living life according to how the devil (shaitan) wanted me to live, because everything I did was not good but evil.

When I was 18 years of age, I ended up catching another charge which was aggravated burglary, and at the time I was part of this gang, and I was just running streets breaking into peoples houses so I could be able to have money to take care of myself. Because I was kicked out of home by my mother at a young age and this is how I got my bread and meat, and clothes, also to mention a place to sleep. But that day I was charged with aggravated burglary in Memphis TN 201 poplar.

That day was the start of a new life, God, worship, and self! I went upstairs after I was booked, and was sent into a pod. I think was, pod K, I walked into this pod and went into my cell, I can not remember the number of the cell but when I walked in and started putting the bed sheets that where given to me by the correctional officer, a man walked up behind me and said, how are you doing brother. So I stood up and turned around because I was bending over, so as I turned around, the man said again how are you, then asked what was my name and at the time I only had my birth name which was Frank M. Green, so I said my name is Frank but you can call me ‘Trell’, because my middle name was Montrell, so Trell is short for saying Montrell, and this is what everybody on the streets called me so that is what I went by ‘Trell’. After I told him my name and everything, he said ok, with his hand out like he wants to shake my hand or something, and as I grabbed his hand to shake it he said my name is ‘Abdul Shaheed’. Then when I said oh! Are you Muslim and he said yes!

But at the time I was not a Muslim but I used to watch TV shows when I was a young lad that had Muslims in it and always went by the names of Hakim, Khalil, Ali etc. Also to mention on the shows or movies they always used to be on the corner in the Kufi and Thobe’s selling oils. When I was young I used to like those guys for odd reason. One day I told my mom “mommy I am going to be one of those guys one day”, and my mom said “who?” and I pointed to the television and said them, like those guys. My mom said “Boy! You do not know what you are talking about.” But at the time I just liked them, how they looked, how they spoke and how kind they where melted my little heart. This is how I learned about Muslims at the time, neither less to say the gang I was affiliated with ‘vice lords’ used to practice a very few Islamic ethics, such as read Qur’an, call (God) Allah etc.

So the man asked was I Muslim, but the way he asked was like this “and you?” then that’s when I responded “No, I am not, but I like Muslims.” He laughed and said this word, I know now very well as Alhamdulillah (all praise to be Allah) and told me, when you finished come to my cell, I am two doors down, I would like to speak to you about Allah.

Ever since that day, I have been ‘Muslim’. That was my friend other than Allah because he taught me about salat (prayer), about the Dome of the rock, 6 articles of faith, 4 books of Allah, the 5 pillars of Islam, and the story of how prophet Muhammad (SAW) became the prophet of Islam, and how the Qur’an came about as the book of Islam ( The reading). He also taught me about the Sunnah (example) of the prophet (SAW). He taught me a lot of things about Islam, within those 21 months.

I did on a 3 year sentence, but I do not have enough paper to write all of it. Allahu Akbar! Al-hamdulillah! Also that brother helped me get out of the gang of ‘vice lords’ without being hurt or harm (may Allah reward him in this life and the next) Jazakallah Khair to that brother by the name of Abdul Shaheed and Shakur Allah (the appreciative, the thankful) to Allah for guiding me to the right path, by the use of that brother, and teaching me what I knew not.

Thank you Allah! Thank you for your merciful, forgiveness, guidance, sustenance, protection etc. that He has over me, Alhamdulillah! Allahu Akbar!

This is one of my stories of how I was guided to the Deen of Al-Islam.

Jihad Abdul Wadood

Salaamun Alaikum (Peace be upon you)