Journey to Islam- Laura

Amazing story of Sister Laura  and how she reverted to Islam four years ago. She did not have anybody to guide her rather she herself picked up a translation of Quran and studied it to discover Islam and Masha Allah today she is a observing Hijabi Muslimah sister. Read her journey in her own words

Although this has no real importance I should state that I am originally from a Russian family. My curiosity in Islam began when I was just a little girl. I would always see women with hijab and I always wondered why they wore them. One thing for sure I was always shocked by how beautiful, strong and confident these women appeared to be. As I got older I saw people’s hatred towards religion and all the wars I thought religion was causing so I pushed myself away from every faith. 

We can concur that I believed in God but I didn’t associate myself with any particular faith. In time, I noticed how Islam got the most scrutiny out of all the religions and that caught my attention, Alhamdulillah.
I remember the day like it was yesterday, I went to my nearest bookstore and bought a copy of the Qur’an, Bible and the Torah. Initially my family wasn’t religious therefore I never had anyone to encourage me or push me towards a particular faith. As I got home I spent the next few months learning and studying. I tried distinguishing the differences between these faiths and what applied to me the most. My heart was pulled towards Islam and I felt a peace I have never felt nor could have imagined myself to feel. Something about Islam warmed my heart, why these women covered, why these people prayed, why nothing could come between them and their faith, to me this defined the beauty of one’s soul. To these people God was the most important. More important than pleasing your “friends” and I think that is what struck me. That everything they did was for Allah.

One year later, I took my Shahada I never told anyone, I wanted it to be between myself and Allah. I faced a lot of troubles with my family; they never quite understood my decision. It broke my heart to hurt my family because in my eyes it was so clear why I chose Islam. Many problems arose and I found myself in depression. My family turned on me as did my “friends”. Unfortunately, people are blinded by the media and they never saw the beauty I allowed myself to see. My relationship with my family deteriorated. 

Alhamdulillah, this never stopped my journey. I learned how to pray and I kept studying everything I could learning new things about Islam. May of last year, I began wearing hijab. Not because I was oppressed but because I wanted to free myself from everyday standards, I wanted to be free from the real oppression of these countries that dictate “freedom”. Although it has been hard, the peace and strength I feel are far repaying the suffering. Islam is beautiful if you allow yourself to see the reality.
I am currently in university perusing double bachelors in Islamic sciences and biblical studies. In sha Allah one day, I hope to get a PHD. Islam has always been and will always be in my heart.

"And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky." [Al-An'aam, 6:125]