Assalamualaykum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh
My name is Amir Shahid formerly known as Anthony Johnson. This is my story on how Allah SWT opened the doors of Islam for me.
I used to live a life of sin and pretty much everything I used to do was haram. From drugs and alcohol to other crime.
This began when I was 13 and continued until I was 38! I faced death sentence on more occasions than I can count along with 67 convictions for various crimes including drug possession and violence. After being convicted for a high profile robbery in my city I received a 6 year sentence to a Canadian penitentiary. Before being transported to the pen my cell mate at the pre-trial, who was a Kurdish Mujahadin, used to share stories about his time in combat and I wondered how he was still alive after all his experiences in war. He used to say Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar.
One day while we were locked in our box he turned to me and asked if I wanted to become Muslim. At the very same time a sunbeam streamed through our small window. I took that as a sign and without any further hesitation I said yes. I stumbled through saying the Shahada but managed to finally say with conviction. La ilaha il Allah Muhammadan RasulAllah SAW.
After a while my new brother gave me a Qur’an and was released. I felt very alone. So I began to ask for books from the prison chaplain and the first book I was given was a short biography about our beloved Prophet SAW. Then the knowledge came and it was as though a light was turned on. I finally saw the world through the eyes of Muslim.
I am out of prison and trying to live my life here in the West as a believer. I am ever grateful to Allah SWT for bringing out me from darkness into the light in a way only a Muslim can understand.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon all who read this and gain inspiration from my story. I was lost and Allah gave me Islam, even now while I tell this story I become emotional and all I can say is SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar.
Barak Allah Feek
Amir Shahid
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