According to rahyafte (the missionaries and converts website): Mohammad Stephan Lika, a prominent Italian preacher, believes that Islam is propagated not only through words but also through beautiful behavior. He decided to travel around the world to show the true face of Muslims to the world. He traveled to more than fifty countries in his car and continued his faith-based journeys to different parts of the world to showcase the authentic cultural image of Islam.
See the Persian text here
The story of this man’s conversion to Islam may seem closer to imagination due to its simplicity in our era, but in reality, it is not an imaginative tale; it’s a reality, a reality shaped by the teachings of Islam and the beautiful ethics that its followers uphold. The impact of these ethics on the people who embrace them is such that without the need for speeches and preaching, people are drawn towards Islam. This same approach led to the conversion of Mohammad Stephan Lika to Islam.
Now, let’s see how this great preacher became a Muslim!!
Let’s read together the amazing story of Mohammad Stephan Lika’s conversion to Islam that unfolded during one of his journeys:
He says, “The story of my conversion to Islam was due to the beautiful behavior of one of the Turkish Muslim brothers. I traveled to Turkey for tourism. It was nighttime, and I lost my way. I asked a passerby about the address of a hotel.
He said, ‘There is no hotel nearby. I would like you to be my guest tonight.’ (After much insistence), I went to his house with my wife. In his house, I saw five children and two elderly women. I thought to myself that this is a safe place. After a while, we were invited to a very simple meal. Despite the fatigue of the journey, we felt comfortable. When it was time to sleep, he told us to sleep in this room and that he had no other place to rest. In the morning, when I woke up, I wanted to thank this brother for his kindness. I left the room and noticed that his entire house was just that same room where we had rested. They had no other place to rest, and the owner of the house, along with his five children, mother, and wife, had spent the night outside, under a tree, in very cold weather. I was about to have a heart attack from seeing this scene. I approached him and said, ‘Are you crazy? Why did you do this?’ But he looked at me with a smile and said, ‘No, I’m not crazy. You are a traveler, and I’m obliged to help you as much as I can. My religion and faith require me to do this. I’m a Muslim.’ At that moment, with tears in my eyes, he addressed me with the glowing face of the moon and said, ‘I am a Muslim. I instantly became emotional, and my wife started crying. I turned to her and said, ‘See how they introduced Islam to us, and look at the behavior of this Muslim person towards us!’
That host, that brother, told us, ‘I don’t know much about Islam, but to understand it better, learn the Quran and get to know the teachings of the Prophet. Then you will truly know Islam. I immediately went to a bookstore, bought a copy of the Quran, and some books of Hadith, and started reading them. I continued reading for about two months. After two months, the kind God prepared my heart for the declaration of Shahada (the Islamic testimony of faith), and I recited it with tears in my eyes: “أشهَدُ ان لا اله الا الله واشهدُ أنَّ محمداً رسول الله” (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah). I embraced Islam in the year 1993. This is just the beginning of the journey.
The story doesn’t end here; in fact, this is where the story of this new Muslim begins. Mohammad Lika says, ‘From the very beginning of my Islam, I started preaching and continued my faith-based journeys to more than 112 countries, which resulted in the conversion of over 80,000 individuals to Islam. Currently, in our region, more than 80,000 Muslims reside.’
When I saw the results of this movement, I was determined to do something for Islam in Italy. I decided to
establish a significant center to educate people about the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This project has begun, and thank God, we are gradually nearing its completion.
I wish for this movement to spread across the corners of the world. My goal is to enlighten people about Islam because anyone who reads the Quran with an open heart will undoubtedly change their view and opinion about Islam and will follow the guidance of the noble Prophet. This is my wish, and I will strive to achieve it. I also hope that once the Islamic center in Italy is complete, this movement will continue in other places as well, as we bear the responsibility to spread this blessing (Islam) in the right manner. It is our duty since the benevolent God has granted us the blessing of guidance and the blessing of Islam. I ask the merciful Lord to grant success to me and this great preacher in making Islam lasting and prosperous.
Source: Ummat Online
