Classic Book of the Month: A conversion from Islam to Christianity

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, May 7th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: WORLD’s Classic Book of the Month for May.

Emily Whitten reviews Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by the late Nabeel Qureshi.

EMILY WHITTEN: The last YouTube video of Christian apologist Nabeel Qureshi is from September 2017. He’s in a hospital bed. His lips are chapped and his body wrecked by cancer.

QURESHI: My whole point in teaching is for love to reign. And so as you consider my ministry, I hope it leaves a legacy of love, of peace, truth, of caring for one another…whether you’re talking to a Hindu, a Muslim, a Jew, a Christian, whoever you’re talking to, may it be out of love.

Just three years before, in 2014, 30-year-old Qureshi published our Classic Book of the Month for May, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. It’s his story of conversion from Islam to Christianity. In this clip from the audiobook’s Prologue, he wrestles with God before his conversion.

AUDIOBOOK: [Prologue] “Please, God Almighty, tell me who you are. At your feet, I lay down everything I have learned. I give my entire life to you. Take away what you will, be it my joy, my friends, my family. But let me have you, O God. Light the path that I must walk.”

In the book’s first chapters, we meet Quereshi as the son of Pakistani immigrants. His father works for the U.S. Navy, and both of Qureshi’s parents come from devout Muslim families. At times, his background makes it hard to fit in at school, but his mother encourages him to work hard, to overcome prejudice, and be a positive ambassador for Islam:

AUDIOBOOK: [Chapter 11] Become the valedictorian, so people will think, “Wow! Islam produces good students!” Become the president, so people will think, “Islam makes good leaders!” But even if you become a janitor, be the very best.

As a college freshman, though, Qureshi makes a new friend named David Wood who is a strong Christian. Wood gives Qureshi unconditional love and friendship along with razor-sharp arguments for Christianity. After investigating Christianity for several years, Qureshi commits his life to Christ–even though he mourns how much it hurts his parents.

MATT BONNER: Nabeel, in the book, he said, you know, I would not have taken a lot of this seriously or I wouldn't have thought through it as I did if it hadn't been for this relationship with David.

That’s Matt Bonner. He helps train Christian pastors in Muslim countries through Equipping Leaders International. He believes that Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus has had a significant impact on Christian ministry to Muslims. He points out that by its third edition in 2018, the book sold more than 500,000 copies. And of course, it remains a bestseller on Amazon today. What makes it so popular?

For one thing, Qureshi published this book after 9/11. The Iraq war was still on-going…and in the midst of that clash of civilizations, Qureshi offered Americans real insight into their Muslim neighbors.

BONNER: He helps bring compassion for Muslim people the way that he describes his family upbringing. And I love that.

But Qureshi is no sentimentalist. Over roughly 300 pages, he shows the errors of Islamic theology. For instance, Qureshi initially argues with Wood over the reliability of the Bible.

BONNER: His friend David Wood who challenged him and pushed back and said, “Come on, Nabeel, you gotta do better than that. That's not, that's not a legitimate way to look at this.” You know, I loved how he was wrestling with that and how he just talks about that throughout the book.

In a later chapter, Qureshi believes the swoon theory which says that Jesus didn’t really die on the cross–he just passed out and later woke up. In one fascinating scene, Qureshi’s father, whom he calls Abba, argues for the swoon theory against apologist Gary Habermas at a neighborhood discussion group.

AUDIOBOOK: [Chapter 25] Gary spoke up again, “I don’t think a man could survive the kind of spear wound dealt to Jesus. The very reason they stabbed him in the chest was to make sure he was dead. The spear would have gone into Jesus’ heart, killing him instantly.” “But the Bible doesn’t say it went into his heart,” Abba pressed, “just that it pierced his side. Plus he was only on the cross for a few hours; he could easily survive that.”

Habermas rebuts that argument by saying that according to historians, “as far as we know, no one in history ever survived a full Roman crucifixion.” So, why would Muslims want to prove that Christ didn’t die on the cross?

BONNER: It takes away the miraculous component. Because if he didn't die, then he didn't raise, he didn't actually raise from the dead. There's no resurrection. And if there's no resurrection, then we don't have to deal with the reality of who, who Jesus said he was, you know, and that he truly is the son of God, you know, that he, he is God…[fade out]

Qureshi’s book is so well-written, I was eager to see how it would end. After God answered his objections, would he have the strength to oppose his parents and live out his convictions?

One caution–while God can use dreams and visions, I worry Qureshi gives them too much emphasis in his conversion story. Compare his treatment to Paul’s vision in 2 Corinthians 12. However, I know Christians will disagree on this issue, and when I asked Bonner about Qureshi’s dreams, he made a good distinction.

BONNER: The way I heard it explained from Nabeel once is that, you know, God is, is, yes, he's, he's revealing himself to Muslims and dreams, but he's, he's not bypassing his word. He's not bypassing Christians. And a lot of times he's, he's, he's pointing people to the Scriptures or he's pointing to people to missionaries.

In August of that 2016, Qureshi announced he had stomach cancer. He died on September 16, 2017, leaving behind his wife and young daughter. But his testimony lives on.

BONNER: He was a tremendous gift to the church, passionate advocate for Christ, the truth of Christ, who loved the truth. And he, he, he longed to see Muslims set free with the truth of Christ.

Our Classic Book of the Month for May is Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi. It’s a book that can help you see more of the glory of Christ–and share the gospel with your Muslim friends.

I’m Emily Whitten.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this script misrepresented when the book was published.   

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