Her name is Amatullah

Khadijah: Assalamualaikum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatu (peace and mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you) sissy ! Thank you for agreeing to partake in this small project. May Allah bless you with success in this dunya (temporary life) and the Akhirah (the Hereafter) and May He always keep you steadfast upon deen (religion) al-Islam ! Please tell me a bit about yourself

Amatullah: I currently live in Chicago, but my parents are from the Philippines. My sister and I were born there but migrated to the US once I was 3 yearsold. I love learning about Islaam and spending quality time with my akhwaat and my family. Things I dislike are debates on the deen, ignorance and arrogance.

Khadijah: What kind of life were you leading prior to Islam? 

Amatullah: The lifestyle I had before reverting wasn't anything crazy and wild like my peers growing up. Alhamdullilaah I grew up in a very strict and conservative household, so I was and am a stay at home body. Even during college when I had the opportunity to drink and club, I chose to stay home and read. Alhamdullilaah. 

Khadijah: Why do you think it's important to have religion in YOUR life? 

Amatullah: Religion is very important in my life because it's the basis of everything I do. It sets the rules and lays out the guidelines so I know how to handle things in a manner that pleases Allaah and benefits me in the long run (akhira). Without Islaam, I would just be acting for no purpose, will be doing good things without a hope of reward or reassurance that my life has a meaning. Alhamdullilaah ala kulli haal (all praise upon every state of being)!

Khadijah: How did you learn about Islam? What was your first impression(s)?

Amatullah: I learned about Islaam extensively through a friend I had met during the time of my reversion. They explained it to me very well, maa shaa Allaah. Prior to that, I didn't know much about Islaam to be honest. My ignorance masked me, but Alhamdullilaah not in a way that I hated Muslims. I literally thought that all Muslims were Indian, so when I saw a Somali muhajaba in highschool I was so flabbergasted. My impression of Islaam at the time was that it was very mis-understood. Constantly on magazine covers you'll see ISLAAM tagged with MISOGYNIST, and being an openly hardcore feminist at the time, it intrigued me.

Khadijah: Tell us what the Shahadah is and tell us how your experience was when you took yours.

Amatullah: The Shahadah is the Testimony of Faith. You are testifying two things: That there is no diety worthy of worship except Allaah the Most High, and that the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam was His last and final messenger. After receiving dawah, I was on edge of whether or not to revert right away. It was early July and I had planned on reverting September once school starts. SubhanaAllaah, on July 14 I watched a video and the sister said "if you're thinking of taking the Shahadah, do it sooner rather than later. Because only Muslims enter Jannah, and you don't want to have wasted all that time learning to go to nothing." And I started crying, asked for any sisters to help me recite the Shahadah, and I took it on July 14, 2012 approximately 1:30 pm, wal hamdullilaah! 

Khadijah:  Why do Muslims pray 5 times a day? What do you think about this?

Amatullah: Muslims pray 5 times a day because it is made waajib (obligatory) upon all Mankind, and I absolutely love it. 5x a day should be the bare minimum of how much thanks we should give to our Rabb (Lord), but subhanaAllaah (Glory be to God) look at His mercy on us by giving us 5 prayer times. It's a great reminder, once the adhan (call to prayer) goes off, to drop everything dunya related and focus on your Creator. The day is filled with so many opportunities to either fail or succeed, and sometimes we get so caught up in the dunya that we need to pray these prayers or else we will loose ourselves and our akhira. And it's truly amazing the difference you see within yourself after you've prayed, subhanaAllaah!

Khadijah: Name 3 things you found in Islam that you think are absolutely beautiful. 

Amatullah: The three things I found in Islaam that are exquisite are: solving the root of the problem, akhlaq (good manners) and our Rabb. Islaam always goes to the core of the problem so the solution is ever lasting. For example, lowering the gaze. It is such a simple concept, yet so deeply rooted. If we kept to this rule, imagine the amount of fitnah we would remove from ourselves! Lowering the gaze would lead us to do more good, to focus on our husbands and wives even more, and to stop our minds from committing zina (adultery, fornication). That's just one aspect of the perfection of al Islaam. Akhlaaq (character) is also something I highly appreciate under the light of Islaam. Islaam teaches us that even an atom weight of arrogance will be seen and held against you, regardless of how much ilm (knowledge) you have. It's amazing how far good character can take you, subhanaAllaah. And last but not least, I the number one thing I love and find so beautiful about al Islaam, is our Rabb. He is the Most Merciful, the Oft Forgiving. No matter how many times you mess up, if you walk to Him He will run towards you. SubhanaAllaah, our Lord made this deen perfect, so it is He who is only deservable of worship and praise.

Khadijah: What do you think of the latest events of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and what would you like Muslims and non-Muslims to know?

Amatullah: I haven't spoke much on the topic for certain reasons, but I will gladly share my views here. As Muslims, we should have sufficient knowledge of who our Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, was. Also, we should know how highly Allaah ta'ala regarded him as. We should also be aware of the fitnah (trials and tribulations) the Prophet experienced during his lifetime. This fitnah that we are dealing with is nothing comparable to what he went through. Yes, name calling, blasphemy, slander - he dealt with it all, and he did it in such a poise that was pleasing to Allaah ta'ala. Are we doing the same? No. Sadly, we aren't. We could have dealt with it in such a respectful manner, a manner in which Allaah will bestow His mercy upon us and raise our ranks, but instead we choose to riot and protest in the name of peace? Whose name are they protesting for, when the Prophet discouraged such actions? And what victory will our ummah (community) attain, when we don't seek victory 5 times a day with Allaah? 

I would like non Muslims to know that Islaam is far removed from the allegations that the non-Muslim movie makers slandered it with, especially to our beloved Prophet. I also want them to know that if they have questions about Islaam, their first source should always be the Qur'aan. As for Muslims, ya ikhwaan wa akhwaat, take heed in Salaah! Take heed in gaining ilm! Take heed in following the way of the Salaf us Saalih! Take heed in obeying your Rabb and the message of all His messengers! Only then will we attain victory! 

BarakaAllaahu feekee for this project sis. I very much enjoyed it! May Allaah reward you for this and grant you Jannah al Firdaus, Allaahumma Ameen :)

Wassalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.