We hear almost every day that some of non-Muslim people choose Islam. There are a number of people who abandoned their former religion and accepted Islam. These people belong to various races, countries, nationalities, colours and professional groups. Many of these people were asked several questions, such as, “Why did you become a Muslim?” “What are the aspects of Islam that you like best?” by some magazines or societies, or by their own friends. Their answers were quite clear and sincere. These noble people decided to embrace Islam after thinking over the matter for a long time and studying the Islamic religion with meticulous attention. Each and every one of their answers, which we have compiled from various books and magazines and we will paraphrase in the following passages, is of documentary value. There are many lessons to be taken from these answers, and those who read them will once again feel in their hearts the sublime nature of our religion.
Here we give the confession of one of the people, who chose Islam:
CAPTAIN (JACQUES) COUSTEAU (French)
In France Islam has been spreading at a high velocity among people who have made fame in various areas. The number of people who have abandoned Christianity and chosen Islam have reached one hundred thousand already. This score has been confirmed by the Archbishop of Paris, the highest Catholic rank in France.
It is noteworthy that people who have preferred Islam are not only from among workers and civil servants but also from among people renowned in every respect.
Among people who have chosen Islam is Captain Cousteau, whom the entire world closely knows for his explorations about life under water.
As the groundswell of embracing Islam was spreading among France’s universal celebrities, Captain Cousteau, the world’s most eminent undersea explorer, announced that by accepting Islam he had made the most correct decision of his life.
Captain Cousteau, who has revealed the secrets of oceans one by one with the films that he made and which are being televised worldover in a program subheaded The Living Sea, said that what actually prompted him to choose the Islamic religion was, after observing that the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean did not mix with each other, his seeing that the same phenomenon was written in the Qur’ân al-kerîm which had been revealed fourteen hundred years before.
Captain Cousteau told of the event that had caused him to become a Muslim, as follows:
“In 1962 German scientists said that the waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean did not mix with each other in the Strait of Bâb-ul-Mandab where the Aden Bay and the Red Sea join. So we began to examine whether the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean mixed with each other. First we analyzed the water in the Mediterranean to find out its natural salinity and density, and the life it contained. We repeated the same procedure in the Atlantic Ocean. The two masses of water had been meeting each other in the Gibraltar for thousands of years. Accordingly, the two masses of water must have been mixing with each other and they must have been sharing identical, or, at least, similar properties in salinity and density. On the contrary, even at places where the two seas were closest to each other, each mass of water preserved its properties. In other words, at the point where the two seas met, a curtain of water prevented the waters belonging to the two seas from mixing. When I told Professor Maurice Bucaille about this phenomenon, he said that it was no surprise and that it was written clearly in Islam’s Holy Book, the Qur’ân al-kerîm. [2] Indeed, this fact was defined in a plain language in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. When I knew this, I believed in the fact that the Qur’ân al-kerîm was the ‘Word of Allah’. I chose Islam, the true religion. The spiritual potency inherent in the Islamic religion gave me the strength to endure the pain I had been suffering for the loss of my son.”
[1] Ref: These paragraphs are quoted from the book “Why Did They Become Muslims?” page 46. “Why Did They Become Muslims?” contains a few paraphrased selections from the statements made by some of the many people, who are famous great commanders, statesmen and scientists celebrities who believed in Allâhu ta’âlâ and admired Islam; these statements reflect their views of Islam. As you read them you will hear from the very tongues of these respectable people why the Islamic religion is superior to other religions. In fact, reading these explanations will provide you with an opportunity to see and admire once again the high merits of our religion, and thus feel and offer gratitude to Allâhu ta’âlâ for having been Muslims. The book is published by Hakikat Kitabevi, Istanbul. You can find the whole book and the other valuable books in the web site www.hakikatkitabevi.com.tr and download in PDF format for Adobe Acrobat Reader, EPUB format for iPhone-iPad-Mac devices and MOBI format for Amazon Kindle device.
[2] Related intended meaning of verses in Qur’ân al-kerîm: “Allâhu ta’âlâ has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together: Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress:” (55-19,20)
