GOD HAS BROUGHT ME OUT OF DARKNE

GOD HAS BROUGHT ME OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELLOUS LIGHT

The first official and legal conversion testimony from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

By Pastor Siddique Paul

First of all I would like to send my greetings, in the matchless name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the first time I have printed my testimony for all to read and be encouraged by, so I pray that you receive it well and that, just as it was written of Paul in Galatians, you would glorify God because of all He has done in my life.

            I was born into a fanatical Muslim family in Lahore, Pakistan. My father’s name was Mualvi Sardar Muhammad, the spiritual leader in a local mosque. My mother also strictly followed the Islamic faith. I grew up with two brothers and four sisters, my eldest brother also being a fanatical Muslim; I was the youngest in my family. As I grew up my father and mother would always speak negatively about the Bible and Christians. They would say that the Christian’s Bible has been changed and, because of this, they will all go to hell. They would tell me that all Christians are dirty people and it is not good for any Muslim to have fellowship with them. They always spoke of Muslims as being the superior nation among the nations and having the last book of God and Mohammed as being the last prophet of God. This was the sort of fanatical environment that I grew up in, along with my brothers and sisters.

            My father would always take me with him to the mosque, so my heart and mind were filled with a great hate for Christians and the Bible, even though I had never seen a Bible nor met any Christians. This was, however, not my problem only; it is the problem of every Muslim. Do you know why? It is due to the strong training that is given to every Muslim by their parents, especially their mother. Every Muslim mother trains her children in this way.

            My first contact with the Bible was in the eighth grade when I saw an advertisement in a newspaper about a Bible correspondence school. Immediately the thought came to my mind that I should read the Bible without informing my parents. The very next day I wrote a letter to the Bible correspondence school and told them that I belonged to a fanatical Muslim family and I wanted to see and study their Bible. They began sending me Bible lessons at my school address where I could receive them without my family knowing. Finally I completed the short course of 25 lessons, and at the end of the course they awarded me with a certificate of distinction. I placed that certificate in my school bag before I went home so my family would not see it. One day my elder brother found the certificate in my bag while I was away and asked me about it and the Bible when I returned home. Fear gripped me when he asked me this, so much so that I couldn’t answer a word. My brother then proceeded to tell my father and the fear only grew. They both threatened and rebuked me saying that the Christians are not good people and that I should know that they have changed their religious book, the Bible. Then they asked me why I was studying the Christian Bible since we had all been preaching Islam and the Qur’an. They told me that I should be careful next time and not read the Bible or meet with any Christians. Finally my brother destroyed my Bible certificate. After this I felt guilty, so I promised my father and brother that I would not study the Bible again. They kissed me and encouraged me in Islam. But, brothers and sisters, remember one thing, the Word of God never looses its influence; it has never failed.

            After two years I enrolled in a college and after the admission I joined a very fanatical Islamic student organization named Anjuman Tulba Islam (in Urdu, anjuman means organization, tulba means students and Islam simply stands for my previous religion). After joining Anjuman Tulba Islam I became even more fanatical in my faith and my heart was full of love for Islam and the Qur’an, to the point that I desired to preach it unto the ends of the world.

            In 1989 the head of Anjuman Tulba Islam appointed me as a general secretary of the well known city of Lahore, in Pakistan. Day by day my love for Islam grew, and in 1991 I joined the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as an Associate Engineer in Automobile and Diesel Technology. The PAF sent me for training in the Northwest Frontier Province and it was during this training that my passion for Islamic Jihad grew strong. In 1993 my basic training course was completed so I was posted in the Pakistan Aeronautical complex in Kamra.

In 1994 I married my cousin, a very attractive Muslim girl named Fozia. While working in Kamra I asked a question to a janitor who was working in the Aeronautical complex. He was a Christian, so I asked him how Christians could heal a sick person. My style was not good or gentle in asking this because in Pakistan the Christians are in the minority and the Muslims of Pakistan do not consider them to be good or holy people. I was asking him arrogantly because I believed that Christians have no healing power. But, that poor Christian sweeper replied with a strong faith that even he could heal a sick person in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. [Hallelujah, say Hallelujah Amen!!!] Again, I asked how and he told me that when he would pray for a sick person the spirit of God would come upon him, and with great power he would rebuke the sickness and the person would receive healing. This was quite amazing for me to hear because I did not know about the Holy Spirit at that time. After this I went to my room and began to think about my mother and father’s training that I received in my childhood. I was cursing at the Christian sweeper in my bed because I was so upset. There were a lot of questions in my mind concerning how a Christian could heal a sick person. That next morning I went to the mosque and prayed about this.

In June of 1996 I went to a church for religious dialogue with a pastor because I wanted to preach Islam to every Christian and every nation. When I reached the Church I asked the Pastor, “please answer me as to why you believe in the Son of God. Your Bible has been changed and you Christians will not enter into Heaven. My religion and prophet are right, and we in Islam have the last book of God.” I also asked him many other questions which, upon hearing, the pastor was rather quiet because he was afraid of the Pakistani Muslims. After some moments he went inside his house and came back with a Bible. He said to me, “Please, take this Bible, for it is the Word of God and has all of the answers to your questions. I can only pray for you. Ok, may God bless you.”

This was a great problem for me because I was not ready to accept the Bible, but still I received it, though unwillingly. The second problem for me was actually keeping the Bible because I was living a pure Islamic life and was fearful of other Muslims and my own family because, as I have said before, Muslims do not consider the Bible or Christians to be good. So I bought a newspaper and wrapped the Bible in it, then hid it in a box under some clothes in my room. I was afraid that if anybody knew that I had a Bible that it would cause me great trouble. I would only study my Bible on the weekends when most of my colleagues had gone shopping. I studied the Bible irregularly for about three months, and then repented to Allah for making the great mistake of reading the Christian’s changed Bible.

During this time the Pakistan Air Force authority posted me on the Faisal PAF Base on Drig Road in Karachi. So on April 20, 1997 I arrived in Karachi and began my duties. In November of 1997 my wife also came to Karachi because the Pakistan Air Force had finally allotted me appropriate service accommodations. In December of 1997 my wife became very ill and I went to a doctor by the name of Ghulam Masih Bhatti to get her some medicine. The doctor turned out to be a Christian so I asked the doctor if he could help me. He asked me in what sense I needed help. I told him that I wanted a good Christian family to properly teach me about the Bible and Christianity. Dr. Bhatti referred me to the Paul Christy family (Paul Christy was a good Christian man but now he has passed away). I first visited the Paul Christy house with the brother of Dr. Bhatti. When Paul Christy knew that I, being a Muslim, wanted to know the Bible and Christianity, he welcomed me warmly. He told all of his family that the Lord had sent this Muslim so that he might learn about the Bible and Christianity, and they were all very happy. But after some time I asked him why Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God. I told him that in Islam this is a great sin and crime. They tried to reply in their own way, but their answers did not satisfy me. I argued with them in all my Islamic spirit and passion. Even though I asked the questions harshly but they remained cool and gentle with me and finally said, “Ok, you have your faith, but you can come at any time for fellowship.” I then returned to my home, my wife being unaware that I had gone to Paul Christy’s home. Again, after some days, I retuned and had fellowship with the Christy family once again. Mr. Christy and his family challenged me to see their way of worship in the church, so I hesitantly accepted their invitation.

On February 1, 1998 I went to the Assemblies of God Church in Drig Road Cantt Bazar, Karachi, with Mr. Christy and his family. It was the plan of God that the pastors topic that Sunday was “Why Jesus is called the Son of God.” The sermon was very good and I believed that it was spoken just for me, because I had been struggling with the concept of Jesus being the Son of God. At the end of the church service Mr. Christy and his family introduced me to the pastor. Mr. Paul told the pastor that I was a Muslim and that I came from a very rigid and fundamental Muslim family. Oh hearing this the pastor asked me what I thought of his sermon on Jesus being the Son of God. I replied that the sermon was very good and I agreed with about 90% of it, but that I needed to check the sermon in the light of good research. I told him that I could not believe his sermon immediately.

It was on February 2, 1998 at 11:00 AM that I saw the glory of God with open eyes while I was reading the book of Jeremiah from the Holy Bible, My whole room was filled with intense and indescribable light, my entire body was wet with sweat and there was an immense joy in my heart. All of this was a very new experience for me.

From that day on I started a comparative study from the Qur’an and the Holy Bible. My wife asked me many times why I was studying the Christian’s Bible along with the Qur’an. I simply told her not to worry and that I was just doing it for the sake of knowledge.

On February 22 I returned to the Assembly of God church with Mr. Christy and his family. I was extremely upset because my eldest daughter, Ifrah Siddique, was very sick. She had been seriously ill for the past five or six days, and though we had given her medicine from both civil and PAF doctors and there was no improvement. At church that day the choir was worshiping and singing about the Holy blood of Jesus Christ (Lahoo Lahoo Yesoo Ka Lahoo). I could not understand the song or about the blood of Jesus, and took it as a joke. How could blood touch and heal? After some time I challenged Jesus that if His blood could heal my sick daughter before I reached home than I would think about believing in Him and His blood.

After service that Sunday I returned home and checked my daughter to see if she was still sick. I was amazed that she was perfectly well and sleeping soundly. I could not believe it so I called for my wife and asked her if she had given our daughter any medicine. “No,” she said. I asked her how she became well, and my wife told me that at about 10 or 10:30 that morning she suddenly became normal and began sleeping. Upon hearing this my eyes began to fill with tears because that was the exact time that I challenged Jesus to prove to me that his blood could heal. My heart became full of joy and love for Jesus. It was so an incredible miracle that I wrote it down so no details would be forgotten.

After this event I was very excited and much more open to Jesus, but I did not tell my wife because I was afraid of her. I felt such love in my heart for Jesus after these events that I started to study the Qur’an and the Bible even more. I was doing these studies day and night and it was during these sessions that many of my questions were answered and I began to believe in the Holy Bible.

My wife began to notice how much time I was spending studying the Bible with the Qur’an and again she asked me why I was doing that. Again I told her that it was just for the sake of knowledge, and day by day I received great blessing from studying the Word of God and my heart became enlightened to truth.

On June 5, 1998 I became filled with the Holy Spirit while reading 2 Samuel 11. I also received the gift of tongues and the anointing to preach the Gospel, all according to the Word of God. Such joy and happiness filled my heart on that day that I thought myself to be a heavenly man. I cannot even describe to you the joy that I felt from this awesome event.

On July 7, I finally accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and was baptized in the Indian Ocean, but only after a long time of studying to Qur’an and the Holy Bible comparatively. All of this was still hidden from my wife.

Following my conversion I enrolled in the Universal Gospel Assemblies Seminary in Karachi, as a part time student because I was still serving in the Pakistan Air Force. It was there that I sat under honourable teachers such as Rev. S.M Samuel, Rev. Ezekiel Yaqoob, Rev. Hameed Dagh and Pastor Ajmal Khan. They educated and blessed me for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and may the Lord bless them forever.

I continued to hide my conversion and baptism from my wife for one year, but on August 5, 1999 I declared my conversion and baptism to my wife for the first time. She warned me to come back to Islam or she would tell all the fanatical Muslims that I had converted, which was a very natural response for a Muslim hearing such news. I asked her to please keep quiet, but she refused to listen to me and told me that I was no longer a Muslim and she wanted a divorce. She said that I could sacrifice anything in life, but never could I leave Islam. Her response truly disturbed me and feared as to what would happen.

After some days my father-in-law came to my house and was very angry with me. He warned and threatened me, but, praise the Lord, I had the opportunity to share my newfound Christian faith with him. He returned to Lahore after some days and told my conversion story to my own parents. Upon Hearing all this my Father suffered a heart attack and died. My whole family became very angry and threatened to kill me. Finally my older brother, Mualvi Abdul-Hameed, came and asked me about my faith. Although there was great pressure on me from my wife and family I confessed my faith and told my brother bravely that I had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my saviour and I am now a Christian, no longer a Muslim. My brother was so angry upon hearing my testimony that he threatened to kill me before returning to my family. After this my mother-in-law came to us with a Muslim scholar named Mualvi Maqbool Aalam, and he also asked me about my new faith. Praise the Lord, again I confessed my faith in front of this Mualvi and my mother-in-law. Mualvi Maqbool wanted to discuss with me the Qur’an and the Bible, so I gladly accepted the challenge. I placed the Qur’an and the Holy Bible on the table and within six hours he was defeated and confessed that he would also read the Bible. I praise the Lord Jesus for all of this!!

My mother in law was also so confused on seeing all of this because the scholar was unable to prove the truth of Islam and the Qur’an. So the following day she returned with the Muslim scholar to Lahore. During all of this another miracle was taking place that my wife was beginning to lean towards Christianity as she saw all these things happening. Upon seeing a soft corner in her heart I began to evangelize her. She told me that she had attended the discussion I had with the Muslim scholar and saw how he was unable to defend Islam. She then proceeded to tell me that she also wanted to know about Jesus and the Bible. Praise our Lord for this! She began to listen to all the truths about Jesus and Bible and also began to take the comparative study of the Qur’an and the Bible. By His grace the Lord opened her heart and she became more hungry and thirsty for the knowledge of God. All this was happening to my wife because I loved her so much and prayed for her day and night. I would always say, “Mighty Lord, only you can change and bless my wife.” Finally she also accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her saviour after a long time of comparative study and was baptized on January 11, 2000 in Karachi. She was so excited on that day and proclaimed that she would now tell everyone about Jesus. Amen!

In February of 2000 I published my first book, entitled, “Essaiet & Maseehiet Tahqeeq Kee Nazar Main” (meaning “Issa Christ From the Qur’an Is Not Jesus Christ”). In this book I proved that Issa Christ from the Qur’anic perspective is different according to view point of Bible, rather he is a false prophet according to Quran. This was the very first book in Pakistan on this topic, and since on its publishing many newspapers have written against my book and me. They all declared me the worst enemy of Islam, Muhammad, and the Qur’an. That was a very hard time for me and my family as everything was going against us. Due to all of this the Pakistan Air Force authority arrested me and placed me in the Air Force cell. It seemed that all circumstances and the entire Air Force were against me. Finally they announced that I was to be court-marshalled, but I knew that the Lord was with me.

On July 17, 2000 I could not sleep because I was filled with such concern for my family and my own situation. I was praying with tears when all of the sudden I heard the gloriously mighty voice of the Lord saying that my opponents would not be successful because He had defeated them. That was my very first experience hearing the voice of God and it made me so happy and courageous. At that moment there was a mighty anointing of the Holy Spirit on me and it was a moment that I will never forget.

The very next morning I shared all of this with my wife and told her how I had heard the voice of the Lord say that I would be set free and delivered from my opponents. At last the Pakistan Air Force authority held my trial in the District Court Martial on August 16, 2000. Two days later I was released from the District Court-Martial by the glory of God.

My opponents were very upset upon hearing this news and the Air Force reassigned me to Lahore. This was a very dangerous post for me because both sides of my family lived in Lahore. They were still against my wife and I, but I faithfully reported to the PAF base in Lahore and began my duties. I was performing my duties quietly, until after six months my sister in law got my residential address from a Christian friend at her college. She came to me and threatened me, telling me that I was following the wrong path and it would not be good for me. She said this because she belonged to Jamat-e-Islamia Pakistan, which is the most fundamental of Islamic parties. I asked her to please calm down and I served her some tea. I began to evangelize her and she asked many questions about Christianity and the Bible. I began to do the comparative study with her as well and after some time the Lord opened her mind. She noted some points and references which I gave her and then she returned home. She came again after some days, though she was uneasy, and said that she wanted to know more about Jesus and the Bible. Day by day she would leave and return and I would do the comparative study with her. Finally, after one year, she accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her saviour and was baptized. She also changed her name from Rabia Ahmed to Rachel and is presently very active in evangelism.

Upon her salvation Rachel became a member of our team and we began to evangelize both sides of our family. Rachel continued to learn from me and teach her family about Jesus. After two years of evangelism my in-laws’ whole family accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and all eleven members became Christian.

Following this great work which the Lord did in my family the PAF authorities posted me at PAF Samungli in Quetta (near the Afghan/Iran border). That next January the PAF authorities told me that I would face an official inquiry regarding my conversion. So they began an official inquiry against me, many officers taking different statements from me, but I thank the Lord that He gave me the strength to face them all. By His grace I bravely faced the inquiries day by day, my wife and children praying constantly for me. My wife is a great woman of faith and always stands with me in the Lord. I thank the Lord greatly that I am doing a great work for the Lord with her help. She stands with me in the Lord at every step of my life.

Praise our Lord that He is a victorious Lord and that He was with me at that time.

Finally, on February 13, 2004 I put in an application to change the religion and name of myself and my family. I wrote a very bold sentence in the application as my statement of faith. I wrote, “On July 7, 1998 I changed my religion from Islam to Christianity after a long comparative study from the Qur’an and the Holy Bible.” My unit Adjutant was so angry upon seeing my application, for he said, “Why did you not write the word ‘Holy’ with the Qur’an?” My answer was clear and direct: “Sir, I don’t believe the Qur’an to be a Word of God.” Again he asked me why I have put the word “Holy” with the Bible but not with the Qur’an. Again I told him that I am no more a Muslim, but a Christian. He told me that the only punishment for this action in Islam is death. I replied, kill me because Jesus is powerful to save me and I know that you can’t kill me because I did not make this decision under any emotions but only after thorough research.

Finally he ordered me to place the word “Holy” with the Qur’an as well as the Bible. I obliged to his orders and he signed and stamped my application to be forwarded to the higher authorities. Praise the Lord, my dear brothers and sisters, you have seen the power of our Lord, that He always stands with his people in every situation.

On February 27, 2004 our Lord was again victorious when the PAF accepted me as a legal and official convert from Islam to Christianity. Praise the Lord that the religion and names of mine and my family have all officially been changed. They have cut the word “Islam” from the religion column and replaced it with “Christianity.” They have removed the name of Muhammad Siddique and replaced it with my new Christian name, “Siddique Paul.” I praise our Lord for this. The PAF has taken all official action and gave me the copy of the Personal Occurrence Report. This is the very first time in Pakistan that the Ministry of Defence has officially and legally accepted a convert from Islam. In this way the Lord has opened a new door in Pakistan for others to follow in my footsteps.

After the Lord had done all of these miracles some of the officials in the PAF became annoyed with me. One day my OC Unit called me into his office and told me to leave the preaching of the Gospel. I told him that in no way would that be possible and that preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the first and last mission in my life. He again ordered me to stop preaching and to leave his office. After some days he again called me and asked me if I was ready to stop my preaching. He told me that I was creating a great problem for them and they would not be able to provide security for me and my family. He gave me one last chance to oblige and asked me which I would choose, preaching or duty. I told him that I would choose preaching. He said, “OK, but I warn you that PAF higher authorities are against you and they will not bear you any longer. They may terminate you from the service, but be careful that you don’t tell this thing to anybody.”

At last on June 1, 2004 I was dismissed from the PAF without any benefits, though I served faithfully for 14 years as an associate Engineer. My service history was clear of any offence but I knew it is only due to the love for Jesus Christ, I was dismissed without any benefits. But I praise the Lord that He has appointed me for His ministry and I thank Him for upholding us through the entire crisis.

After all of this I decided to teach and preach beginning in my Jerusalem (Karachi), so I am ministering here in Pakistan and I praise the Lord for his privilege. Lord saved 36 Muslims using me, 13 more Muslims are currently under study to understand Jesus and the Holy Bible. We are currently taking them through a comparative study of the Qur’an and the Holy Bible. We are seeking to do more evangelism in Pakistan and make more disciples for our Lord Jesus Christ. My wife and I are serving the Lord faithfully, and she is always encouraging me to work for Jesus and His Great Commission.

Dear Brothers and Sister in Christ, may our Lord Jesus Christ give you a burden for this ministry.

Let us come together for His glory, Amen.

Yours in Him,

E-mail: - sfimwes@yahoo.com