Locked In

Conversion

The small group of escaped slaves running from the Devil's Thorn huddled together inside a small cabin on the poop deck. Afraid to come out of hiding they rationed the food they had bought in America. They had no idea where they were or even if they would get to Norway. They didn't know a whole lot about the outside world for the servants of the Devil's Thorn had been born and raised inside the castle walls. Only Black Hawk, as a messenger, had gotten glimpses of the outside when he had been sent on errands.

Traveling by boat over a vast ocean was not what they had expected. Aside from the cramped living conditions and rationing of food, a few of their members became sick. They were excited because they planned to become Muslims while on the ship. It was dangerous to go out because they were stowaways. They had no idea if any members of the Devil's Thorn were working on the ship or if they would be thrown in jail or worse...overboard.

They lived in a cabin; their bodies crushed against each other in the small space. They let Hawwa and Kumar sleep on one of the beds and let the four girls in their group, in addition to Lilly, sleep on the other bed. The escaped slaves were not sure when they would become Muslims. It was too crowded to become Muslim in the cabin and they were not even sure how to become Muslims. Apart from declaring that they believed in one God and believed that Muhammad was the messenger and prophet of God they did not know a whole lot about the religion they desperately wanted to become followers of.

"Does Islam stand for anything," Blaze asked.

"Islam comes from the Arabic word 'Salaam' which means 'peace'. In essence Islam means submission to the Creator. The Creator is Allah. Allah is the Arabic word for 'God'."

"Kenya what do we have to do to become Muslims," Blaze asked.

The small group was sitting in a tight circle. In order to become Muslim they had agreed that they needed to know more of the religion before converting. They wanted to be fully aware of their duties and rights as Muslims before rushing into this important life change. If they became Muslim then that would put them in even more danger than they already were in.

"To become Muslim one must fully believe with their heart and soul in the testimony. The testimony is 'Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah. Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulu Allah' means 'I testify that there is no God but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah'."

"We know about the prayer. But what else do we have to do?"

"Well Islam has five pillars. They are the testimony which you have just heard, the five daily prayers, zakat which is 2.5% of our yearly wealth to the poor at the end of Ramadan, fasting during Ramadan for one month by not eating, drinking, or having sexual relations, and going to Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca, once in our adult lifetime if we can financially and physically do so."

"And what is the importance of Ramadan," Candy asked.

"Well Ramadan is when the Angel Gabriel revealed the Qur'an to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the cave of Hijrah which is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Qur'an is the word of Allah and the final testament to mankind. Ramadan allows us to get closer to Allah by abstaining from material things in this life, and it allows us to feel what the poor people feel every day. By abstaining from food, drink, sex and other material things of this life and turning inward on ourselves, we are getting closer to Allah. Ramadan allows us to learn humility and be grateful for the things we already have. It strengthens our faith and allows us to practice self-discipline and self-control."

"How did Islam get started? I heard that Muhammad brought Islam to the people," Blaze said.

"No that isn't correct. Allah says in the Qur'an that he chose Islam for mankind. Adam (peace be upon him) and Eve were the first Muslims. Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as a messenger to his people and to all other peoples until the end of time. See during Muhammad's (peace be upon him) life, the people of Arabia were into pagan worship. They denied women basic human rights and treated them like cattle. They buried infant girls alive because it was seen as a 'shame' for a man to have a daughter. They treated their slaves like animals. So Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent to the people of Arabia to guide them back to the Oneness of Allah and guide them back to Islam."