Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus – Book Review
This is a review of the book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi. Paperback published by Zondervan is 296 pages.
Like a lot of people, the events of the 9-11 tragedy had a lasting impact on me. My life changed forever partly due to that event, even though I was living in another nation at the time. I remember flying to another state for work and looking around suspiciously at the other passengers, especially if they looked they were from the Middle East. That concern stayed with me for years afterwards, and is probably still present to some degree. 9-11 forced a lot of people to pay more attention to Islamic terrorism.
When the Twin Towers were destroyed, many Muslims in the area I lived in at the time actually cheered the terrorists. This caused many of us to wonder about them. Did they all think the same? Were they all closet terrorists ready to act given the chance?
Over the years I came to the conclusion that the majority of Muslims in our western cities were peaceful, even when biased against our western culture. I theorized that many were like those nominal-cultural Christians. It was only when their piety drove them to take their Qur’ans and hadiths seriously that they posed any threat. But if ever there were enough Muslims in a region, then the radical element would reach a critical mass and pose a threat.
However, Nabeel Qureshi was born into a loving family of pious Muslims whose idea of jihad had nothing to do with killing infidels. Their jihad was to be peaceful ambassadors for Islam. How could this be so when they recited the Qur’an daily, prayed five times a day attended Mosque and other meetings? Qureshi’s family’s piety would shame most professing Christians….including me! His father had a library of books on Islam and the hadiths. Didn’t they understand their own book and traditions?
In Chapter 3 he writes:
AS I GREW, I felt like my family and I never really fit in with the people around us. I have always felt disheartened thinking about it. Aside from the Islamic traditionalism, my life was a mix of 1980s cartoons, plastic toys, and temper tantrums. I should have fit in with the other boys just fine. Unfortunately, people are afraid of what they do not know, and my Muslim heritage was a deterrent for many would-be friends and their families. I was very lonely.
As Qureshi grew older he developed more confidence. He used his intense Islamic education to his advantage and challenged his fellow Christian students about Christ’s true identity. In many cases they couldn’t satisfactorily answer Qureshi’s probing questions. Nabeel seemed to have all the right responses to the typical Christian biblical verses. After all, wasn’t Christ called the Son of Man?
Then one day he became friends with a student (David) who was different from the other Christians he’d encountered. David eventually introduced him to two Christian apologists. This marked a turning point in Nabeel Qureshi’s life. As an interesting aside, some time after 9-11, I also came across Nabeel’s three friends via the internet.
The following years would see him in an intense struggle in questioning and defending everything he was taught about Allah, Muhammad and Jesus Christ. His searching and conclusion would lead him into conflict with his beloved family and friends. Qureshi would be seen as a betrayer and an apostate. In so many ways his struggle and journey resembles that of Rosaria Champaign Butterfield.
His story is another example of God’s incredible grace. It will hopefully change how some Christians view Muslims. Before He went to be with the Lord, Nabeel Qureshi became involved in a Christian apologetics ministry. His love for Muslims and passion for Christ was evident in his apologetics.
I have only read this book once through thus far. But I plan to reread it and refer to it often. Qureshi’s account includes some informative apologetics points which all readers will profit from.
This book is highly recommended reading.
Purchase Nabeel Qureshi’s Seeking Allah Finding Jesus !
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