I Was Impressed by Jeffrey Lang ...
[There are some Muslims who have confused Struggling to Surrender's eloquence
with scholarship. Unfortunately many of the ideas contained in that book are based on
total ignorance. And ignorance and eloquence make a deadly mixture capable of misleading
other people. The following letter is a testimony to that possibility. We hope it will
give everyone including the author and publisher of that book a reason to rethink their
ideas. Albalagh]
Assalamu Alaikum,
Although I have never read Lang's Book "Struggling to Surrender," I remember
listening to a lecture he gave on tape based on the book. At the time I was really
impressed with what he had to say. I had only been a Muslim for a little over a year.
Ironically, his words were an encouragement for me to stop praying for several months,
much to my loss. All praise is for Allah, He (SWT) has brought me back on the right track
and I am striving to do that which is pleasing to him. It will be five years this Ramadan
since I made Shahadah and I feel stronger in my faith more than ever. This is due to the
mercy of Allah and a good pious wife who has been of considerable assistance.
I find with many converts to Islam, not all of course, that they want to hold on to
many of their old ideas and formulate new rationalizations and interpretations of Islam to
suite their fancies. I myself find Islam very satisfying they way it is. Qur'an and Sunnah
and the wonderful example of the Prophet's (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam) companions are
what I ask Allah to give me a love for. That which is perfect does not need perfecting.
Yours In Islam,
Yahya Abdul Rahman
(SHAWN N. SMITH)
John Hopkins University
Letters