People Can Change

Salam,

On Wednesday I ventured once again to the bookfair in Abu Dhabi’s modern looking exhibition centre, alhumdulillah it was relatively easier to reach the place compared to the trek to Sharjah’s bookfair.

The main highlight of the bookfair in Sharjah a few months ago was my bumping to my old Arabic teacher (Abdullah al-Abd) from the university of Jordan. We literally walked passed each other, paused and then rapidly processed the face with a name and location, I could almost hear the penny drop as I rapidly realised who this all so familiar face was.

After the jubilant celebrations we got talking, he remembered me from all those years earlier and told me to ring him him if I ever visited al-Ain (where he was now living).

Anyways getting to my point! I bumped into him once again at a bookfair (this time in Abu Dhabi), I mentioned that I had been to al-Ain to see Sheikh Nuh Keller, but hadn’t rung him as from what I recalled he was salafi and would advise us when we would talk about ‘Islam’ with him back at the University of Jordan to avoid sufis.

He then told me that he had changed his views, had visited Sheikh Nuh Keller a number of times and had studied with Sheikh Amjad Rashid. He was now studying with a Mauritanian sheikh, and grabbing my hand proclaimed:

‘Don’t you believe people can change?’

I offered my apologies and expressed happiness at our closer theological alignment.

And all praise is due to Allah Taala.