Ilmseeker

So I came across my old college admission essay that I wrote a couple years ago. Its interesting to read it now a few years later. When I had written it, I had wanted it to be a form of dawah to those reading it, alhumdulillah I got accepted to the university and graduated too walhumdulillah! Here it is:

Written in 2005

You can write the essay about:

ambitions / goals / special talent / unusual interests / significant event.

My answers to these questions are all Islam or being a good Muslim.

Many people wonder about the purpose of life. A couple months ago I figured out the answer. One night as I was lying awake in bed, a thought crossed my mind. That thought changed my life. I thought about the day of my death and what was beyond this world. I had read, seen and heard about people competing in this world to gain wealth, status and power, but they would all leave this world empty handed. I became scared, I realized that I was not a permanent resident of this world. I knew one thing, religion was the answer but which one? I was convinced that there was a creator of everything and that I had to follow a certain religion to be truly successful after I died. So I began my search for the truth, I borrowed many books from the library and read all about the many different religions. The one religion that made sense to me was Islam. I found out that Islam is the primordial faith of mankind. Also I learned Islam is not only a religion but a way of life.

Islam appealed to me for many reasons. One of the main reasons that I thought Islam to be the truth was because of the historical and scientific facts that were written in the Qur’an, which is the sacred book for Muslims. Historically, the Qur’an mentioned stories of previous Prophets, the people of ‘Ad and Thamud, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Pharaoh of the Exodus having drowned and many others. Scientifically, the Qur’an mentioned about the universe, biology, embryology, astronomy, geology, etc. Keeping in mind the Qur’an was revealed 1400 years ago, these facts really amazed me. Some of these historical accounts and scientific facts have just been discovered in the first half of 20th century. There is no way any person could have known about these facts 1400 years ago, it’s impossible. I was convinced the Qur’an is the Word of God.

Like many people I used to aspire for a big house, a nice car, lots of money and other materialistic pursuits. To live my life according to Islam and die as a true and sincere believer in Islam, this is my life goal now. Believing in Islam means to believe in one God, Allah, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His messenger. Muslims should always try to follow what is written in the Qur’an and also live as best they can like Muhammad (peace be upon him). Islam has had a really big impact on my life, I always try to look at life from an Islamic perspective.

One very important aspect of Islam is knowledge. It’s through knowledge that one can realize the wonders of this world. An important fact to note is that the first word revealed in the Qur’an was “Read”. Also one of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is, Seeking knowledge is an important obligation upon every Muslim. Discovering new ideas and reading is something I enjoy. I plan to finish my major in Systems Engineering and also do a minor in Islamic Studies at George Mason University. My biggest ambition, goal and interest in this life is to learn and practice Islam to the best of my ability. Gaining an education will greatly help me in practicing Islam.