You know what’s noteworthy about going to YouTube and seeing the most-viewed talks on Islam? A lot of the speakers are actually converts! These are people who were atheists, Christians, Jews, Hindus, or Buddhists, but not only did they research about Islam and convert, they ended up studying the religion in depth and then teaching it. In fact, some of them became Islamic scholars themselves! Thus, they are sources other Muslims actually go to and learn Islam from! But what drew them to Islam?

Here’s a list of some well-known modern speakers:

• Dr. Jerald Dirks – a former Christian missionary who went to Harvard College and Harvard Divinity School. He converted to Islam in 1993 and then studied Islam extensively. Wrote many articles on behavioral sciences and comparative religion.
• Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick – From an African and Native American descent, Dr. Quick converted in the 70’s and studied at the Islamic University of Madinah. He is a historian and social activist who was a teacher of AlMaghrib Institute. Also, he is a contributor at the Yaqeen Institute.
• Dr. Bilal Philips – a Jamaican-Canadian who converted to Islam in the 70’s as well. Studied Islam and ended up getting a PhD in Islamic Theology. He is the founder of the International Open University, an online university that has/had students from over 200 different countries.
• Dr. Laurence Brown – converted in the 90’s and was a graduate of two Ivy leagues. Authored several comparative-religion books and gave many talks on Christianity.
• Hamza Tzortzis – of Greek descent and a convert since 2002, he is well-known for his debate with Lawrence Krauss. Hamza specializes in atheism and philosophy. Was a former key piece of iERA and is now currently part of Sapience Institute, an organization aimed at teaching Islam academically.
• Joe Bradford – got a Masters in the Islamic University of Madinah. Joe then became a VP and Senior Shariah Consultant for AlRajhi Bank, the largest Islamic Bank in the Middle East. Currently, he is one of the top scholars of Islamic finance in the U.S.
• Dr. Jonathan Brown – current Director of History and Islamic Thought at the Yaqeen Institute. Is also a professor at Georgetown University and the editor in chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Law.
• Yusuf Estes – a missionary-type preacher who loved music, he converted to Islam in 1991. Known for his Islamic talks in simple English, especially when speaking about Christianity. He has been involved in many projects around the world to spread the teachings of Islam and is involved in GuideUs TV, a 24/7 live Islamic television.
• Abdullah Oduro – a Ghanaian native who converted in 1997, Abdullah is currently the Head of Convert Resources at the Yaqeen Institute. He is also the Imam at the Islamic Center of Coppell and Lewisville in Dallas.
• Dr. Tahir Wyatt – studied and taught in Saudi Arabia for 21 years and was the only American to be appointed to teach at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. He is also the Director of Systematic Theology at the Yaqeen Institute.
• Jaime “Mujahid” Fletcher – born in Columbia, he converted to Islam right before September 11. He studied Arabic and the Qur’an overseas. He is known for “Islam in Spanish”, an organization based in Texas that provides Islamic content to Latinos, and through which many have converted as well.
• Michaeel Ahmed Smith – converted at the age of 18 and pursued his studies in Islam. Was a resident scholar at the Islamic Society of Annapolis and the Islamic Society of Baltimore. He is a current instructor at Qalam.
• Abdurraheem Green – Born in Tanzania and educated in a Christian monastic school, he ended up converting to Islam in 1987. Since then, he has been working in the field of Da’wah (speaking about and spreading Islam). Currently a founding member and chairman of iERA, one of the top organizations that spreads the teachings of Islam to non-Muslims worldwide.
• Hussain Yee – a Malaysian of Chinese descent, who was born into a Buddhist family. Ended up becoming an internationally-known Islamic preacher. He appeared many times on Peace TV and Islam Net. Was also the Director of Da’wah for the Islamic Center in Hong Kong from 1984 to 1985.
• Asadullah Ali Al-Andalusi – Grew up Catholic and then turned atheist, he eventually found Islam. Got his Masters from the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Philosophy. He is a fellow at the Yaqeen Institute and specializes in the philosophy of science, atheism, Islamic ethics, and more.
• Dr. Tamara Gray – completed her doctorate in the Leadership, Policy and Administration program at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. She is also the founder of Rabata and is also a fellow at the Yaqeen Institute.
• Khalid Yasin – now well-known for his fiery Islamic talks, he grew up a Christian in New York. He has spent over 30 years giving talks in over 89 countries. It is said that over 75,000 people converted after hearing his talks.
• Abdur-Raheem McCarthy – an Irish-American who accepted Islam in 1994 and then spent years studying Islam. Had multiple appearances on Peace TV, Huda TV, and others. He also worked on several projects to teach Islam to non-Muslims.
• Yusha Evans – growing up in a conservative Christian home, he was very involved in his church. After studying the bible and asking questions, he realized a lot of its teachings did not make sense to him. After being given a Qur’an as a gift and reading it cover to cover, he converted. He has traveled the world giving countless talks on Islam.
• Suhaib Webb – converted from Christianity to Islam in 1992, he spent many years learning Islam. He is currently a resident scholar at the Islamic Center at NYU and also teaches Islamic Law and Ethics at the university.
• Yusuf Chambers – born in Surrey in the UK, Yusuf has worked with many organizations including Peace TV, Muslim Aid, Al-Jumuah Magazine, Islam Channel, and Unity TV. He has given a lot of talks on Islam and has done a lot of humanitarian work.
• Amir ‘Loon’ Muhadith – a former rapper and part of Bad Boy Records, Amir converted to Islam in the early 2000’s. He is known for his well-articulated talks, community work, and entrepreneurship.
• Justin Parrott – converting at the age of 20, Justin is currently the volunteer Imam for the Muslim Students Association at NYUAD. Many Muslims may not know that he is actually the person behind the famous hadith website – http://www.abuaminaelias.com. Whenever you Google a Hadith, one of the top results will almost always be his website.
• Siraj Wahhaj – now world-renowned and current Imam at Masjid Taqwa in New York, Wahhaj has been involved since the 60’s fighting for civil rights alongside Malcolm X. Wahhaj is known to many Muslims speakers as one of the most respected leaders in the US.

If you have more names, please comment below and I will update the list!

If a person converts to Islam, one reward from God is that he gets all of his past sins forgiven. What’s so special about this? Well, we have to look at this psychologically. If a person is truly good deep inside, no matter how many sins he has done, he will feel guilty. Even if he keeps sinning for years and years, he knows deep down that they are not right and he shouldn’t have done them. It becomes a burden and often the heaviness of the sins is what makes people depressed, lose sleep, and even get suicidal. They often ask themselves “How can God ever forgive me?” If they then find out that, yes indeed, He can forgive anything and everything, it finally puts their hearts at ease.

You can ask converts. Countless had similar stories. “I’ve lived a life of sins.” “I had an abortion and killed an innocent baby.” “I’ve done drugs, been involved in gangs, and even murdered people.” Then Islam gave them peace.

In fact, similar incidences happened at the time of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was a polytheist, a sinner, and an enemy of the Muslims. He said: 

“When Allah put the love of Islam into my heart, I came to the Prophet to pledge my allegiance to him. He stretched out his hand towards me, but I said, ‘I will not pledge allegiance to you, O Messenger of Allah, until you forgive me my previous sins.’ The Messenger of Allah said to me, ‘O ‘Amr, do you not know that Islam wipes out whatever sins came before it?’” 

[Narrated by Imam Ahmad, 17159]

In another incident, it is narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), the cousin of the Prophet, explained that some of the polytheists did a lot of killing and committed a lot of adultery. They came to Prophet Muhammad and said, “What you say and what you are calling for is good. If only you could tell us that there is any expiation for what we have done.” Then Allah revealed in the Qur’an,

“Say: ‘O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him before the torment comes upon you, (and) then you will not be helped…” [Qur’an 39:53-54]

That, Muslims exclaim, is part of the perfection of Islam. It’s as if God knows how hard the sins are on you and so, simply you accepting the truth and becoming Muslim will forgive them for you, relieve you of that burden, and give you a fresh start.