Habeeba Husain
A young Christian man never thought the Muslim friend he played basketball with in his twenties would re-enter his life nearly fifteen years later as his brother in Islam.
“I was praying for him, and I felt like at the same time, he was praying for me,” said Maurice Hayes, 39, of New Jersey who converted to Islam this past Ramadan.
Although he grew up in a religious Christian family, Hayes’ level of practice see-sawed throughout his life. His parents were both very much involved with their local church, but he described himself as a backsliding Christian, a person who is not fully practicing and moving away from God as a result.
But when he entered his late twenties, Hayes decided to go all-in to his religion.
“I know the Bible almost like the back of my hand,” Hayes said. “I could empathize with people based upon their struggles, and I could resonate with them on this level…Jesus said this, Paul said this…I could put a message together.”
Diving so deep into learning the Bible made Hayes almost too knowledgeable in the subject. He was able to argue from both sides. He found holes, things that just didn’t add up in the text.
“There were too many contradictions within the book for me to just go forth and practice,” Hayes said.
Additionally, Hayes took issue with other Christian preachers that used the “you’re going to Hell” approach. He quoted Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” With this clearly mentioned in the scripture, Hayes would question the preachers, “So how do you know that you’re going to make it?”
The inconsistencies within the scripture and this popular approach to preaching Christianity pushed Hayes into agnosticism.
“I knew there was a creator, but I couldn’t figure out who it was,” Hayes said. For over a decade, Hayes lived a secular lifestyle all the while knowing God was out there. His Christian roots taught him to seek God’s help and fast when facing a difficulty, and he continued to practice this from time to time throughout his life even as an agnostic.
When Hayes distanced himself from Christian practice, his relationship with his family members soured. He didn’t agree with their methods of practice of the Christian faith that, in his view, contradicted the Bible. Things like putting up a Christmas tree or drinking alcohol made no sense to him, and thus, he was fine living a secular lifestyle—he wasn’t looking for a replacement religion.
However, this mindset shifted in October of 2023. All over his social media timelines, Hayes saw the gruesome images coming out of the Gaza strip. For months, his eyes and ears unwillingly became witness to Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinian civilians. It was these people who reminded Hayes of someone very familiar to him.
“I’m seeing people worshiping, in spite of all the suffering,” Hayes said. “If there’s any example of what Jesus was like—suffering and still praising God, crucified and still praising—this. This is it.”
People across the world have seen the photos and videos from the Gaza strip, things like entire neighborhoods destroyed in the background of a sole survivor holding his decapitated dead or a father mourning while carrying his child’s lifeless body. But despite the unimaginable images, the world—including Hayes—heard the Palestinian people still say, “Alhamdulillah,” or “All praise is due to Allah,” illustrating their immense trust in God’s decree and firm belief of better days to come in Heaven.
In his own life, Hayes said he has troubles. From his family to his business, he felt things were falling apart. But observing the steadfastness of the Palestinian people opened his eyes.
“I can’t feel bad for my situation, because they’re suffering one thousand times more than I am—and they’re still worshiping God,” Hayes said. Then he decided, “Let me look into their faith.”
As Hayes began to research Islam, he came across videos and articles that debated and pointed out the same flaws he saw in the Bible. He realized he wasn’t alone in his thinking, and in fact, there were millions who felt the same way. The more he learned about Islam, the more he filled the gaps left by his former faith.
“I love the fact that the Quran is preserved. I love the fact that I can speak about it with full confidence, whereas I would have doubts before [with the Bible],” Hayes said, referencing the idea that the holy book of Islam has remained unchanged, protected by God. Since the time of the Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of God be upon him), people have been memorizing the Quran and passing it down to subsequent generations both through an oral and written tradition.
This past Ramadan, Hayes privately took his shahada, the Islamic testimony of faith in which a person declares, “There is no god but Allah, and the Prophet Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of God be upon him) is His final messenger.” This entered him into the fold of Islam. He was officially a Muslim, just like his friend from a decade and a half prior.
Hayes wanted to reconnect with his Muslim basketball buddy, but didn’t even have his current phone number. He logged onto LinkedIn, took a deep breath, and sent a direct message to share his good news.
His friend of course shared in his joy of this new chapter and volunteered to drive him to a local mosque to declare his faith publicly and meet the greater Muslim community.
“I had to thank him,” Hayes said. “I [told him], ‘I know you were praying for me. I was praying for you to become a Christian. I know you were probably praying for me to become a Muslim. I owe this to you.”
With his newfound faith—his gift from God—Hayes cannot help but feel a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude for guidance from Allah’s Quran, gratitude for the friendship all those years ago that has recently rekindled, gratitude for whatever situation he finds himself in today—be it good or bad.
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