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Mamdouh AbdEl-Kawi Dello Russo
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Italian Journeys to Islam “Between
Christianity and Islam I understood immediately that Islam was the
right choice.” Born
in Italy Mamdouh Abdul Qawi Dello Russo entered Islam in 1998. “As
a practicing Catholic I attended church every Sunday and always read
the Gospels. But there were things in Christianity that did not
convince me like praying to statues and at times it really sounded
strange ‘the son of God’. When
I was 21 years old the girl I was to marry left me because I lost my
job and was unemployed for four years. But I grew closer to God; I
prayed in the church everyday on my own – I did not like
confessing my sins to the priest. I wanted to speak directly to God,
without intermediaries.” About
11 years ago I bought the Bible for the first time. I loved reading
the Bible and often fell asleep with it. I started traveling in
Italy to find God and feel closer to Him. In my travels I befriended
Orthodox Christian Egyptians and went to Egypt with them. I visited
their church and found Orthodox Christianity more sincere than
Catholicism. In 1997 I started to read about other religions and
almost immediately fell in love with Islam because I felt the
sincerity of it. I asked an Egyptian Muslim friend for a tape of
Qur’anic recitation but he refused. I asked another friend and he
gave me a tape immediately. I listened to the tape for four days
without understanding a word, and cried for four days – the voice
of Sheikh Abdul Basit! The Qur’an penetrated my soul and touched
the core of my heart and I couldn’t stop crying. All this without
understanding a word, Subhanallah! I
got myself an Italian translation of the Qur’an and understood
immediately that this was the truth I had been seeking for years. I
understood that these suras were addressing me personally. It was
the last days of Ramadaan and I started fasting immediately.On the
3rd day of my fasting I went to the Mosque in Milan and met with the
Sheikh. When I took the Shahaada the Sheikh explained to me that it
was a very special day, Laylat al-Qadr. Subhanallah!. Consequently,
I lost all my Egyptian Christian friends, most of my Italian friends,
and the trust of my parents who were disappointed and angry with me
for taking the Shahaada without their approval. After a few years my
parents started to understand my choice although they have not
embraced Islam. The
Qur’an has touched me in the deepest part of my heart, more than
the Bible ever did. I say this with all respect without wanting to
offend any religion, but only Islam gives me serenity – an inner
peace never felt before, indescribable. |
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