Sheikh Khalid Yasin: From Catholic Roots to Islamic Dawah
Khalid
78 years old, from United States
Previous Religion: Christianity
My Life Before Islam
Sheikh Khalid Yasin was born in 1946 in New York to a Christian family and spent much of his childhood as an orphan despite having both parents. He grew up in a strict Catholic Christian environment, seeking closeness to priests but finding contradictions in the doctrine, which pushed him to search for truth. Despite his surroundings, he avoided street gangs but walked and spoke in a street style. youtube
The Moment of Guidance
His search for Islam began at age 17 after reading Malcolm X's letter from Mecca, sparking his curiosity about certain words' meaning. He formally embraced Islam in 1965 under Sheikh Dawood Ahmed Faisal in Brooklyn, the same year Malcolm X was assassinated. This moment transformed his life, as he studied the Quran, Sunnah, and Fiqh with various scholars. youtube
Reflections
Sheikh Khalid entered a church as a lecturer to deliver a talk titled "Jesus, Prophet of God" to 600 people; the pastor admired his impact but ended the session, leading to about 30 conversions to Islam. After 35 years of inviting his mother to Islam without success, she converted through his Somali wife due to her exemplary Islamic conduct. Thousands have embraced Islam through his lectures in over 89 countries, reflecting the profound impact of his story. youtube