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Priest embraced Islam, (5) Ex- Coptic Priest and Missionary (Egypt)-v
Part five
This is the fifth priest in this series of "Priests Embraced Islam".
His name before Islam: Ibrahim Khalil Philobus
His name after Islam: Ibrahim Khalil Ahmed
He was born in 1919 in Alexandria, Egypt.
He was an Egyptian Coptic priest and missionary.
He studied theology and got a high degree from Princeton University.
He studied Islam to find gaps to attack it; instead he embraced Islam with his four children, one of them is now a brilliant professor in Sorbonne University, Paris France.
He leads and participated in many Debates about Islam and Christianity.
He wrote five books (in Arabic), they are:
Muhammad, peace be upon him in the Torah, the Gospel and the Quran
Forgiveness (Salvation) in Islam and Christianity
Israel the sedition of the generations in the Modern times
Israel the sedition of the generations in the Old times
The Orientalists and missionaries in the Arab world and Islamic countries
He translated three books of Ahmad Deedat from English to Arabic, they are:
Is crucifixion fiction or Real?
What the Bible says about Muhammad [peace be upon him]?
Who rolled back the stone?
[Ahmad Deedat is the best known for his numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians; he has many video tapes of such debates on the net].
Mr. Ibrahim Khalil Ahmed was then asked about the attitude of his wife and children and he answered:
"My wife left me at that time and took with her all the furniture of our house. But all my children joined me and embraced Islam. The most enthusiastic among them was my eldest son Isaac who changed his name to Osman, then my second son Joseph and my son Samuel whose name is Jamal and daughter Majida who is now called Najwa. Osman is now a doctor of philosophy working as a professor in Sorbonne University in Paris teaching oriental studies and psychology. He also writes in Le Monde magazine. As in regards to my wife, she left the house for six years and agreed to come back in 1966 provided that she keeps her religion. I accepted this because in Islam there is no compulsion in religion.
I said to her: I do not want you to become a Muslim for my sake but only after you are convinced.
She feels now that she believes in Islam but she cannot declare this for fear of her family but we treat her as a Muslim woman and she fasts in Ramadan because all my children pray and fast. My daughter Najwa is a student in the Faculty of Commerce, Joseph is a pharmacist and Jamal is an engineer."
"During this period, that is since 1961 until the present time I have been able to publish a number of books on Islam and the methods of the missionaries and the orientalist against it. I am now preparing a comparative study about women in the three Divine religions with the object of highlighting the status of women in Islam.
In 1973 I performed Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) and I am doing activities preaching Islam. I hold seminars in the universities and charitable societies. I received an invitation from Sudan in 1974 where I held many seminars. My time is fully used in the service of Islam."
Finally Mr. Khalil was asked about the salient features of Islam which have attracted his attention most. And he answered:
"My faith in Islam has been brought about through reading the Holy Quran and the biography of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. I no longer believed in the misconceptions against Islam and I am especially attracted by the concept of unity of God, which is the most important feature of Islam. God is only One. Nothing is like Him. This belief makes me the servant of God only and of no one else. Oneness of God liberates man from servitude to any human being and that is true freedom."
"I also like very much the rule of forgiveness (salvation) in Islam and the direct relationship between Allah and His servants".
The Quran Says: "O my servants who have transgressed against their souls!, despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. Turn ye to your Lord (in repentance) and submit to Him before the Chastisement comes on you: After that ye shall not be helped." (Quran 39:53-54)
