Conversion Story For Steffen William Holm

My name is Steffen William Holm and I'm 35 years old. I have become a stepfather three years ago, this summer it will be three years ago. It is very great to be a stepfather. My wife has four kids from another relationship. I am living in the big island, Lolland, in Denmark. The city where I live in is called Vejle, and normally in my daily basis I am working in an office, in a post office. I deliver letters and parcels and commercials to about, I guess 500, mailboxes every day, and it's a hard job. I'm glad about it. I have worked at this company for almost nine years now.This is my background story. 

When I was a child I grew up on the country farm near Aarhus. I played with the other kids around and we went to a little lake every day, fishing and making each other's company and that was just it.

Before I became Muslim, I was a Christian protestant. At the time I didn't know about Islam, because I hadn't read so much about it, but I had heard about the rumours about how bad the people in this culture were, that they are only liars, they're telling false stories about many people, these strange people.

They don't actually know what they're talking about, they are just talking bull in a way, all of it. So I didn't listen much to what they told me. To start from the beginning, when I was seven years and going to school every day in Aarhus, I learned about a boy Muhammad. He was an Arab boy, we were talking every day, and we were actually best friends. I wasn't good friends with the other Danish boys because they were always teasing everybody. So I spent many hours together with him or with the Italian folks at the school.

When I studied at high school, I read about the Prophets, allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad. When I read about Muhammad and his time when he was born, where he lived, I was very surprised about the story. I think I fell in love with that story. That was just it. I became more and more interested in Islam.

I have never thought about Sunni Islam. I just think before I came into it, I didn't know very much about Islam. I just thought Islam is Islam. But actually it isn't. Because there are two or three different ways. Wahhabi Muslims, they are extremists. And there are Sunni Muslims. Some of them are very nice. Our neighbors at home are Sunni Muslims, they're very peaceful people. They just enjoy the religion and pray everyday on the carpets and talk to us as normal people will do, so they are good enough.

I have met some others Sunni Muslims, that were not so great, because they were very violent people. They shout loudly. I became Shi'a because my wife is a born Shi'a Muslim, and she is from Afghanistan. When I met her the first time, I was falling in love, falling in love with my wife. She interviewed me and told me about culture and about religion and traditions. And I have always also been a very traditional person. So I was very pleased about the way she thinks and her mind, it became actually part of the same as who I am. So we agreed about everything back then.

When I became a Muslim and converted to Islam, I was quitting drink and swine flesh, I quit that too. But the hardest part for me was to quit the drinking, because I liked beer then, and I know my father, he did too. He liked a big glass every Friday with red wine. But no, that's not something for me. I don't like red wine.

Everyday I told my mother about God and taught her so much, so now she's praying every day. Actually, that's kind of a miracle, because I told her so much about God and how she can pray and when I did it in the church before, when I was a Christian, I have taught her what she can do. She can get on her knees and fold her hands together, just standing and pray and talk to God. If she is sorry about something or is she messed up or upset about something she can talk with God. God will always listen to her. Because sometimes life is rough and hard, and we have to believe in something, and that is God, because God will forgive us and show us mercy in His way.

After I got married, I settled down and met my wife, and we have four children, I am more relaxed now, as a person, because I was a very wild person before when I was younger, in my 20s.  I was a very wild boy, I really like it, but so much energy every day. I still have the energy but I'm not wild anymore. 

Ahlul Bayt is a thing about your house, it's a household where you live. It's so important to have the connection with the Quran, and Ahlul Bayt. Because the Quran is teaching you about new things every day, and you have to focus on new stuff and try to make everything better. But Ahlul Bayt is about marriages, I guess, and about relationships and maybe peace with God.

We Shi'a Muslims, we love Imam Husayn very much. But the Sunni Muslims... if we have a list with the Imams and important personalities and people in Shi'a, the list is very long. But it's very short when it gets to Sunni Muslims. And that's a big difference. Because not so many elements for the Sunni's and they don't like Imam Husayn as we do. Because we are studying Imam Husayn in another way, and we love him more. They don't understand how important actually as a person Imam Husayn is. So they split the things more. Some of these Sunni Muslims call themselves Salafi's. They are studying the very old prophets, the very old prophecy.Actually one of the first prophets, they are studying them, because they believe in them. And that's a big difference, because we are very much pleased about studying and learning new things about Imam Ali and the other Imams, so they are very important.

Actually I have something to tell you. Since we are talking about Imams right now, I have actually studied Imam Hasan. I like him very much. He's a little bit different from the other Imams, because he had a big house as I read it. And he had a lot of food. He didn't go hungry to bed. But he didn't eat much of his food. He was just waiting to have many guests in his house and he enjoyed to give his food to other people. And pleased them with that every day, and have big tables where they are sitting and talk together. He was a very warm hearted person.

He also forgave an old man. I remember when he came to Imam Hasan and he shouted at him, "I don't like you and your father. But now when you showed me who you really are, I really like you and your father". The old man said to him when they argued a bit, but Imam Hasan was a very wise man, I guess. Because he said to him, you must have confused me with another man, another person. I'm not the one you are thinking about. That was very great to say to the old man. He became very friendly to Imam Hasan. He talked to him as a brother after that. He had been very rude actually to Imam Hasan, but Imam Hasan didn't feel offended. He didn't shout at the man at all. He was very friendly to the man and invited him into his house where he could eat and have some water to drink and some bread for dinner.

Fatima az-Zahra, her story is actually when she lost her father. And later when the soldier came to her and knock her door in and she was pushing behind that door, and this, what you call it.... through the door and they are pushing her bones and breaking up and splitting in pieces. She was screaming behind the door, I guess, because it was hurting her so much. That's actually why we cry so much, because of the pain, because of the story of Fatima az-Zahra. We get very touched every time we have a majlis about her.

I will tell them about the brotherhood and how great all you people are, because you're very lovely. And I felt welcome  the first time I met you all. It's like being in a great great family. Not just a family, it's like a brotherhood, sisterhood also for my wife, I guess, a sisterhood for her. Muslims are very warm hearted and very nice people. Very good friends. 

We are very pleased about Imam Husayn.When I went to Karbala, I was in Karbala, I guess for five or seven days, but it was just the last three days I was there, I was focused in my mind. I wrote a letter to Imam Husayn about my wishes for the future and what I wish in life, maybe, you know, a better job or a better economy.

This video was first published on 8 Jun 2017 by ABTV Reborn as The connection with Quran and Ahlulbayt. We are grateful for their cooperation.