My Journey to My Faith
By Dr Khalid A. Sami
Roselle , IL
“God was calling me,” “I heard and I answered the call of God,” “God had a plan for me,” “God choose me to do this work,” and so on and so forth. I have often heard this phrase from members of the Clergy Association.
We Muslims believe that God calls everyone, all human beings to His path. His call is not reserved for any individual and His path is not restricted to certain persons, His path is open for everyone who asks or seeks it. He has no reason to select one individual over others. All human beings are equal in His eyes. He does not select people.
Men and women choose their own destiny which is based on their common sense, their logic and their observation of the universe and the works of God all around them.
Therefore in the Kingdom of God the field is open to everyone to do good and spread the truth about His absolute ONENESS and by not associating a partner to Him. We believe He is not born to anyone, no one is born to Him. He is the beginning, He is the end. He is hidden from our eyes but He is visible through His works. God describes Himself and His Nature in the Holy Qur’an as “Leisa Kamislahi Sayaena,” meaning, "I am not like anything you can think of". Muslims believe that human beings are incapable of comprehending the true nature of God. We can only look at His works and perfect harmony in the nature and believe in His existence.
I entered this open field of Oneness and consciousness of God at an early age. By 15 I felt God’s presence around me at all times. When I joined medical school I explored this field of God-consciousness further in my anatomy lab classes, in the experiments of physiology, and in the structures of cytology. There I discovered that all human beings, be it Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and atheists are all made exactly the same. The heart rested on the left side of the chest with four chambers and two great blood vessels neatly arranged to perform their own functions. When I looked at the brain of all these individuals (the Hindus, the Muslims, the Jews and the Buddhists) they were all identical and exactly the same. Neatly arranged in motor and sensory cortex and their blood supplies were predictably similar.
But one does not have to be a “rocket scientist” or even a physician, a preacher or a priest to rationalize that the Creator of all these human beings has to be the same. The Hindu God, Muslim God, Christian God, Jewish God and Buddhist God must be the same to keep this perfect and flawless uniformity and harmony in His Creations.
When I became a physician I took a sacred oath to consecrate my life to the service of humanity, not the life of a patient of a particular faith. I took an oath to hold human life as precious and sacred, and to protect and honor it at all times and under all circumstances irrespective of their religious affiliations and persuasions.
I deeply believe as you all do (I am sure) that all human beings are equal in the eyes of God. They all have the same needs and same aches and pains.
When I started to practice the art of healing at a young age, I found there is a strong bond of humanity that binds us all to love and to care for each other. When I saw a little child in distress and an old man in agony it never crossed my mind to know what God they believed in, or if they even believed in any God.
Why do we care so much about one another? When I explored this further, I found out that there is a sacred covenant that God has bestowed on all human beings. God describes His Grace in the Qur’an as follows: “Lakud Karrumna Bani Adam” which means “we have bestowed dignity on the human race”
In Islam there is no such thing as priesthood as understood and practiced in different Christian denominations and in the Jewish faith. Anyone Muslim can do all the duties and functions of an “Imam”. (You can call him as Muslim Clergy). He can lead prayer services, give Friday sermons, conduct funeral services and perform marriages.
I do all these functions on and off whenever I am called upon to do such a job in the community.
In conclusion, my journey to God is a constant part of my everyday life as a doctor, a teacher, a husband, a father and a grandfather. I see the works of God e verywhere and am always reminded of my connection to Him and to all humanity.
