ISTANBUL – NACİYE KAYNAK
 

Brazilian José Renato de Jesus Vieira spent 14 years as a priest, preaching from the Bible in his church. As he reflected on the prophets’ emphasis on the One God, he began to conduct research and eventually found Islam. His new name is Mücahit Dede. True to the meaning of his name, Mücahit Bey now invites people to the true religion every day in Brazil.

Vieira, who served as a priest in Brazil for 14 years, studied the Bible carefully, preached in his church and imparted religious knowledge to his congregation. His research and the questions in his mind led him to explore beliefs beyond Christianity. Vieira, 57, read the Qur’an in Portuguese and compared it with the Bible. Believing that he had found the answers he was seeking, he embraced Islam.

HE TURNED TOWARDS ISLAM WHILE STUDYING THE OLD TESTAMENT

Vieira said that he became interested in Islam when he began studying the Old Testament: “When I looked at the times of the prophets, I saw that all of them called people to worship the One God. Hazrat Jesus, too, taught the Jews of his time and the people around him to worship the One God.”

HE BEGAN TO TEACH THAT GOD IS ONE

Even before he had a Portuguese translation of the Qur’an, Vieira began teaching in his church sermons that God is One. He also shared with his congregation his belief that Hazrat Jesus (as) is not the son of God. Some time later, Vieira was given a Portuguese translation of the Qur’an and began reading it alongside the Bible.

“I saw that many verses in the Qur’an were consistent with conclusions I had previously reached from the Bible,” Vieira said. He explained that after sharing this with his congregation, it led to discussions in the church, but that over time some members of the congregation came to accept these views.

FROM 18 PEOPLE TO 50

Vieira made the most important decision of his life about ten years ago and embraced Islam. He expresses this decision in these words: “The greatest happiness of my life was accepting Islam. My wish is for more people to become acquainted with Islam and its beauties.”

The fruits of this prayer and his efforts are also becoming visible. Vieira said that initially 18 members of his church congregation recited the testimony of faith and that, over time, they became a Muslim community of around 50 people.

THE CHURCH WAS TURNED INTO A MOSQUE

The church where Vieira had preached the Bible for many years as a priest was also converted into a mosque at this stage. The Qur’an is now recited there and prayers are performed. Another good and beneficial activity carried out in the mosque is Risale-i Nur study gatherings.

Vieira not only speaks about Islam in his mosque but also goes out into the streets, talking to people and inviting those who are curious to ask questions. Vieira now hopes to establish a mosque in the area.

“BEDIUZZAMAN WAS A VERY WISE MAN”

Vieira, who recently came to Istanbul at the invitation of a group of Risale-i Nur students, said, “It is a great happiness for everyone to get to know a Muslim country. I was very happy with the way my Muslim brothers welcomed me. I visited many mosques and the madrasahs of Said Nursi.”

Commenting on Bediuzzaman, Ustad said, “He was a very wise man.” Vieira added, “Thanks to the message conveyed by Bediuzzaman, I came to know Islam and the Qur’an more closely.”

In an interview, when asked, “Do you read the Risale-i Nur?”, Vieira replied:

“We do not merely read Bediuzzaman’s Risale-i Nur. My wife and I hold study gatherings from these works in the city where we live. We also hold a study of Bediuzzaman’s works in our mosque every Thursday.

“Besides this, we carry out activities in the streets as well. We talk to people and distribute books to them. In this way, they can read and understand the Qur’an better.”

A REFERENCE TO OUR PROPHET IN THE BOOK OF ISAIAH

Vieira, who said that some verses of the Qur’an are found in meaning in the Bible, stated: “There are many verses on this subject. There are verses stating that Hazrat Jesus is not the son of God. There are around thirty verses conveying this. Although the word ‘son’ appears in some places, there are many verses affirming the Oneness of God.”

He said that this strengthened his faith and conviction.

Vieira explained that the Bible confirms that Hazrat Muhammad (asm) is the Messenger of Allah, citing Isaiah 29:12 as an example:

“The book is given to one who cannot read, and he is told, ‘Read this, please.’ He says, ‘I cannot read.’”

Source: TRT Haber, MyRahle

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