The story of an Iraqi former Muslim who came to faith after seeing Jesus in a dream is remarkable.
“I was sleeping, and I saw someone coming towards me,” Yasin* told Open Doors UK & Ireland, “I cannot describe how beautiful He was. His hair was long, He wore a scarf on His head. He was so beautiful, I could not stop looking at Him. He put his hand on my head and said, ‘You are my beloved child; this is the way, follow me.’”
Reportedly, a Muslim friend told Yasin that the dream was from the devil, and not to think about it anymore. Not believing the devil was responsible, Yasin asked a Christian friend in the village who told him: “This is God showing Himself to you.”
A local pastor, who himself was a convert from Islam – the majority religion in Iraq – read the Bible with Yasin. Encountering the words of Jesus for the first time, Yasin experienced their transformative power – God’s transformative power.
Apparently, Yasin asked questions; he went to a conference organised by Open Doors’ partners – who help persecuted Christians worldwide – and then made the life-changing decision to follow Christ.
Early life
Yasin was brought up in a Muslim home, followed Islamic law, and went to the mosque, doing all his “religious duties” but said he was doing it for his friends’ sake, not because he believed in it.
“I did not have much faith in Islam. It was a habit – but not true worship,” Yasin told Open Doors. “I argued with God a lot. I said, ‘God if you exist, I don’t want to sin; I want to live with you. I am asking you to show yourself to me.’ ”
He kept praying for answers and then had the “miraculous” dream.
Transformation
According to Yasin himself, before he encountered God’s love, he was violent towards his family. “But Jesus says we should be servants” so he started serving his wife and children instead.
Through lots of prayer over time, Yasin’s wife and children also chose to follow Jesus. Despite his wife initially telling him “How could you bring such a book [the Bible] into our house?”, Yasin’s transformation was so remarkable – including regarding his demeanour towards his family – that she at first decided not to bother him when he read the Bible, and then came to believe in it for herself.
What can we do?
As is the case for the vast majority of Muslims who become Christians, and many converts living in Iraq, believers are at constant risk of persecution. “Converts like Yasin are always balancing the dangers that come when their faith is known with the desire to share the gospel,” Open Doors writes.
“I ask you to pray for me, because I believe in the power of prayer,” Yasin said. “I ask you to pray that God gives me strength to evangelise to as many people as possible.”
We can also partner with Yasin by supporting organisations like Open Doors, that – among much other important work – help get Bibles to those who most urgently need them, and help deliver the sort of training that equips Christians like Yasin to keep sharing God’s word in high-risk regions.
*His name has been changed.
