Qureshi - Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity

Nabeel Qureshi first began to study the Bible in order to challenge it and, incredibly, came to know Jesus as a result. I am thrilled to see his unique and gripping story in print and know that you will be encouraged and profoundly challenged by it as well. This is truly a must-read book for our times, as diverse worldviews each must face the test of truth.

Ravi Zacharias, author and speaker

This is an urgently needed book with a gripping story. Nabeel Qureshi masterfully argues for the gospel while painting a beautiful portrait of Muslim families and heritage, avoiding the fearmongering and finger-pointing that are all too pervasive in todays sensationalist world. I unreservedly recommend this book to all. It will feed your heart and mind, while keeping your fingers turning the page!

Josh D. McDowell, author and speaker

Nabeel describes the yearning in the hearts of millions of Muslims around the world. This book is a must-read for all seeking to share the hope of Christ with Muslims.

Fouad Masri, President and CEO, Crescent Project

Fresh, striking, highly illuminating, and sometimes heartbreaking, Qureshis story is worth a thousand textbooks. It should be read by Muslims and all who care deeply about our Muslim friends and fellow citizens.

Os Guinness, author and social critic

Nabeel Qureshis story is among the most unique two or three testimonies that I have ever heard. His quest brought together several exceptional features: a very bright mind, extraordinary sincerity, original research, and a willingness to follow the evidence trail wherever it took him. His search led to the cross and to Jesus Christ, who was resurrected from the dead.

Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished ResearchProfessor, Liberty University

In his personal quest to know the truth, Nabeel Qureshi paves the way for an analytical study of the faiths, dissecting the Christian and Islamic arguments, specifically citing numerous Islamic hadith and early Christian texts, so that the reader can see a logical progression to the analyses. But it is also a deeply personal heartwrenching and tear-evoking saga of the life of a young Muslim growing up in the West, a gripping biography that is impossible to put down.

James M. Tour, Professor of Chemistry, Computer Science,Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science, Rice University

For anyone seeking understanding of their Muslim neighbors or colleagues, this is a book to read. We go on a journey from the inside out. We are introduced to the depth of spirituality, the love and honor of family, and the way a person sees and feels in a devout Muslim home. This is profound book that skillfully shows the core differences between the gospel and Islamic claims. I highly recommend it.

Dr. Stuart McAllister, Regional Director The Americas,Ravi Zacharias International Ministries

This book offers the fascinating story of the conversion of a sincere young Ahmadiyya man who tried his best to seek Allah and eventually fell in love with Christ. I trust that this book can be a powerful encouragement for all Christians to pray for many Muslims to find Jesus Christ.

Mark Gabriel, author and former lecturer,Al-Azhar University in Cairo

ZONDERVAN

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus

Copyright 2014 by Nabeel A. Qureshi

ePub Edition January 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-51503-6

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Qureshi, Nabeel.

Seeking Allah, finding Jesus : a devout Muslim encounters Christianity/Nabeel Qureshi.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-310-51502-9 (softcover)ISBN 978-0-310-51503-6 (ebook)

1. Qureshi, Nabeel. 2. Christian converts from IslamBiography. I. Title.

BV2626.4.Q74A3 2014

248.2'46092dc23

[B] 2013035814

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney & Associates, Bonita Springs, Florida 34135

Cover design: Silverander Communications

Cover photography: Thinkstock

Interior design: Matthew Van Zomeren and Ben Fetterley

Printed in the United States of America

13 14 15 16 /DCI/ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY PARENTS.

Ammi and Abba, your undying love for me even when you feel I have sinned against you is second only to Gods love for His children. I pray you will one day realize His love is truly unconditional, that He has offered forgiveness to us all. On that day, I pray that you would accept His redemption, so we might be a family once again. I love you with all my heart.

CONTENTS

by Lee Strobel

WHEN MY MINISTRY ASSOCIATE, Mark Mittelberg, and I decided to host a national simulcast called Unpacking Islam to educate Christians about what Muslims believe and why, the first expert we thought to invite was our friend Nabeel Qureshi.

We knew that this young Muslim-turned-Christian, with degrees in medicine, religion, and apologetics, would be knowledgeable and articulate. And he certainly delivered during the simulcast, helping to provide a succinct overview of Islam and telling the compelling story of his journey from Islam to faith in Christ.

But what happened after our event impressed me even more. Nabeel and the other participants went into the churchs atrium to take questions from people in attendance. A woman stepped to the microphone and asked, As a Muslim, what are things I should know about Muhammad? She seemed to be conflicted about what she had heard during the simulcast.

Instantly, I saw Nabeel kick into another gear. He began to discuss Islam with a depth that only another devout Muslim could fully appreciate, drawing from a seemingly bottomless reservoir of background and experience. And when he and the other experts began earnestly praying with the woman afterward, I was moved by his heartfelt compassion toward her prompted, no doubt, by memories of his own epic struggles when he first started questioning Islam.

That evening only deepened my already profound respect and admiration for Nabeel, whom I had met through mutual friends several years earlier. Im thrilled youll now be able to meet him in the following pages as he describes how his sincere desire for truth took him on a circuitous and even supernatural quest for answers.

Youll experience what its like for someone immersed in Islamic culture to risk everything in order to determine the true identity of God. This is a very personal story of family, friends, and faith, intertwined with insights into Islam that will help you understand the Muslim world in new ways.