The Journey of Japanese Yamato to Islam
“I came into this world to leave, to seek knowledge and wisdom,
To watch with love and awe, what can I do in this moment?”
Erzurumlu Ibrahim Hakkı
Ibrahim Hakkı beautifully summarizes the meaning of our existence with these words. As we strive to imbue our lives with meaning, chasing beauty and wisdom, we inevitably complete the poignant journey of life in one way or another. In reality, each of us is tested in our loyalty to the covenant we made with our Lord in eternity. The deceptive allure of the world and the various tricks of the devil make it challenging to remember and fulfill the covenant we made in eternity. Our story, our decision to be ‘adam,’ in other words, a true human being, is determined by our determination to act in accordance with the truth.
In this narrative, we will talk about Adam, a young university student who has set his goal to be a complete human being.
Changing Lives
Japanese brother Adam embraced Islam in December 2019. He shares his story of how he became Muslim: “I went to France for university for one year. At that time, I decided to visit Morocco. It was the first time I saw a mosque there. People were praying and making dua inside. It deeply affected me. When I returned to my country, I visited Tokyo Mosque. I think what affected me the most was the brotherhood and friendship among people.“
Before becoming Muslim, he had done about two months of research on his own and received support from the people in the mosque. When asked about the changes in his life, he says, “There was a considerable distance between the moments of happiness and sadness in my life. Now that distance is much less, and I feel relaxed. Also, whatever I want somehow comes to me. For example, I wanted to learn Arabic, and someone who could teach me Arabic appeared.“
Before going to Morocco, he had a basic idea about Islam, as it was taught in school. When he thought about Muslims, he used to picture veiled women. Regarding the reactions of his family and friends after becoming Muslim, he explains,
“When I told my friends that I became Muslim, they asked if there were not too many rules. Other than that, I did not get an extreme reaction. Since I am a bit unconventional, they accepted it as normal. My family was initially worried, and I had to have a private conversation with them. They told me that if I wanted to live as a Muslim from now on, I should promise to stay away from dangerous things, and we reached an understanding.”
Adam points out that his situation is not common among Japanese people.
In Japan, people usually become Muslim when they marry someone from Muslim countries. My situation is not familiar.”
When asked, “What are the difficulties you faced after becoming Muslim?” he mentions that he sometimes misses the prayer times during the day, and getting used to the morning prayer was challenging. He expresses his openness by saying, “If we ever meet, don’t hesitate to contact me.”
Our wish is for such moving and sincere stories to happen and resonate across all geographies.
