Why Did They Embrace Islam?

Englishman Alfred Frantz: “I embraced Islam due to the civilized approach of

the Sultan of Oman. The then Heir to the Throne Crown Prince of Oman
advised me that in order to become righteous, I should know my religion first.
That was the turning point of my life”

Author: Ahmad Hamid

Compiled by: Emeel Ameen
Translation from Arabic: Dr. Syed Bashir Ahmad

“Many a harmful things are beneficial,” thus says an Arabic proverb. As every one
knows, the events of September 11, 2001, were denounced throughout the Muslim
World. Although Islam and Muslims had nothing to do with those horrible acts of
violence, murder and bloodshed, many true concepts - like Islam being a message of
peace and mission of mercy - were confused to some and muddle up by others. Yet
those events prompted the western world to understand the meaning of Islam,
deliberate over its message and study its constituents. In fact, the events opened the
gates wide open for many to acquaintance themselves with the great religion of
Islam that is followed by one and a half billion people including most of the Arabs
and hundreds of millions of other nations all over the globe.
The book “Why Did They Embrace Islam - From MOSAD to ISLAM” deals with
the experiences of individuals of different nationalities, both devout and no devout,
from various parts of the world. These are those individuals, for whom Islam
became the asylum and sanctuary from wilderness and estrangement of long periods,
because, as the author says: “Islam is the religion that encompasses every small and
big components and reality of the universe with absolute accuracy. It leads the
human being in all aspects of his life and elevates him to the highest state of being
the vicegerent of the Omnipotent on the earth.”

The book contains the biographies of some fifty individuals who declared to have
embraced the faith of peace and whose hearts were illuminated by the faith and that
they modelled their lives, in word and practice, according to the Islamic faith.”

One of the most beautiful and impressive among these individuals is the case of the
Englishman Alfred Frantz. For this detailing the case of this fortunate individual,
the author has dedicated a whole chapter entitled “I embraced Islam due to the
civilized approach of the Sultan.” The Sultan is none but our beloved His Majesty
Qaboos Bin Said, Sultan of Oman, who was pursuing his studies in U.K. at that
time.

Who is this Alfred Frantz, what is his story and what was the role of his majesty in
wisely guiding him to the shore of Islam?

Alfred Frantz was born in 1940. Although his parents belonged to British
aristocratic lineage with strict adherence to traditional British values, he rebelled
against the tradition and, like his generation of European youth in late fifties and
early sixties, preferred to renounce allegiance to any inherited customs and to live an
unrestrained life with freewill. His family failed in reining him back from the life of
libertinism and he turned the family’s mansion into a place of impertinence for the
gang of his friends from both the sexes. When the time came for his admission to the
famous college where traditionally only sons rich, princes and gentry were admitted,
he refused to study there. Under severe pressure form his parents he somehow joined
the college. As if the divine will was so, it coincided with something that had to
change the course of his life forever. In the college, as reported by the author, he
came to be acquainted with an Arab prince. Alfred Frantz, who at that time was had
extricated himself from personal moral integrity, wanted to invite the prince to
attend some pastime activity of his permissive friends. The prince courteously
turned down the invitation. The young Englishman, instead of being able to
influence the Arab prince, found becoming him more and committed to his studies,
He would not approach the proximity of alcohol, nor would flirt or date women. He
would be seen punctually offering his prayers, reciting the holy Qurân. Initially this
exceptional personality in that environment became a source of astonishment for the
young Englishman, but soon the astonishment transformed into curiosity and
gradually into admiration of the young Arab prince. The prince was very much
different from the stereotyped Arab and Muslim men in the West, an image that is
typically attributed to apathy towards studies, research, negligence of essential
Arabic values and violation Islamic integrity.

Alfred Frantz says: “I found this prince different from what I used to hear about
Arabs and especially about the princes and aristocrats. With his dispositions and
integrity, the prince turned the clock back to my olden days. Upon seeing this young
Arab, I started feeling ashamed of my own self, for he awoke me from my slumber
and made me recover my consciousness after having wandered in labyrinth of
rebellion. He made me revert back to my religion.” What does he mean by
reverting?

The Englishman Alfred Frantz, who has embraced Islam, reports: “One day I asked
the young Arab prince about his religion. Contrary to the usual and customary
response, the prince did not surprise me by suddenly descending upon explanation
of the fundamentals of Islamic faith or by inviting me right away to embrace Islam,
rather composedly and confidently, he replied: “know your religion first, try to abide
by it and then acquaint yourself with Islam and other religions. It is important that
you know your religion first, adhere to its prayers, commandments and rituals.”

The intellectual grandeur of the young prince, who was to become later on as one of
the great and wise leaders of the Arab and Muslim world, was manifest from what
he then discreetly told the young Alfred Frantz, “Originally the source of religions
has been one. A devotee should abide by what his religion actually ordains, so that
with his steadfastness and compliance, he can lead a life of righteousness.”

In this setting of conversation between the pious prince and the young Englishman,
the reader can realise the wisdom of His Majesty. In fact, he was inline with the
Qurânic guidance that “there is no compulsion in the religion (of Islam)”and that
whosoever seeks the message of Islam and wants to pursue its mission, should first
study thoroughly what he already has. Vain utterance of Islam with hollow spirit is
of no avail to its claimant; it should rather be the out come of sincere conviction
based on consciousness, comprehension and appreciation of Islam as the way of life.
The advice of the young Arab prince, as Alfred Frantz acknowledge, had an impact
of cool breeze and peaceful inspiration upon his young intellect. “It prompted me to
retrospect over my religion so that I could acquaint myself with it once; I explored
deeper into it; then I restarted reading the Bible; I started frequenting the church
once again. My family noticed this strange turn of events. They were astonished
with the transformation and it was quite natural for them to enquire about the
impetus behind this extraordinary shift.”

“I explained to my rich aristocratic parents that my spiritual encounter with my new

Arab friend - who was consciously devout to his faith with a candid heart and
preponderant intellect - was behind the sea change. When I further told them that the
prince did not see to my state as a chance to exploit and convert me overnight from
my religion to his own, they thought high of him and expressed high regard for him.
They advised me to strengthen my friendship with him. They believed that being
acquainted with person with a person of these attributes and being near to a prince of
such morality is a matter of honour. They even asked me to invite him so that they
too could be introduced with him. They started reading about his country to gain
information, so that when my Arab colleague came to visit them, they could talk to
him while being well aware about his father and about the country, he ruled.”

Alfred Frantz further continues with his narration and finally concludes it saying,
“my colleague Qaboos Bin Said Bin Taimoor accepted my invitation to visit us at
our mansion and did really visit us. The noble aristocratic English family was
amazed and astonished with the wisdom and sophisticated etiquette of the young
prince. The prince was not overwhelmed by the grandeur and splendour of the
mansion nor was he moved by manifestation of the family’s wealth and affluence.
He conducted himself naturally. As I had always observed him, he had a tranquil
smile on his face and talked soberly. Although every word he uttered was as if
weighed in golden scale, yet there was neither artificiality nor any air of pretence.
Signs of principality were very much obvious on his face, yet without any
arrogance; he looked confident, yet without any haughtiness.”

“The bond of our friendship was destined to grow stronger and persist. My parents
felt fortunate for our association. Even though I had imposed friendship on him and
although I was importunate and meddlesome wanting to know every detail his
privacies, yet he never showed any displeasure weariness, until the arrival of an
unforgettable day. That day was certainly of my first encounter with Islam, as if, on
that day, it was being personified through the personality of the young Arab prince it
in its most magnificent form and in its purest costume.”
“I asked him a question that took him by surprise. I asked: does your behaviour,
conduct and morals vest in your being crown prince of your country and heir to the
throne of your father, or in anything else? I am curious to know this, especially
because your commendable morals and praiseworthy conduct have been an impetus
behind the change in my personality and making me upright in my affairs compared
to what I used to be. Although my question was out of the blue, the prince replied
spontaneously, as if he was all set for the occasion. He replied eloquently with
clarity of crystal: As you imagined or as you might have been made to believe and
as you put it, the matter has nothing to do with royal morality. It is rather morality
and genuineness. As I have explained to you earlier about Islamic morality, whether
it is a Sultan or a common man, all are equal in front of Exalted Almighty, the
Creator. Everyone is supposed to comply with the sublime Islamic code of conduct,
to implement it and to stick to it. This qualifies them to be the true representatives of
the creator of the universe. According to Islam, human being is the vicegerent of
Allah on the earth, and whosoever declares faith in His oneness, should
wholeheartedly confirm to responsibilities and implications of the testimony that
‘there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’. Whosoever
is earnest in this essential testimony and conducts his life with devotion, is a true
envoy of Allah. All individuals are going to vanish from the scene of this life and
none except the creator of the existence shall exist forever. He is has no companion
or partner and none is like Him. He went on to say: If you want to further your
knowledge on the subject, you will have to read. Upon reading about Islam, you will
be impelled to admire the followers of this great religion, whether they are
successors to thrones of their countries or common folk.”

The course of study separated the two, Alfred and the prince, after the former
discontinued the tough study, as it required strong psychological susceptibility and
hard work, and only those with dedication, determination and unwavering resolution
to complete the mission could pursue and accomplish. The idyllic image of the
Omani prince kept alluring his heart and fascinating his thought. Alfred intended to
maintain the bond of spiritual friendship with his Arab colleague and to visit the
latter’s homeland. He kept reading about Oman, its history and its rendezvous with
Islam, the faith that all its citizens hold dear to their heart. Alfred says, “I found that
Oman had a history that was deep rooted in time. Before Islam the people of Oman
worshiped idols. When the envoy of the Messenger of Allah (praise and peace be
upon him) brought the message of Islam to the twin rulers of Oman (Abd and Jaifar
sons of Julanda), they received the envoy with courtesy and honour. When the
envoy (Amr ibn Al-Aass) conferred with them and explained to them fundamentals
of the religion of Islam and the way of life it wants to be led in light of the holy
Qurân, the two answered the call of Islam without any hesitation or delay. Instantly
the Omani nation as a whole followed the suit by embracing the true religion. It was
due to this wise and genuine decision of the Omani nation that the Messenger of
Allah (praise and peace be upon him) supplicated to Allah “May Allah shower his
mercy upon the people of Gubaira (ancient name of Oman). They believed in me
without having seen me.”

With his involvement in managing of his the expanding and thriving ancestral
business, Alfred became a globetrotter. “During my tours and flights across the
“globe, the ideal character of the young Arab prince - Qaboos bin Said bin Taimoor
- had been alluding me and his words kept echoing in my mind until one fine day I
decided to set about studying Islam seriously. I went to the Islamic Centre of
London where I met a magnificent elderly man, an Azharite Egyptian scholar, Dr.
Abdul jaleel Shalabi. We had a lengthy meeting; I kept enquiring and he answered
all my questions with magnanimity like a great visionary. I could see the bliss on his
face while he was answering my questions.”

The first meeting was not the last meeting between us. It led to many meetings,
through which Alfred came to know significantly about Islam. He read many books
about Islam, but what struck his mind most, was the view of Muslim congregational
prayers, wherein everyone, with different descent and nationalities, stood, kneeled
and prostrated together in utmost devotion and submissiveness in marvellous unity
and synergy. “it was an extraordinary illustration of unity; it enchanted and
captivated me….. I purchased books and read a lot. I dived even deeper in study of
biography of the Prophet Muhammad (praise and peace be upon him). As soon as I
finished reading one book, I immediately caught hold of another one. My
rendezvous with Dr. Shalabi continued. He was very contented with my progress in
seeking knowledge about Islam and for my passion for seeking truth.”

One day the mentor, Dr. Shalbi, told his English student, “You read about Islam
through English language and read English translation of the holy Qurân, yet your
love for this religion is so fervent. What will happen to you if you read the through
Arabic, the language of Islam? I presume that people will take you as an Azharite
scholar like me. I pray to Allah that you get to know Arabic. These earnest words
were tantamount to an incitement for me to learn Arabic to know Islam through its
own language and to study Qurân though the language in which it has been
revealed.”
The day when I pronounced the witness of Islamic faith, it emanated from the heart
of my hearts, from my intellect, from my soul, from my inner self and from my
whole existence. I felt as if I was born again; as if I was throwing away from my
shoulders all those years of rebellion to embark on an entirely new life. In Islam, I
found peace and real life, a life that is realised and enjoyed only by a faithful and
practicing Muslim, one who complies with its commandments. Only practical
effectuation of the Islamic faith reflects on the faithful with grace, reverence and
magnificence, which emanates form absolute devotion to the Almighty.

In the end of account of his tryst with Islam, the English businessman Abu
Muhammad (Alfred Frantz) confesses saying, “it was only the grace of Allah that
guided me through bewilderment. He chose me for guidance. It is He who guides to
His right path whom He wishes to. Upon acknowledging the divine mercy and
blessing upon him, Abu Muhammad does not forget to make mention of the man
who was instrumental in bringing him to the shore guidance. It was none but his
fellow student, whose exemplary behaviour showed him the light. That fellow
student later became the Sultan of Oman and held the helm of affairs with great
wisdom and strength, undoubtedly derived from his strong Islamic roots.”

Abu Muhammad concludes, “Allah blessed me and I married a compatriot Muslim

woman, who bore lovely sons and daughters for me. I pray to Allah to bless them. I
was fortunate to perform Hajj and Umrah with my family. I wrote to His Majesty
Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, Sultan of Oman about what his wise words, while we were
classmates, has done to me.” Abu Muhammad wraps up his narration by saying, “I
visited Egypt where we spent time at Al-Azhar campus. My family enjoyed fasting
of Ramadhan there. I still keep visiting Egypt, because I feel tranquillity and
serenity while being among the people of Egypt. They are very courteous and very
devout.”

This is one of the best narratives of “Why Did They Embrace Islam.” The young
prince played the role model of a wise herald call ing with while enjoying