The Spiritual Resurrection of a Lost Youth.

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem,

Asalaamu Alaikum W/r W/b,

My name is Brother Yahya Hayder Seymour and the following is my conversion story to the path of Islam and eventually the Path of the Ahlul Bayt (as).

(Note my story is online on other websites, yet this is the most HONEST account of things, before I was embarassed of my past and so Sugar coated things).

I was born in the Philippines (Sean Andrew Seymour) in 1987 to a Scottish Father and a Filipina Mother, by definition making me a Mixed Race child or "half cast" as I would be called by some of my peers at a later age. My Parents split up whilst I was very young and unfortunately it was before I had even turned the age of 1 year. Therefore my Mother was forced to raise my older brother (3 at the time) and myself (around 9 months) at the time. My Mother did her best to raise us, despite the fact she was in a country alien to her (Britain so we could get a good education), and one that was rather hostile towards people who were different or foreign due to the fact it was not really all that diverse at the time.

Anyways I was always a brighter child and my arrogance, and mastery of the English language didn't really help channel this in a good direction, and I became one of those kids who was really really cheeky to anyone in authority such as Teachers etc, etc. Being from the Philippines, I was technically a Roman Catholic and to be honest I did believe in God, but not in any particular Dogma, I believed that God was one, not in a pantheonistic view or anything like that. Although I did have an interest in the different types of religions that history and locations have produced, and was always reading into Religion, Myths and Legends. Although at the age of 13-14, I started hanging around with the wrong people, and I guess this was due to the fact I wanted to belong to a crew and get attention. So I became one of those kids who is from a respectable Middle-Class background, who acted like they were from a ghetto, and such like. I started smoking cigarettes at the age of 14, and started Binge drinking at 14 also. Unfortunately this reflected on my school grades and I started dropping to the Middle and Bottom Classes in terms of School performance and I went on to receive many a detention after school due to my very immature attitude towards life. So at this age, my guidance teacher went on to suggest that I do a personal project as a punishment, which would take me 2 months and would look into my Filipino Heritage etc, etc. This project was to prove, very interesting as it would go onto to introduce me to the religion of Islam, perhaps the world's only major faith I hadn't come across for some strange reason.

History prove that my ancestors were Muslim before the arrival of the spaniards in the Philippines who would go on to convert (through violent means) the North of the Country and the majority at that. However this didn't really persuade me to look into Islam deeply or convert, that would come later.

After reading a lot, so my project would go well. I started reading into World History and Politics as a Hobby, something I could have never pictured myself doing but well, did anyways and thoroughly enjoyed it. I decided my life had become a nightmare and if I didn't get a grip, it would be the end of my life soon as I would leave with no basic qualifications and wouldn't have the ability to get the advanced ones and would therefore fail in life. So I turned to the religion that my Parents were supposed to adher to, I decided I should look heavily into Catholicism and start practicing. However the doctrine of the trinity as well as Original Sin, was to hold me back from pursuing anything more than a light interest in the religion, I was also put off the clear fallibility of the Papal Authorities, who were said to be God's Representatives on Earth and so Subsequently left any ideas of becoming a Good Catholic behind me.

I will avoid every single detail, but whilst in Egypt visiting my Father the previous year, I was given an English Translation of the Qur'an and after deciding to pick it up and actually take time to read it, I realised how amazing this book really was. Especially in that It had all the Prophets I was familiar with, as well as Jesus who had a more logical role in this religion. I also felt the book, placed God in a lot higher position (the position he deserves) compared to the way the Old Testament describes the Nature of God.

So after around a year of researching I converted to the deen of al-Islam at the young age of 15/16 (it was around late 15/early 16) I became a staunch muslim and began engulfing myself in the study of the religion believing that I would spread the word of Islam throughout my nation, and would try and be the "shining example to those in the darkness" (as described my Malcolm X in his autobiography). I became deeply involved in my local community and at the time was following the Najdi path of Islam (often referred to as the Salafi or Wahabi sect of Islam), which unfortunately is rather intolerant and belittles the status of the Prophet and his Family (PBUTA) and elevate the status of those who had the pleasure of being in the company of the Prophet, whether or not they deserved it, to the level of Infallibility. The Salafis are however extremely organised and understand the needs of communities and how to get the youth active vey easily. 

Anyways, the final part of my spiritual development came at the age of 17, when I decided that it was fairly evident through our own hadith books (as in those of the Sunnis) that the Shia school of thought, was the most accurate and that the status of the Ahlul Bayt (as) and their role in safeguarding the religion and that there had been a constant devoid of love for the Prophet's family, going all the way back to the Prophet's Death and the event of Saqifa. The Hadith relating to the tragedy of Thursday was the final nail in the coffin for me though, it proved the arrogance of certain "Sahaba" regarding their status and how they would belittle our beloved Prophet (SAW). It is impossible for anyone who researches the Ahlul Bayt and their prophesies to doubt their status within the religion, the Iranian Revolution and the foundations of the Islamic Republic were prophesized and as was the importance that the city of Qom will go on to play.

I realised that History is always written by the Tyrants, and yet we have allowed the religion of Islam to be dilluted and corrupted by the filth of society. Bani Ummaya were the enemies of the Prophet during his lifetime and yet shortly after his death, an entire dynasty of Ummayeds were left to safeguard and rule over the Ummah, how could this make sense? So I chose to accept the Wilayah of the Ahlul Bayt and Pledge Bayyat to Imam Mahdi (May Allah Hasten his reappearance). I chose to follow Taqlid of Imam Khamenei, agreeing entirely with Wilayah-e-Faqih.

Now I am studying at University in Scotland and Insha Allah will go onto Hawza after this Insha Allah.

Brother Yahya