He makes the rules

One day I was driving up at the University of Utah when I picked up a young man with a very strange name. I didn’t know what the origin of the name was but we talked as I gave him a ride to his home. It was really nice ride and I enjoyed our conversation. I never found out where he was from and I didn’t think anything of it.

The very next day I was at the very same place about the very same time and I got him again. As you’ve probably gleaned from my blog, this is not something that happens frequently and generally I take that as a sign that I need to pay closer attention. Immediately I started thinking we should talk about the gospel. While I was thinking, I told him about my trips to Egypt and how to choose which camel to ride….. he said he was impressed.

I decided to start basic and I asked him, do you like it here? He said yes, it’s very peaceful and the people are nice. I asked him if the weather here is like it was where he’s from. He said, no. I’m from Saudi Arabia and it doesn’t look anything like Utah.

At this point I knew that this young man was Muslim. I’ve only spoken to a Muslim one time before in my car about religion. I really don’t know what the rules are and how to approach that given the ramifications in their culture for looking into other religions. As I was thinking this the spirit whispered, the rules are what I say they are. I smiled.

I told him that I was not originally from here, but that I moved here to go to BYU after my mission. He asked me where I went on my mission and I said Argentina. He said, that sounds like it would be a lot of fun! I said it was a lot of fun and it was really cool to get to know God.

I felt the words come into my heart that I should trust the Lord and go head long into a discussion about how his religion and our religion believe in prophets. I said, we both believe in God. We believe that God loves us, and that we serve him. He said, yes. He said that God was very important to him.

I told him that my religion and his religion both believe in prophets because we know that it is through prophets that God does his work. Through prophets he blesses us with his word. He said, it’s interesting to hear you talk about your religion because I think a lot of people are scared to talk to me. He said that he had an open mind and he wanted to learn.

I told him that we have prophets who have revealed God’s words to us and even prophets that lead us today. He said, that’s so cool. He said, I’ve heard you had a prophet named Joseph Smith. I really like that. I don’t like that in our religion there was only ever one prophet name, Muhammad. He said, shouldn’t God always bless us with his word. As the world changes shouldn’t he have more instruction to us? I gave an enthusiastic, yes.

He said, I’m not even sure that whole Mohammad story is right. It’s been so long and so many people passed it down. He said that he wasn’t even sure that the stories were anything but tales. He said, it’s so much better to have a prophet now.

I told him that Joseph Smith wanted to know truth and he knelt and prayed. As he prayed, God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. I told him that they called him to be the prophet to restore God’s church and we’ve had prophets since then. He said, that’s what I’m talking about! I like your religion.

I told him that we have a health law as well. He said, I think a Mormon could live in a Muslim house with the health law and the fasting. It seems like we have a lot of the same truth. I told him that I believe that.

Beginning with the testimony of Joseph Smith, the spirit of God filled the car and he opened up and just bloomed in front of me. He started asking me questions about what we believe with regards to Jesus Christ.

I shared with him with what the Buddhist in my car had told me sometime ago about how the Buddha they worship was the son of the great Buddha. He come down to dwell among the people to show them how they should live. I told him this sounds just like Jesus Christ, the son of God.

He said, this is exactly what I believe. He said, I believe that the things attributed to Mohamed if there even was Mohamed are combination of things that happened with other people and at other times. He said he believed that it is possible that it could be Jesus Christ. He said that the name Mohamed means praiseworthy. He said that it seems a bit like an adjective not a person. He said that the thought that Jesus came to his ancestors makes a lot of sense.

I told him about the Book of Mormon, an ancient record from ancient prophets that Joseph Smith received from an angel. I told him how in that book we are taught of the visit of Jesus Christ to America, where he descended from heaven, loved the people, taught them the gospel and gave everyone a commandment to be baptized. I told him that after Jesus taught them and blessed them, he said that there were others that weren’t of this land, or the land of Jerusalem or the lands round about, and that he was going to go to those people as well.

I told him that he left and went to bless those others. I asked him where he thought those others might have been and he said, well, obviously, I think it was my ancestors. I said that Isaiah, who is a prophet that we both believe in said that he would go to Kush, Pathos, Syria, Assyria and the Isles of the sea. I asked him if he knew where those places were.

He said, clearly Pathos is Egypt and much of the Mediterranean. He said that Kush is the ancient kingdom of Africa. He said that Syria anciently would’ve been much of the Middle East and Asia while Assyria would’ve been up north. Clearly this guy knew a whole lot more than most of the people I know with regards to that part of the world. I asked him where the isles of the sea would be found and he was stumped. I told him that it referred to America and any islands in the Pacific or other places that weren’t well known at the time. He said that makes a lot of sense.

He said, this is pretty neat to think about. I told him that there were a lot of people that were arguing about the race of Jesus. What I think that they’re really trying to do is associate themselves with him in the most personal and close manner they possibly can. Their spirits remember this connection.

I told him that God is our father and he loves us. I said that because of this he gives us commandments. I told him that he revealed his word to the prophets and that’s what was written in the Book of Mormon. He said, I’ve never held a Book of Mormon. He said, “I went to a Christian Bible study one time but I’ve never held a Book of Mormon in my hands”.

I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists. I held it up and I said, do you want to touch this one? Do you want to hold this one? He said yes.

He thumbed through the pages and the questions in the front of the book. He said, this is really cool. Where could I get one of these? I told him that this one that he was holding was prepared for him and that he should take that book.

He said, this book is sacred. He said, based on what I’m feeling in the car right now, I know that this book is true. I know it has God’s words. He said, I can’t take your book. I told him that this book was made especially for me to give out and that I would love it if he would take it.

He finally agreed and went to get out of the car. He turned to me and said, a lot of Mormons seem to be afraid to talk to me about religion. Why is that? I said, they’re afraid of doing something that could hurt you in your culture. He said, my culture is to love God and I will take that path anywhere it goes.

He said, I always thought that everybody had a problem with me. I see now that this was not true. Do you think it’s OK if I approach my Mormon friends and ask them to answer my questions while I read this book.? I said that would absolutely be the right thing to do.

I told him that I could tell that he had a specific friend in mind. He smiled and said yes. I told him that this was who he was supposed to ask. He enthusiastically said that he would.

He said, I will read this book. I want to take this journey. He said, I have seen the good that comes from this church. He said that the things he had seen from our church made him know that it can’t be bad and that he wants to learn. He said, the things I have felt in this car let me know that it’s true and that you serve God.

He thanked me for the book and indicated how excited he was to get started. I couldn’t help but be excited to give away my first Book of Mormon to a Muslim. It’s not just that I gave him a Book of Mormon but that I know his father in heaven wanted me to give him that book and he testified of its truthfulness right there in the car.

What a great kid and how amazing it was to see the spirit work on him and push me where I might otherwise not have gone. I could tell God loves that young man and the feeling is mutual.