Nabeel Qureshi's Wife Shares 3 Things Husband Would've Said to Christians From Muslim Backgrounds
Michelle Qureshi, wife of the late Muslim-turned-Christian apologist Nabeel Qureshi, offered words of encouragement to Christians from Muslim backgrounds and shared the three things her late husband would say to recent converts.
After Nabeel Qureshi, a former Muslim who wrote Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus and No God But One, died in September 2017 after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer, his wife has continued his ministry. Recently, she shared a brief message via video to a group of Christians from Muslim backgrounds at a conference held in Bangalore, India. The theme of the conference was "No God But One," in honor of her husband's book.
"First of all, I want to say how proud I am of all of you for making the decision to come out of Islam and into the truth," Qureshi began her message. "The truth that there is no God but one, and His name is Jesus. For many of you, your decision has likely been costly. But as Nabeel said in his book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, 'All suffering is worth it to follow Jesus.' He is that amazing."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Jesus was "everything" to her late husband, Qureshi said, adding that she can "only imagine the elation he feels seeing Jesus face to face for all of eternity. He is in the place that all of us long to go."
After spending time in prayer and reviewing her husband's works, Qureshi said she was led to share three things she believed he would've wanted to say.
"First of all, I know that he would be glad that you are at this conference, especially if you desire to go into ministry yourself," she said. "Christians of Muslim backgrounds or CMB's, as they are addressing you all at this conference, tend to have incredible zeal after finding Christ, as Nabeel did, and that is fantastic."
However, it's "paramount" that CMB's ground themselves in Christian doctrine, Qureshi said.
"Soak in Jesus' presence and soak in His Word. Become intimately familiar with both," she said. "Nabeel advised an average of two years of discipleship and growth before pursuing ministry for anyone who's coming from a Muslim background into Christianity. He said he learned this lesson the hard way coming too quickly into ministry while lacked grace and wisdom. It was God's protection that helped him steer clear of significant pitfalls."
Second, her husband would've highlighted the importance of leaving behind Muslim tendencies that are not in line with Christ, Qureshi said.
"One of the first questions Nabeel would ask of a CMB is, 'Have you informed your family?' This was one of the first questions Nabeel would ask because he did not want others to go through what he did, regretting that he did not tell his parents about his conversion, that they found out by other means," she said. "Now, in saying this, perhaps many of you have already informed your families and I praise God for that, because that takes tremendous courage."
For those who continue wrestling with fear, Qureshi pointed to Joshua 1:9, which reads, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
"God sees you, God is with you. He is personal, He is not distant as Allah would be made out to be in the Quran," she said. "He is personal, He loves you unconditionally. Again, this is the truth about Yahweh. This is the truth about Jesus — that He loves you unconditionally and perfect love casts out all fear."
Finally, Qureshi encouraged attendees to boldly "move forward without shame," as Scripture says, there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).
"Leave behind any secrets of deception that may be in your life and be free in the truth, because you now have no condemnation," she said. "You now do not have to have shame have a hold over you. Remember that your circumstances, no matter how challenging, will never change God's sovereignty, God's goodness, and God's trustworthiness."
Qureshi concluded by quoting John 16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
"These are the words of the Jesus that you now follow," she concluded, again quoting her husband's words in Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: "Suffering binds us closer to Jesus and opens us to the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit, the comforter, more than anything else. To follow Jesus is to die that we might live."
Shortly before his death, Nabeel Qureshi shared a video message reflecting on his ministry and encouraging viewers to use his work to share "love and peace."
"When we talked to people about our beliefs, we should do it through a lens of love, and the whole point should be to bring people together, to bring people together to the truth, and not to hurt one another, but to help one another," he said.
The speaker and author said that far too often, people use the information he shares to "undercut" one another.
"That has not been my intent," he said. "My whole point in teaching is for love to reign. So as you consider my ministry, I hope it leaves a legacy of love, of peace, of truth, of caring for one another. That is my hope and my purpose behind this. If at any point, I have said anything that seems to contravene that, I do apologize and I hope that is not the legacy that I leave behind."
"Our God is a God of love. That should be what keeps us driven," he added later. "That should be foremost in our mind. So whether you are talking to a Hindu, a Jew, a Muslim, a Christian, whoever you are talking to, may it be out of love."
