Atheist Surgeon Converts to Islam “I Begged God to Save My Daughter”

Towards Eternity

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Video Summary

A successful atheist ophthalmologist's life dramatically shifted when his daughter was born with a severe congenital heart defect. In a moment of desperation, he prayed to God, promising to follow any religion that pleased Him if his daughter was saved. Miraculously, his daughter recovered without intervention, leading him on a profound spiritual journey. He explored various religions before finding resonance with the Old Testament and eventually the Quran. His conversion to Islam led to the loss of his wife, children, friends, and family, with his wife divorcing him and gaining custody of their children. Despite immense personal sacrifice, including losing substantial assets, he found peace and a complete worldview after embracing Islam, eventually reconciling with his parents before their passing. He also shares profound experiences, including a dream of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and a reflection on the mystery of life itself as divine creation.

One striking fact is that the speaker's parents, who disowned him after his conversion, both individually accepted Islam and recited the Shahada before they passed aw

Short Highlights

Raised atheist, the speaker experienced a spiritual awakening after his daughter was born with a congenital heart defect.
He prayed to God, promising to follow the most pleasing religion if his daughter was saved, and she miraculously recovered.
His search for truth led him through Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Old Testament before he found clarity in the Quran.
Converting to Islam resulted in losing his wife (divorce after 14 years), children, friends, and family, with a financial loss of around $250,000 in artwork alone.
His parents, who disowned him, later converted to Islam before they passed away.
The speaker had a significant dream where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed him and his wife had a similar dream validating his role.
He posits that the origin of life is the greatest miracle and a refutation of atheism, as it cannot explain where life itself comes from

Key Details

The Journey from Atheism to Spiritual Awakening [0:00]

Raised atheist in San Francisco, the speaker followed a traditional academic path through college and medical school, where atheism was common among intellectuals.
He achieved professional success as a consultant ophthalmologist, experiencing financial stability and personal happiness.
A pivotal moment occurred when his daughter was born with a severe congenital heart defect, specifically coarctation of the aorta, causing her lower body to appear dusky blue due to lack of oxygen.
Faced with a situation where he, as a doctor, felt completely powerless, he experienced a profound shift in his belief system.

"This was the first time in my life where I felt I can't do anything here. There's nothing I can do here."

The Prayer and the Miracle [0:36]

While in the neonatal intensive care unit, he was sent out of the room and found himself in the hospital's prayer room.
He uttered a prayer to God, asking for help and promising to follow the religion most pleasing to Him if his daughter was saved.
Upon returning to the NICU, he observed doctors huddled around his daughter and saw a change in their demeanor.
The pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon informed him that she would be fine, and she recovered without needing medicine or surgery, an event he attributes to divine intervention.

"Oh god, if you are there, I need help. If you save my daughter, then I will follow."

The Search for Truth and Religious Exploration [0:51]

Following his daughter's recovery and his promise, he spent four to five years searching for the religion that was most pleasing to God.
He explored various faiths, including Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
He then turned to the Bible, finding himself in agreement with much of the Old Testament's teachings about the creator.
However, he noted that the Old Testament predicted three prophets to follow, and he questioned the identity of the third.

"I started looking into everything Tauism, Buddhism, Hinduism."

Questioning Christian Theology and the Role of Paraclete [08:46]

He struggled with core Christian doctrines such as Jesus being the son of God and the concept of the Trinity, finding no scriptural basis for them in Jesus' own words.
He noted that Jesus referred to himself as the "son of man" 88 times in the Bible but never as the "son of God."
He found the biblical term "paraclete" interesting, as it's mentioned in relation to Jesus and is also interpreted by some to refer to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

"Where does Jesus say he was the son of God? And they would point me to some passage and I said, 'No, no, no, no. In the Bible, Jesus calls himself the son of man 88 times.'"

The Revelation of the Quran and Acceptance of Islam [11:02]

His brother, who had become Muslim earlier, sent him a translation of the meaning of the Quran and a biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Reading these materials caused everything to "click," providing him with a complete picture that aligned with his search for the final prophet and revelation.
This led him to convert to Islam approximately 30 years prior to the interview.

"When I read these, everything just clicked. It was like having a jigsaw puzzle that was missing a few pieces and you found those pieces and they fell into place and now you had a complete picture."

The Social and Familial Repercussions of Conversion [13:19]

His conversion to Islam led to significant personal losses: his wife of 14 years divorced him, and he lost custody of his children, with the court process appearing biased against him.
He lost friends and was disowned by his parents, who sent him a letter severing all contact.
The divorce settlement left him with only his SUV and $5,000, having lost substantial assets, including approximately $250,000 worth of artwork.
He had to hire a bodyguard to be present during his supervised visits with his children, highlighting the extreme humiliation he faced.

"My mother and my father disowned me. They sent me a letter saying, you know, don't visit, don't call, don't write, we don't want any contact with you."

Reconciliation and Parental Conversion [16:12]

Years later, his relationship with his parents improved as they aged, and both individually embraced Islam, reciting the Shahada before their passing.

"Many many years later we were able to communicate as they became older we improved our you know our relationship to the point where both of them individually made shahada before they passed."

The Character of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and a Dream [16:39]

He expresses admiration for Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) character, noting that his dedication to truth and service, even when offered immense wealth and power by the Quresh, is a testament to his sincerity.
He shares a significant dream from 1999 where he was in the presence of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who pointed towards mountains and instructed him to "go to the mountains" and to the "people of the mountains" for jihad, signifying struggle.
In the dream, the Prophet (peace be upon him) also assured him that he would take care of his wife and child if anything happened to him in his own time.

"The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, I will take care of your wife and child."

The Fulfillment of Dreams and the Meaning of Jihad [19:43]

After moving to Medina, he realized that the mountains he saw in his dream were near Medina, interpreting his jihad (struggle) to be within this region.
Years later, while his daughter was in America for college, his wife had a dream where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) opened the car door for her, signifying the fulfillment of his earlier dream's promise to care for his family.
This dream provided his wife with strength and eased her fears of traveling alone with their daughter in America.

"So this is my jihad or my struggle. Now, it doesn't end there because I'm committed to this part of the world."

The Miracle of Life and the Repudiation of Atheism [22:37]

Reflecting on the human body, he highlights the "soul" as the most miraculous and beautiful aspect, which atheism cannot explain.
He argues that while atheism can partially explain the origin of existence through the Big Bang and evolution, it fails to account for the origin of "life" itself – what animates the primordial cell or organism.
He posits that the ability to bring the dead back to life, to put the soul back into a body, is a challenge that human beings have consistently failed to achieve, serving as a powerful argument for a divine creator.