At the sound of Jesus’ voice, militants toppled, guns blown from their hands

Haroon (not his real name) grew up in a prominent Muslim family of the Middle East. His father, a leading religious authority following the dictates of Sharia law, strictly regulated religious behavior in their state. 

“I was commanding a militant wing to protect the religion and taking immediate operations against its enemies,” explains Haroon, who had trained as a sharp shooter.

Early one morning several weeks ago, Haroon got word of a baptismal service to be held in the Arabian Sea.

“I picked up militants and rushed to the seashore,” he says. “We were 19 members in our wing for the operation.  Our ultimate aim was to kill everybody in the sea itself during the service. We wanted the world to wake up to this breaking news. We wanted Christians to fear Muslims and stop evangelizing them in our region.”

But the service had ended by the time they arrived. Seeing the bus full of Christians driving away, they opened fire. Within seconds, a giant dust storm formed in front of the militants’ vehicles, preventing them from moving forward.

“We all got out of our cars and continued shooting through the dust storm,” he says. “Suddenly, we saw Christ Jesus appear in the dust storm! He was angry and his eyes were like blazing fire. With a mighty voice he told us, ‘Why are you persecuting me; it’s hard for you to kick against the pricks’.”

“Oh, it was a terrible experience! His voice produced a strong wind and we all fell down on the road. Our guns flew away from us. Somehow we stood up from the road, but we were unable to say anything. Our voices were lost.”

Jesus spoke again to them. “I came to the world not to destroy anyone; but to save you. Go in peace.” He then disappeared, as did the dust.

Haroon says he and his fighters somehow felt both “terrible fear and an abundant peace” at the same time, something none of them had ever experienced.

When they recovered their voices, all but two of them began praising and thanking God. The two dissenters refused to believe God would do such a thing. Argument ensued, and the group left in confusion.

Haroon shared the experience with his father, who warned him not to tell anyone else. But he and the men he commanded could no longer pursue military activities.

A few days later, Haroon and his family headed to the desert for an evening bonfire. There, his sister Hajira was bitten by a highly poisonous Saharan horned viper and, near death, rushed to hospital. While in a coma she had a vision of an angel who explained to her the truth of Jesus—how He wanted to be both her healer and Savior.

When the angel disappeared she became conscious, and noticed her brother at her bedside. She shared the vision with him, and to her surprise found him receptive. Soon realizing they’d had similar experiences, the siblings prayed to Jesus to save and guide them.

Shortly afterward, Pastor Paul, Director of Bibles for Mideast, came to the hospital room. He explained to them that he too had been visited by the angel Hajira had seen, and been told to visit them in the hospital. He knew both their names. He explained to Haroon how he had been among the Christians Haroon’s troop had tried to attack that day of the dust storm.

“The Lord Jesus saved me and my group from your guns,” he explained. “He showed Himself as a mighty and wonderful Man, holding out His protecting and lovely hands towards us with a sweet smile. I was one among them and was leading the group.”

Brother and sister confessed their sins, and readily accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. When Pastor Paul prayed over them, Hajira was totally healed.

Hajira’s healing made a believer of their father, and their whole family and 17 of the men who had witnessed the dust storm soon followed.

“We are praying for other two, and also for the Muslim world to be saved,” says Haroon.

Saharan snake bites Muslim woman, Jesus heals, family believes

Hajira (not her real name) grew up in a prominent Middle Eastern Muslim family. Her father, a top religious authority in their state, helped enforce the dictates of Sharia law, particularly those regarding religious matters.

She and her brother Haroon (not his real name), the only children of their mother, share other brothers and sisters by their father’s other wives. Her sharp-shooting brother commanded a militant Islamic wing intent on protecting the faith. The large extended family strictly followed Sharia law, and Hajira felt deeply loved by all of them.

Once a year, the family—with their cooks, drivers and servants—enjoyed setting off for the desert to enjoy a bonfire under the moonlight. This year they selected some nearby rocky hills for the gathering, Hajira told Bibles for Mideast. After the evening’s festivities, she felt like going on a little walk out further into the desert, and her siblings decided to join her. Their father and mothers remained near the bonfire with the servants.

saharan horned viper

While they walked, she suddenly felt something bite her leg. The siblings saw a big snake slither quickly away, then bury itself in the sand. Haroon grabbed his revolver, took aim, and killed it. It proved to be a Saharan horned viper, fairly common in the area but with highly toxic venom.

Within seconds Hajira became unconscious, and was rushed to hospital. She lay there four days in a coma. She remembers waking up briefly on the fourth day, in severe pain and unable to move. She heard the doctors discussing renal failure and increasing fibrinolysis. Her prognosis was grim.

“I gave up my hope and tried to prepare my mind for death,” she explained. “I turned my face to the wall and wept. I did not want others to see my tears. I prayed to God for a painless death in sleep.”

While she slept, she remembers an angel appearing before her and saying, ‘Call upon Jesus, the son of the Most High who was crucified, died for you, and rose from the dead.’

The words irritated her. “Prophet Jesus, the son of Mary?” she challenged the angel. “He was not crucified. And he was not greater than my prophet.”

 “You are wrong,” the angel replied.  “Jesus is the Lord of the prophets. He is the true savior. He can heal you from all sickness and save you from sin and death. Call upon Him with your heart, and with your mouth.”

The angel disappeared, and she woke up to see her brother standing beside her bed.

“Were you dreaming?” he asked her. “I heard you saying something about the prophet Jesus.”

She told him about the angel and what he had said, and was surprised when Haroon looked enthralled rather than angry.

She then learned of his own experience with Jesus in a dust storm, when he and his team of militants were intent on killing a group of Christians. He shared that remarkable incident with her (you can read it here), and brother and sister then joined hands and prayed.

 “Lord Jesus, if you are the true savior, show us the way,” Haroon began. “Jesus, if you are the true savior, forgive our sins.”

“Jesus, if you are the true savior, heal both our physical and mental sickness,” Hajira continued. “Jesus, if you are the true savior, send somebody to us for further guidance. Amen”.

“We prayed from our heart,” Hajira said. “While praying, both of our eyes overflew with tears.”

In about two hours, she said, two strangers came to her room unexpectedly. The senior person knew both her and her brother’s names.

“But we never met them before,” she said.  “Without any introduction he said, ‘Lord Jesus heard your prayers which you both prayed together. The angel who visited you appeared before me too and asked me to visit you, guide you to salvation and pray for you.’ At once I left my house to see you.”

The elder man introduced himself as Pastor Paul of Bibles for Mideast. He explained to them who Jesus is, why he was crucified and died. Hajira and her brother repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior. Pastor Paul put his hands on Hajira’s head and prayed.

“Immediately I felt something extraordinary flowing through my veins,” she said. “I got up from the bed and knelt down on the floor. Yes, Lord Jesus totally healed my sickness and sealed me by His precious and victorious blood.”

She told the doctors Jesus had healed her. After thoroughly examining her, they accepted her recovery as miraculous. Seeing their precious Hajira restored to health, all her family members accepted Jesus as savior as well..

“Pray that our Lord Jesus protects us and gives us strength to survive persecutions,” she asks.

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The experience of Haroon (update on Dec 20):   At the sound of Jesus’ voice, militants toppled, guns blown from their hands.

Story of Oct. 02:  Heavenly dust storm protects newly-baptized from militant gunfire

The ministries of Bibles for Mideast operate on faith alone. 
We appreciate the support and prayers of the children of God. If you can help in any way, please see the bottom of our Contact Us page.

UN Petition from Muslim women seeking ban on female genital mutilation (FGM)

A group of Muslim women belonging to the Dawoodi Bohra community in India, who underwent Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), have launched a petition to the UN seeking support to abolish the practice. According to the World Health Organisation, between 100 million and 140 million females across the world are thought to be living with the consequences of FGM.

The online petition, aimed at rooting out this ancient practice, was launched by an advocacy group known as 'Speak Out on FGM' on Change.org on Thursday ahead of International Human Rights Day being observed on Saturday, December 10, 2016.

In December 2014, Joice George, a Member of Parliament, asked a question in Lok Sabha. He wanted to know if the incidence of FGM had been reported in the country and whether the government had taken any preventive steps to curb this practice. The answer to both these questions was that there was no official information on the incidence of FGM.

The reality is quite contrary to this official government response. A fairly large community of Bohras—numbering around 2 million—practise FGM. The reason that no incident has been reported is perhaps because FGM happens to a child of seven and is shrouded in complete secrecy.

Its knowledge is restricted to the mother, grandmother or aunt who take the child for the procedure. The child is deceived to begin with about the fact that she will be circumcised/cut. The pain and physical and emotional trauma are such that in most cases the girls never utters a word about this to anyone. That leaves us with the mother and grandmother who are the perpetrators of this act—and there is no reason they would ever report this to the government or any official for that matter.

For hundreds of years this practice continued under a shroud of secrecy and silence, and no one outside of the Bohra community even knew of its existence.

All this has now changed. Women from within the community have now begun to speak up. In 2011, a young lady, Tasneem, launched a petition on change.org addressed to the Bohra clergy–asking for an end to FGM in the community. This petition received over 5,000 signatures, but the Bohra clergy did not pay any heed.

The online petition was submitted to the wing of the United Nations dealing with the welfare of women and children, a senior associate with the group said. The group launched a similar petition in December last year, which has received over 80,000 responses so far and was submitted to Union Women and Child Development minister Maneka Gandhi.

"Our main objective to make everyone aware at least of this age-old practice being observed in our country for the last 1,400 years, which in not only shameful but is unconstitutional and utterly violates human rights," said Masooma Ranalvi, a 50-year-old working woman from Delhi.

"I have no hesitation in admitting that I was subjected to FGM at a very young age, but I have ensured that my daughter, who is now 22, does not undergo this brutality," said Ranalvi, adding even today over 80 percent of the Bohra girls are subjected to this hurtful tradition.

A senior associate of the group from Pune Shabnam Poonawala said, "Though this is practiced in the US and Canada too, but their respective governments have brought laws to curb this evil. But unfortunately, no one speaks about this here, forget bringing a law for it."

In December 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution on banning FGM. The World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies FGM as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

The WHO defines FGM—sometimes called female circumcision—as all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to their genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Recounting her ordeal that she underwent at a tender age, a survivor from Mumbai said, "I was very young, around seven years of age. I was subjected to FGM in Mumbai in unhygienic conditions and in a clandestine manner. The shock, the physical and psychological trauma of that day is still fresh in my mind.It's good that thousands of survivors are joining this campaign not only from India, but also from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, other African countries, Middle East, France and 

Survivors maintain the aim of FGM was to curb the natural sex drive in women. They claimed FGM has nothing to do with religion and is more of a cultural practice.

On October 24, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that "Muslim women also have to be protected and be given equal rights as per the Constitution of India."

41 former Muslims baptized!

By God’s grace, 41 former Muslims were recently baptized in the Middle East. Leaders of the Bibles for Mideast organization conducted the baptismal ceremony in a highly restricted area.

All candidates had accepted Jesus as their personal savior and Lord, fully believe he was crucified and died at Calvary for their sins, and that he rose from the dead. They knew that through and by his blood they had received redemption. Each personally requested this next step in their Christian journey, wanting to be purified in the Spirit and the water and be ready to meet Him. Our Lord’s return is imminent, they all believe.

Bibles for Mideast had called for five days of global fasting and prayer the previous week, and all candidates had taken part to prepare themselves for the planned mass baptism. When their bus arrived at the seashore at dawn that day, they discovered the area to be tightly patrolled by police.

“We smelled a dangerous situation at the seashore,” reports Pastor Paul, Director of the organization. “So we returned back to spend another day in fasting and prayer. We also divided the people into three groups, and conducted the service in three different places the next day.”

The organization had a special meeting later on the day of the planned baptism (Dec. 5) to discuss and formulate plans for the growth of the church in Asia, Africa and the Middle East among Muslims.

Close to 150 underground house churches worship the Lord in different areas under the directorship of Bibles for Mideast.

Pastor Paul said in his inaugural address to those gathered that all of the house churches must come under a separate church administration. He also said every church must become a self-supporting, missionary-sending church. Serious discussion ensued and a sub-committee was appointed for further action.

Bibles for Mideast is not a church, but a missionary organization spreading the gospel, distributing bibles and establishing churches. So it was decided all the separate churches need separate administration and curriculum.

Pastor Paul also strongly urged each church to give a bible to every believer as a Christmas and New Year’s gift. They should also, he advised, present a bible with an accompanying message of salvation to one of their best Muslim friends. This would serve to win others to Christ as well as train believers to be missionary-minded people, part of a missionary church.

Guide us to the straight path

GOSPEL TRACT FOR MUSLIMS, prepared by Bibles for Mideast

“Ih’dina Sirathwal musthakim” is the fifth verse of the first Surah of the Qur’an and it means “Guide us to the straight path”.

There is a traditional saying that ‘sirathwal musthakim’ is a narrow bridge over hell to heaven, made out of seven torn pieces of a hair. The righteous can pass over the bridge without any trials, but the wicked will go to hell.

A worldly person cannot pass over the narrow bridge. Jesus says in the Book of Injil: “Enter God’s kingdom through the narrow gate. The gate is large and the road is wide that leads to ruin. Many people go that way. But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to Life. Only a few people find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14)

The Qur’an warns humanity: “Lo! They who deny our revelations and scorn them, for them the gates of Heaven will not be opened nor will they enter the garden until the camel goes through the needle’s eye.” (Qur’an 7:40)

The Qur’an 7:10-17 says: “God created Adam out of mud, fashioned him and told the angels to fall and prostrate before the man. Iblis (Lucifer) did not obey. God degraded him. Still he asked God for reprieve till the day when human beings are raised from the dead. It was granted. Then Iblis (Satan) said to God that he will lurk in ambush of man on God’s Right Path. Again he said that he will go upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right hands and from their left hands for God would not find most of them beholden.”

Humanity does not see the Right Narrow Path, because it is hidden by Iblis. Also he tries to lead them into wrong, broad and worldly ways. But the Muslim world knows the broad path is not the right one to heaven, and prays to God to be shown the Right Path.

In the book of Injil (in the New Testament of the Bible) Jesus says, “Try very hard to enter through the narrow door. I tell you, many will try to enter and will not be able to.” (Luke 13:24). In the Bible, Jesus also declares, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6)

The Qur’an declares in 19:21 that Jesus is a revelation for humanity and a mercy from God, and has been ordained.

Jesus destroyed the head of Iblis, and opened the narrow door of Heaven. He says: “In this world you will have trouble. But be encouraged! I have won the battle over the world.” (John 16:33) Also He has given grace to those born of God so they can overcome the world.

Yes! It is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. “That’s because everyone who is a child of God has won the battle over the world. Our faith has won the battle for us. Who is it that has won the battle over the world? Only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:4-5)

But still it is very sad to say and to see that the truth of the Gospel is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this world has blinded their minds and spirits, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

“There is only one God. And there is only one go-between, one mediator, for God and human beings. He is the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 2:5)

The Qur’an also says very clearly that Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in both the world and the Hereafter, is one of those brought near unto God (Qur’an 3:45). So we may keep our duty to God and obey Jesus (Qur’an 3:50; 43:61).

The Bible is the word of God. It well explains why Jesus, the Son of the Most High, came down from heaven as the Son of Mary. “When the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God’s children." (Gal. 4:4-5)

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

"Jesus didn’t have any sin. But God made him become sin for us, So we can be made right with God because of what Jesus has done for us." (2 Cor. 5:21)

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).

Dear Muslim brothers and sisters, God doesn't want you or anyone to go astray. Believe in Christ Jesus as the Son of God, accept Him as your personal savior and Lord. Only then can you can freely and joyously enter into the Kingdom of Heaven through the Right Narrow Path which is Jesus. He is the Word of God (Kalimathullah—see John 1:1 and John 1:14); the Spirit of God (Ruhullah—see John 4:24 and 2 Cor. 3:17); and the Messiah of God (Massihullah—see John 4:25-26) who became a ransom for many (see Mark 10:45).

Yes! Jesus is the Right, Straight, Narrow Path. He is, as He says, the Way, the Truth and the Life  By faith in Jesus you can easily enter into heaven.

Say the following prayer in your heart and with your mouth:

GOD, HEAVENLY FATHER, I BELIEVE IN JESUS AS YOUR ONLY BEGOTTEN SON WHO CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, DIED ON THE CROSS, AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD TO GIVE ME ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION. 
I ACCEPT JESUS AS MY PERSONAL SAVIOR AND LORD. FILL ME WITH YOUR HOLY SPIRIT THAT I MAY WALK WITH JESUS MY LORD ACCORDING TO HIS WILL AND HIS COMMANDMENTS. AMEN!

Bibles for Mideast Pastor Paul and many other Bibles for Mideast workers have turned from islam to Christianity. Please contact us via our CONTACT form if you have questions or would like further prayer. We would love to pray with and for you!