“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. It all started with a prayer… When I finally submitted and embraced Islam it was as if a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. The first few weeks in secret I was walking on air, until I told my family I was a Muslim. Then reality hit home and I realised that I was having my first big test as a Muslim. As the weeks went by I became lonely and sad. I shouldn’t have felt so vulnerable, as I had God on my side, I should have felt empowered! I knew that as long as I prayed to Allah and was patient, He would relieve me of my fears and guide me God willing. This is when I asked Allah to take away the emptiness that I felt inside. I am human, I needed that interaction, comfort, support and love from others. This is exactly what I received from Turning Point Academy. I read about a new Muslim retreat taking place, this is where I met Amina a few years back. I warmed to her straight away, even though she wasn’t one of the hosts, I felt I could go to her for advice. She personally invited me to attend Turning Point which at the time was being held in her home. I made plans to go on the next Friday. As I knocked on the door of her house I was super nervous, I did think about going home, but then Amina’s daughter came to the door smiling, so I couldn’t run away now, lol. So I went in feeling very shy until Amina greeted me and introduced me. We had an hour of learning how to read Arabic, then an hour’s talk on a subject and then we all sat down and ate the lovely food that was prepared for us. It really did feel like one great big Muslim family! Allah is The Greatest! As the weeks went by and I had attended a few more times I felt a sense of belonging to this family. I met other sisters with the same issues and interests, I started learning how to read Arabic with them so I could read the Qur’an and learnt a variety of lessons from the Quran. I went to the sisters for advice and was comforted on many occasions. I finally felt as if I was moving forwards in my religious duties as well as in my personal life.
The name Turning Point really says it all, as from the day I stepped into Amina’s home I felt a part of something huge. I had turned into a stronger, positive person and felt empowered. This was a new start to a better life for me. All Praise be to Allah. I have not attended for months now as I have moved to another part of the UK. I pray that it spreads all over the UK God Willing, because I honestly feel that new Muslims are missing out on such a blessing. I truly am grateful to Allah for blessing me with Turning point. There is not one Friday that goes by that I do not think about all the beautiful smiling welcoming faces at Turning Point, I truly do miss them. You know who you are, lol. You see my prayer was answered by Allah, He gave me Turning Point at exactly the time I needed it. Glorified is Allah and Exalted above all that they associate with Him. I pray that Allah SWT continues to bless Turning Point and all the sisters who contribute to making it a success with the Help of Allah. May Allah unite us all in Heaven together, Ameen. I love you all for the sake of Allah. May Allah reward you all with goodness. Ameen.”