In the Procession of the Guided: Orthodox Bishop Kleopas Daklan Announces His Conversion to Islam
The religious arena recently witnessed a momentous event overflowing with light, as Orthodox Bishop Kleopas Daklan declared his Shahada (declaration of faith) and embraced Islam, becoming the second prominent Orthodox cleric to choose this path after the Australian priest who preceded him a short time ago.
Bishop Kleopas's conversion to Islam is not merely a fleeting event, but rather a link in a blessed chain of priests and monks whose hearts have been opened to the truth in various parts of the world, confirming to the world that a sincere search for God always ends at the threshold of monotheism.
These are the ones whom the Holy Quran described in the most beautiful portrayal of humility and certainty, when God Almighty said: "And you will surely find the nearest of them in affection to the believers to be those who say, 'We are Christians.' That is because among them are priests and monks, and because they are not arrogant. And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of what they have recognized of the truth. They say, 'Our Lord, we have believed, so register us among the witnesses.'"
لَتَجِدَنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَدَاوَةً لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا ۖ وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُمْ مَوَدَّةً لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَىٰ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
وَإِذَا سَمِعُوا مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ تَرَىٰ أَعْيُنَهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُوا مِنَ الْحَقِّ ۖ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ
These are the tears of certainty, shed only by those whose hearts have been touched by the truth of the message, and monks who dedicated their lives to searching, and when they found the truth, neither pride nor position prevented them from following it.
They were truthful to God, and God guided them, and they bore witness to His oneness, and believed in the message of His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asking the Almighty to include them among the ranks of the Muslim monotheists.
We ask God Almighty to strengthen him in the truth, to grant him beneficial knowledge, and to make his conversion to Islam a light that guides those who are lost.