One of the most remarkable stories of conversion to Islam belongs to Dr. Jeffrey Lang, an American mathematics professor. Dr. Jeffrey Lang is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Kansas. He was born on January 30, 1954, into a Roman Catholic family in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His first 18 years were spent in Catholic schools, which left him with many unanswered questions.
By the time he reached 18, Lang had become a full-fledged atheist, asking: “If there is a God, and He is all merciful and all loving, then why is there suffering on this earth?”
His life changed when he met a Saudi student named Mahmoud Qandeel. At the end of their time together, Qandeel surprisingly gave Lang a copy of the Quran and some books on Islam. Lang read the Quran on his own, found his way to the student-run prayer hall at the university, and basically surrendered without much struggle. He was conquered by the Quran.
What made the Quran so powerful for him? Lang described being at a severe disadvantage while reading it, saying it became clear that the Author knew him better than he knew himself. Every night, he would form questions and doubts, only to find answers waiting in the next day’s reading.
Lang performs the daily five-time prayers regularly and finds great spiritual satisfaction, especially in the pre-dawn Fajr prayer. He has since written books about his journey and continues to inspire thousands worldwide.
