THE
STORY OF A MUSLIM WOMAN HEALED BY JESUS
PART
1: PILGRIMAGES TO MUSLIM HOLY SITES TO SEEK HEALING
Gulshan Fatima was
from a devout Muslim family in Pakistan. Her mother died just after
she was born. She had to go everywhere by wheelchair as she became a
cripple when she was 6 months old due to contracting typhoid which
caused the left side of her body to be paralyzed. Her father was a
religious teacher with his own murreeds (followers). Her
family belonged to the Sayed family, the family of Mohammad.
Her family believed
in miracles and healings and traveled with her to many Muslim holy
sites to pray for her healing when she was 14 years old. These
places included all the stages for pilgrims on the Hajj. She was
washed with holy water from Zamzam. She went to Mohammad's tomb in
Medina, in the mosque at Madni. Due to her father being a pir, she
was actually allowed into the locked part of Mohammad's tomb. She
went to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa or the Dome of the Rock. She also went to
Karbala, another holy place, in Iraq. Gulshan and her family prayed
for healing at all these places but she went home disappointed.
A few years after
her trips, her beloved father died. While she was mourning, she
prayed to God, "What terrible sin have I committed, that You have
made me like this? As soon as I was born, my mother was taken away,
and then You made me a cripple, and now You've taken away my father.
Tell me why have You punished me so heavily?"
A low gentle voice
replied in her own language, "I won't let you die. I will keep
you alive."
"What's the
point in keeping me alive?" she queried. "I'm a cripple.
When my father was alive, I could share everything with him. Now
every minute of my life is like a hundred years. You've taken away my
father and left me with no hope, nothing to live for."
The voice came
again, vibrant and low. "Who gave eyes to the blind, and who
made the sick whole, and who healed the lepers and who raised the
dead? I am Jesus, son of Mary. Read about Me in the Quran, in the
Sura Maryam."
She read the Sura
Maryam in her Arabic Quran but she was not fluent in Arabic and could
not understand everything, so she asked one of her servants to go and
buy an Urdu version which would enable her to understand it clearly.
Because Jesus had spoken to her, she believed He was alive, and after
reading about His power to do miracles in the Quran, she believed
that He could heal her. So, she started to pray to Jesus but
continued to do sholat too. Her first prayer to Jesus was "Oh
Jesus, son of Mary, it says in the Holy Quran that You have raised
the dead and healed lepers and done miracles. So heal me too."
Then she started to use her prayer beads from Mecca to pray her
Muslim chant but added the words "Oh Jesus, son of Maryam, heal
me" to each prayer. Gradually, over time, she dropped the Arabic
words and just prayed "Oh Jesus, son of Maryam, heal me" for
each bead. She would do this over and over again, during her spare
time, between her 5 daily prayers. She did this routine for 3 years.
One morning, at 3
am, she was considering why she wasn't healed.....
PART
2 : JESUS APPEARS
One morning, at 3 am
Gulshan was considering why she wasn't healed after 3 years of
prayer.
[Praying to Jesus]
"Look, You are alive in heaven, and it says in the Holy Quran
about You that You have healed people. You can heal me, and yet I'm
still a cripple." Why was there no answer, only this stony
silence in the room that mocked my prayers? I said His name again and
pleaded my case, in despair. Still, there was no answer. Then I cried
out in a fever of pain, "If you are able to, heal me- otherwise
tell me." I could go no further along this road.
What happened next
is something that I find hard to put into words. I know the whole
room filled with light. At first, I thought it was from my reading
lamp beside my bed. Then I saw that its light looked dim. Perhaps it
was from the dawn? But it was too early for that. The light was
growing, growing in brightness until it surpassed the day. I covered
myself with my shawl. I was so frightened. Then the thought occurred
to me that it might be the gardener, who had switched on the light
outside to shine on the trees. He did sometimes to prevent thieves
when the mangoes were ripe, or to see to the watering in the cool of
the night. I came out of my shawl to look. But the doors and windows
were fast shut, with curtains and shutters drawn.
I then became aware
of figures in long robes, standing in the midst of the light, some
feet from my bed. There were 12 figures in a row and the figure in
the middle, the 13th, was larger and brighter than the others. "Oh
God, " I cried and the perspiration broke out on my forehead. I
bowed my head and prayed. "Oh God, who are these people, and how
have they come here when all the windows and doors are shut?"
Suddenly a voice
said, "Get up. This is the path you have been seeking. I am
Jesus, son of Mary, to whom you have been praying, and now I am
standing in front of you. You get up and come to Me."
I started to weep.
"Oh Jesus, I'm crippled. I can't get up."
He said, "Stand
up and come to Me. I am Jesus." When I hesitated, He said it a
second time. Then as I still doubted He said for the third time,
"Stand up."
And I, Gulshan
Fatima, who had been crippled on my bed for 19 years, felt new
strength flowing into my wasted limbs. I put my foot on the ground
and stood up. Then I ran a few paces and fell at the feet of the
vision. I was bathing in the purest light, and it was burning as
bright as the sun and moon together. The light shone into my heart
and into my mind and many things became clear to me at that moment.
Jesus put His hand
on top of my head, and I saw a hole in His hand from which a ray of
light struck down upon my garments so that the green dress looked
white.
He said, "I am
Jesus. I am Immanuel. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. I am
alive, and I am coming soon. See, from today you are My witness. What
you have seen now with your own eyes you must take to My people. My
people are your people, and you must remain faithful to take that to
My people."
He said, "Now
you have to keep this robe and your body spotless. Wherever you go I
will be with you, and from today you must pray like this: 'Our
Father, which art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them who
trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us
from evil: for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen."
He made me repeat
the prayer, and it sank down into my heart and mind. It was beautiful
in its simplicity, yet its profundity, so different from the prayers
I had learned to say from my childhood up. God is called "Father"-
that was a name that clutched at my heart, that filled its emptiness.
I wanted to remain
there at the feet of Jesus, praying this new name of God- "Our
Father".....but the Jesus vision had more to say to me, "Read
in the Quran, I am alive and coming soon." This I had been
taught and it gave me faith in what I was hearing. Jesus said much
more. I was so full of joy. It could not be described. I looked at my
arm and leg. There was flesh on them. My hand was not perfect;
nevertheless, it had the strength and was no longer withered and wasted.
"Why don't You make me whole?" I asked. The answer came
lovingly, "I want you to be My witness."
The figures were
going up out of my sight and fading. I wanted Jesus to stay a little
longer, and I cried out with sorrow. Then the light went and I found
myself alone, standing in the middle of the room, wearing a white
garment, and with my eyes heavy from the dazzling light. Now even the
lamp beside my bed hurt my eyes and my eyelids drooped heavily over
them. I groped towards a chest of drawers, which stood against the
wall. In them, I found a pair of sunglasses, which I wore in the
garden. I put them on and was able comfortably to open my eyes to see
again.
I carefully shut the
drawer, then turned and looked around my room. It was just the same
as when I woke up. The clock still ticked on my bedside table,
showing that it was almost 4 am. The door was firmly shut and the
windows, with the curtains drawn tightly across, were closed against
the cold. I had not imagined the scene, however, for I had the
evidence in my body. I took a few steps, then a few more. I walked
from wall to wall, up and down, up and down. My limbs were
unmistakably healthy on the side that had been paralyzed. Oh, the joy
I felt.
PART
3 : GULSHAN'S SISTER ANIS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN
Gulshan's family
were absolutely astonished about her healing but when she explained
that it was Jesus who had healed her, they told her not to tell
anyone about it as it was embarrassing for them. She was unable to
keep it a secret though! Could you?
Gulshan followed the
instructions from Jesus and read more about Jesus in the Quran. Some
time later.....(God works slowly....but His timing is
perfect).....Jesus appeared to Gulshan again. He was alone this time.
He took her to another place. It seems she went in her spirit. They
arrived at a church. The members could not see them. Jesus explained
that He wanted Gulshan to go to this place and ask them for a Holy
Bible. Jesus then took her back to her house and left her.
Gulshan then tried
to accomplish the task given to her by Jesus. The place was not easy
for her to get to but she finally made it there. When she met the
pastor and explained that she was a Muslim and wanted to have a Holy
Bible, the minister became frightened and feared for his life.
However, he told Gulshan to wait while he went away to pray. God gave
him peace in his heart about Gulshan and her request and he presented
her with a Holy Bible.
Gulshan took the
Holy Bible home and read it secretly. She found out that the 12 men
with Jesus were His 12 disciples. She also found the prayer that
Jesus had taught her. She learned about forgiveness of sins and
baptism. She finally gave her heart to Jesus and became a Christian
and got baptized. As a result, her family confiscated all the land
her father had given her before he died. However, though the
persecution from within the family was quite hard to bear, it could
have been worse. She was not thrown out of the family.
Sometime later
Gulshan's sister Anis died due to sickness and complications after
a difficult pregnancy. Gulshan arrived after she had already passed
away. However, she didn't accept that fact. She prayed for Jesus to
bring her sister back to life. It didn't happen straight away, but
just before Anis was to have her final pre-burial Islamic wash, she
came back from the dead. There was mass panic in the room....
Anis said, "Don't
be frightened of me. I am alive." Anis' husband and the imam,
maulvi and muezzin from the mosque came running in, hearing the
commotion. The maulvi put his hand on her head and asked, "Bati,
tell me the truth. What happened? What happened to you? Fourteen
hours ago you died. We were preparing for your funeral!" She
said, "I was not dead." "The lady doctor was there.
You were dead. There was no life in you," he insisted.
"I was not
dead. I was sleeping," said my sister. "In my sleep, I had a
dream that I was about to put my foot on a ladder. At the top of the
ladder, there was a Man in a white robe who was wearing a golden
crown, and there was a light coming out from His forehead. I saw His
hand above me and there was light coming from His hand. He said, “I
am Jesus Christ, King of kings. I will send you back, and at the
appointed time I will bring you here again.” And then I opened my
eyes."
Gulshan was later
able to bring Anis to Christ due to this experience. Praise God!
PART
4: GULSHAN ESTHER'S BROTHER'S CONVERSION AFTER VISITING HELL
One day in
1990 I had a phone call from my younger brother Alim Shah. He told me
excitedly that he wanted me to come to Pakistan as soon as I could,
as he had some important news. I made preparations to go immediately,
but could never have guessed what I was to be told.
Alim said that he
had a massive heart attack, his third, and was taken to the UCH
Hospital in Lahore- an American hospital run by Christians. There he
was pronounced dead, and his body was undressed and laid on a slab in
an empty room. The doctor then locked the door while he completed all
the paperwork, including the death certificate. His family were
informed of his death and were asked to collect the body.
Meanwhile my
now-dead brother found himself in a terrible place. He realized that
it must be Hell because everyone seemed to be burning in a fire.
Alim was in a corner and by this time was screaming and shouting for
help. Then he noticed what looked like starlight, and in the middle
of the light was a crowd of people who were worshipping a Man they
called Jesus, the Son of God. He recognized the name that I had
spoken to him about so often.
He then approached
Jesus and said, " Please, Jesus, you helped my sister Gulshan,
please, help me. You are the only One who can get me out of this
terrible place."
Then Jesus looked at
Alim, and said, "My son, leave this place and live for Me."
Suddenly Alim woke
up to find himself in a locked room, naked and lying on a slab. Eight
hours had passed since he was pronounced dead. He got up, found his
clothes in a cupboard, dressed, and then waited for someone to find
him.
When the houseboy,
who had been told by the doctor to get the dead body to give to the
family, saw Alim sitting up on the slab, he was terrified and quickly
ran out of the room. News of what had happened spread like wildfire
throughout the hospital, and when Alim's wife saw him, she fainted.
Alim refused to leave the hospital until he was baptized in the
chapel adjacent to the hospital.
At the first
opportunity, he told all my family that I was right about what I said
about Jesus, and that they must change their attitude towards me,
which they did. From that time on Alim was a faithful witness to
Jesus until his sudden death seven years later. So, I am now
reconciled with all my family, and when I go back to Pakistan I
always receive a warm welcome, and they even ask me to pray for them
in times of difficulty."
May God bless these
words and may many Muslims find salvation through this story. Amen
Excerpts from The
Torn Veil by Gulshan Esther.
If you would like to
read this testimony in full, you may download it from here:
http://www.oocities.org/yahwehcalls/pdf/TheTornVeil.pdf
