He used to be a Christian priest in South Africa, leading a large church with 100,000 followers. But after having recurring dreams that guided him to Islam, he embraced the new faith and brought many of his followers with him. His name is now Ibrahim, formerly Richmond.
“I will follow the footsteps [of Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him] and I believe by following these footsteps millions of my people in South Africa will follow these footsteps to see the light,” he said in a video posted on Twitter by Saudi Arabia’s Government Communication Center on Sunday.
For 15 years, he was a priest and a spiritual leader for his congregation in South Africa. Ibrahim said that his life changed when he repeatedly saw a dream where a voice commanded him: “Tell your men to wear white coats.” He understood that the voice was referring to Taqiya, a white cap that many Muslims wear for prayers.
He ignored the dream at first, thinking that it was irrelevant to him as a Christian. “It came again and again and the last time this voice became aggressive. ‘Now tell your men’.”
He finally shared this message with his congregation, and to his surprise, they all agreed to it. The next time they gathered, he saw that everyone was wearing white kurtas.
Three months ago, Ibrahim said that he announced his conversion to Islam in his church, and his followers joined him in saying the shaada, the declaration of faith. “What I was saying, they were also saying it. Those thousand voices saying one… what shaada would mean. We were happy, then I saw Muslim brothers coming. I said I have been waiting for you, I have been waiting for you, I had a dream, that you will come here,” Ibrahim said as he cried.
He said that Allah made his Hajj journey easy and blessed. “I am so happy and lucky to be given that chance.”
Another video, shared by Haramain’s Twitter account, showed him arriving in Makkah and performing the first rituals of Hajj.
Some 2 million of pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat on Tuesday in the climax of hajj.
Pilgrims then descended by train back to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they took part in the symbolic stoning of the devil at Jamrat Al-Aqaba and spend the night.
On Wednesday, all pilgrims will head back to Mina, where they will sacrifice animals to mark the beginning of the four-day Eid Al-Adha.
