In early October, Afshin Javid was visiting Israel with his ministry Cyrus Call, which promotes friendship between Persians and Jews. But like millions of others, he found himself in the middle of a war when Hamas launched a bloody attack on Oct. 7.
As a former Hezbollah fighter, Afshin himself is no stranger to violence. He sat down with CBN News to tell his story.
“I was on my way to the United States to convert Christians to Islam, and I had 30 illegal passports at that time. I was arrested and put in jail in Malaysia. I was a dedicated Muslim who not only prayed the prayers, but I read the Koran once every 10 days, cover to cover. So I was very dedicated in my time in jail,” Javid said.
“One day, as I’m praying, a man appears in front of me—normal size, but His being shines like light. This light is not a normal light. This light carried identity in it. And you knew that He is holy and instantaneously, I knew I am not.
“Even though I had prayed so many prayers, even though I had fasted so much and I had read the Koran and I had volunteered to work on landmines or I had participated in hanging people trying to please Allah, I knew, even though I have kept all the rules and regulation of Islam, I knew I am not just and I’m not holy and I knew the only just thing for Him to do is to kill me,” he recalled.
“But I didn’t want to die. So I ran to the corner of the room, literally held my head in my arms, and just cried out, shouting, ‘Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me,'” Javid said.
“And I didn’t think He will forgive me because He is just. Still, I felt a touch on my left arm, and He said, ‘I forgive you.’ And I felt the weight just lifted off me. And I knew I’m forgiven, but I don’t know how. And I was confused. Still, I say, ‘OK, I don’t understand. Only God can forgive, but You just forgave me. You are God, but you are a different God than the one I have studied about. This is not Allah. So who are You that forgives me?’ And He said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life,’ he continued.
“And I thought, That’s very powerful. It means a lot because as a Muslim, you pray ‘Show me there’s a straight path.’ And so the way is a direction. Truth is something you measure. Life is a source, but He claims to be all those three. I never thought the way is a person. The truth is a person, and life is a person, and all of them is the same person,” Javid explained.
“So, I said, ‘I don’t understand; what is Your name?’ And he said, ‘Jesus Christ.’ And it was as if someone grabbed all my bones out of my body. I just fell like a piece of meat to the ground. And I just began to weep,” he told CBN News.
“It’s like, you know, being colorblind, and then suddenly you see colors, and you realize the world is so much more beautiful than you ever thought. And if you ask me what made the world so colorless? It’s the hatred, the anger that is in the heart of every Muslim. People say, ‘Why did you hate the Jews?'” Javid said.
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