I Dared to Call Him Father: The Miraculous Story of a Muslim Woman's Encounter with God

This lady lived a life of knowing God intimately and inspires each of us to have the same relationship with our Creator, our Heavenly Father! I had the honor of meeting this dear woman of God in the late 1980's. She spoke at a Christian Women's Retreat I attended in Northern California. She was elegant, regal and we were all drawn closely to her every word. Jesus exuded from her and when we saw her and heard her we wanted more of Jesus too. I thought of her many times throughout the years but had forgotten she'd written a book. At the time of the retreat I bought her teaching tapes from the weekend. As the years passed I forgot I had those too. I ran across them a few months before finding her book available for my Kindle! I practically jumped for joy!!! So, as I just now have finished it, I'm reflecting on that weekend and on the peace and joy she had. And the presence! Her own presence commanded attention because we were Westerners, and she an Easterner. But the PRESENCE she truly carried was the fullness of the Holy Spirit!! The book brought back memories of the teaching and her testimony she shared with us. The book of course, matches what I recall her telling us, and things I'd forgotten. It was a joy to read! It is well written, edited well and a beautiful story of her life before knowing Jesus and after being so close to Him. Her life is an inspiration to follow harder after God, to live a life of obedience, forgiveness and to always practice living in the presence of God. To abide so closely that you recognize His call, His voice, His commands and His deep and faithful love is where I always want to remain. I'm sure it will touch each Christian heart deeply. I pray it will touch each Muslim heart in a way that makes them want to chose Jesus as their Lord and Savior and every other heart as well! I thank God for dear Madam Sheikh, (as she was introduced to us), and I look forward to meeting her again in heaven, Thank you for making this book available for Kindle. I went back to purchase it for several friends and was saddened that the price had gone up before I could purchase copies. I now can't afford as many as I'd like to purchase. Read and be blessed! And if you already have her original book, still get this one, it has some additional chapters of her life and death. PRCS

I enjoy reading autobiographies about conversions so that I can understand other religions (In this case Islam.); and I enjoy reading about the moments and decisions that lead to conversion. Bilquis experienced some spiritual oppression. This negative experience led her to the Koran and eventually the Bible. She began to read the Koran and Bible side-by-side. She had a dream about John the Baptist and perfume. She had never read about John the Baptist, yet the name was vivid and clear in her mind. I have read several books sharing the testimonies of converted Muslims. Many of the stories are the same, they experience dreams and visions. This is the earliest account that I have read; Bilquis had her dreams in 1966. Over time she became more persuaded by the Bible. Eventually she spoke with a Western missionary who shared the Gospel and prayed with her. She left without becoming a Christian. Soon later, while reading the Bible, the Holy Spirit led her to conversion. He used Revelation 3:20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 Bilquis shares the struggles she faced as a young Christian. She shares the abandonment she felt when her family rejected her. But, she also shares about the friendships and relationships she gained when she became a Christian. I felt convicted as I read about her sensitivity to sin, the Holy Spirit, and His leading. Her friend Synnove Mitchell writes about Bilquis, “She was concerned not only to give her visitors truths about God, but to bring them into the presence of Jesus, the Truth.” P. 185 It is clear to me, Bilquis only wanted to be in continual fellowship with God, and constantly in His presence. I cannot find the words to describe how impressed I am with her testimony. She was so sorry and repentent about her sin: selfishness, pride, arrogance, and unwillingness to forgive. Such sorrow over sin has become rare. Rare in my life. I am inspired. I nearly made it through the book without crying. I was fine till Synnove shared facts about the funeral, specifically how they sang Bilquis’ favorite hymns. As I read I was particularly moved by the lyrics of one, "I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing men of sin, revealing Jesus through the Word, creating faith in Him. But I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed uno Him against that day." “I Know Whom I have Believed” I have sung this song many times without crying, but not today. I Dared to Call Him Father includes an Epilogue and two appendixes written by Bilquis’ friend Synnove Mitchell. In the first appendix Synnove explains how she first met Bilquis. In the second, she compares and contrasts the culture and attitude of the East with the West. It was interesting to read Synnove’s testimony. She felt spiritually desperate, out of touch with God, and was ready to leave India. She prayed and asked God to revive her passion. Bilquis, unannounced and unexpectedly arrived at Synnove’s door. Both ladies were an answer to the other’s prayer. You may wonder about the title. When faced with the challenge of knowing which book to follow, the Quran or the Bible, Bilquis asked God “Which one is your book?” She writes, “Then a remarkable thing happened. Nothing like it had ever occurred in my life in quite this way. For I heard a voice inside my being, a voice that spoke to me as clearly as if I was repeating words in my inner mind. they were fresh, full of kindness, yet at the same time full of authority.” "In which book do you meet me as your Father?" P. 49

I just finished reading this book and highly recommend it.It is an inspiring true and personal testimony of a wealthy traditional Muslim woman who came to the faith through vivid dreams from God. As she journeys from Islam to Christianity, her salvation leads to her to a wonderfully intimate relationship with Christ. She is dedicated and obedient in all details of her life, big and small , and openly shares her struggles with temporal things, a sharp tongue, and pride and how she learns to overcome her flesh and walk in a true relationship with the Lord. It is void of the shallow Christianity that is so prevalent in our society today, and I found that very refreshing . It left me desiring a deeper level of intimacy with God as well as causing me to evaluate my own obedience and faith in Him . The presence of the Lord she experiences is rare, but so is the faith and trust that she has for Him. Her simplistic faith, untouched and tainted by modern Christianity and its rules and doctrine is a beautiful testament of how the Spirit will teach us all we need to know about Him. As He gives her dreams, leads her into the Scriptures and speaks to her she learns His word and how to obey Him. Her obedience, even as her life is threatened, is encouraging. I love a part in the book where she tells the Lord she doesn't have what it takes to be a martyr, so she asks Him to make her death quick and painless! I laugh because I have often prayed that myself. Being a Muslim living in the middle east, coming to the faith in Christ was worthy of death. She was ostracized by her family and threatened with her life, yet she held steadfast and unwavering to the Lord in spite of it. This book was originally written in 1978 but has been republished and includes an after word from two missionary friends who were close with her and were used to disciple Bilquis in her walk with the Lord. The author is now with the Lord, but has left behind a shining example of what a true relationship with Christ is for today. It is an easy read and one that would make a wonderful family read aloud. I will definitely be adding it to book our pile to read to my children. Stephanie [...]

I Dared to Call Him Father is the true, personal testimony of Bilquis Sheikh, the former wife of General Khalid Sheikh, Pakistan’s Minister of the Interior. Fifty-four years a Muslim, Bilquis begins to search for the spiritual aspect to her life. She really doesn’t know where to look. After all, she had a religion from the time she was born. Through a series of impressions and dreams and through servants’ help, she obtained a Bible. But, she began reading the Quran first. The concept of the Trinity intrigued her, and the Quran especially condemned it. Though she was amused by missionaries’ actions, since they tried to help the poor castes, Bilquis was curious about them. When Bilquis received the Bible, she played a game with it, opening it randomly, laughing, to see what it said. This is what she read: As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God (Romans 9:25-26). The verses shook her to the core. She couldn’t read the verses out loud. The next day, she read more. Romans 10:8-9 “directly contradicted the Quran. . . . But this Bible said Christ was raised from the dead. It was either blasphemy or . . . . My mind whirled. I knew that whoever called upon the name of Allah would be saved. But to believe that Jesus Christ is Allah? Even Muhammad, the final and greatest of the messengers of God, the Seal of the Prophets, was only a mortal. . . . If the Bible and the Quran represent the same God, why is there so much confusion and contradiction? How could it be the same God if the God of the Quran is one of vengeance and punishment and the God of the Christian Bible is one of mercy and forgiveness?” Bilquis then has two very strange dreams, and she feels that she needs answers. She goes to visit the Christian missionaries, “the last people with whom I’d want to be seen.” When Bilquis reaches the Mitchells’ house, though, a group of women streamed out of the door, all of them seeing her and knowing who she was! Mrs. Mitchell welcomed Bilquis inside, offered her tea, and then Bilquis said, “Do you know anything about God?” Mrs. Mitchell answered quietly, “I’m afraid I don’t know as much as my husband knows about God, but I do know Him.” To Bilquis, this was extraordinary. How could someone presume to know God? So, Bilquis shares her dreams with Synnove Mitchell and accepts a New Testament, going away with a palpable sense that God was pleased. She begins reading in the Gospel of John. When Bilquis finds Christ as Savior and begins to walk with God, her family turns its back on her. It is a very sad and hard time. We follow Bilquis in her first steps of faith, in learning to follow the Holy Spirit’s leadership, and in a summary of her life. At the end of I Dared to Call Him Father, Synnove Mitchell tells many more details about Bilquis. I enjoyed hearing the story from her vantage point as much as reading Bilquis’ personal testimony. This is a wonderful book, and I believe it will challenge you to be a consistent witness for Christ, wherever you are. I enjoyed the glimpse into the lifestyle of wealthy and important people in Pakistan, the missionaries there, and above all, how God plays His part in bringing souls to Him. I believe that you will enjoy reading this personal testimony from back in the 1960s. It’s beautiful. I definitely recommend it.

This is about a woman's journey to reach what she believed in: God. A learned experience about being true to your beliefs, whatever they are. Some or most people believe in someone, some place, or some thing that is above or has a higher power beyond our human existence. This power is usually praised. Many people refer to this as many things: a higher power, God, or a greater power (many titles). This book is about a woman's walk with God. Although this is about Christianity, it can be applied to any belief. It shows how strong you can be in your higher power. This woman's journey and to reach God can be applied to any faith or whatever you deem as your higher power. It is a lesson learned of conviction, and strength in what you believe in. This is the story of this woman's higher power which is God, concerning strength, love, compassion, hate, family, and being scrutinized. This primarily shows the road she traveled to know God and what occurred afterward. Her strength and determination was concrete in her belief. Although this is about God, the strength shown can be applied to anyone, with an open mind, to any higher power belief. God. If you know God, it may be an easier read for you- if you don't, you can still learn a lesson in this story. . Talking about this book, yet trying not to criticize others- then again explain how it can be used as a teaching tool. It was an excellent story. This has been by far, the most difficult review I've written. Excellent book. [...]

The thing I hated about this book was that I was reading it inbetween breaks at work, and sometimes I had to put it down. It was gripping throughout, and though the writing might not be that of Chaucer or Dickins I give it 5 stars because it was so inspirational and encouraging. I want to be like her! "I Dared" describes the process of a Pakistani noble woman coming to a belief in Jesus as Lord, through dreams and reading the Bible on her own- though there is continual Christian community around her and involved with her. She describes aspects of Islam positively, such as the call of the mu'ezzein from the minarets, which she found comforting, as do I. But she also describes times when Islamic belief and Pakistani culture serve to hurt. She doesn't do this negatively, but simply mentions the facts that happened to her. I was impressed, deeply, at how she was willing to be lead by God towards whatever He wanted. And not like she was a saint- she shares a process of learning to give up her rights in favor of God's. Particularly moving was the segment where she realizes the necessity of forgiving even her former husband, and how she goes from a place of, "No, I can't do that at all God." to "Yes, and if he came to my house today I would welcome him." I also enjoyed her detailing of the process by which she learned to hear God's voice. She wasn't hung up on a lot of regulations that had built up over the centuries in Christendom about what to do or not to do, how to be baptized or receive the Spirit, how you listen and what you must do or not do to avoid certain practices- she just listened and tried to obey. And at the times when she didn't obey, she relates with complete honesty how she learned through that. I think this is the most stunning part of the book- the complete honesty. She doesn't try to make herself better or more important, as certain bios of great Christians in America might do. She just related what God had done, in taking a broken jar and remolding it. Her openness opens up the world of the Spirit.

A great story of God’s redemption and power. I learned so much through this book. It helped me understand the Muslim world and their understanding of Who God is.

Bilquis' story of her search for God and the way He found her shows the depths of his love for lost sinners and the powerful way he draws men to him. As the story unfolds, you can see how God is working out everything in the background, through dreams, events, chance encounters and situations to orchestrate the salvation of her soul. This is especially revealed in the Afterword written by Synove Mitchell, the missionary that Bilquis' first consulted, the despair that was going on in her spiritual life at the time, and her fervent prayers to God to show her meaning in her ministry. After her conversion, Bilquis learns to walk with God, to feel for his Presence and to follow his leading. This part is very humbling for me because I have not yet learned to walk as Bilquis has, perhaps because I have too much material, Bible study notes, commentaries, preaching, programs, that I have not learned to lean solely on God, and what he wants me to do. I pray that I can develop the sensitivity that Bilquis has, about moving in his will, staying in his presence and his fellowship and then obey. Even though she was shunned by her family, threatened by the villagers, and almost had her house burned down, Bilquis learned to trust only in God and his timing. She was bold in her witness, she did what God told her to do, and was used by him to bring other villagers to Christ. Bilquis also recounts times when she grieved the Spirit, when she let her old self get in the way, and her immediate sense of being further away from God. Servants and neighbors observed the changes that God made in Bilquis' life after her salvation. Whereas before, she was imperious, prideful, and hard to please. She became gentle, gracious, and giving. After years of observing her, her Muslim servant received Jesus as Saviour because she too wanted to know God, and asked Jesus to come into her heart. They both "have tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Peter 2:3) So it can be for you too, if you want to taste of the heavenly gift, then just ask God to show Himself to you. While visiting a hospital, she met a doctor who told her "there is only one way to find out why you feel this way. And that is to find out for yourself, strange as that may seem. Why don't you pray to the God you're searching for? Ask Him to show you His way. Talk to Him as if He is your friend.... Talk to Him as if He were your father."