Murad Wilfried Hofmann was a German diplomat and author. Born a Catholic, he converted to Islam in 1980. He studied at Harvard University and was an honorary member and advisor to the Central Council of Muslims in Germany.
There were many encounters that led him to his conversion to Islam.
One of them was Islamic art. He used to travel across the world, including the US to observe and critique ballet performances.
“As a critic, one has to have standards,” he said.
But as soon as he saw Islamic art, he was left dumbfounded. “The first one was in Spain’s cities of Granada, Cordoba, Seville in south Spain and Andalusia.”
“Islamic art touched me in a way no other art touched me”
Dr Murad Hofmann passed away on January 13, 2020 at the age of 88 after a long struggle with illness, leaving a wife Neeuz Bulben, a Turkish national.
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
“We surely belong to Allah and to Him we shall return”
اللهُـمِّ اغْفِـرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْـه ، وَعافِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنْـه ، وَأَكْـرِمْ نُزُلَـه ، وَوَسِّـعْ مُدْخَـلَه ، وَاغْسِلْـهُ بِالْمـاءِ وَالثَّـلْجِ وَالْبَـرَدْ ، وَنَقِّـهِ مِنَ الْخطـايا كَما نَـقّيْتَ الـثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَـضُ مِنَ الدَّنَـسْ ، وَأَبْـدِلْهُ داراً خَـيْراً مِنْ دارِه ، وَأَهْلاً خَـيْراً مِنْ أَهْلِـه ، وَزَوْجَـاً خَـيْراً مِنْ زَوْجِه، وَأَدْخِـلْهُ الْجَـنَّة ، وَأَعِـذْهُ مِنْ عَذابِ القَـبْر وَعَذابِ النّـار
O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him and give him strength and pardon him. Be generous to him and cause his entrance to be wide and wash him with water and snow and hail. Cleanse him of his transgressions as white cloth is cleansed of stains. Give him an abode better than his home, and a family better than his family and a wife better than his wife. Take him into Paradise and protect him from the punishment of the grave (and from the punishment of Hell-fire)(Muslim 2/663).
Source: Raya Shokatfard, www.aboutislam.net, Wikipedia
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