By age 34 Nassar Slamet was a successful businessman. He had already made his first million dollars. But money meant nothing to him now for he was dying. The diagnosis was the worst case of Shingles ever admitted to Toronto General Hospital. His immune system shut down. The doctors left him to die. This is his story:
My Condition Was Critical
The first morning I woke up in a sterile room in the hospital. My skin was burning as if someone had doused me in gasoline and lit a match. My doctor arrived and looked at me in wonder. “The blisters are multiplying so fast I can literally watch them grow,” he said, “Your body isn’t fighting back.”
In addition to shingles, I had chicken pox from head to toe. I was put in strict isolation. That evening my temperature soared to 107.6 degrees — hot enough to leave my brain permanently scrambled. For days I continued to deteriorate. By the end of the week, I was listed in critical condition.
Depending Solely on Modern Medicine
Facing death, I was terrified. I had no idea what might await me on the other side. I’d been raised as a Muslim in London, England. I understood Allah was not a God who heals. My only hope was in modern medicine.
The Doctors Couldn’t Help Me
I eventually slipped so close to death that the doctors didn’t know I could hear them. “His immune system has simply shut down,” one of them said. “He’s dying,” the other confirmed. “His immune system must be compromised by AIDS.” “I don’t have AIDS!” I wanted to shout. But I couldn’t form the words. Then it hit me. The doctor said that I was dying!”
They spoke quietly to my co-worker, Anita. “In a few hours he’ll be dead,” they said, “If by some miracle he lives, he’ll probably be blind in his right eye and deaf in his right ear. He will be paralyzed on his right side and he may be severely brain damaged from the high fever.” Then the doctors left.
I Cried Out to God to Help Me, and Jesus Appeared at My Bedside
They left me here to die! I felt like a drowning man. Gathering my strength I whispered, “God, if you’re real, don’t let me die!”
During the darkest hour of the night, I woke up and saw a man at the foot of my bed. Rays of light emanated from him allowing me to see his outline. I couldn’t see his face, because the light was so bright. But I knew the man was Jesus. Jesus was in my room. I had no more fear. I was at peace.
“Why would you come to a Muslim when everyone else has left me to die?” I wondered. Without words, he spoke to me saying, “I Am the God of the Christians. I Am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” That’s all He said. He didn’t mention my illness. He didn’t mention my impending death. As suddenly as He appeared, He was gone.
Jesus, the Savior, Saves My Life
The next morning, the same two doctors arrived to examine me. “The blisters have stopped growing! We don’t know what happened, but the shingles virus has gone into remission!” they exclaimed.
A day later, still in pain and covered with blisters, I was discharged from the hospital with a suitcase full of drugs. “Don’t leave home,” the doctor cautioned. “It will be months before the blisters go away. And when they do, you’ll be left with white patches of skin and scars. The pain could last for years.”
When people saw me, they crossed to the other side of the street. However, my mind was not on my looks. My thoughts were on Jesus. I had no doubt that Jesus stopped the shingles virus. Whatever else Jesus may be, I realized that in His presence miracles happen.
Consumed with a Desire to Know Jesus
I still had one consuming question. Is Jesus Christ the Son of God as the Christians claim, or is he just a prophet as I was taught? At home that evening, I fell into a restless sleep wondering about Jesus.
The next morning, I woke early and turned on the television. Flipping through the channels, I froze when I saw the following words across the screen: Is Jesus the Son of God?
I listened intently as two men spent the entire program discussing this topic. They answered all of my questions. Before the show went off the air, one of the men led the television audience in a prayer. With tears streaming down my face, I repeated the prayer and invited Jesus into my heart.
Immediately spiritual hunger sprang up within me. I had to know more about Jesus. In spite of my doctor’s orders to stay inside, I went out and bought a Bible. First I read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Still hungry, I started in Genesis and read through the entire Bible during my sleepless nights. A friend even brought me books and teaching tapes explaining the Gospel.
My Body is Restored to Health
As my faith grew, I dug out a picture of how I looked before the disease. I prayed and asked God to make me look that way again.
One week after my discharge from the hospital, the blisters on my body all began to fall off. Instead of being covered with patches of white and scar tissue, my skin was simply red and raw. My skin slowly healed, returning to its pre-shingles condition. I looked like I did before I got sick, except for the scars that I still carry on my chest.
None of the doctors’ dire predictions came true. My eyesight was 20/20. My hearing was normal. My speech was clear. I suffered no brain damage. My healing was miraculous, swift and complete. I never suffered from lingering pain or any other complications. Not only did I have the worst case of shingles ever admitted to Toronto General Hospital, I also had the most miraculous recovery.
The Greatest Miracle Was My Salvation
Jesus, the God of the Christians, showed up in the hospital room of a dying Muslim and healed me. But that wasn’t the greatest miracle He performed. The transformation that occurred in my heart was even more dramatic than the one that occurred in my body. In his second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Jesus can make the same heart transformation in your life. You can have peace in your heart. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We invite you to learn more about His saving power.
[We invite you to visit us at https://www.isaandislam.com/way-of-salvation to learn more about God’s gift of Salvation. God loves you and waits to hear from you. Isa clearly said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Injil, John 14:6). For a deeper understanding of Isa we suggest you subscribe to “Isa, Islam, and Al-Fatiha” at this link.]
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