Saideh Heravi-Bonab (MACM ’25)

I am Iranian and a convert to Christianity from Islam. I offer my family’s testimony to demonstrate God’s mercy that brought us to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and to reflect on how Christians might extend that mercy to Muslims. I am the youngest of six children, raised in an Islamic family by loving parents who instilled faith, morals, and generosity in us from a young age. My father was a successful entrepreneur and an honest, spiritual man who believed God had blessed him with a beautiful wife and family. Compassion for others—including care for the poor and homeless—was part of our daily life because it was central to our faith.

The first tragedy of my life occurred when I was 14, when my mother died after a car accident caused by an intoxicated driver. After several months, my father forgave the man responsible. When we asked why, he answered simply, “He had five kids.” I witnessed my father’s deep faith in a loving God, worshiping God in lament and remaining faithful. As a devout Muslim, he believed that good deeds must outweigh bad deeds to enter heaven (Surah Al‑Araf 8–9).

At 17, I moved to Italy and later to Boston, as Iran descended into chaos after the revolution. During my second year of college, my beloved father died. I fell into severe depression, left school, and worked long hours just to survive. Although my father left me a trust fund in Iran, I never received it. Life became harsh and uncertain, and my health suffered.

Later, my sister came to stay with me, and caring for her and her children restored my health and spirit. Eventually, I traveled to Montreal where I met my future husband during the Persian New Year. We became engaged in two days and married within two months. Our marriage lasted twenty‑three and a half years. He was a scientist and physician who believed deeply in helping others. Together, we lived out what we understood as faithful obedience to God through good works.

After a miscarriage, we were blessed with a daughter. Life felt full and joyful. Yet when our daughter was 12, my husband became gravely ill and was hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital. There, Jesus revealed himself to my husband, telling him, “You are free.” My husband declared his love for Jesus before he died. After his passing, I was left alone as a widow and single mother, fearful and uncertain. By God’s grace, I completed nursing school and was able to work as a nurse. In my grief, I cried out to God, asking why—and the Lord answered: “I want you to work for me.”

In my sorrow and lament, I came to know the true and living God, Jesus Christ, and received him as my Lord and Savior. Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice on the cross transformed my life (Isa 53:5). As my devotion to Christ deepened, fear gave way to trust, and I repeatedly said “yes” to his call. I witnessed God’s mercy and faithfulness again and again as he answered my prayers.

During the Covid year, I followed God’s leading to study at Gordon‑Conwell Theological Seminary. There I took a course titled Christian Approach to Islam and read My Neighbor’s Faith by Dr. John Azumah. Learning that many Muslims have encountered Jesus in dreams and visions confirmed that my husband’s experience was part of God’s wider work. God is drawing people from every nation into his kingdom.

Scripture reminds us that “the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). As my intimacy with God grew, I experienced the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit in daily prayer and obedience. Two years ago, God prompted me to speak to my brother‑in‑law about Jesus shortly before his death. Though mocked at the time, he later affirmed that I had spoken the truth about Christ.

Having once worshiped within Islam, I now testify that true submission is obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Islam presents Jesus as a prophet but not the Son of God or the Second Person of the Trinity, whereas Scripture reveals Jesus as Lord, Savior, and the incarnate Word. Jesus is holy, loving, and sovereign, revealing God’s mercy and justice.

My calling as a Christian is to proclaim the good news to all people—Jews and Gentiles alike—because God’s mercy and salvation are for everyone. God commands his people to act with justice, compassion, and mercy (Zech 7:9–10). As a nurse and servant of Christ, I seek to treat all people with dignity and love, including Muslims.

In conclusion, God’s mercy and the mission of the church to Muslims are deeply personal to me. I am grateful for God’s grace in bringing me to Christ and for my husband’s encounter with Jesus before his death. Especially in these critical moments in world history, Christians are called to show God’s mercy to Muslims and to bear faithful witness to the saving love of Jesus Christ.

Saideh Bonab left Persia (Iran) at 17 to study Dante in Italy, earning a degree from the University of Perugia; she is fluent in five languages and holds a B.S. in nursing from the University of Massachusetts and an MA in Christian Ministries from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2025). She is active in ministry at Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA, where she serves the homeless and shares the Christian faith shaped by her family’s journey from Islam to Christianity. A longer version of this narrative first appeared in Africanus Journal, April 2026.