This story of how the people from the Maldives accepted Islam is fascinating. They were being terrified and essentially held hostage by an evil entity/jinn, which they believed they had to offer blood sacrifices to in order for it to leave them alone. This went on for a long time until a Berber Muslim arrived on the island and recited God’s speech—the Quran—for hours at the location where the demonic entity usually appeared. The Muslim successfully sent the jinn into the depths of the sea, where many of them live.

Reading this story reminded me of a personal story from Shaykh Bilal Philips. Shaykh Bilal Philips is a convert to Islam from a Jamaican background. His parents, who were non-Muslims, started experiencing poltergeist issues in their home. They told their son about the strange events that had been happening for a while. Shaykh Bilal Philips went to their home and recited all of the second chapter of the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed Muslims to do this to ward off evil demonic entities. Shaykh Bilal Philips’ efforts paid off because not only did the strange occurrences in his parents’ house stop, but it also led his parents to study Islam and eventually embrace it as their own faith.