Known Mosque leader in a town in Ethiopia, graduated from the SBCE Missionary Outreach Certificate program and is not serving in church planting with the Rift Valley Vision Program
When he was asleep one night he had a dream in which a tall man appeared to him in a white robe. He said, “what you are doing is good to you but not to me. Starting from this day I will give you a new key and you will stop your present work and serve me. The key I will give you is a clean key.” So Tahir asked what sort of key this is? He was told, “It is a spiritual key for a spiritual life and that by this key many Muslims and even yourself will be turned to Me.” Tahir answered, “I am not educated and I cannot do this work.” But he was told just to open the Quran and he would be instructed in what he needs to know and how to do this work. But at that time he refused and just went back to sleep.
When he was going back to sleep the man in the vision threatened him if he did not pay attention to the instructions so Tahir got up and opened his Quran as he was instructed to Sura 18 v.191,192? The man in the vision said to Tahir, “The reason why I came to you is because I am from the eternal God, I am your life. If you give your heart and will starting today you will have a life of joy and peace. “ He was told that he would not change his language but that he would speak to the Muslims in his own language. This happened on a Saturday night and he was told to go the next day to where the Christians were worshipping and to tell them what had happened to him. The vision said he would be shown the truth from the New Testament. He said, “Today I am calling you out of the darkness and into the light. Thus you will shine that light to the Muslim people. “The next morning he found a converted Muslim named Muhammed who had testified to him about Jesus. Tahir shared with him his dream and what he had been told and they spoke together. That day he called upon the name of the Lord and was saved.
The whole congregation of Muslims heard of this and one day when many were gathered together he was told to come to explain what had happened to him. They asked him, “Why have you changed from the teaching of the Quran to become a Christian?” He told them I am not leaving you Muslims but I am telling you what I have heard and about this peace and Joy.” The Muslim leaders told the people not to listen to him as he would cause all of the Muslims to become Christians. Then they beat him and abused him and took him to their prison. They called a big gathering of Muslims after 3 days of imprisonment. They came cursing him and beating him and they took him before the government authorities. Three government officials were there and he was asked why did he become a Christian? He said, “According to the law of Ethiopia I can believe whatever I like, do you want me to tell you the things I heard in my dream?”
There were Muslim leaders present and they asked him to explain why he had become a Christian. He started to tell them about Issa from the Quran. As he did so they took him away to discuss with him privately and then they said the leaders would report to the congregation what he had said. But he told the Sheikh that he would speak for himself so they went back to the congregation and shared from the Quran about Issa and then asked the Sheikh if it was true and he said, “Yes it is true.”
Finally, the government officials said he must be set free and could not be held in prison. So the government officials told him he is free and can preach whatever he likes. As he was leaving that day 12 young Muslims went with him and said they also wanted to be Christians. Three days later as he was preaching in another place 50 Muslims came to Christ.
The Sheikh came to him and told him, “We have been giving you 500 EB a month to preach about Islam, what are the Christians giving you?” But he answered that he did not preach Issa to get money and that he did not convert to Christianity for money but because he has received peace and so that is what I share and no-one needs to pay me to do this work.
They sent some wicked men to beat him and to persecute him. Each day as he would go somewhere these men would come to beat him but when he called out the name of Jesus they fell down and ran away. One of the Muslim leaders had a motor cycle and hit him with it to hurt him but he was not injured and the Muslim was injured instead. Then they secretly talked to his father to get him to bring Tehir to a secret place so they could beat him and kill him. They did this because his father was still a Muslim and had kicked Tahir out of their house. So one day when Tahir went to his house to try to make peace with his father by bringing some presents of food for him, the Muslim leaders came and they cut him severely with knives and beat him. But as they were doing these things Tehir’s mother came with a knife and threatened them and told them to leave her son alone and while they quarreled his slipped away and escaped.
When he was a Muslim he had some property in his father’s house, some fruit trees, money, etc. But his father took all he had and he lost everything. After losing all and separating from the mosque he tried to get a house to live in but he had no money and so he suffered very much at that time. He did not even have shoes to wear. He went to the government and they gave him a license so he could preach in that area so he walked from place to place barefoot preaching Jesus to the Muslims. Even then his daily needs were met by the Lord and he had peace in his heart as he preached the gospel and served the Lord among the Muslims. During this season as he walked and preached more than 100 gave their heart to the Lord and he started a church among these people.
Now some of his brothers and sisters are with him in his church. Before he was a known leader of more than 40 small mosques in that area and now he leads a church. He is a missionary with Rift Valley Vision and a graduate of SBCE Certificate of Missionary Outreach Program.
