Shuhul and Asad grew up doing everything together. Whenever they had the chance, the two brothers would slip away from their younger siblings who shadowed them and run off to fish together in the stream outside of town.

Older brother Shuhul had little interest in school. But Asad loved learning. When he wasn’t with Shuhul, he was often reading a book under his favorite tree.

At 18, Asad said goodbye to his family. He boarded a bus for a full day’s journey to the capital city, where he had been accepted into a university. Shuhul embraced his brother and told Asad to come home as often as he could.

In the city, Asad lived with a distant cousin. But he knew no one else, and he felt terribly lonely being away from his immediate family for the first time.

Then he met Mark, a Frontiers worker who taught Asad’s English class at the university. Mark and his wife, Becky, invited groups of students into their home every week. The first time Asad visited their house, he felt overwhelmed by the couple’s kindness and hospitality.

Something about Mark and Becky’s home brought comfort to his homesick heart. So Asad began inviting himself over more often. Each time, he heard them share stories about Jesus. Mark suggested they start studying the Bible together. Eager to read a book he’d never had access to, Asad agreed. Some weeks later, he surrendered his life to Christ.

He still missed his family. But Asad’s love for them was now infused with an urgent desire that they hear the Gospel. He prayed for them to embrace the joy he had found in Christ. But when Asad called his brother to share the Good News with him, Shuhul responded angrily.

“How could you betray our family and dishonor our prophet Muhammad?” Shuhul demanded. “Don’t come back until you’ve renounced this false religion!”

Shuhul’s words grieved the new believer. Asad continued praying for God to soften his brother’s heart to the truth of Christ. But every time Asad called, Shuhul made it clear that the family wanted nothing to do with him until he denied that Jesus was the Way.

Then Mark and Becky told Asad they were planning a trip that would take them past his hometown. They asked the young believer if they could stop and visit his family. Asad agreed. Shuhul may have rejected him. But Asad knew that his brother, a devout man of honor, wouldn’t reject unannounced visitors. Before Mark and Becky left for their trip, Asad prayed with them and asked God to open the door for his family to hear the Gospel.

Mark and Becky decided to drive through the night to time their arrival for early morning.

Meanwhile, God gave Shuhul an extraordinary dream. In this dream, Jesus appeared. He told Shuhul that two people would come in the morning to share a message of truth with his family—a message that would change their lives forever.

Shuhul woke up before dawn feeling unsettled by the dream. He had always believed that Islam was the full expression of God’s message to the world. But if God were sending someone to bring his family a message of truth, then Shuhul would make sure they all embraced it.

Mark and Becky showed up shortly after the family finished eating breakfast. Unaware that Jesus had set the stage for their arrival, they knocked on the door.

“Are you here to tell us about the truth?” Shuhul asked as he opened the door to the two guests sent by Jesus.

Mark and Becky nodded mutely, shocked into silence. Shuhul welcomed them in. Then he announced to his family, “Jesus came to me in a dream last night telling me that two people would come and share His truth with us.”

Everyone stared expectantly at the guests, and Mark and Becky began sharing from God’s Word. By the end of the day, Shuhul and the entire family committed to following Christ. They were baptized the next day. When Shuhul called Asad to share the good news, the two brothers wept together.

After returning to the city, Mark and Becky started coaching Asad in ways to encourage his family’s new faith, help them grow in the Word, and learn to share the Gospel with boldness. Shuhul has started several Bible studies, which have multiplied into even more groups. Hundreds of Muslims in the region have begun following Jesus through these studies.

• Praise God for placing Mark and Becky in just the right place and at just the right time to share Christ with Asad’s family.
• Pray for new believers to be bold witnesses as they share how the Father has drawn them to faith in Jesus.
• Ask the Lord to raise up more Frontiers workers who will bring the Word of God to Muslims in the least-reached places.

**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**

Original article: https://frontiersusa.org/blog/hard-hearted-brother