As-salaamu 'alaykum

I just thought I might tell you a little bit about how I started practising, insha'Allah.

I was born in Bosnia. Both of my parents were communists.
We moved to northern Europe because of the war, when I was only about 4 years old.

My parents didn't really talk to me much about islam, but I knew somethings and what always struck me was how beautiful the salaah was (I was still young when feeling this).
And I knew that there was a Creator and that we should obey him and that we would be judged by Him in the Life Hearafter (this was my fitrah, because noone really taught me this). I even felt that we should submit to that Creator (I didn't know that word existed, but that was my feeling). We should submit/surrender to the will of God, I just knew that deep down in my soul.

But, watching TV and everything I thought that Christianity was what I later on found out islam is. I saw people praying to God and asking Him for things. I didn't understand arabic and I didn't even know that the Qur'an was in arabic, I had no idea what kind of language that was (when i occasionaly heard the Qur'an). So, I assumed that Christianity was what I really believed in (because they told us the stories of the prophets in school and because of what I thought Christianity was). I wanted to belong to a religion whose followers pray to God in a way they understand. But I still felt that the movements in the salaat were special. The prostration was THE ultimate thing. I wanted to do this. I wanted to surrender to God, obeying Him and prostrating to Him. I wanted to praise Him. I didn't find this in Christianity and when I ultimately found out that they believe in the Trinity, well... That was it...

I did feel that Islams belief in God was something I could understand and that it was logical. As I mentioned, watching TV and going to school I got the impression that Christianity was what I believed in, but it all collaped as I found out the truth, so when I learned more about islam it made sense. The only thing I didn't understand was the Qur'an and it's language. I had never even picked up a translation (I was still a kid though).
One thing I couldn't put my finger on was the islamic prayer. There was something very, very magical about the Fajr prayer especially. Waking up early at dawn, washing yourself, praying to God and submitting to Him! Is there anything more beautiful?

So I learned how to pray by myself when I was twelve and did a couple of mistakes and wanted to correct myself, so I surfed the internet looking for info about the salaat. And I came across some info about islam and one thing just dazzled me when I came to know about it. Islam means submission! It MEANS SUBMISSION TO GOD! This, in my opinion, is evidence that islam is the right way of life. This was my fitrah. This was what I believed in.
Also, when I finally picked up a translation of the Qur'an... I can't describe it with words. It's as if all my feeling that I have in my heart, that I can't express were taken out and put on paper. It was unbelievable.

Imagine then how I felt when I came across the verses in the Qur'an that told us to look in our own selves for signs and the hadiths where the Prophet salallahu 'alayhi wa sallam informs us of the fitrah.

The reason why I feel islam is the right way is because of the fact that every aspect of it totally agrees with the fitrah.

This was just my little story that I wanted to share. Maybe it was gobbledygoo as I just wrote of the top of my head, but I think the point comes across, insha'Allah. =)