#43: From Monastery to Mosque: A Catholic Priest's 20-Year Journey to Islam | Said Abdul Latif

For twenty years, he served at the altar. He took vows. He wore the robe. He was planning to build a monastery. And through all of it — quietly, privately, overwhelmingly — Islam was calling him home. In this episode of The Prometheans, Ali Zaka (AZD) sits down with Said Abdul Latif, formerly known as Father Hilarion Heagy — Eastern Catholic priest, Byzantine monk, and one of the most talked-about conversion stories of our time. His announcement in February 2023 trended on Google across the Arab world and shook both Christian and Muslim communities globally. This is not a debate. This is not a polemic. This is one man's honest account of a soul in search of God. They discuss: How the recitation of the Quran first broke open his heart in 2001 The role of Rumi and Sufism as a bridge between Christian mysticism and Islamic tawhid Years of inner conflict — serving as a priest while Islam grew within him The moment he knew: "One simply can't be a priest publicly, and a Muslim privately" 🌍 Why his conversion trended globally — and what the worldwide Muslim response meant to him 📚 Resources he recommends for those beginning their own journey of inquiry He described his conversion not as leaving something behind, but as a return — calling it a "reversion to Islam" that felt "like coming home." Whether you are Muslim, Christian, atheist, or still searching — this conversation will reach something in you. "My pull towards Islam over twenty years has finally led me home." — Said Abdul Latif

📚 Recommended by Said Abdul Latif: Works of Abdul Hakim Murad (Tim Winter) | Let's Talk Religion