Christian apologist Nabeel Qureshi diagnosed with advanced cancer

Originally published in The Christian Post

Christian apologist and best-selling author Nabeel Qureshi announced Tuesday evening that he has been diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer and will be stepping out from his traveling ministry work and cancelling scheduled speaking engagements.

Qureshi, a Christian convert from Islam whose new book, No God But One: Allah or Jesus? was released Tuesday, took to his Facebook page to inform his fans and followers of the troubling news of his illness, saying that the prognosis is “quite grim.”

“This is an announcement that I never expected to make, but God in His infinite and sovereign wisdom has chosen me for this refining, and I pray He will be glorified through my body and my spirit,” Qureshi wrote. “My family and I have received the news that I have advanced stomach cancer, and the clinical prognosis is quite grim. Nonetheless, we are going to pursue healing aggressively, both medical and miraculous, relying on God and the fact that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.”

A Zondervan publicity manager told The Christian Post on Wednesday that Qureshi received his cancer diagnosis last week around the time he was celebrating his 11th anniversary of his conversion from Islam to Christianity.

Christian faith unaffected
Although his announcement comes just hours after the roll out of his new book, which discusses the inconsistencies of Islam and the evidence for Christianity, Qureshi assured in his post that the illness has not affected his Christian faith.

“In the past few days my spirits have soared and sank as I pursue the Lord’s will and consider what the future might look like, but never once have I doubted this: that Jesus is Lord, His blood has paid my ransom, and by His wounds I am healed,” he wrote. “I have firm faith that my soul is saved by the grace and mercy of the Triune God, and not by any accomplishment or merit of my own. I am so thankful that I am a child of the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed in the Spirit. No, in the midst of the storm, I do not have to worry about my salvation, and for that I praise you, God.”

Qureshi decided to take a leave from traveling ministry and has already cancelled most of his speaking events, with a few exceptions. However, he still plans to let his voice be heard through internet platforms.

“From this point on until such a time as the Lord might choose to heal me, I intend to blog or vlog about my journey with cancer, transparently offering my heart, thoughts, and struggles in case they might encourage others and glorify God,” he explained. “I will no longer be with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, though it has been an absolute privilege to be on the team for the past [three] years.”

Qureshi also plans to go ahead with his next book project, 20 Questions Muslims Ask and the Answers That Convert Them.

Fast and pray
Additionally, Qureshi called on his family and friends to fast and pray for his healing.

“I do not profess to know the will of the Lord, but many of my close friends and confidants are convinced that this is a trial through which the Lord intends to bring me alive and refined,” Qureshi stated. “May His will be done, and may I invite you to seek Him in earnest, on your knees, fasting on my behalf, asking our Yahweh Rapha for healing in Jesus’ name.”

“And as you pray and fast, I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death,” he concluded, citing Philippians 1:18-20

Along with authoring No God But One, Qureshi wrote the 2014 book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, which details the heart behind his conversion to Christianity.

In June, Qureshi told tens of thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC that after he converted to Christianity over 11 years ago, he asked God to kill him because most of his Muslim family and friends had abandoned their relationships with him after his conversion.