After 21 years as an evangelical pastor in northeastern Brazil — rising from itinerant street preacher to president of an Assembly of God field overseeing 17 churches across Paraíba and Pernambuco — João de Deus Cabral walked away from everything he had built and embraced Islam. Now known as Ibrahim de Deus, his journey is not a rejection of faith, but its deepest fulfillment: a return to the pure monotheism that he came to understand as the universal message carried by every prophet, from Adam and Abraham to Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
Following the True Message of Jesus: How a Pastor Recognized Islam’s Core Truth
“Being Muslim is nothing more than demonstrating belief in the one God — and Jesus is a Muslim precisely because this is the message he brings, recorded in the Gospels themselves. When asked who the people should worship, he said: Worship God.”
Ibrahim’s path to Islam began not in a mosque, but through his own daughter, who had reverted to Islam while studying in New Zealand. In 2007, he traveled to Dubai at the invitation of a Sheikh to seek answers to his growing questions — and what he found shook the foundations of his theology. Through deep study of the Quran and the Sunnah, he recognized that the message of Islam was not a new religion, but a restoration of the original call of all the prophets. Key insights from his testimony include:
- Jesus (peace be upon him) never claimed to be God — when asked directly, he deflected, and the Gospels record that he rejected men glorifying him as divine
- Islam affirms the prophethood of Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and all messengers as part of one unbroken chain of divine guidance
- The word “Muslim” simply means one who submits to the One Creator — a title that applies to every true prophet of God
- Ibrahim left a 17-year career at Banco do Brasil to serve the church full-time — then left the church entirely when he discovered the fuller truth of Islam
- He now serves as president of the Islamic Center of João Pessoa, leading a growing community working toward building a mosque in Paraíba, Brazil
The Quran, Freedom of Faith, and Islam’s Message for Brazil
Ibrahim speaks with particular urgency about the Quran, describing Surah Al-Fatiha — recited seventeen times daily in prayer — as the surah that moves him most deeply, encapsulating the oneness of Allah, the guidance of the straight path, and the reality of the final judgment. He challenges Brazilians to read the Quran without prejudice, explaining that it is not a book of destruction but a complete guide to life — addressing commerce, relationships, social conduct, and worship. He notes that at least two other Brazilian pastors and a priest have also reverted to Islam, suggesting a quiet but meaningful shift taking place across the country’s religious landscape.
“There is no compulsion in religion. No one is forced to become a Muslim. Whoever wants to become a Muslim becomes a Muslim of their own free will — and my proposal to everyone is that they look at other religions with different eyes, try to understand, try to study.”
The story of Ibrahim de Deus is ultimately a story about the relentless pull of truth. A man who sacrificed financial security and devoted decades of his life to serving God did not stop serving God when he found Islam — he found the clearest expression of that service yet. His testimony reminds us that sincere faith, when pursued with honesty and an open heart, has the power to cross every cultural and theological boundary. For anyone searching for purpose, spirituality, and a connection to the same God who sent all the prophets, his invitation is simple: set aside prejudice, open the Quran, and ask Allah — Subhanahu wa Ta’ala — to guide you to the straight path, the path of those whom He has graced.
