Sonny Bill Williams; Islam brings me happiness

hkqmhnh135

It was in the cave of Hira that the prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Quran. For rugby's original wild child Sonny Bill Williams, meeting a Tunisian family who lived with their five children in a one-bedroom flat in the south of France proved pivotal to his conversion to Islam.
The New Zealander's unshakeable belief in the Almighty has proved to be the making of one of the island nation's most gifted -- and controversial -- sports stars.
"I was real close with them, and I saw how happy and content they were. And to see how they lived their lives, it was just simple," Sonny Bill Williams, a prodigious rugby talent, professional boxer and tattooed poster boy, tells CNN's Human to Hero series.
"One thing I've learned over my career is that simplicity is the key. On the field, off as well."
"I've become a true Muslim," added Williams. "It's giving me happiness. It's made me become content as a man, and helped me to grow. I've just got faith in it and it has definitely helped me become the man I am today."
The Williams of today does not visibly bear the scars of the 15-year-old who was thrust into the unrelenting drinking culture of one of Australia's top rugby league clubs and shamed by national media after being caught in a compromising position with a model.
A man who quit that scene, walking out on his contract to take up a lucrative offer to switch codes and join a French rugby union club -- requiring a substantial compensation payout.
A man who rejected a reported record $5 million deal to stay with Toulon and returned to Aotearoa -- "the land of the long white cloud" -- to follow his dream of playing for the prestigious All Blacks, but found himself a fringe figure for 2011's long-awaited World Cup triumph on home soil.
He's been battered in a boxing ring, criticized for landing another big-money deal in Japan, and is now back in the sport where he's most at home.
And still controversy follows him,[url=http://www.ibeats.se/]billiga beats by dr dre[/url].
World Cup mission
This weekend Williams will continue his bid to become the first player to win the World Cup in both union and league, as the Kiwis take on Australia in the final.
His mere presence in the squad caused a storm, as he only made himself available the day after it was named -- reversing his earlier decision. It meant one unlucky player had to make way.
"I thought I was doing a good thing,[url=http://www.ibeats.se/257-beats-by-dr-dre-solo]beats by dre solo[/url], you know, staying true to myself," says the 28-year-old, who had just completed a triumphant return to Australia's National Rugby League competition,[url=http://www.ibeats.se/254-beats-by-dr-dre-tour]beats by dre wireless[/url], winning his second title and subsequently deciding to extend what had initially been planned as a one-year stint with the Sydney Roosters club.
"Then obviously there was a bit of a falling out, because one of the players was taken out of the squad, one of the young boys,[url=http://www.ibeats.se/]beats by dre[/url], and I just got absolutely hammered.
"And it just made me think, you can't please everyone, you know? If you go about trying to please everyone,[url=http://www.ibeats.se/258-beats-by-dr-dre-studio]beats by dre studio[/url], there's going to be endless struggles.
"As long as you are happy with the man you see in the mirror, it's all that counts I guess."
The battle within
When Williams, who stands at 6 foot 4 inches and weighs in at 17 stone (108 kg), looks at himself in the mirror,[url=http://www.ibeats.se/]monster beats[/url], it is surprising to hear him admit to vulnerability.
"My toughest opponent is probably myself, I guess, mentally," Williams says in his quiet voice, a gentle contrast to his powerful physique.
Stripped to his trunks in the boxing ring, you can see the rippling muscles and elaborate tattoos that have made him a pinup.
"Overcoming the mental struggles that you have out on the field, it's been probably the biggest one for me. The reason I feel so mentally strong now is because of boxing and going through those tough times," he adds.
"I've always had battles inside my head where I had to think where I was going to go."