The Kumbh Mela led him to Islam
Submitted by mumtaz on 2 October 2008 - 1:34pm.
A book stall in Kumbh Mela
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net
An 18-year-old boy is moving around in the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. He comes across a book stall, moves up and after having a look at some books he picks up “Hindu Jaat ka Utthan aur Patan.” He fillips through the book for a few minutes and buys it, oblivious of the fact the book is going to change his life altogether.
That 18-year-old, class XII student is now 32-year-old Md. Rashid, a research scholar, doing Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia.
Authored by Rajni Kant Shastri in 1940, the book talked about Hindu religion and Hindu society and the ‘wrongs’ that have crept into it. Shastri had talked about characters of Hindu deities like Ram, Krishna, Shiv and others. He had suggested that the Hindu society would be become better if some ‘wrongs’ were removed.
At the end of the book the author had briefly talked about Islam and pointed out some features of this religion which attract people to it. Rajni Kant Shastri was of the view that mainly because of the concept of oneness of God people get fascinated towards Islam.
Rashid, then someone else, loved the book and read it sincerely.
“The book increased curiosity in me to read and know about Islam,” says Rashid sitting in a human rights group office.
“Someone gave me “Islam Perveshika,” the Hindi translation of “Towards Understanding Islam” of Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maududi,” he says.
After reading the book he came much closer to Islam. Now he was making up his mind – to convert or not. He decided to choose the first option.
But it was not easy for him to become Muslim.
“I met some people in Allahabad, my hometown, and expressed my desire. I told them to make me Muslim by making me recite the Kalimah. No one was ready for it,” says Rashid who did not think that the path would be so difficult.
“Someone told me to meet Ahmad Bukhari of Shahi Jama Masjid of Delhi. They said he will make you recite the Kalimah and he will also give you a certificate that is recognized,” adds the man.
On Friday, December 9, 1995, without informing his family, he came to Delhi and met Ahmad Bukhari. “He asked me some questions and then made me recite the Kalimah and gave me a certificate,” he says.
When you broke the news on your family, did they welcome you or shut the door on you?
“Neither,” he says adding they were worried lot. They tried to persuade him and convince him not to do so. They continued counseling him.
Then one day he left home as well as his hometown. For three years he did not inform his family.
Soon after he came in contact with Muslim society he found himself in a sort of maize of faith – Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahle Hadees… He found people were not giving him true teaching of Islam, rather they were talking about their own school of thought.
A book stall in Kumbh Mela
Then he thought he should learn Arabic and read the original source of Islam to know what Islam actually is.
For this purpose, he sought admission in a madrasa.
But the madrasa authorities first denied him entry. They said their institution may face closure. He asked about the process. He was told to bring court certificate of his conversion. Then he went to Allahabad and got a certificate from the Allahabad High Court.
For two years he read at a madrasa in Azamgarh and then three years at another madrasa in Siddharth Nagar. “I studied Quran and then finally concluded that Islam is the best religion” he says.
But he is sad that today Islam and Muslims are two different things. Islam does not reflect from the Muslims, individually or collectively. Reason? He says Muslims do not study Quran. If they read Quran, all problems of the Muslim society will get solved.
Why are Muslims being targeted in the name of terrorism and why are they being branded as terrorists? Rashid has an answer to it also.
“What is happening in India is part of the global anti-Islam phenomenon. Other religions think that if Islam took centre stage then they will be neglected and sidelined. They fear from Islamic system that is based on the laws of Almighty which is all justice and equality” says Rashid.
What pushed him towards Islam is now the subject of his research. He is doing Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia. The topic is Concept of God in Islam and Hindu religion – a Comparative Study.
[Photos by Nishita & Girish]
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Abhishek-Some characteristics of Hindutva leaders
Some characteristics of Hindutva leaders and their followers !
These are the characterstics of Hindutva politicians – and their supporters.
1) Doublespeak. Commit violence to show Hindu pride, but claim Hinduism is spiritual and non-violent. When one backs criminality and wants to whitewash it, doublespeak will be a natural trait.
2) Have a thoroughly communal outlook and then preach patriotism ! Think as Hindu, never as Indian, don’t accept others born in India as Indians, but cover up and talk as if you there is no one as patriotic in India.
3) Hypocrisy and fake patriotism : migrate to Christian and Muslim countries to build their wealth and industry, and then show you are more Hindu than the Hindus in India.
4) Vulgar language. Just listen to Modi or Uma Bharati. See Abhishek in this message board. They cannot help it. When one’s position is untenable, but one cannot reform, this will be the result.
4) Claim to speak for all Hindus. Badmouth Hindus who don’t have the taste for violence and intimidation of minorities.
5) Arrange for the liquidation of all opposition using all means – assassination included. Show no shame.
6) Self-pity : beat up the minorities and cry for oneself – pathetic !
8) Hindutva’s single achievement – murder of Gandhi.
9) Hindutva role models : Hitler and Hindu Nazis like Savarkar and Gowalkar, Modi and Advani.
Why put down other religions to show up your own?
Seems like the point of this article is that even a pious hindu pilgrimage couldn't prevent someone from converting to Islam. If this is not a point to put down another religion and lift up your own, I don't know what is.
Not sure how this article is going to help bring Indians...Muslims and Hindus together.
When people are mentally
When people are mentally disturbed, and unsatisfied, they resort to such fanatism. The muslim community in India is largely not developed materialistic. Many are brainwashed by few leaders funded by oil money from gulf. Is there really no classification in islam? then why the fights between sunnis and shias?. Do you really think the arabs, consider the other converted muslims as thier own?. They simply use religion to get people to work for them, for thier personal fights and propogandas. Even Indian Muslimes are not accepted in pakistan.
Islam is a great religion, but calling it the only way to god is proactive. calling others kafir is proactive. I dont care 2 pence for islam, just like u wudnt care abour jainism, which is my relegion. But do I need to state that openly.
Let people follow what they want. dont indulge in conversions, and statements which belittle other religions.
It is not what prophet would have wanted.
Pratik, let me explain why Hindutva is failing
Pratik, you have again shown your inadequacy in discussing the issue. Either you resort to Hindutva language, or you bring irrelevant quotations. Advani is a criminal and anti-national who cynically instigated the death of many Indians, to gain power. He should be prosecuted and hanged. You could not write a direct counter.
I challenge any Hindutva Hindu to counter this.
Hindutva is not going anywhere. It is a movement for fascist-minded, upper caste Hindus whose only aim is to maintain their caste privileges.Hindutva does not have any intellectuals or thinkers. Gowalkar and Savarkar were imitation Nazis, who thought by applying similar ideas in India, Hindus would become somebody in the world. Hitler failed, and Savarkar and Gowalkar did not take off in India during theie lives.
In the 1990s, we saw the rise of Advani and Modi, a couple of Savarkar imitations.
Are Advani and Modi widely respected in India, let alone the world ?
Did Advani and Modi’s Hindutva make Hindus somebody in the world ? No, Hindus are held in contempt as a result !
Who else does Hindutva have ? Uma Bharati ? Sushma Swaraj ? An ugly, pot-bellied Shankaracharya with a criminal charge ? Where does Hindutva turn for inspiration ?
Why, we have the inimitable Pratik – the illiterate upper caste Hindutva with limited vocabulary and even more limited intellect !
I said I would explain why Hindutva is failing. It is because its supporters are like you – sub-standard ! Hindutva has its own self-destruct mechanism. Fascists have never succeeded anywhere, and one can safely predict the same outcome. We shall turn the heat on you.
PS : congratulations for increasing your vocabulary .At this rate Pratik, you will have to have several lifetimes as a Brahmin, to become knowledgable.
The question is, with your sinful behaviour, what awaits you in the next life ?
Perhaps you would be born as a weasel, if not a Dalit ! Beware Brahmin, have fear of what awaits you.
False propganda
Islam is a far underdeveloped religion. What prophet said was great in his time. But Muslims have forgotten to change according to times.
To add to this is the crap by muslim leaders that it is the best relgion. A religion which butchers animals as part of thier appeasement to god?. No wonder muslims are at war everywhere on this earth. Violence in inbred in them.
There are various religions like Jainism, Buddhism, which are peace loving, non violent, and non discriminatory. Wonder what makes people take islam?. Maybe thier bad karmas.
Pratik, your head is swimming as you are being slapped
Pratik, your head is swimming as you are being slapped on the right and left !
I said “In a democracy, you don't raise violent mobs and kill the country's citizens”.
What is the connection between your reply and what people wrote ? Indeed what is the meaning of what you wrote ?!
So if Indian Muslims are fanatic , then why don’t you behave as an Indian and stop supporting Hindu communalist parties with a record for fomenting divisions ?
Since it is hard to believe you have given up Hindu communalism, it is more likely you did not know what you were writing !
You are being slapped left and right, so you lashed out blindly in rage.
When a boxer receives a jab and an upper cut, he feels dizzy - his head swims !
We can see it in your response.
I told you, I have handled plenty of Hindutva fascists before - I know how to make you lose your mind.
Cowardly Upper caste Hindutva brahmin, you will feel the "Indian minorities" after you !
I shall make you dance to the tune I set, till you cry !
Causes for conversion -a case study
The causes for conversion are debated and people cite the following reasons
(1) money (2) force (3)lack of education (4) the Hindu caste system
The upper castes are generally convinced that the reason is (1). They claim that followers of other religions want to boost their numbers. Maybe, but I do not think any one is giving cash hand outs for conversion.
Reason (2) is too ludicrious but forms the propaganda of Hindutva groups. The Christians and Muslims in India are not winning new converts by beating up the Hindus. Actually, it is the reverse - militant Hindus roam around with trishuls and threaten other communities.
Many upper castes Hindus explain the caste system disingenuously and attribute it to lack of education (reason 3). Due to the caste concepts, education is reserved for the Brahmins, and it is not meant for the sudras. So India will never have full education - because the upper castes do not really believe in it. My observation is that it is the educated who are the staunchest supporters of caste. They come out with all manner of sophistries to defend it. This is what I have seen in many debates.
Reason (4) is the actual cause for conversions. The weakness of Hinduism has always been the caste system. Inequality is a core principle and permanent feature of Hinduism. The caste Hindus will always cling to it. One may cite that Christians and Muslims also have absorbed caste thinking partially, but this is only because of their Hindu background - caste is not an intrinsic part of other religions.
I shall support my views with two case studies (1) Meenakshipuram and (2) conversions in Haryana due to killing of Dalits over a cow. In Meenakshipuram, there were no preachers. The Dalits were abused by the Thevars and the police, and they approached the Muslims and asked to be taken in. Some of the Muslims were initially wary of taking them in, but they did - it was the right decision. Hindus should study this episode and not blame others.
Here is an article on Meenakshipuram conversions.
www.geocities.com/indiafas/Hindu/meenakshipuram.htm
What is the harm if people convert ?
You have written well but you forgot several features.
First, the Christian missionaries work with poor underprivileged, low caste people (Dalits), who Hindu society has rejected.
Second, they give them education and health, something India has neglected.
Third, are the Dalits Hindus ? (Ambedkar asked this question). If Hindu society rejects them, why is it bothered if they convert ?
If you go to Mumbai, you will see the slogan "We were born Hindus but we shall not die as Hindus" scrawled on many walls.
Did the Muslims and Christians write this ?
Fourthly, even if the Dalits gots converted, they would remain Indian, and if they have education, they can improve India.
ZAKAT
If every muslim pay his zakat sincerly we will not find a single muslim below poverty line.so be a real muslim and u will find yourself right on the top
ORIGINAL CASTES OF INDIAN MUSLIMS?
Welcome to Islam my dear brother Abdul Rahsid.
Islam is the only religion that has practically done the maximum to eliminate the caste system in India. 90% of the present day Muslims have been converted from various castes such as Bagdi, dangi, Godi, Kamar, Mallah, Sunar, Yadau, Tiyar, Teli, Nadar,Devar, Kallar, Mudaliar and hundreds of others.
But 99% of the present day Indian Muslims do not know their original castes because due to intermarriages, breaking of the caste barriers in collective obligatory prayers etc, almost 99% of the castes have been totally rooted out. In spite of similar teaching in Christianity, the Hindu converts to Christianity still maintain their caste names. And they are proud of the caste names more than their ideology.
I walked into a Christian school to meet the Headmaster of the school whose name board said he was Jacob Yadau( He is Christian all right, but he does not want to give up his Yadau caste name) He believes in the Day of Judgment after death. One wonders, whether God Almighty would call him by his caste name or his Christian name on the day of judgment. Where as Muslims do not have the suffix of their castes after their names.They have thrown it away because in the sight of God all are equal.
In many States in India the Harijan Christians have a separate burial ground and the high caste Christians have a separate burial ground.In village churches, dalit Christians sit seperately. What a cruelty? Do Muslims have that? Never. You can observe from the skin colour, physical features and appearances of Indian Muslims that due to cross breed, they are very much different and hence not recognised by their original Hindu castes to which they belonged several hundreds of years ago. This is the biggest success of Islam in India? Conversion to Islam has brought honour and respect to many Dalits and backward communities.And above all they have become part of a strong 1500 million Muslim brothers of the international movement of Islam: a huge force to reckon with and protect the Ummah. God Bless ALL.
Whatever you say is really
Whatever you say is really true about casteism. Islam is much above christianity. Only due to lack of funds for Islam, christianity is growing in india and will sure replace Islam.
Whatever you say really
You say Islam is above( you mean superior in its monotheistic idology)Christianity, 100% true.But lack of funds is true, that does not mean that Christianity is going to win the conversion race in the world. Those who convert to Christianity are actually taking the first step in their forward move to become Muslims. A Christian will understand that the real Christianity is within Islam, the real Jesus
-the mightiest prophet of God is better recognized in Islam. But what Muslims need is not funds, but Unity, solidarity and struggle, efforts and sacrifices in the cause if Islam, then Insha Allah, Islam Will BE VICTORIOUS. After 9/11 tragedy people thought Islam was finished, but the tragedy backfired, the West saw more Whitemen becoming Muslims, more copies of the Quran sold, more people trying to understand the real message of peace in islam.
And can you imagine the number of
Muslims who would convert to Non-Islamic religions if books on Hinduism, Jainism, Budhhism are kept at the Mecca and the various mosques across the middle east. I wonder how many MUslims would give up Islam if the middle eastern countries become truly secular.
I hope people are willing to see through the crap that this article is trying to peddle.
On the flip side, if anyone wants to read about the muslims who have left their religion, please visit : http://www.faithfreedom.org/
rgn
Reply
Dear Brother
May Allah,Bagwan , Ishwar, Khuda, any name you call to One almighty,bless you for your understanding.
For your knowledge, All Arab or Middle East population, where flowing the so called Idle Worshiping before Islam. After under standing the religion , the came back to Islam. Islam is the religion of Allah, Bhageaan , Iswaer, who gave the Knowledge to man kind to follow the correct path in holly Qurran.
Sorry Brother, This the under standing of Secularism also.
Islam - Truely Divine
Dear Sir, Sri. Md Rashid says the truth. Muslims and Islam are at two ends! If Muslims practices Islam, no one will dare to question it. People of India will accept Islam as their best choice.
When Malik Deenar preached Islam in Kerala and South Kanara Dist (Karnataka, he never provoked them, he never forced them, he never offered them wealth, wine or women.
Within 23 years Prophet Mohammed, made revolutionary changes among pagan Arabs. He was an iliterate orphan, but full of integrity and trustworty. He stand for truth, for justice and for equality of human beings.
He said " No Arab is superior than a non-Arab and no whites are superior than blacks" He also considered the cruelest enemy is also from the same "single father and mother"
He demanded the employers to pay the wages to labourers before their sweat dries. Afterall, he lived according to the Divine Book, the Readable (Quran) Book, first and latest, ever modern MagnaCarta.
If Muslims live according to Islam, there will have no poverty on earth (zakath is enough to eradicate total poverty, no economic depression (usury is banned)and of course no need of bailout by the laymen's money for the elites.
Islam is just not a religion, it is economy, it is science, it is health, it is happiness, it is pleasure and so on.
Just read Holy Quran in your own language and understand it. Debate on it, if have any doubts and come forward to proclaim the truth.
You have full right to choose your way and I have mine - Holy Quran.
Prathiba
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