As'salamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu,

We find all most all the threads posted here by our moderator - Br.Peacemaker. I learnt alot from his efforts. May Allah Subhanahu Wa ta'ala reward him for his sincere efforts. But today, dear readers u need to bear me.

Here's an Indian story of a person who embraced islam. But before plunging into the story lets remind ourselves that these stories are not like other stories of our prescribed novels or English books. We need to revive and refresh our faith. This story was published in a well read urdu daily and am trying my best to translate into English. Please mind that English is not my first language so it may disturb u while reading. All that i wish is Allah ta'ala grant us imaan and strengthen our faith. Ameen.

Bismilla Hirahmaa' Niraheem

I belong to Warangal {Andhra Pradesh - India}, to a family of a successful businessman. My family consists of my parents and a brother and sister. When i completd my M.Sc and was planning for Phd , my parents wanted me to get settled. I don't know why i feared to get married. Esp the sense of responsiblity scared me. But when my father isisted me very much, i  left my  home without notifying anyone. I resolved to remain unmarried so joined ashrams of brahmchari. {Its a place where these people live} I changed abt 6 ashrams  since i did not like the atmosphere there. On the advice of my friend, i left for Rishikesh , a place in North India. Its said to be land of Ashrams. I chose a Ashram wherein educted people lived. And they followed Arya Samaj. Arya Samaj is a religion started by Dayanand Saraswathi but originially developed   by Vivekanand- A freedom Fighter as well as Speaker. {This religion was developed with the fear of people inclining towards Islam during independence. They abandon idol worship but included vedas of hindu religion as well as stolen verses of Q ura'an. This info is not of the writer}

                                           I spent 6 years there. All these years i was trained in yagnas and was labelled 'Shastry ji'. My Head - Swamy Nityanand Maharaj was well educated person. He was a lecturer as well as a Reader. He had a doctrate in Sanskrit. But one day my father and brother reached my place searching me all these years. They convinced me a lot to return home. They stayed for a week, tried there best. But my answer was NO. Atlast they left me with only one condition that i need not stay here over charity of other people. They deposited an amount  for my good living. They wanted me to live here on our own expense.
                             I read out the Book considered Holy in Aryasamaj - "Satyarath Prakash",.Its said to be based on logic and science. Many questions arised in me. I felt incomplete.These verses cud not bring any peace i was searching for. They infact disturbed me.All my 13 years of meditation could not bring any change in me. So i asked those questions to Swamy Nityanand ji. He was some times annoyed and frustrated. But later told me that he himselves was in search of these answers. I was now depressed.

 All these years i gained nothing but a title of Shastriji. Was it for this that i left my loving family?  My search for God is wrong or may be i had chosen a wrong path. But again a thought flashed my mind that its perhaps my dirty soul's speaking. I got still down as a human being. My sleep - It got vanished when i thought these any time.
At such times wheni cud not sleep during nights,i used to pray silently , "Oh my Lord! If you exist and i am sure u exist , Please show this person the true path. You know very well that i left all these things only in search of u"

u need not wait for a week. I finished it now Alhamdullilah,

We stood up from there. Maulana sahab congratulated and embraced me Both of us exchanged  the addresses. Maulana sahab was about to leave to a remote village at Sonipat. I asked , if i can accompany him. Maulana sahb said with a smile, ' Uss Ashram ki meeting kay  programme ka kya hoga? I said abb uska koi matlab nahi. I accompanied Maulana sahab , to his place. On the way he explained me as why he was moving there. Actually this village faced riots during 1947 -  war of independence. Since people there were though majority in muslims, but were weak in faith. They did not know the value of the wealth they possessed. Like  a child with a diamond in his hand.  What does a child knows its value unless not explained to him. But since he did not knew its value, so was easily snatched from his hands. Maulana sahab said that he was now going to that village and explain them the importance and value of this wealth of islaam. But here we needed to be careful as now we have most of the majority in hindus and especially the head of the village - pradhan is a very strict Hindu. We reached that village and entered a mosque. Maulana sahab wanted these people to gather here. But imam sahab said that its very imposibble for people to come. Maulana sahab said, lets give a try and if they don't turn up we will gather at the Pradhan's house. But Alhamdullilah, people did come and were seated in the mosque. Pradhan also turned up.
         
                                     I seeked permission of maulana sahab to speak before he started. Maulana sahab said "Yes'. Let me tell u readers that i was still dressed in a sadhu type that is priest of hindus attire- Orange dress and small plait in the middle of the head and the remaining head bald. etc etc. I started up speaking to the people. I narrated all the story of my past life. My feelings and efforts in search of God. Perhaps a hour that i spoke and concluded saying that,"My dear brothers Why are you after the restlessness and loss of peace of mind." I  was almost in tears and hiccups. There was all silence at first. And slowly there was a buzz. Amongst all of those people, Pradhan was moved . He decided to start up an islamic school. All those people co-operated him with excitement. Maulana sahab was very happy. He thanked Allah and congragulated me.

                        We left that village and i accompanied Maulana sahab on his invitation. I wanted to learn the islamic fundamentals. I first changed my appearance and was now a simple man. I attended 40 days classes and was learning. During this process i experinced and unknown happiness. I kept thanking Allah ta'ala for his bestowings. But when i looked at hindus and other non-muslims , i felt very bad and depressed. They are leading a life which has very bad end. I felt bad for those people in the ashrams who came to India in search of peace and settled in ashrams. What they need is little introduction of islam. I feel bad and worse as we muslims are n't fulfilling our responsibility. So i seeked the permission of maulana sahab to move towards that ashrams and do my dawah. But he replied that my first and utmost responsibility is towards my family. So i returned my HOME happily. But came to know that my parents were dead. During there last breath they had my name. I WAS BROKEN. I WAS DEVASTED WITH THE THOUGHT THAT MY PARENTS WERE DEAD WITHOUT RECITING THE SHAHADAH. I felt bad no muslim here ever tried to fulfill there responsibility. Let me tell here that, my father was very close to muslims as most of the employees were mulims. We even used to change the timings of our company during ramzaan. My father even used to tell his driver that he was born in a hindu family by mistake.--- This was his state. I f he were introduced the reality of islam he would have embraced islam. I was very much depressed as well as frustrated. It affected my health too. It was hard for me to to imagine my parents getting burnt in hell. Hhoooooooo. I used to wander here and there. But my brother cared for me very much.

Days passed. Alhamdullilah My brother and his family has embraced islam. And after knowing the islamic view of marriage even i got married and Alhamdullilah leading a happy life. My wife is very pious and supportive. Three years later i went to the Ashram i lived before. I presented few books of islam to  Swamy Nityanandji. He was on bed. Laid dull. He suffered from cancer. One day he called me and said that," now i believe ISlam is the right religion. Its a fact. But as i fear people arround me, i cannot declare my faith". I told him that religion is our birth right. Its our own wish. If we fear these people then we are to end up burning in hell forever. His cancer now was at its last stage. He neared death. I told swamyji to atleast recite shahdah in my ears.Allah knows our hearts and intention. He's All-Knower and All-Listener. I recited the shahadah and swamyji repeated. Allah o Akbar. A day before he died, he called all the people and said that he was a muslim now and shud be buried  as a muslim. But when he dies he was burnt as a hindu and his grave was turned into a tomb. It was very difficult for me to stay there as people believed tat it was only of my sake that swamyji changed his religion. So i left the place and returned home
       
           When i again entered the Ashram for the purpose of dawah - i was welcomed. People were inclining towards islam Alhamdullilah. May Allah bless me with success here.

I would like to end with a message to all the muslims that please understand your responsibility and try your best to fulfill it, Thats all.

Assalaamualaikum

Jazakallahkhair seekshidayath for the story.  

wassalaam.

seekshidayath wrote: As'salamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu, We find all most all the threads posted here by our moderator - Br.Peacemaker. I learnt alot from his efforts. May Allah Subhanahu Wa ta'ala reward him for his sincere efforts. But today, dear readers u need to bear me. Here's an Indian story of a person who embraced islam. But before plunging into the story lets remind ourselves that these stories are not like other stories of our prescribed novels or English books. We need to revive and refresh our faith. This story was published in a well read urdu daily and am trying my best to translate into English. Please mind that English is not my first language so it may disturb u while reading. All that i wish is Allah ta'ala grant us imaan and strengthen our faith. Ameen.

Walaikum Salam,

Jazak Allah Khair for posting the story.

May Allah guide us all.

Peace