Part 2 of Balbeer Singh saga, a meeting with Mr. Ishaq

An interesting meeting with Mohammed Ishaq, previously known as Ashok Kumar (This is linked to Babri Masjid and Balbir Singh too)

Ahmed Awwah: Assalaam o alaikum w Rehmat Ullah e w Barakatuhoo

Mohammed Ishaq: Waalaikum Assalaam

Q: Dear Ishaq bhai, we have met after 7th December, last year. Last night Abba told me that you had called that you are coming to Delhi. Abba last night only told me that i have to interview for the magazine. 

A: Yes Ahmed bhai, Maulana Sahib told me today in the morning that i have to be interviewed for Armughan and that this interview will be published this month. I said that i will be very embarassed but he told me that my interview will encourage people in the field of Da'wah. Fear and apprehension of those who are working in this field will lessen and you will earn ajar, hence i agreed. 

Q: Ishaq bhai, please give us your familial introduction...

A: Ahmed bhai i am from the famous district of Ram Pur in UP. I was born in a village near the town of Tandah Badli, in the Saini family on 7th December, 1967. My given name was Ashok Kumar. Pitta ji's name was Shri Pooran Singh, who was an educated man. Till class eight, i studied in the local high school, after which i shifted to a school in Ram Pur from where i did my intermediate. Then i went to Lucknow, from where i earned my diploma in Civil Engineering. I got employment in a private construction company. I was a very angry child and many a times in got into bad situations with my teachers because of this anger. Even in my place of employment i got into tiffs  day in and day out, eventually i left my job because of that. I had two very close friends, and we had studied together from class one to Intermediate. One was called Yogesh and the other was called Yogendar Singh. We were all from the same community. In a way we were like brothers, we used to study together and even did exercise together. For some time we also did wrestling in an akhada. When riots broke out because of Ram janam bhoomi and Babri Masjid, then we all wanted to take part in it and had ourselves registered with Bajrang dal. We joined Advani sahibs rath at Alyaar, and travelled with them for four days. Our families were very happy at this decision of ours. One day Yogesh's father who was a teacher in the school, invited us  and our respective fathers to his home. He said that we are leaving you three brothers in the service of Ram. If  you die in the service of Hindism, then we don't mind and we would be very proud of you. We request you not to turn back once you start on this path as even if you die, you will be known as martyrs. They tied an angocha (a shoulder cloth in yellow color) on our heads and bid us farewell. This act on the part of our fathers really encouraged us and further fuelled our passions. On 30th October, we reached for our religious services and were immediately arrested. We were taken back to Ram pur in the train and left there. We were blazingly angry, we also beat up quite a few police officers on our way back but they tried to calm us down by saying Mulayam Singh Yadav's govt. will fall pretty soon, and when our govt. comes into power, you can fulfill your dreams of demolishing Babri Masjid. In November, 1991, to fulfill this dream of razing Babri Masjid to the ground, we reached Ayodhya. It was cold but we were not prepared for that. We stayed at various Ashrams and were quite astonished when many Sadhus forbid us from taking part in this heinous crime and tried to scare us by saying that something horrible will befall us if we took part in it. One Sadhu even said that if Ram Chandar Jee had been alive right now, then he himself would have defended Babri Masjid with all his might. We got very angry at these Sadhus. On 6th December, a huge crowd collected around Babri Masjid. Our Sanchalak or manager of the event had told us that when you receive an intimation from us, you can attack the Masjid. Uma Bharti made the war cry and we all attacked! Yogesh fell down in the crowd and people tread on him. Someone saw him and helped him up, but as a consequence he fell ill for a long time. His ribs had broken. Very happily we came back with one brick each in our possession. On our way back people were welcoming us back and our family members held a huge celebration for us. We were weighed in flowers and people kept on showering accolades on us for years on ahead. 

Q: Tell us about how you accepted Islam?

A: After demolishing Babri Masjid Ahmed bhai, the three of us had fulfilled our dreams, but we lived in a state of constant dread thereafter. We were perpetually scared that something horrible will befall us and there was a feeling of impending doom on us. Sometimes, it felt as if a pillar of fire is about to descend upon us from the skies and consume us . It was especially difficult for us every year on the Babri Masjid anniversary, i.e. on 6th December.  Last year i was more apprehensive than the previous years. We were so scared that we even refused to leave our houses. Once the day passed, we would finally breathe a sigh of relief. On the morning of 7th December, 1992 we left our houses, i had some work to do in Rampur and my friends also accompanied me. On the Rampur bus station we met an old classfellow of ours by the name of Raees Ahmed, when he saw us he came close to us and jokingly said that, "Ashok, get ready, it's your turn now." I  said, for what? He replied, to first lose your senses and then to turn towards Islam and accept it. I told him to shut up, he replied, " Have you read the newspaper or not?"  I asked him what's in the newspaper? He extracted an Urdu newspaper by the name of Sahara from his bag and read the news of Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Umar's acceptance of Islam. We were engulfed by anger and terror simultaneously. I said that it is an Urdu newspaper, what is the guarantee that it is genuine? Then he took out two Hindi newspapers and showed me the same story in both. I told him to read me the story printed in detail from the Urdu newspaper again, in a haze of anger we three friends decided to go to Phalat and enquire as to why this false news has been printed in the newspaper? We decided to take the people behind this false news to task. This rumor mongering had to stop, otherwise God knows how many Hindus will lose their faith and Sanskriti. From Rampur we sat in the bus for Meeruth and then reached Kathauli. From there we sat in a jugaad and reached our destination of Phalat. After enquiring about Maulana Sahib's address we reached his home. Maulana Sahib had gone to say his salat, when Maulana Sahib returned, one person told me that this is Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui. As I was extremely angry, in a harsh tone in enquired from Maulana Sahib that what sort of rumors are you publishing in this newspaper? The three of us were speaking in a typical Punjabi Jatt style, which is quite loud and intimidating. But God knows what sort of clay the Creator has constituted Maulana Sahib from? very softly and kindly he spoke to us and said that you are my blood brothers and you have come to my house, these misunderstandings have happened in the past and will continue in the future, please first tell me where you have come from? We told him that whe had come from Rampur Tanda Badli, then Maulana Sahib addressed us and said that my brothers, you have travelled so far in such cold weather, you must be really tired. This is your house, please come in and i will answer all your questions to the best of my ability. First come in and  have breakfast and take rest. We haven't published this news, but this news is genuine. We had cooled down considerably at Maulana's treatment of us, but after hearing him say that the news was authentic we again heated up and blurted out that how can you say this is true? Are you trying to spoil honest people's faith? Maulana Sahib affectionately replied that if you want to believe it to be true then well and good if not then even i am ok with it. Coincidentally, Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Umar were in Phalat at that time with group of new Muslim reverts. Because Maulana sahib had been unable to find an ameer for this jamaat, they were staying at Phalat. In this group of new Muslims, three were from Haryana, two from Gujrat, four from UP and two amongst them were also ex Sadhus. Maulana Sahib called hafiz sahib and told him to call M. Umar (Yogesh from previous story). After a few minutes M. Umar came. Maulana Sahib introduced him to  us and told us to ask him if the news was true or not? With M. Umar we went to the room next door and sat down with him, before we could settle down Maulana Sahib called out to Umar. Later on Umar told us that Maulana Sahib had called him & advised him not to get angry and to deal with us patiently, he also requested him to make prayer to Allah for us in his heart, that i will also go home and pray two rakat for them and for your help. After some tme we were presented with a lavish breakfast spread, we were all feeling quite cold, at Umar's insistence we had two cups of hot tea each, all the while he told us that both Amir and I were with Advani Sahib's rath yatra and we were also at the shootout on 30th October, in some time lunch was also served and we realized that the feeling of doom that had descended on us was most certainly true, I asked Umar feelingly with a lot of dread in my heart that what are we supposed to do now? He told me that the torment of this dunya is nothing, the real deal will hit you after death on the day of ressurection, you need to take the Shahadah and accept Islam. We were about to leave the room to consult with each other in private, when Umar told us that i have something important to do, you guys sit here and discuss. The three of us after some time reached the conclusion that we will have to accept Islam, and then we called out to Umar bhai and told him our decision. Umar bhai told us that he had gone to say two rakat in front of the real Lord and Creator for us as had Maulana Sahib, very happily Umar bhai called out to Maulana Sahib and asked him to help us take Shahadah. Maulana Sahib asked us to recite the Kalima, Ahmed Bhai we cannot describe the feeling that overtook us as we were reciting the Kalima. It was as if a dress made of thorns that had been scratching our body and soul had been taken off of us and replaced with comfortable attire. The fear ingrained in our heart took flight and we felt that we had been transported from dangerous territory to a strong fortress. Maulana Sahib named me Mohammed Ishaq, he named Yogesh, Yaqub and Yogendar was given the name Mohammed Yousuf. Then he told us the story of Hazrat Ishaq, Yousuf and Yaqub, and told us that many people had been calling him apprehensive that because of this news someone might take exception and cause rioting, Maulana Sahib used to tell those callers that as he had not had that snippet of news published, he had nothing to be worried about and that Insha Allah everything will be ok. Maulana sahib then hugged us and congratulated us on our Iman and gave us his book, "Entrusted to you, In your service" 

What happened after that?

In the morning, we were grouped with Muslim reverts and a mufti sahib was appointed as our ameer. Two other people were inducted in the group to teach us about our new faith. All in all there were 15 people in this group and we stayed for one day at Meeruth. The three of us got certified as Muslims over there and then the jamaat got ready to go to Agra and Mathura. We spent a total of forty days over there. Once or twice we got into minor squabbles. One day the three of us fought with someone and decided to leave the jamaat. At night we decided that we will go away at the break of dawn, that night Yusuf saw a dream in which he saw Maulana Sahib who told him that Allah brought you on the straight path, and yet you are ready to forsake that and run back towards the darkness from which  you were relieved. In the morning he told us about his dream, there and then we decided that even if we lose our lives in this quest, then even will we complete these forty days and go back to meet up with Maulana sahib. Alhamdolillah after that we stuck out till the end. 

What happened after you came back from the jamaat?

     Maulana Sahib asked us what our future plans were, and advised us that it would not be safe for us to go back home immediately, but we told Maulana Sahib that we are not children and that our faith and belief is our personal matter and it is our right to believe in what we think is right! We said that we will go home and try to work on our family members and we are not at threat from anyone. When we went back home, we found out that the whole atmosphere there was extremely tense and that everyone there thought that we had been murdered by the Muslims. We went to our respective families and told them very clearly about what we had done and what we had decided. After that the whole community went into mourning, a meeting was called and relatives came over from far and wide, journalists also came who were bribed and sent back after they had promised that they would not publish this particular news of our conversion to Islam as that would jeopardize other people and their Hindu faith. Our community members and relatives pressurised our family members to bring us back into the fold of Hinduism, but that somehow further strengthened our resolve and faith. Many  cruelties were visited upon us by our own family members, our wives and children were sent back to our susrali homes, under duress we had to leave our village and go back to Phalat. We were very embarassed to go back to Phalat as we had refused to listen to Maulana sahib's advise, first we went to Delhi and from there one gentleman took us to Patna, where we had a very difficult time. We took on odd jobs for our survival in Patna, drove a  rickshaw, did menial jobs here and there, later on i was taken to Calcutta by another gentleman and both my friends also joined me there. Alhamdolillah! our difficult time passed away very quickly and now we are set in our lives. During this time the three of us were granted ziarat of Rasool Allah (PBUH) in our dreams, which strengthened our resolve. We were missing Maulana Sahib, but somehow we did not get the opportunity to visit with him, with Allah's mercy we have met him today and after seeing Maulana Sahib, it is as if those ten difficult months never happened, all our pain has abated. 

Did you try to get in touch with your family members?

We have spoken to them by telephone. We usually get in touch with our siblings and mothers, but somehow we haven't been able to get in touch with our fathers. InshaAllah, time is the biggest healer and we will one day be able to talk to our fathers too. My wife and my children are still in my susraal and they do not communicate with me, i had sent my friend to them who had sent another member of their family who had accepted Islam with my message, my wife replied that i am willing to follow you to the ends of the earth whenever you call me, she said that i am not friendly with my sisters in law and i want to die a married woman. Today i have discussed this with Maulana Sahib and i will somehow or the other bring my wife and children back to me. 

Did Abba talk to you about Da'wah?

Maulana Sahib has taken a vow from us that we have to think about those who were involved in the razing of Babri Masjid and we have to work on them to bring them back to the true faith. We have also promised to pray for our own family members. InshaAllah i will go with the jamaat pretty soon and will work on my own family members and the workers, inshaAllah.

Do you have a message to relay for the readers of our magazine Armugan?

Islam is the need of every human being. If you see someone who is violently against Islam, do not for a moment think that there is no hope for this person's reversion to the true faith. Whoever is against Islam, is against it because they have no idea about what Islam is and they are absolutely ignorant about it. Before coming into the fold of Islam, we were Bajran dalli and Islam and Muslims were our biggest enemies, and now here we are, the same people who when we think that had we died on Hinduism (crying heavily) we would surely have been doomed for all eternity. How we would have borne the pain of Allah's wrath and punishment in hell makes me cringe. 

Thanks Ishaq bhai, Thanks to all three of you, we will talk to the two of you later on, Assalaam o alakim w rehmat ullah e w barakatuhoo

Waalaikum assalaam w rehmat ullah e w barakatuhoo...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wO3uFt6uU4

Meet Master Mohammed Amir the builder of masajid, previously known as Balbir Singh the demolisher of Babri masjid

Master Mohammed Amir: Assalaam o alaikum

Ahmed Awwah: Waalaikum assalaam W rehmat Ullah e W barakatoohoo

Question: Master Sahib, for quite some time now it was Abba's standing order to interview you for our magazine Armughan. It is a good thing that you came by yourself, so this his order can be fulfilled. 

Answer: Brother Ahmed, you have relayed what was in my heart. I have been wanting to come and contribute to the interviews of reverts in Armughan, not to see my name in print, but for the sake of Da'wah. If the Daie's hear of my journey to Islam, they will be encouraged that there is hope of light even in darkness. If a person like me who had the audacity to  take part in the razing of Allah's house can be forgiven and shown the true path by the Almighty, then there is great hope of hidayat for an innocent person who has never ever hurt anyone. 

Please give us your familial introduction:

I hail from Panipat in the provice of Haryana. I was born on 6th December, 1970 in a Rajput family. Not only was my father an able farmer, he was also the headmaster of a primary school. He was also a very kind soul who believed in kindness to and service of humanity. He hated tyranny of any sort on anyone, no matter who that person was or to which religion he belonged. He had witnessed the riots of 1947 and he used to relay them to us with a heavy and broken heart. He felt that the mass genocide of Muslims was a big blight on the name of the country. He was instrumental in rehabilitating a few of the Muslims left over after partition. He used to take a keen interest in the performance of the Muslim children in his school. My given name was Balbir Singh. After studying at the village school till intermediate, i went on to take admission for higher studies at Panipat. After Mumbai, Panipat is the biggest center of Shiv Sena and its supporters. What is to be noted is that in Panipat it is the young school and college going generation that is held in thrall by this party. Here in Panipat i became friendly with a few Shiv Sainiks, and i also got myself registered with this party in the Panipat division. One thing to be mentioned over here is that there is a lot of hatred in the hearts of youth towards Babur, other Mughal and Muslim kings and the Muslim community in general. They are deliberately taught to hate them from a tender age. When my father came to know that i had joined Shiv Sena, he  lovingly tried to talk me out of it. He explained to me in view of history that Babur and specially Aurangzeb Alamgir were very just and honest kings, who had been specially kind to non Muslims. He told me stories of their benevolence towards people of all religious beliefs in the hopes that i will see the error of my ways and leave the party. He also tried to explain to me that it was the British who were responsible for all the wrong tales about these benevolent rulers so that they could weaken the nation and divide and rule us. He relayed to me the horrific stories of how Shiv Sena had been at the forefront of Muslim genocide in 1947, but all to no avail. His pleas fell on deaf ears. 

Question: Please tell us about how to came to take part in the demolition of Babri Masjid at the time you were residing at Phalat...

Answer: It goes like this. The year was 1999, and I was given a very responsible role in L.K. Advani's rath yatra of the Panipat chapter. During this rath yatra, hate of Muslims was at an all time high, as  the fire of this hatred had been fuelled for this event by our managers in a very effective manner. I vowed on Shiva ji, that even if no one comes to my aid, i will go alone and demolish this structure called Babri Masjid on the place where Ram Mandir should have rightfully been. Because of my performance & passion, i was made the leader of the youth wing of the youth wing of Shiv Sena. With my young team in tow, i went onto Ayodhya. On our way, we were intercepted and stopped in our tracks by the local police. Somehow or the other, me and a few of my friends, escaped and reached Ayodhya. But we were delayed and riots had already started. Even though i tried my level best, i could not reach Babri Masjid. This further inflamed my hatred towards Islam and all that it stood for. Sometimes i wanted to commit suicide and sometimes i wanted to go to Lucknow and assassinate Mulayam Singh Yadav with my own hands. There was rioting going on in the whole country and i was very frustrated that i got the opportunities, but i blew them and could not demolish the Masjid. 

   Eventually that unfortunate and inauspicious day finally arrived, which at that point in time seemed extremely auspicious to me at that point in time.  Me along with a few of my emotionally charged friends, reached Ayodhya. The date was 1st December, 1992. A Jat man from a Punjabi village by the name of Yogendar Pal was also with me. He was a very close friend of mine. His father was a  great landlord and humanitarian who tried his utmost to discourage me. He and his elder brother tried their level best to stop his one and only son from this heinous act, but all to no avail. We reached the environs of Babri Masjid before 6th December, and spent the  night on the roof of the Muslims' houses who resided there. Frequently the thought used to cross my mind that again we will be deprived of this honorable deed, as we had previously been on 31st October. Many a times i thought that maybe the leaders will backtrack at the last moment so we should go ahead on our own and demolish it ourselves. Uma Bharti gave a passionate speech that sent hate coursing like fire through our veins. Whilst listening to the hate speech, i got down from the roof of the house and with a pick axe in my hand i climbed up on the roof of Babri Masjid. Yogendar Singh was also with me. As soon as Uma Bharti let out the war cry to deal the final blow and demolish the Babri Masjid, I with all my passion and whilst chanting Jai Jai Ram Bhagwan attacked the middle dome of the Masjid with all my strength. In a few minutes the Masjid was demolished and razed to the ground, but before that could happen we had already gotten down. We were ecstatic. After installing the foundation of the Ram temple we bowed down to it and ventured back home with two bricks each of the masjid in our possession, which i showed very happily to my buddies in Panipat. They kept on encouraging and applauding me profusely at my accomplishment. Those bricks were kept in Shiv Sena's office. A meeting was called and my name was announced with a lot of pride at being the first person to attack the mosque with the intention of demolishing it in the name of Ram by the organizations office holders. I went home and announced with pride what i had done. My father got extremely upset and in his grief at what i had done, banished me from the house, saying that, "Either i can live here or you, both of us cannot reside under the same roof after the way you have acted today. I do not want to see the face of the person who has the audacity to demolish the house of the Creator of this universe. Do not show me your face till i die." I had never thought that my father would react in this manner, i even tried to tell him how honoured i had been at Panipat by my organization, to which he reacted that this country will be destroyed at the hands of these beasts and so saying proceeded to leave the house. I requested him not to leave the house as i myself do not want to reside in a house where the lover or Ram is treated so shabbily and is called a beast and cruel. So saying i left my house and came to reside in Panipat.

Please tell us how to came to accept Islam?

Dear brother Ahmed, My Allah is so kind that from the pitch darkness of polytheism and shirk, He guided me towards the light of Islam and Iman. He guided a cruel and undeserving man like me towards light, a man who had demolished his house without any compunction. What happened was that my friend Yogendar brought the bricks from the Mosque and announced in the mike that  with luck we have in our possession the bricks from the inexcusable structure built in place of Ram mandir and that all Hindu brothers should come forward and urinate on them. A huge crowd collected and each and every person would come forward and with a lot of venom and resentment would urinate on the bricks. But Allah had to show his power and omnipotence, after four or five days Yogendar lost his mind. He tore away all his clothes and roamed around butt naked. He was the son of a very respectable Landlord in Punjab, in that demented state he would try to tear off his mother's clothes and he would tell his mother to blacken her face and he tried to ensnare her again and again. His father got extremely upset at his behavior. He went to many tantrics and maulanas, again and again he would repent before Allah, give charity but nothing helped. Yogendar's condition kept on worsening. One day Yogendar went out in search of his mother and tried to rape her. His mother raised hue and cry. All his neighbors came to her aid and that is what saved her finally. They got together and tied him up in heavy chains. Yogendar's father vowed to shoot him to death in defense of his honor, when someone told him that in Sonipat there is a madressah in the eidgah, a very accomplished maulana comes to visit over there, and told him to meet up with that maulana as maybe he could help them. If nothing comes of that meeting then he can do whatever he wanted to do with Yogendar. He went to Sonipat, but was told that maulana sahib usually came by the 1st of every month and that he had already left two days back after visiting on the 1st of January. Chaudhary Sahib became dejected at this news and tried to locate a witch doctor, when he was told that the maulana sahib in charge of the madressah also dealt with such cases, but unfortunately he had also left with Maulana sahib. A shopkeeper at Sonipat gave Chaudhary sahib Maulana's Delhi address. He also said that Maulana sahib had promised to visit his place in Delhi the day after. Chaudhary sahib with Yogendar in chains went to the Imam sahib of Bawana, who was the follower of Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui. He had been wanting to meet Maulana sahib for ages but Maulana always used to excuse himself due to some reason or the other. This year Maulana sahib had promised him that he would say the Zuhr prayers with him. Imam sahib told Chaudhary sahib that due to the 6th December 1992 riots, may imams and madressah students had left for their own houses in UP and some of them have still not returned even after a month. So Maulana sahib had come to address this issue on the 1st of the month. Maulana sahib said that had Muslims introduced their non Muslim bretheren to Islam, Masjids and Allah, then this surely would not have happened. He opined that Muslims themselves are responsible for the Shahadat of Babri Masjid and even now if we come to our senses and become aware of our responsibility towards Da'awah then the demolishers of masajids will convert into their builders. 

  When Yogendar's father, Chaudhary Raghuveer Singh met with the Imam of Bawana, who was perhaps called Maulana Bashir Ahmed, he was still under the influence of his Sheikh's speech. He said to Chaudhary Sahib that i used to do exorcisms, but now our Sheikh Sahib has forbidden us from all that, because in this field there are many quacks, plus we come into contact with many women and liars which is not feasible. He said that your son is not under any supernatural influence, but rather he is cursed by Allah and is facing the wrath of the creator. You have a chance to get him cured. Our Hazrat sahib is coming here day after tomorrow on Wednesday, you can request him for his help in this regard. We are hopeful that your son will be cured. But there is a catch in this and that is that if your son is cured then you will have to accept Islam. Chaudhary Sahib replied that i am willing to do anything for his cure. 

 On Wednesday, Chaudhary Raghuveer Singh with Yogendar in tow reached Bawana at 8 am. In the afternoon before the advent of Zuhr prayers Maulana Sahib put in an appearance, Yogendar tied up in chains was standing there without a stitch of clothing. Whilst crying Chaudhary Sahib fell at Maulana Sahib's feet and said that I tried to stop this cursed man from this heinous act but he under influence of another went on, Maulana Sahib please forgive me and please save my household. Maulana Sahib tersely told him to raise his head and asked him to relay the whole incident. 

    He said to Chaudhary Sahib that by destroying the house of the owner of the Universe, The Omniscient and Omnipresent, they have committed a grave sin. We are all the slave of Allah and we are all indirectly a part and parcel of this grievous sin as we did not try to reason with the people why razed the masjid to the ground. Now nothing is in our control. Now you should also repent in front of Allah and ask him for his mercy. He told him that till you ask for forgiveness while we wrap up our event in the masjid. Just concentrate on the Creator's benevolence and appeal to Him that no one except him can take you of of this misery. Chaudary Sahib again fell at Maualna's feet and said that had i been worthy of this, i wouldn't be going through this ordeal. That you are closer to the Creator. Maulana Sahib told him that you have come to me for a cure and i am telling you how to go about it and you should do it. So Chaudhary Sahib agreed and Maulana Sahib requested everyone to pray for Chaudhary Sahib. After the program there was breakfast in the masjid. After breakfast when people began to leave for home and went out of the masjid, what do they see? They see that Yogendar is taking off his father's turban and tying it around his naked body and talking to his father in full control of his faculties and senses. Everyone was overjoyed. Bawana's Imam Sahibs happiness knew no bounds. He reminded Chaudhary Sahib of his commitment to accept Islam and also reminded him that if the Creator can cure your son so easily, he can also make him mad again. He acquiesced and said feelingly that Maulana Sahib my  seven generations cannot repay you for what you have done today for me. I am your servant, you can do whatever you like with me. When Maulana Kaleem found out that Imam Sahib had taken such a vow from Chaudhary Sahib, he explained to Imam Sahib that such an act was uncalled for and that no one should be forced into accepting Islam. 

     When Chaudhary Sahib was about to be taken into the masjid, Yogendar asked, "Where are you going dad?" to which he replied, "To accept Islam." To which Yogendar replied, i have to accept Islam before you and that i have to rebuild Babri Masjid. very happily they went and did wuzu and took Shahadah. Chaudhary Sahib was named Mohammed Usman and Yogendar was named Mohammed Umar. They returned to their village where a small masjid is situated. They went and met the imam sahib of that masjid. Imam sahib told all the Muslims about what had happened and the news of their conversion spread like wildfire. When the news reached extremist Hindus, they called a meeting of all the resourceful people in their community. It was decided in the meeting to kill the father and son at night, because if this was not done then God knows how many Hindus were at risk of losing their faith and Sanskriti. There was also a murtad in this meeting. He came and told Imam Sahib about this decision. The father and son were taken out of the village in the middle of the night. They went straight to Phalat from where they went with the Jamaat for 40 days. Then Yogendar at the suggestion of Ameer sahib did 3 chillas. Later on his mother also accepted Islam. Mohammed Umar got married in Delhi to a girl from a respectable Muslim family. They sold all their land holdings and properties in the village and moved to Delhi where they set up a factory. 

I had asked you how you came to Islam, but you told me the story of Yogendar and his family, which was extremely interesting, but i want to know how you came to accept Islam?

     My dear brother, it is extremely difficult to separate the story of my acceptance of Islam from that of Yogendar Singh and his family. That was the first episode, now i am going to tell you the second episode of the same story. On 9th March, 1993 my father suddenly died of heart failure, he was suffering from extreme depression because of the demolishing of Babri Masjid and the pivotal role that i had played in it. He used to lament his luck at not having been born in a Muslim family. He thought that had he been born a Muslim, his name would have been amongst the names of those tyrannized and not amongst the tyrants. He advised his family members to not let me come to his funeral. He further requested them to either bury him or to dispose of his remains in the water. He did not want to be cremated like the people of a tyrannical faith. He even said that do not take me to the Hindu Shamshan ghat for my final rites. My family members in line with his wishes, let me know of this unfortunate event after eight days. I was simply heartbroken, after dad's death, the razing of Babri Masjid seemed like a very inhuman and cruel act to me. Thereafter i tail spinned into deep depression. When i used to go home, my mother used to  cry bitterly after she recalled my dad and his grief at my acts. She used to complain that you are a very mean and horrible man as you tormented your saintly dad to an early death. After that i stopped going to my house. In June, Mohammed Umar came to meet me in Panipat after coming back from the Jamaat. He relayed his whole story of the acceptance of Islam to me, after which a feeling of impending doom constantly plagued me that some super natural force will visit calamities upon my person. Sorrow at my father's demise coupled with grief of the Shahadah of Babri Masjid rendered me disconsolate and morose. After listening to Mohammed Umar's tale of reversion to Islam, my mental anguish deepened. Umar bhai then insisted that i visit Maulana Sahib on the 23rd pf June who was set to arrive from Sonipat. He encouraged me to spend a few days with him in his company. For peace to my soul i agreed. I was a little late in reaching there, but Umar bhai had already reached there and had already informed Maulana Sahib about the anguished state i was in. Maulana Sahib met me with deep fondness and regard. He said to me that the Creator because of what your encouragement to Yogendar and his acts afterwards, turned him into a demented person, the same could happen to you. and if let's say nothing happens to you in this world, there is still the after world where you have to go and face the wrath of the same Creator and over there it is going to be eternal. You cannot even imagine what might happen to you over there. After one hour in Maulana's company, i was convinced that if i was to avoid any supernatural calamities i will have to accept Islam and submit to Allah. Maulana Sahib was going away on a trip for two days. I asked him if i could spend those two days in his company and he happily agreed. One day we were supposed to go to Haryana and then onto Delhi and Khorja. We reached Phalat after two days and at the end of those two days i was ready to accept Islam wholeheartedly. I informed Umar bhai about my decision and he told Maulana Sahib about it. Alhamdolillah! on 25th June, 1993 after Zuhr prayers, i accepted Islam. Maulana Sahib named me Mohammed Aamir. He advised me to stay at Phalat so that i could learn about Islam and Salat. I told Maulana Sahib about my wife and kids so he arranged for a house for me. I stayed at Phalat for a few months and kept on working on my wife. After three months she also accepted Islam. Alhamdolillah!

What became of your mom?

     I told my mom about my acceptance of Islam. She was ecstatic and said that your father must now be finally at peace. She has also accepted Islam this year. 

What are your activities nowadays?

    I am the principal of an English medium junior high school, which provides Islamic education along with English curriculum.

Abba was saying that you are nowadays trying to revive the abandoned masajid in Punjab and Haryana?

     Umar bhai and i have together made this plan of reviving masajid as we have to atone the sin of demolishing his house, and this is the way we have chosen how. We have also decided that we are going to build new masajid. We have divided the workload amongst us, i am going to revive old masajid and Umar bhai is going to build new ones. We have vowed to revive and build a hundred masajid each. Alhamdolillah! till 6th December 2004, thirteen abandoned andor captured masajid have been revived  and rehabilitated by my sinful self in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Meerut Cantt. (Till July 2009, 67 masajid had been rehabilitated and 37 had been built). Umar bhai has left me behind, as he has already built 20 new masajid and has already laid the foundation of the 21st one. We also decided to revive an abandoned masjid every year on 6th December, which is the anniversary of the Babri Masjid incident and Umar bhai has to necessarily lay the foundation of a new mosque on this date. Alhamdolillah! we haven't missed even one anniversary without achieving what we set out to achieve. This year we are hoping that our count of revived and new masajids will go up. We have pinpointed eight abandoned masajid and are working fervently for their revival. Umar bhai is not only ahead of me in this kind deed, but he is also responsible for bringing me out from the darkness of kuffar into the light of noor. 

What do your family members think of all this?

     Other than my mother, i have an older brother whose wife expired four years back. He got married after me. He has four young kids & one of those kids is handicapped. Our sister in law was an exemplary lady and she was very good to my brother. My brother went to pieces after she died. My wife served these children well and took good care of them after my sister in law died. My elder brother is a very kind hearted and simple soul. He was very impressed at the way my wife served his kids. I invited him to Islam, but because he thought i wasn't a good person, he refused. An idea came to my mind, i told my wife that i will divorce you and you after your iddat get married to my brother after he accepts Islam, it will pave the way for nijaat for both you and my brother. She got offended and refused point blank, but i kept on talking to her and finally convinced her. Then i went and discussed this matter with my older brother, i told him that your children are young and they need a mother's love, so i think that you should get married to my wife after i divorce her. He also got offended and said that what will people say? But finally i convinced him too and I divorced my wife. After iddat, my brother recited the Shahadah and his nikah was done with her. My kids and their own kids are living with them and they are very happy together. Alhamdolillah!

You are alone now?

At Maulana Sahibs encouragement, i married a lady who has just reverted to Islam. It would have been difficult for her to get married as she wasn't very young. She and i are also happy together. 

Would you like to give a message to the readers of Armughan?

     It is my request to every Muslim to recognize why they have been put on this earth and to realize what their true aim in life is. They should consider Islam a precious deposit that belongs to all humanity and it should be returned to the depositors. If all the Shiv Senics, Bajrang Dallis and Hindus knew about the reality of Islam, that what is Islam? Who is a true Muslim? What is in the Quran? And what is a masjid? Then they would definitely think of building a masjid, what they wouldn't even dream of is demolishing one. I am sure that if people like Bal Thackeray, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katyar and Ashok Sanghal found out about the reality of Islam, and if they found out that Islam is also our religion and it is necessary for us, then they too would invest themselvs in the reconstruction of Babri Masjid. Ahmed bhai some people are famous for their hate of Muslims, but amongst Hindus these people are not in a majority. Majority are like my father who are humanitarian by nature and like the Islamic principals form the depths of their heart and soul. Ahmed bhai my father was by nature a Muslim, but because no one invited him to Islam, he left this world as a kaafir, i think that this was a grave injustice to both my father and me. It is true that no one can be more unjust and cruel than me, a person who razed the Babri masjid to the ground, but i think that those Muslims who did not invite my father to Islam are not less. Because of their negligence my father is doomed to hell fire for all eternity. When at night i remember that my father has gone on kuffar, i cannot sleep with the anguish that is caused me by this fact for nights on end. So much so, that i have to take sleeping aids. 

http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f49/babri-masjid-1527-1992-a-59845/

Dr. Safia: How I came from darkness into light

A meeting with Dr. Safia previously known as Suraj Shalini

Asma Zaat ul Fauzain: 

Assalaam o alaikum wa Rehmat Ullah Alaih

Dr. Safia: Waalaikum Assalaam Wa Rehmat Ullah

Asma: 

Dr. Sahiba, Abba called from Ajmer he told me that you had called and that i should call you up and interview you. You must be aware that we have been doing Da'wah through our Urdu publication called Armughan and that we publish accounts of people who have recently come into the fold of Islam, Abba wanted to publish your story in the 2005 issue.



Dr. Safia: 

Actually i have been trying to call Maulana Sahib for the past 15 days. I had his UP and Delhi numbers, but i seem to have misplaced them. Yesterday, by coincidence when i called him, it went through. He gave me his Delhi home number and told me to call you and meet up with you as the magazine had to be sent to the press and only a few days were left.
Asma Zaat ul Fauzain: Thanks, please first introduce yourself.



Dr. Safia: 

Previously i was called Suraj Shalini. I was born on 24th September, 1978 in a place called Mohan Lal Ganj near Lucknow to a Brahmin family. My father, K.A. Sharma was a Cardiologist and a professor. He stayed affiliated with The Panth Hospital for quite some time. For the last 10 years he has been working near Lucknow where he got a transfer after a lot of strife as it was near our home. My mother is a housewife. My father is a very conservative and a firm believer in eastern values therefore he married my mother instead of a doctor. I have two older brothers, one is a reader at Benaras University and the other is an Engineer at BHL. I passed Intermediate of Science, Biology with first Division and then passed the PMT entrance exam. I did my MBBS from Lucknow Medical College and got my MD from Maulana Azad Medical in Delhi. I chose cardiology to fulfill my fathers' dream of being in the same discipline as him. I am doing my DM from AIMS and also working as a cardiologist in the AIMS cardiology department. About one year, six months, four days and two hours ago, on Thursday 20th May, 2004, 11:00 am i accepted Islam as my faith and religion at the hands of your father.


Asma Zaat ul Fauzain: 

Please tell us of the circumstances that led to you accepting Islam in detail.

Dr. Safia:

 It was June 2003 and i was on duty at the children's Intensive Care Cardiology Unit, when i saw that a Maulana Sahib had come see a child from Haryana. There was another  child over there who had only one attendant. The mother of the child from Haryana asked Maulana Sahib to pray for him and to bless him. The mother of the other child also requested Maulana Sahib to do the same for her son. Like this all the mothers one by one asked Maulana Sahib to pray for their child and to blow on them too. Soon Maulana Sahib had blowed on six children one by one. It was time for Dr. Tayagi, the department head to make his rounds.  I asked Maulana Sahib who it was that he was visiting? That you are going to first one patient and then to the other and blowing on them. That this is an ICCU and there is danger of infection over here. Maulana Sahib said that i am here for all these patients. That our elders have taught us that all humanity has descended from the same set of parents. Therefore, i have a blood relationship with all the patients admitted to this ward. Our Owner who has created us, doesn't like disunity amongst His creation, and whatever i am reciting and blowing on these kids is His Word, that He has said all this in His Word and He sent His true Word as the hands of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, PBUH), & Ibrahim (PBUH) is the person after whom the Brahmins call themselves Brahmin. When i fall ill, it is that Creator of ours who cures us and heals us. You must be seeing yourself that according to your capacity, you prescribe the best medication under the circumstances to your patient and after taking that medication the patient first is cured and then he dies, and sometimes you make a mistake whilst treating him and he gets well. I had heard something like this for the first time in my life and this idea sounded unique to me. Last week six children had died in our ward, out of these four had been incredibly beautiful and after staying for two weeks in the ward I had also become emotionally attached to them, so when they died I was extremely depressed. I wanted to talk to Maulana Sahib a little more as listening to him, i had felt peace wash over me. I invited him into my cabin and he promptly accepted my invitation, he said to me that i was like his younger sister or his children and have invited him with respect and love. My request is that if a child comes into your ward, please consider him your younger brother or your child, and take the pain of their disease exactly as you would a loved ones. The Creator has given you such a great opportunity to be a source of solace and help to his bereaved  and diseased creation. You must have an idea that any mother whose child is so ill that he is in an ICCU of a government hospital, then you can be certain that she belongs to a poor family who has no other support in this life. If you show even a little sympathy and kindness to such people, then from the depths of their soul they pray for you and ask God to bless you. Then Maulana Sahib asked me my name and said, "Dr. Shalini! you are my blood sister, and that is why i am advising you with an intensity akin to a dying person advising his children that you consider  the service of these poor dying children and their parents as your biggest worship. Even in the most difficult tapasya won't you find the return that you will by helping and consoling someone going through the pain of losing their child.

I thanked Maulana Sahib profusely and promised him that I will try my level best to do as he had requested. After that Maulana Sahib left. After my rounds, i inquired of a parent of a child from Panipat as to who Maulana Sahib was, he replied that he is our hazrat jee, that he is a very good and a kind soul, at his behest thousands of Hindus have been brought into the fold of Islam. Maulana Sahibs conversation with me had had a profound effect upon and its effect stayed with me for a long time afterwards. One statement of his had moved me immensely, the one when he had declared that all the patients are my own and that our Creator doesn't like disunity amongst his creation. I also felt that Maulana Sahibs prayers had somehow helped the patients and that nearly all of them who had been prayed for my him had recuperated and left the ward on their own two feet. 

But as time passed by, i forgot all about it and went about my life as if this had never happened. In the Maulana Azad Medical College, i had a room partner by the name of Dr. Reena Saigol, she was doing an MS in gynaecology and later on went on to get a job at Dr. Safdar Jung Hospital's gynae department. We became good friends during this time. One day she invited me for lunch, after which we got down to talking about everything and nothing in particular. There was a Muslim maid in her home who also used to cook for her. I asked her why she had kept a Muslim cook in her house? Couldn't you have found a Hindu? She replied that she is a very good person and very  honest, so many times my purse fell down or was forgotten by me, but she never stole and returned it to me intact. Somehow from this point onwards our conversation turned towards Muslims. Dr. Reena said that I have noticed that people have been converting to Islam in droves specially since our media has started spreading anti Muslim propaganda and has been trying to give a rise to anti Muslim sentiment in the country.  So many accomplished people have accepted Islam, for e.g. A young cardiologist in our hospital by the name of Dr. Balbir accepted Islam a year back and he wants to convert the whole hospital to Islam. He was called to check up on a patient a few days back, and he said to me that if you want to escape hell after death, then you have to accept Islam. I was reminded of Maulana Sahib after hearing this, all that he had ever said to me came back in a rush of memories. I asked Dr. Reena to introduce me to Dr. Balbir. The next day Dr. Reena called me to inform me that she had invited Dr. Balbir to her office on Sunday at 10:00 am. She asked me to join her in her office so that she can introduce me to him. On Sunday i went to meet up with Dr. Reena in her office and soon enough Dr. Balbir also joined us over there. He had a very pleasant and introspective personality. I asked him how long ago had he accepted Islam? He replied about eight to nine years back. Then i asked him his reasons for accepting Islam, he replied that only Islam is the true, complete and the most original religious path. That if one doesn't Islam, then there will be no pardon from hell fire after death. Without Shahada, one will be doomed for eternity to hell fire. He said that even for you it is important to accept Islam if you don't want eternal damnation. I asked him if he had taken a Muslim name after his conversion, he said that he had taken up the name Waliullah, which means the friend of Allah. I told him that about one and a half years ago, a Maulana Sahib had come to my ward and that he had some things to me that at that time had had a profound effect upon me, the Maulana Sahib had been praying for all the children in the ward and had been blowing on them. When i asked him who his relative was in the ward, he had replied that all of them were his relatives and we have all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve. Dr. Balbir said that whatever Maulana Sahib said is the truth and that RasoolAllah Mohammed (PBUH) had said all this in his final sermon. He also told me that i can get a printed copy of that sermon and that all that the Prophet has ever said has been saved and can be found in a printed form, that i will send whatever i can find to you through Dr. Reena. 

     After three or four days Dr. Reena sent me the pamphlet promised me by Dr. Balbir. Our Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)'s final sermon was printed in English on that pamphlet. I was quite taken aback after reading it, specially the part regarding the treatment of women. It really touched the depths of my heart. Again i was reminded of Maulana Sahib and thought that it would have been better had i taken his address. In the hospital i searched the files of old patients for the address of the one that had come from Panipat so that i could go to him myself and ask about Maulana Sahib's whereabouts. But unfortunately, i could not locate him no matter how hard i tried. Suddenly, i was overcome with an overwhelming urge to find out and learn about Islam. I took Dr. Balbir's phone number and set up an appointment to meet up with him at Safdar Jung Hospital. Upon meeting him i requested him for more literature on Islam. The next day he came to the hospital where i worked and gave me a slim book by the name of, "Entrusted to you, in your service" in Hindi and told me that if you want to know about Islam then this book is the best way to go about it initially. He said that this little book is worth a thousand words. You only have to read it with the mindset that a true sympathizer has written it with your best interests at heart. If you read it like this, you will feel that you have accepted Islam at the hand of this author in person. 

     Dr. Balbir told me that he came from a Rajput family that belonged  to a village in the suburbs of Delhi. Soon Dr. Balbir took his leave and i read that book cover to cover in one go whilst sitting in the ward. After reading the book i started missing Maulana Sahib. The book had left a deep impact on my heart and soul. After reading the book, i called up Dr. Balbir and requested him for more books written by the same author. I also requested him that would be indebted to him if he could take me to meet up with the author. 

     It was 18th May after four days. Dr. Balbir called me and told me that he could introduce me to the author of the book in the Green Park Masjid if i could take off from work for a short while. I immediately jumped and grasped this opportunity. A short while later we reached the Green Park Masjid by an auto rickshaw. Maulana Sahib had reached the Masjid early that day as he had to travel further ahead. When i saw Maulana Sahib, I could not contain my happiness and excitement as the person who had come to my ward and left such an impact on my heart and soul and the author whose book had left an indelible mark on me were one and the same. I had been searching for him for the past one and half years, and here he was right in front of me. I fell at his feet, but Maulana Sahib forbade me there and then never to do that again. He said to me that what is stopping you from accepting Islam now? I told Maulana Sahib, that I had come primarily to meet up with him and to accept Islam at his hands. Maulana Sahib was ecstatic at this news and Immediately made me take my Shahadah. He also renamed me as Safia Shalini. Maulana Sahib gave me names of more books for consultation on Islam and requested me to learn and pray Salaat with regularity. 

Asma: So didn't you announce your conversion to Islam after accepting it?

Dr. Safia: Maulana Sahib very strictly had told me not to announce my conversion publicly, but still i told a few important people in my life. Sometimes i feel with passion that when i am on the right path, why should i hide my acceptance of Islam? Then the thought crosses my mind that when i have been lucky enough to find Islam at the behest of Maulana Sahib then i should obey what he says and tells me to do.

Asma: Did you tell you friend Dr. Reena?

Dr. Safia: Not only did i tell her, I also with the help of Dr. Waliullah helped her accept Islam. But because of the fact that she is married and her husband Dr. B.K. Sehgal is very religious and has joined the Radha Swami Sat Sang. That is why Dr. Reena went off to Dubai.

Asma: Are you in touch with Dr. Waliullah?

Dr. Safia: Actually, Dr. Waliullah himself contracted heart disease. His heart because of this gradually became weaker and weaker. He eventually had to get a pacemaker installed in his heart. because of his disease he kept in touch with me. I took a lot of interest in  helping him overcome his disease. He got married to a girl who had a government job. He had already told her before he married her that he had accepted Islam and that she will first have to revert and then get a nikah done according to Islamic rites. He made her take the Shahadah and then he did nikah with her. But even after all this that girl did not take much interest in Islam, partially due to the fact that she had a government job that was not conducive to her adopted religion and partly because of the fact that she was not mentally ready to take this huge plunge in an absolutely different lifestyle. It was this fact that took a toll on Dr. Balbir's health and the stress caused him to contract heart disease. When the Western did no help him, he turned to alternative therapy at the behest of Maulana Kaleem. With the grace of God, he soon recuperated and became a lot better. 

     Maulana Sahib advised him to try and find a job in the Middle East and to take his wife along with him. Alhamdolillah! he found a job in Saudia Arabia and last month his wife also joined him there. Because of his departure to Saudi Arabia i have become very lonely , as i have lost a friend who understood my predicament. Dr. Reena, who was named Fatima on your dad's advice, her husband was being worked upon by Dr. Balbir. But now after his departure even that has stopped. 

Asma: Do your parents know about your acceptance of Islam? 

Dr. Safia: Yes, my parents know about my acceptance of Islam. They did not like my decision at all and were against it from the get go. But slowly and steadily they have grudgingly come to accept it. 


Asma: Have you gotten married

Dr. Safia: My parents had been very concerned about my marriage. Many good proposals came my way, most of them were my father's students but maybe Allah had not wanted that for me so none of them went anywhere. I used to excuse myself saying that i have to complete my postgraduate medical education. I asked Maulana Sahib countless times if i could announce my reversion to Islam, but he held me back, saying that you try and work on your parents so that they accept Islam. When i told him how difficult it was for me to pray and fast, he advised me to find employment in the Middle East. He also called up Dr. Waliullah and told him to look for a job for me over there. Alhamdolillah! i soon found employment at King Abdul Aziz Hospital and i got leave from my job in India for two years.  
     Dear sister Asma, it might amuse you to know that I got married to the man who had previously proposed for your hand in marriage. You must remember that a surgeon from Chandigarh had asked for your hand in marriage. He was the only bearded, Muslim surgeon on the history of that hospital. But you got married to someone from Aligarh.  Maulana Sahib once asked me if i was interested in getting married to this gentleman as  we were in the same profession. I agreed and gave him the go ahead. Maulana Sahib then introduced me to Dr. Asad and his parents. We were all quite content with each other after the meeting. Maulana Sahib arranged for Dr. Asad and my nikah immediately. Wonder of wonders, even Dr. Asad got employment at King Abdul Aziz Hospital as he had also applied for a job over there. He left for Jeddah on 6th December, i am still waiting for my visa. I hope i get it soon so that i can do Hajj this year only.

Asma: Didn't you feel strange marrying a bearded Muslim?

Dr Safia: Alhamdolillah! absolutely not! By the grace of Allah, i love Islam from the depths of my heart. To be quite honest, Islam is according to my nature. When i heard that Dr. Asad is the first bearded, sherwani wearing Muslim in the history of the hospital, i wanted to immediately announce my acceptance of Islam and start wearing an abaya and niqab to become the first Islamically covered lady doctor at All India Institute of Medical Science, but even though Maulana Sahib encouraged me he requested me to spend two to four years in Saudia. 

Asma: You got married without your parents consent, so weren't they a little upset at that?

Dr. Safia: My nikah was very sudden, but when Maulana Kaleem Sahib introduced the boy to my parents and told them that he and Shalini are married and that  he isn't demanding a cent in dowry or for that matter even a ring, they were very pleased. Plus he told them that first both of us will leave for Saudia and after they have been residing there for some time, you can tell all your relatives that she has met someone over there and gotten married to that person, then they will not feel so bad, my parents acquiesced. When my parents saw Dr. Asad, then their happiness knew no bounds. My father kept on saying to me off and on that Shalini, you are an extremely lucky girl to have found such an accomplished and good looking life partner, and it is true that Dr. Asad is way better looking as compared to me. My dad even went to the airport to see his new son in law off to Saudia. 

Asma: Truly, you are very lucky that Allah made this match for you himself, Alhamdolillah!

Dr. Safia: Without a doubt, Allah has been very gracious and kind to me. Whenever i think about it, i am overwhelmed with Allah's bounty and i want to fall down in front of him in sujood. I was lost in the darkness of kuffar and shirk and He held my hand and guided me towards this light! 

Asma: Didn't you invite your parents to Islam?

Dr. Safia: Thanks to Allah that slowly and steadily i am working towards it and they are quite close to accepting my invited to Islam. 

Asma: Would you like to give any message to your Muslim brethren through Armughan? 

Dr. Safia: I feel from the depths of my heart that this world which is rich in science and technology, only needs Islam as without Islam it is absolutely devoid of any wealth or riches. Sister Asma, it is my belief that only Islam can make this world worth living. Without Islam this world is worthless. I am surprised that even though Muslims hold the key to the greatest treasure in this universe, yet they are suffering from a low self esteem. Why? i ask. We should be grateful to Allah and we should have pity of this worthless world. We should consider ourselves the luckiest creature to be having the wealth of Eiman in our lives. 

Asma: Thanks a lot Dr. Safia, Assalaam o alaikum, fee aman Allah! 

Dr. Safia: Thanks to you Asma, Waalaikum assalaam w Rehmat Ullah e Wa barakaatohoo!

 

      

      

A meeting with Brother Abdullah, formerly Deep Chand Aheer

A meeting with Brother Abdullah formerly Deep Chand Aheer

Ahmed Awaah: Assalaam o alaikum

Abdullah: Waalaikum Assalaam

Ahmed Awaah: Brother Abdullah, you must be aware that we publish a magazine from Phalat (India) called Armughan, in which we have started a feature about people coming into the fold of Islam. It is for this feature that I want to interview you.

Abdullah: Brother Ahmed (with tears streaming down his face.), why do you want to sully the image of your wonderful magazine by writing about a cruel, mean and dastardly person like me?

Ahmed Awaah: No Brother Abdullah! My father Hazrat Maulana Kaleem Sahib Siddiqui is of the opinion that your life is one of the signs of Allah’s power and he wants your interview to be issued in this publication.

Abdullah: Your Father, May Allah (SWT) grant him a long life. I consider myself to be his humble servant, if it is his will then I bow my head down to it. You can question me about anything and I shall gladly answer to the best of my knowledge.

Introduction 

Ahmed Awaah: First, please introduce yourself…

Abdullah: If I say that since the creation of this universe, I am the cruelest, worst and luckiest person ever to walk the face of this earth. In fact, it would not be far from the truth if I were to introduce myself as the vilest creature in existence.

Ahmed Awaah: This according to you is the emotional introduction, of how you perceive yourself. We would like to know about your domestic life and family background.

Abdullah: I was a resident of the District of Muzaffarnagar, tehsil Barhana.  I was born in a Muslim Rajput majority village to a Hindu Aheer (goat herder) family, about forty two to forty three years back. My family was not only very religious, but they were also criminal by nature.  My father and my paternal uncle were both among the top leaders of a criminal gang.  Destruction and cruelty were in my blood and veins and a part of my family legacy. At my relatives’ behest, along with my father I took part in the 1987 anti Muslim genocide that took place in Meeruth. Both my father and I killed at least 25 Muslims each with our bare hands. After this event, Muslim hatred intensified in my heart and soul and I went on to join Bajrang Dal. In 1990, at the advent of the destruction of Babri Masjid, I killed countless Muslims in Shaamli. In 1992, many Muslims were killed mercilessly in my own village of Barhana. There was a very famous thug of Barhana who was also a very good Muslim and because of whom all the non Muslim community was scared. I along with a friend of mine went and shot him, and in this fever of Muslim hatred I committed such a crime, (whilst crying uncontrollably) that I don’t think you will have either thought, seen or heard of an example of  such extreme barbarism and cruelty over land and under sky, no matter how hard you try. 
(Continues crying…)

Reversion to Islam: 

Ahmed Awaah: Please tell us what led you to revert to Islam.

Abdullah: There is a Surah Burooj In Qur’an which talks about the people in the ditch of fire. Allah says that they were destroyed and killed. This Surah I think was brought down for me. What is that Surah? Can you please recite for me in Arabic?

Ahmed Awaah: (After reciting Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Raheem)

قُتِلَ أَصْحَابُ الْأُخْدُودِ

النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُودِ

إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌ

Translation: Woe to the makers of the pit of fire.

                   Fires supplied abundantly with fuel.

                   Behold they sat over against the fire.

Abdullah: If we say that the Allah had mercy on the people of the fire then how will we say it in Arabic?

Ahmed Awaah: Reham Ashaab al akhdoo d’al’naar zaat alwaqood.

Abdullah: Yes, if this ayaat had been about me then it would have been like this: Reham Ashaab al akhdoo d’al’naar zaat alwaqood.

Ahmed Awaah: Please tell us how you came to Islam.

Abdullah: Yes brother, I am getting to it. But even a hardened criminal like me doesn’t have the strength to relay this story anymore. But I will try.

Ahmed Awaah: So please try, maybe this story of yours would deter many Muslims from straying from the right path.

Abdullah: Yes, truly the story of how I came to Islam is a ray of light for all those who have lost hope, When the Merciful and Gracious God Allah (SWT) can be so kind and show such mercy to a person like me then there is no space left for despair and hopelessness in His mercy. So listen now Brother Ahmed, I have an older brother and in spite of all the crimes and the cruelty against humanity that we had committed, not only were we very loving, but we were also extremely loyal. My older brother had two daughters and two sons, whereas I had no children. His elder daughter was called Heera and she was very passionate by nature. If she loved, then she loved with a great intensity and if she hated, then she hated with an equal intensity. Sometimes we used to think that maybe she is inflicted by something supernatural. We took her to many wise people, but all to no avail. She studied in school till grade 8. After leaving school she became involved in daily household chores, but she was very fond of higher education, and without telling anyone in her family she filled the high school form and collected tuition fee and cost of course books by breaking her back in the fields and collecting money through hard physical labor. She bought her books and when she could not understand them, she went to a Brahmin’s daughter who lived in our neighborhood. One of the Brahmin’s sons was a thug and a robber. I don’t know what he said to my niece Heera, that she ran away with him one night. He took her to a jungle near Barote where his gang used to reside. She went with him willingly, but when she reached there she realized what a mistake she had made as she had put  her parents respect and reputation on line with her foolish actions. With this realization came misery and tears.

          There was a Muslim boy in this gang, who hailed from Idrees Pur. One day when he saw her crying, he asked her the reason, to which she replied that in my innocence and ignorance I have run away with this man, but now my virtue is at stake and my parent’s apprehension due to my actions is bothering me. The boy felt sorry for Heera, and he told her that I am a Muslim and Muslims are true to their commitments and promises. He promised her that from this day on you are my sister and that I am the protector of your virtue and your defender, and I promise you that I will deliver you safe and sound from this jungle and return you to your parents. He told his gang members that this girl is very brave and that we should incorporate her into our gang as we need a few female members. The only way we can keep her in the jungle is by dressing her up as a boy. All the gang members finally agreed with him and Heera was dressed up as a boy and taken around as a part and parcel of the gang from that day forward. Heera realized that out of the 10-12 members of the gang, this boy was very different from the rest. He was honest, he used to give sound advice, whenever he got his share of the loot he kept some aside for the poor, he used to make Heera sleep separately away from all the men and in the middle of the night he used get up time and time again to make sure that no one went to Heera’s room to harass her. When he was sure that Heera had become a permanent member of the gang, then only did he let is guard up.

One day after making up an excuse he sent Heera to Barote, and told her that hire a carriage and go to my house in Idrees Pur. When you reach my house, relay your story to my younger brother and tell him that your brother has called you, and tell him that when he reaches the jungle, he is supposed to tell the gang that the people of Barote have taken the girl into custody in suspicion and handed her over to the local police. Heera repeated all verbatim to his younger brother. The younger brother went to the jungle and repeated the whole story. The older brother told his younger brother that go back and send Heera to the police station, where she should tell the police that a gang had kidnapped her from her village and that she had been taken hostage by them and that somehow she has escaped as she had been scared for her life over there. Heera did exactly as told. 


The Barote police contacted the Barhana police station, where the kidnapping of Heera had already been registered. A female police brigade was sent to Barote from Barhana to recover Heera. Heera was taken back to Barhana and sent back to her parents home. Her family accepted her back but they did not want to keep her in the house as now they felt that her virtue had been compromised and that she was a girl of loose character. Heera told her family that I had been kidnapped by that gang of thugs, but in spite of that I protected my virtue, but no one believed her. An educated member of our clan also came and told us to get her medical check-up done just to be sure. So, Heera was taken to Barhana hospital and there was always that thought in the back of our mind that if Heera was proven to be virtuous then we will bring her back, otherwise we will kill her and dispose off her body in the river. By the grace of God, the doctor gave the report that her virtue was intact, happily we brought her back home but now she started talking about Muslims all the time, and time and time again she would say that it was become of a Muslim that she had been able to escape that gang in the jungles. 


She started befriending Muslims and started going to a Muslim girl’s house. A Muslim girl gave her a book called, the knocking of hell and the key of heaven. When I saw the Muslim literature in her hands, I beat her black and blue and forbid her from bringing books like this in the house again, I even threatened to hack her into pieces if I ever came across Muslim literature in her possession, but my threats had no effect on her Islam had now enlightened her heart and soul with its Noor (Noor: meaning divine light). She went to the Madressah with a Muslim girl and took Shahadah (the Islamic oath of allegiance to Allah) at the hands of a Maulana Sahib. On the sly she learnt how to say Salaat (Muslim five timely prayer) and started saying it off and on in secrecy. After accepting Islam she no longer felt at peace in an environment rife with polytheism, she used to feel suffocated and miserable. Previously she was a happy go lucky child who would often laugh and now she turned into a pensive individual who hardly ever smiled.  Somehow, I don’t know how, she left home and took refuge with a Maulana Sahib who took her with his wife to Phallat.  For a few days she lived in your house Brother Ahmed, maybe you remember her…

Ahmed Awaah: Yes, yes I remember sister Hira. Where is she now? My family is very much worried about her. She was a very pious girl. I am surprised that you are our sister Hira’s uncle.

Abdullah: Yes Brother Ahmed, your father named her Hira, and I am the uncle and murderer of that pious, wonderful  and unfortunate child. (whilst crying.)

Ahmed Awaah: First tell me where is Hira baji?

Abdullah: I am telling you, I am going to tell you the story of my barbarism and cruelty. As you know, just to be on the safe side, Maulana sahib had sent her to his sister’s house in Delhi and she stayed there for some time. There she got a very conducive environment and she used to call Maulana sahib’s sister Rani puphi or The Queen aunt. Your mother also gave Hira a lot of love and appreciation and Rani phuphi nurtured and guided her a lot. Maybe she stayed in Delhi for one and a half years. This residence in Phalat and Delhi colored her into a very staunch Muslim, so much so that had Qur’an been revealed in this day and age, maybe this martyred girl might have been mentioned by name in the Holy Book. She used to love her family a lot specially her mother. Her mother used to stay very ill, one day Hira dreamed that her mother had died. Upon waking up, she could not shake off the yearning to be close to her mother again. She used to think that if my mother dies without Iman, what will become of her? This thought did not let her have any mental peace or relief. 

She used to cry constantly because of this. When she started screaming uncontrollably, all the residents of the house woke up because of this noise and ran to see what had happened. Everyone tried to console her and sometimes she even stopped crying, but then suddenly something would remind her of this dream and she would start crying again. She used to call your father Abba jee. Again and again she would cry and plead to your father that Abba jee send me home, but your father constantly kept on denying her saying that if your family finds out that you have accepted Islam, they will murder you or they will convert you back to Hinduism. This fear for her Eiman or faith used to deter her, but something would bring back old memories and then again she would go and plead with your father to send her back home. One day with a heavy heart your father when pushed a lot by her agreed to let her return to her house under one condition and that was that she would invite her loved ones to the fold of Islam and save them from the fire of hell. Hira replied that they detest Islam and under no circumstances would they accept it. She told everyone in her house that Maulana Sahib had told her that when Allah will open your family’s hearts to Islam, then they will start hating polytheism as much as they hate Islam. Maulana Sahib told her that before accepting Islam you (Hira) also used to hate it passionately but after accepting it you have turned around 180 degrees. Maulana Sahib told her to pray to God and to promise him that I am going back to my home to convert my parents and to protect them from hell fire. He told her that if you go with this intention, then Allah will protect you and if you face any hardship in this quest then you will only face the type faced by Rasool Allah (PBUH) according to his sunnah, and if your family kills you then you will be a martyr or a Shaheed, which is the shortest route to paradise, and I am sure that your martyrdom will pave the way for their reversion to Islam, if you lose your life in your quest to save your family from hell fire then it is most certainly a very nominal price to pay for  the reward you will get by saving them in the hereafter.

After that Maulana Sahib requested her to say two raqat namaz nafil and to pray to Allah (SWT) to guide her to the right path and to promise Allah that you are going to bring your family to the right path. From Delhi she went to Phalat and then she went to her village. We were incensed the minute we lay eyes on her. I hit her with shoes and kicks, but she still did not tell us where she stayed all this time. Albeit, she did tell us that she had accepted Islam and was now a staunch Muslim and that no one could change her into anything else.  If we maltreated her, instead of rebelling she would cry and plead us to save ourselves from hell fire by accepting Islam.  Her mother was very ill, and she died after two months, Hira kept beseeching us to give the body to Muslims for Islamic burial as she had accepted Islam at her (Hira’s) hands before dying, that it is cruelty to cremate her in these circumstances, but all this fell on deaf ears. We did not bury her, we cremated her according to the Hindu rites.  Every day there was conflict in our house, sometimes she would plead with her brothers to accept Islam and sometimes she would beg her father to do the same. By general consensus of the household we decided to send her to her maternal relatives in Meeruth. So, we sent her there, her maternal uncles got sick of her dyed in the wool Muslim attitude and sent for my brother and me. They told us that we are sick of this faithless girl and we are sick of the arguments that have been taking place in our house since the day she decided to darken our doorstep.

I consulted with the administration and top brass of Bajrang Dal, and they advised me to kill her. One day I went to the river and dug a 5 foot deep trench on its banks. My brother and I, both with the excuse of bringing her back to the village to meet with her paternal aunt took her away from her maternal house. Maybe she knew of our intention and had already seen it in a dream, she took a bath and wore new clothes, then she told me that, “Uncle at least let me say my last prayers.”  Then very happily like a new bride about to meet her new groom she started on the journey back with us. In spite of the fact that we took her to an unfamiliar and deserted route, she did not question us  that my aunt’s house is not here, and nor did she rebel. When we reached the banks of the river where I had dug a trench, laughingly she enquired of her father, that are you taking me to my aunt’s house or sending me to the house of my Beloved? (Allah SWT)

Ahmed Awaah: After providing brother Abdullah with water, “Please complete your story.”

Brother Abdullah: How can I complete such a sordid tale, but complete it I will…I was carrying five liters petrol in a plastic bag with me. Both Hira’s real father and me her real uncle took her to the trench that we had dug a day previously in order to put our devious plan into action, like an animal I pushed her into that trench whilst saying to her, “How will you save us from hell fire? Here now you fell what fell fire feels like!” and so saying I doused her with petrol and threw a burning matchstick on her. Meanwhile, My elder brother kept on crying and staring at her. As soon as I threw the matchstick on her, her new clothes caught fire and she stood up in the trench and raised her hands towards the sky and cried out, “ My Allah! You are seeing me right now? Aren’t you? My Allah! You are seeing me right now? Aren’t you? My Allah! You love me, don’t you? You love your Hira, Don’t You? Yes, my Allah You love the cave of Hira and you love the Hira burning in the ditch and because I have Your love, I don’t need anyone else’s love.” After that she called out to her father and me, “Father please do accept Islam. Uncle please do accept Islam, uncle please do accept Islam.” At that I got angry and I took hold of my brothers’ hand and we left from there. My brother beseeched me that lets us go back and try and reason with her and at that I got really angry. Later on, when we went back to that place we heard Kalma e Shahadat being recited again and again extremely loudly in that ditch. We felt that we had done our duty and left, but the last sentence spoken by that martyr of love had really shattered my heart into pieces.  After reaching home my brother fell ill and he was broken by his grief, and that grief eventually took his life. Two days prior to his death, he called me and said that whatever we did in this life, that is gone and past now but now I cannot die till I accept Hira’s faith. Please call a Maulana sahib from a Masjid. By this time, even I had broken down mentally and emotionally. I found an Imam Sahib at a local masjid, and got him to our home where my brother lay on his death bed. Maulana Sahib made my brother recite the Kalma e Shahadat and he chose the name Abdul Rahman for himself. Then he told me to bury him according to Islamic rites, this was a very difficult thing for me but I considered this my brother’s last request and I somehow had to fulfill it. I took him to Delhi for treatment and got him admitted into a hospital. My brother breathed his last in that hospital.  He was at peace. I told a doctor from Hamdard about my brothers’ last wish, so he gathered some Muslims from that area and had him buried according to Islamic rites.

Ahmed Awaah: This is a very strange story, but you haven’t told us yet how you came to accept Islam.

Brother Abdullah: I am leading you in that direction only. My hatred for Islam had lessened to some extent but I was very upset at the fact that my brother had died a Muslim. The fact that my brother had accepted Islam, convinced me of the fact that my sister in law must also have accepted Islam before her demise. I felt that some Muslim had by magic coerced my family and clan into accepting his/her faith. It was as if their hearts were gripped by the wanting to be a Muslim. One by one everyone was leaving Hinduism and accepting Islam. 

So I went and spoke to many wise people. I was going from Shamli to Own in search of a tantric. I took a bus and coincidentally that belonged to a Muslim and the driver was a Muslim too. He was playing a Qawwali on a tape recorder in is bus. The Qawwali depicted the famous story of Rasool Allah Sall Allah ho Alaih w Aalayhee w Sallam (PBUH) and is encounter with and old lady who used to harass him and throw trash at him. But one day when she did not throw garbage at him, he enquired about her and found out that she was ill. 

So he went and served her and showed extreme kindness to her, because of which she accepted Islam. The speaker was blaring right on top of my head. This Qawwali suddenly changed my perspective, I thought that the Prophet depicted in this story cannot be a liar. Instead of going to Own I got down at Jhunjhana and I thought that I should read about Islam. After that I sat in the bus headed for Shaamli. There was also a tape recorder playing in this bus. Pakistan’s Maulana Qaari Haneef Sahib was giving a lecture about death and what happens after death. I was supposed to get down at Shaamli but the lecture had not finished as yet and I wanted to listen to the whole lecture. When we reached Shaamli, the driver switched off the tape recorder. I was getting anxious to listen to the full lecture. The bus was going to Muzaffarnagar, to listen to the lecture I took a ticket for Muzaffarnagar. The lecture finished when we reached Bhaghra. That lecture had really driven out all the doubts that I had about Islam. I got down on Barhana Road and caught a bus home. 

A Maulana Sahib was sitting near me. I told him that I want to know what Islam is and I want to educate myself about Islam, will you help me in my quest? He told me that go to Phalat and meet up with Maulana Kaleem Sahib. That he is the best person to guide me. I took Maulana’s address in Phalat and instead of going home, went straight to Phalat. Maulana Sahib was not at home. He was supposed to return the next morning. At night a teacher gave me Maulana Sahib’s book titled “ Aap kee amanat, aap kee sewaa main.” Translated as “your trust, in your service.” This book was extremely touching and hit me right on my heart. Maulana Sahib instead of returning in the morning, reached home in the evening. After Maghrib I requested him to take my Shahadah (The oath of Islam) and told him that I had come to enquire about Islam but your book has absolutely floored me.

 Maulana Sahib was very happy at this turn of events. On 13^th January, 2000 I recited the Shahadah and my name was changed to Abdullah. I stayed in Phalat at night and requested Maulana Sahib for an hour out of his time. In that hour I told him about my life  history filled with terror and barbarism. Maulana Sahib cried for a long time after he found out what had become of Hira and told me that Hira had stayed at his place only and had later on gone on to live with his sister in Delhi. Maulana Sahib consoled me that Islam wipes clean all the misdeeds committed before its acceptance. But I was inconsolable, how can such cruelty be wiped off so easily?

Maulana Sahib told me that to console  and redeem yourself, you have to now go and save the life of as many Muslims as you can. Qur’an says that good deeds cancel out bad deeds. So now, to console myself I try and save as many Muslim lives as possible. I even know this that I do not have the power to save anyone or to give a new life to anyone but the person who tries to save another is akin to the one who actually saves them. That is why I try to save lives now.

There was a massacre in Gujrat, so I considered that a God given opportunity. I am grateful to Allah that I was able to help countless Muslims save their lives. I acted as if I was a Hindu and took the Muslims supposed to be killed to a safe and secure place or I warned them before-hand to run away and save their lives. One deed that Allah had me do, really gave me some peace of heart. In a village called Bhaonagar, the Hindus had planned on burning 400 Muslim kids alive in a Madressah.  I went and informed the jail incharge Mr. Sharma before hand and got him ready. Ten minutes before the arrival of the crowd, I broke the back wall of the Madressah and helped all the children escape. I stayed for three months in Gujrat to save Muslim lives, but my misdeeds are so many that a lot more has to be done by me before I can say that I am at peace. Once Maulana Sahib tried to console me by saying that the Allah who has shown you the right path, also has the ability to pardon you so have faith. Maulana Sahib told me to go in a Jamaat to learn about Islam. I asked for two months time. I went back to my village and sold all my property over there at a low price and bought a house in Delhi. I rounded up my wife, my two nephews and Hira’s sister and had them recite the Shahadah at Phalat. All this cost me one year instead of two months. Then I went in the Jamaat, my heart was always weighed down by the grief of the way I had killed Hira and the other innocent Muslims. I always used to think how can such a cruel man get pardon? Then Maulana Sahib told me to read the Qur’an and he specially told me to recite Surah Burooj again and again. Now I remember it along with its translation. 1400 years back what an amazing thing was said by my Allah. It seems as if it is about what had happened over here in India, now in this day and age. It is like this:

85. Surah Al-Burooj (The Big Stars)

 1.By the heaven, holding the big stars .
2. And by the Promised Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection);
3. And by the witnessing day (i.e. Friday), and by the witnessed day [i.e. the day of 'Arafat (Hajj) the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah];
4. Cursed were the people of the ditch (the story of the Boy and the King).
5. Fire supplied (abundantly) with fuel,
6. When they sat by it (fire),
7. And they witnessed what they were doing against the believers (i.e. burning them).
8. They had nothing against them, except that they believed in Allah, the All-Mighty, Worthy of all Praise!
9. Who, to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth! And Allah is Witness over everything.
10. Verily, those who put into trial the believing men and believing women (by torturing them and burning them), and then do not turn in repentance, (to Allah), will have the torment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the burning Fire.
11. Verily, those who believe and do righteous good deeds, for them will be Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise). That is the great success.
12. Verily, (O Muhammad ()) the Grip (Punishment) of your Lord is severe.
13. Verily, He it is Who begins (punishment) and repeats (punishment in the Hereafter) (or originates the creation of everything, and then repeats it on the Day of Resurrection).
14. And He is Oft-Forgiving, full of love (towards the pious who are real true believers of Islamic Monotheism),
15. Owner of the throne, the Glorious
16. He does what He intends (or wills).
17. Has the story reached you of the hosts,
18. Of Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and Thamud?
19. Nay! The disbelievers (persisted) in denying (Prophet Muhammad () and his Message of Islamic Monotheism).
20. And Allah encompasses them from behind! (i.e. all their deeds are within His Knowledge, and He will requite them for their deeds).
21. Nay! This is a Glorious Qur'an,
22. (Inscribed) in Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz (The Preserved Tablet)!

Ahmed Bhai, just read this Surah and then think about what Hira had prayed for whilst burning in the pit. “ My Allah! You are seeing me right now? Aren’t you? My Allah! You are seeing me right now? Aren’t you? My Allah! You love me, don’t you? You love your Hira, Don’t You? Yes, my Allah You love the cave of Hira and you love the Hira burning in the ditch and because I have Your love, I don’t need anyone else’s love.” “Father please do accept Islam. Uncle please do accept Islam, uncle please do accept Islam.” (Whilst crying incessantly.)

Ahmed Awaah: All praise to Allah that you did as she asked. You are very lucky that you came out of the darkness of that cruelty towards the light and kindness of Islam.

Brother Abdullah: Oh I did not obey her, the omniscient Being who loved her made that decision for me and steered me in that direction and made me obey him. A lowly, cruel and barbaric person like me was not worthy of this kindness shown him by Allah.

Ahmed Awaah: Thanks a lot Brother Abdullah!

Brother Abdullah:  Ahmed Bhai pray for me, that Allah makes me do something that helps me find peace and that I am forgiven the cruelties that I did. Definitely Qur’an speaks the truth when it says that good deeds clean up the bad deeds and it is because of this when I helped save some innocent Muslim lives in Gujrat that I found  some peace in my heart.

End