This is a story of a man who was in search of a true religion, who was in a quest of truth and humility, and who wanted to know the concept of one supreme creator. This is a glimpse of Abdul Wahid's journey. Abdul Wahid before reverting to Islam was known as Vijay Kumar and he was born to a Jain family. Jainism is one of the most popular religions in India and it shares the same status like other major religions of the world - Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam. Jainism is not a branch of Hinduism as most people believe, though it has certain practices which are closely similar to Buddhism and Hinduism such as idol worshiping. It is divided into two groups: The Digambaras who are sky clad or naked, that is, they do not believe in wearing clothes, and the Shvetambaras, who are clad in white, that is they wear simple white robes. However, they both follow a common religious scripture. The religion Jainism sprouted when King Mahawira decided to leave everything for the sake of humanity. He distributed his belongings to his people and left for a 12-year spiritual quest, which made him found the order of monks and nuns — the base of their religion — as they do not believe in God. They believe in the liberation of a soul and whoever achieves this status becomes a diety of Jain religion. This is what Mahawira founded and that is why his followers worship him. When Abdul Wahid was 10-years-old he deeply thought about his religion — that is if Mahawira was a common man like us — then why do we worship him because he left the world to worship someone else. However, it wasn't until he was 20, when he came face to face with a Salafi brother, that he found the answers to his questions. He met this Muslim brother and offered him Pershad (sweet offering), but he refused it saying that it is forbidden for them. Abdul Wahid, then Kumar, told him that you worship one Allah, I worship one Mahawira, I am offering you Pershad of my one god, and you also worship your one god. We both are the same. What is the difference? To this the Muslim brother replied, that no, we are not the same. Your god is a man — the created — and my God is the Creator! This was the turning point in Abdul Wahid's life. He was asked to visit the mosque, but initially he was afraid to do so as he was an active member of Shive Sena, an anti-Muslim organization in India. But, as destiny had planned, Abdul Wahid went to the mosque, where he was explained the concept of God in Islam. It took him six months to understand the religion, after which he embraced Islam. His family soon realized that his circle of Muslim friends was increasing. He was questioned about being a Muslim and offering prayers like them, when he replied in the affirmative, he was forced to leave his house with his pregnant wife, without any financial support. He with his wife and the newborn faced many problems. Life was arduous without any money, but his belief in Allah was stronger. He vividly remembers the morning of 25th Ramadan; he had gone to the mosque for Fajr prayers, and in his absence a man came and gave his wife RS500. The man told her that her husband knew who he was. With that meager amount he did his Eid shopping and started a small business. He purchased ladies' jewelry for RS350 and put them on sale on the street. By the Grace of Allah, he sold everything and retrieved the initial amount on the same day itself. Today, in Indore, India, he has all the luxuries of life by the blessings of Allah. He has performed his Haj and has made many trips to Makkah and Madinah with all his family members. After his reversion to Islam his aunt asked him the reason for being a Muslim. When she asked this question, a famous epic ‘Mahabharat' was being aired on TV. He pointed toward the drama and said that the God in the drama has five husbands. What if my four other uncles came to you one after another? How would you feel about it? She replied that it would be nonsense, to which Abdul Wahid replied that yes, of course it would be and that is why I have left that religion which is full of such baseless stories. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is doing a remarkable job for Muslim Ummah. Every time I visit the holy cities I find improvements. The Grand Mosques are well maintained, adequate safety and security measures are taken to protect visitors. Many facilities like free massage machines, free phone calls to get your religious questions answered and all others are very commendable,” said Abdul Wahid. His message to every new Muslim is that if Allah tests you then don't give up, have strong faith in Him, and one day you will succeed! Just follow the Qur'an and Sunnah precisely. [email protected] __
