Post by Islamic Revival on Aug 30, 2004 6:26:35 GMT -5
www.imtiazahmad.com/Inter%20Jim.html
The pace of life in the western world is very fast. In spite of this hustle and bustle, many Muslims do find time to help the neighborhood mosques and Islamic schools voluntarily. For example, one day the congregation of the Tawheed Mosque of Detroit agreed to visit the Tawheed Mosque of Farmington Hills after Fajr Prayer. We wanted to cut the wild trees with a chain saw and chop them into small parts. We intended to make small bundles of these unwanted trees and place them on the roadside to be picked up by the city services, thereby cleaning up the courtyard of the mosque.
After Fajr Prayer we left for this job in two cars. Jim was a new American Muslim and very new to this mosque. I invited him to join me in my car. On the way I asked Jim how he accepted Islam. Jim told me his fascinating life history in detail:
“I used to go to a Christian church with my parents. My parents used to pay ten percent of their income to this church in order to attend its services. Eventually, they switched to a different church because they did not like the religious practices of this church. There they had to pay only eight percent of their income to attend the services. This was acceptable to my parents since nearly all churches operate like this. I however did not like the practice of buying our seats through compulsory contribution. I stopped going to any church since I disapproved of the ideas and practices of these churches.”<br>
“After finishing high school I attended a university. There I met many Muslim students from various countries. I asked them, “Do you have to pay for using a place for worship?” They said, “Not at all. In fact everybody has an equal right to use the place of worship for his prayers.”<br>
It is beneficial to add here that the university campuses in the western world offer a great freedom of choice to students. A few students misuse this freedom and ruin their future. Most of the students, however, interact with each other constructively. In fact, this interaction is very enviable. They do not answer others’ questions very briefly to leave the questioner in confusion. They also do not answer them with maximum possible detail so the questioner is not discouraged to ask more questions. Furthermore, they do not impose their viewpoint on the others so that they are not disenchanted with each other. This kind of beneficial interaction goes on all the time among the students and it is, in fact, guidance for some of our religious preachers.
Jim thought it was, indeed, a very reasonable practice not to pay for the use of a place of worship. Why should he, therefore, not explore other details about such a religion? Jim related the rest of his story to me as follows:
“My girlfriend and I used to live in a rented apartment. My girlfriend was a Buddhist. She had put statues of Buddha throughout the apartment, although she was not very regular in her religious practice. I was also not practicing Christianity. She inferred from my daily talk that I was looking for a new way of life. We accepted each other the way we were. At last, Christmas arrived.”<br>
Christmas is such an occasion that everybody expects a present from his friend, irrespective of the religious inclination or beliefs. For example, Jews do not belief in Jesus at all. They are usually the first to exchange these Christmas presents and decorate their businesses with huge Christmas trees to attract customers. Jim continued:
“My Buddhist girlfriend rushed to the market to pick up a Christmas gift for me. There she came across a book which appeared somewhat philosophical to her. She said to herself, “Jim may like this book since he is always expressing strange and novel ideas.” I started reading this book after receiving it as a present from her. It happened to be an English interpretation of the Quran. I liked to read it every day. It posed many new questions to my mind. The Muslim students answered my daily questions very reasonably. It enhanced my interest in Islam. Finally, I was fully satisfied with the Muslim way of life. I contacted some members of the Muslim Student Association on my University campus. They explained to me the Islamic pledge to enter Islam. I very eagerly accepted Islam. Praise be to God.”<br>
“I knew very well that prayer is an important article of the Islamic faith. I used to offer some prayers at the University campus and others at home. I told my girlfriend to remove all the statues from the living room since I had to offer prayer there. She did not like this, since to interfere with somebody’s religion is not a joke. She, however, reluctantly removed the statues from the living room simply to please me.”<br>
“As soon as my Islamic education and faith firmed up, I started showing an indifference towards her. Several times we quarreled about it. She said again and again, “I have always tried my best to please you. My commitment to you is not lessened in any way. What has made you indifferent towards me in spite of my firm commitment to you?” I said to her seriously, “Whatever you said is true. I am, however, a Muslim now and I cannot have a matrimonial relationship with a non-Muslim.” My girlfriend knew that I was a gentle person by nature and I have a good relationship with my fellow friends. She did not wish to leave me at any cost. She asked me, “After all, what have I to do to maintain this relationship?” I told her, that she should embrace Islam. She asked me, “What is Islam?” I gave her a broad outline of Islam in a short time. She could not digest all the ideas fully. She, nonetheless, accepted Islam in order to please me. She removed all the statues from the apartment with her own hands.”<br>
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