Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Salaam Aliakum,

I sit here on Ashura today., a Dawoodi Bohra by birth, reading your q&A section. I wish to first offer my congratulations on excellent site, which has been put up. But more importantly I am very happy to see something which till yesterday( that`s when i first saw your site) only imagined.

The life of brother Burhan as outlined in your " about the Authors" section seems so familiar.
My life was very different. I was not from the Clergy, nor were my parents very orthodox muslims.

It was around 7 years, back when i started questioning the reason of the dawoodi bohra logic.The idea that since i am not anti, and indifferent to religion kept me away from any arguments. I was almost for that matter in the eyes of my friends an Atheist. It was at that time that i was gifted a translation of the Glorious Quran, by a Sunni friend. And as you may have realised, i have known no peace since then. I stopped, doing sajdah`s at graves of the dai`s. I started with namaz now not as a compulsion. but my oppurtunity to ask for guidance.

In fact even 10 years back, when my family had said that you should listen to the Dai, I decided that i should give it a fair chance before deciding. I attended the waiz on ashura, I went to the Amil for advice. Many a deeds i did before i decided, that no matter what the justification by my loved ones. There is no justification to the disfuguring of Islam.

It was then that i said that all guidance only comes from Allah. and since the sunni community, not the bohra community could answer many of my questions. Infact I couldn`t find a community which comprised of muslims. It was either khoja, or

wahabi, or bohri, and if not any, then shia or sunni.

I decided that there can only be one place. I did wazu, and opened the Quran (Allama Yusuf Ali) and prayed that Allah, only you can guide me. It was the first time that i felt i was being answered, one after the other. Over the last 7 years, i have changed. I have learned to carry my Masalaa, with my latop :-) I have learned to pray 5 times instead of 3. ( i usually miss Asr because of my nature of work)

I have now learned to not do sajdah infront of any grave. I stand and pray the fatiha, for i still feel that history of good deeds should never be belittled. ( i never went for kadambosi or deedar, and even years back, the thought caused me great repulsion and anger). It was shirk, even when i didn`t know what shirk meant.

I have not found anybody in my circle who shared my thoughts, though i did bring up the queries many times among my bohri friends. Today I did not go to the waiz (not that i have been going for so many years, save the customary standing one hour before magrib outside saifee masjid). But for Zohar namaz i have sat and prayed and asked for guidance from Allah and remembered the shahadat of Imam Husein (a.s.) with prayers, that Allah give the momineen of my qaum, the guidance to see the right way.

Today i have also subscribed to your forum. I don`t know what the future holds, but Inshallah if there are more than me, who believe, than that gives me one more reason to do sajdah to Allah again and give thanks.

I have a million refutations and queries. but i will show sabr (not one of my qualities) and wait to read more. And as we say, and i believe " Dua ma Yaad Karjo"

PS: This is not a query but a hearfelt letter to the brother/sister who are of a like mind" you may or may not publish this in your forum. 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Bohra brother reverted

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah-o-Akbar! Allah-o-Akbar! Allah-o-Akbar! Allah Subhanah is indeed The Greatest! All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone, Who has guided the believers from the darkness of ignorance, to the light of knowledge. All Praise is due to Allah Alone Who has had Mercy on His believing slaves, and guided them to the Straight Path of the Quran and Sunnah. All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone Who has taken the people out of invoking and worshipping mens and stones, and united them as brothers-in-faith in the worship of the One and Only True Lord of the Worlds.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 256-257:

256 Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error; whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks. And Allah Heareth and Knoweth all things.

257 Allah is the Protector of those who have faith: from the depths of darkness He will lead them forth into light. Of those who reject faith the patrons are the Evil Ones: from light they will lead them forth into the depths of darkness. They will be companions of the fire to dwell therein (for ever).

The story of your reversion to the Truth of Al-Islam is truly inspiring! May Allah Subhanah bless your reversion to the Truth of the Quran, and give you the courage, knowledge, wisdom, and steadfastness to stand firmly on the path of the Quran and the Sunnah until the time the Merciful has Decreed for all mankind.

All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone, Who has had Mercy upon His slaves, and guided them to the Truth of the Holy Quran and Islam. No matter how much we thank and praise our Merciful Lord, it would never be enough; for had Allah not had Mercy on us, and had not guided us, we would have been completely ruined. It is nothing but His Mercy and His Grace, that He has opened our hearts to the Truth of the Glorious Quran, and helped us to recognize and abstain from the heinous and unforgivable sin of shirk through it. All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone, the Lord of the Worlds.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verses 125-126:So (the fact is that) whomever Allah wills to guide aright, He makes his breast wide open to Islam. And whomever He wills to let go astray, He makes his breast narrow and squeezes it so tight that (at the very idea of Islam) he begins to feel as if his soul were climbing up towards the sky. Thus Allah puts the wrath over those who do not believe, whereas this Way is the Straight Way of your Lord, and We have made its Signs quite clear for those who are open to advice.

Your Statement: I have not found anybody in my circle who shared my thoughts, though i did bring up the queries many times among my bohri friends.

May Allah Subhanah reward you for your intention and efforts to help your family and your friends recognize and abstain themselves from the heinous and unforgivable sin of ‘shirk’; and come to the straight path of Tawheed. After coming to the Truth yourself, it is indeed your duty unto your family, friends, and loved ones that you invite them to the Truth of the Holy Quran.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 66 Surah Tahreem verse 6:O you who have believed, save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel shall be men and stones; over which shall be appointed fierce and stern angels, who never disobey Allah’s Command, and they only do as they are commanded!

In our humble opinion, if you could convince them to read the Holy Quran even once with understanding, if the Merciful Lord Wills, they too would leave the evil path of shirk, and come to the invocation and worship of the One Lord Alone! But we must remember to do this with a lot of wisdom and patience. We must be careful never to be in haste, and we must never assume that just because we have recognized and pointed out the evil of shirk that they commit, they will immediately leave the deities they have been invoking and worshipping since birth. We must never ever get into a situation which results in a fight, or abuse, or any un-orderly arguments. We must always try and choose the best time, and determine whether one is willing to listen to good caution and logic from the Glorious Quran, and then invite them to the Truth in the best possible manner, for that is what our Merciful Lord has commanded us to do.

Allah says in the Holy Quran: Chapter 16, Surah An-Nahl Ayat 125:Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and excellent admonition and argue with people in the best manner. Your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Way and who is Rightly guided.

Sometimes it might take only a couple of minutes to make someone understand, and sometimes it might take a life time, and the person might never accept Islam! Allah has made it our duty only to invite mankind to the Truth; to guide them or leave them astray, is in the Sole Power and Domain of Allah Alone! Allah has given each individual intelligence and a free will to choose whatever path he/she wills to take unto their Lord. We cannot, and should not, force our beliefs onto anyone, no matter how close they are, or how much we love them, and how much we want them to be guided aright so that they may be saved from the torment of Hell Fire! It is not upto us to guide someone to the Truth; our duty is only to invite them in the best possible manner.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 28 Surah Qasas verse 56:You cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whomever He Pleases. And He best knows those who would accept guidance.

Thus, my beloved brother in Islam, be patient, and constantly supplicate Allah to help you help your family and friends and your relatives to understand the Truth from the Glorious Quran. Be rest assured, that the All Seeing, All Hearing Lord is watching over everything that we do in His Cause; and Allah Subhanah has promised to help those who help in His Cause. If Allah Wills, your patience and wisdom will be rewarded one day, and the people you so love to accept and understand the Truth, with the help and Will of Allah, will leave the practices of shirk, and come to the sole worship of the One Lord Alone.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan