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:

Asalamu alaikum brother.

My first time here. Im a dawoodi bohra but i dont believe to much that the leader of this community will promise a place in heaven, i have all ways felt from when i was young that there was something wrong with what I was doing but i carried on following this faith to please my family, but I felt i always thought that islam can never be passed down in generation it must be seeked.

If i did change my ways i have thought that all the prayers ive been praying have been wrong. If i wanted to change, i think which school of thought would be the wright one to follow, as we as humans do not know which is wright or wrong in teachings of islam. we can only follow our heart but even that is impure....

I have read up many school of thoughts and i still get confused as a muslim we have to make sure that if i am going into islam with strong beliefs then they have to be the wright ones.. As if i go and change and i relies that on the day of judgement i was wrong so i am punished more....   I am so confused!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please enlighten me on how u did it as i am still seeking the truth.

I watch the way my family run to greet this leader of dawoodi faith, it makes me sick as even the prophets(pbuh) were raged at misleaded people worshiping and bowing down to them, so why has such man a have so much power to  get these people of this community to go crazy, i also learned in yemen from some tribes that these dawoodi bohra community were actuall converts of a brahmans in india, thats why some of the traditions are very idolise, as i see my parents carry his photo around like they worship it or something.

I always get told that this person has direct contact with the imam tayeb, but i thought that it would be imam mehdi to come on the day of judgement to lead his brothe and sisters to victory, thats why i get confused,there are so many differences  here!!

I would appreciate it very much on what to do as time is coming close! "we eigher have to make history or be part of it.."

Your brother seeking the true deen of Allah the almighty

Soldier of Allah

(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:

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.

Beloved brother, there comes a time in every person’s life when he starts contemplating regarding the Truth of this worldly life, the path that he was born into, and the life of the Hereafter. Some people just brush aside this thought and do not wish to ‘rock the boat’ so to speak, and just ignore their inner voice and carry on with life until they meet with their appointment of death! They neither seek the help of Allah, nor do they strive to find the Truth, nor do they really care about the life of the Hereafter. Allah allows such people to go astray in the path that they have chosen, for He does not forcibly guide anyone who does not wish to be guided to the Straight Path.

Some people, whom Allah has blessed and has bestowed with His Mercy , go deeper into contemplation and strive to seek the Truth, and constantly beseech and implore Allah Subhanah to guide them to the Right Path. Allah Subhanah bestows His Mercy upon such good people, and guides them to the Straight Path of Islam.

My beloved brother, from your letter it seems that you are at this very important cross-road in your life, whereby you are convinced by the logic and reasoning that Allah Subhanah has bestowed on every human being, that the way of life you were born into and you saw your fore-fathers following is not the Truth! And it is your ardent desire to find the Truth, so that you may follow that Truth and find the Straight Path that Allah has ordained and approved for His believing slaves.

Our humble and simple advice to you is to read and understand the Message of Truth that our Merciful Lord has sent for the guidance for all mankind; the Al-Quran! For one who is sincerely searching for the Truth, there is no better place to start than to understand the Message which our Lord has Himself sent for our guidance. If one reads this Glorious Book of Allah with a pure heart and without any bias and prejudice, and sincerely seeks the help and guidance of Allah Subhanah; it is expected that the Merciful Lord will guide him to the Truth.

Allah says in Chapter 2, Surah Baqarah aayat 185

"Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down: this Book is a perfect guidance for mankind and consists of CLEAR teachings which show the right way and are a Criterion of the Truth and falsehood."

Allah Subhanah has Himself called this Glorious Quran a Perfect Guidance for mankind which consists of clear teachings and which shows the Right Way. And above all, Allah Subhanah has named His Book the ‘Furqaan’ or Criterion between the Truth and the falsehood! Thus there is no better way to differentiate the Truth from the falsehood, other than the Glorious Quran itself; for it is indeed the very Truth from the Lord of the Worlds!

We assure you as your brothers in the faith of Islam, and as your sincere well-wishers, that this Book of Allah is extremely easy reading. And if Allah Wills to guide you to the Truth, He will enlarge your heart and make its understanding easy for you.

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.

It is only through the remembrance of Allah Subhanah that ones heart will find the contentment that every human being is looking for; there is just no other way! That is the declaration, decree and guidance of Allah Subhanah in the Glorious Quran.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 13 Surah Raad verse 28-29:

The people who have accepted (the Message), their hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Note it well!, that is Allah’s remembrance Alone that brings contentment to the hearts! Blessed are those who have accepted the Message and done righteous deeds. They will have a good end.

Now to directly address each of your concerns:

Your Statement: Im a dawoodi bohra but i dont believe to much that the leader of this community will promise a place in heaven, i have all ways felt from when i was young that there was something wrong with what I was doing but i carried on following this faith to please my family, but I felt i always thought that islam can never be passed down in generation it must be seeked.

Dear Brother, Paradise is a reward which Allah Subhanah will bestow upon the righteous believers in the Kingdom of the Hereafter; and no self-declared holy man or self-proclaimed leader has a right to distribute these eternal gardens of Allah’s Paradise on his whims and fancies! Allah Subhanah Alone is the Sole Owner of everything, and none has any power or influence over His Decisions.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Al Baqarah verse 111-112:

The (Jews and Christians) say: “None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.” These are their wishful fancies! Say to them, “Bring your evidence if you are right in your claim!”. The fact is that no one has any special claim to Paradise! Whoever surrenders himself to Allah in obedience, and is a doer of good deeds, shall have his reward with His Lord. There shall be neither fear nor grief for such people.

Islam is indeed the Truth which one must strive to seek! Islam is not the property of some cult, or some sect, or some language, or some priest, or some Maula….. Islam is the name of the Way of Life approved and ordained by Allah Subhanah for those amongst His slaves, who of their own free will choose to submit their will to the Will of their Lord and Creator.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 29:

Proclaim, “This (Quran) is the Truth from your Lord: now whosoever wills may accept it, and whosoever wills may reject it.” (As for those who reject it) We have prepared for such workers of iniquity a fire whose flames have encircled them. There, if they ask for water , they will be given a drink like the dregs of oil, which will burn their mouths! What an evil drink, and what an evil abode!

Your Statement: If i did change my ways i have thought that all the prayers ive been prayin have been wrong.

My beloved brother, Allah and His Messenger (saws) have promised that no matter what deeds one might have done in his ‘life of ignorance’; if one amongst mankind enters into Islam, Allah Subhanah will forgive all his sins! Such is the Mercy of the Merciful Lord.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verses 53-54:

(O Prophet) say: “O My servants who have wronged their own souls….Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy! Surely, Allah forgives all sins. He indeed is the All Forgiving, All Merciful. Return to your Lord and submit to Him before the scourge overtakes you; for then you may get no help from anywhere.”

Your Question: If i wanted to change, i think which school of thought would be the wright one to follow, as we as humans do not know which is wright or wrong in teachings of islam. we can only follow our heart but even that is impure....

Beloved brother, do not let any school of thought, or the work of any man confuse you! There is no bigger Truth than the very words of Allah Subhanah in the Holy Quran; and this Divine Book of Guidance will never misguide the one who wishes to be guided aright!

Put your trust in Allah Subhanah Alone, and humbly and sincerely beseech and implore Him to guide you to the Truth!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 186:

And if My servants ask you, O Prophet, concerning Me, tell them that I am quite near to them. I hear and answer the prayer of the suppliant, when he calls on Me. So let them respond to My call and believe in Me. (Convey this to them), perhaps they may be guided aright!

Your Statement: I have read up many school of thoughts and i still get confused as a muslim we have to make sure that if i am going into islam with strong beliefsthen they have to be the wright ones.. As if i go and change and i relies that on the day of judgement i was wrong so i am punished more....   I am so confused!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If one starts by reading the various schools of thought, and the opinions of man, there is a good chance that one may get confused! But if one starts to seek guidance from the very Book of Guidance which the Merciful Lord has revealed for the guidance of all mankind, and sincerely and humbly supplicates his Lord to guide him to the Truth….he will never ever be confused!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf verse 108:

(O Mohamed) tell them plainly, “This is my Way! I invite you to Allah. I myself see my Way in full light, and my followers see it too. And Allah is absolutely free from defect, and I have nothing to do with those who invoke others with Allah.”

Confusion, indecision, uncertaintly, frustration, is something that Shataan creates in the hearts of men to keep them away from the Truth; for he is indeed the avowed enemy of man! He has promised to strive and take mankind astray from the Straight Path! Only after reading and understanding the Glorious Quran can one realize the tactics of Shaitaan, and how to avoid this avowed enemy of ours, who is bent upon enmity with mankind.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 35 Surah Fatir verses 5-6:

5                    O men! Certainly the promise of Allah is true. Let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the Chief Deceiver (Shaitaan) deceive you about Allah.

6                    Verily Shaitaan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his adherents that they may become Companions of the Blazing Fire.

Your Question: Please enlighten me on how u did it as i am still seeking the truth.

I am attaching an answer from the archive which details how the Merciful Lord had mercy on me and took me out of the darkness of ignorance to the light and noor of guidance of the Holy Quran! Had it not been for the Mercy and Grace of the Merciful Lord, we would have been ruined in the life of this world and in the hereafter! All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone who has guided the believers to Al Islam.

Your Statement: I watch the way my family run to greet this leader of dawoodi faith, it makes me sick as even the prophets(pbuh) were raged at misleaded people worshiping and bowing down to them, so why has such man a have so muchpower to  get these people of this community to go crazy, i also learned in yemen from some tribes that these dawoodi bohra community were actuall converts of a brahmans in india, thats why some of the traditions are very idolise,as see my parents carry his photo around like they worship it or something. I always get told that this person has direct contact with the imam tayeb, but i thought that it would be imam mehdi to come on the day of judgement to lead his brothe and sisters to victory, thats why i get onfused, there are so many differences  here!!

These unscrupulous self-made priests and maulas will say anything and do anything to mislead people from the Straight Path, and make the ignorant people ‘Abde-Syedna’, rather than guiding them to become the slaves of Allah (Abd-Allah)! These self-proclaimed holy men have conveniently taken away the guidance of the Quran from their followers; neither do they teach them the commands of Allah Subhanah from the Quran, nor do they allow their followers to understand these words of wisdom from the Lord of the Worlds! And once they have succeeded in taking the guidance of the Quran away from their followers, these poor souls have no choice but to follow them blindly wherever they wish to take them! Dear Brother, rest assured that all their wealth and all their power will not avail them in the Court of Allah Subhanah on the Day of Judgment! The followers who today are so mesmerized with their self-made leaders today, and blindly follow their every whim and call; will blame and curse them on the Day of Judgment for leading them astray from the Straight Path and implore Allah to condemn these very priests to the severest punishment!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verses 34-35 :

O you who believe! There are indeed many among the priests and the holy men who devour the wealth of others by evil means, and debar the people from the Way of Allah. Give them the good news of a painful torment, who hoard up gold and silver and do not expend these in the Way of Allah. The Day shall surely come when the same gold and silver shall be heated in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their bodies and their backs. (And it will be said): “Here is that treasure you had hoarded up for yourselves! Taste now the evil of your hoarded treasure!”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verse 31:

They have made their scholars and their monks as their Rabbs besides Allah!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 66-68:

On the Day their faces are rolled about on the Fire, they will say, “Would that we had obeyed Allah and His Messenger!” And they will say, “O our Lord, we obeyed our CHIEFS and our GREAT MEN, and they led us astray from the Right Path. O our Lord, give them a double chastisment and curse them severely”.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 165-167:

There are people who set up equals and rivals with Allah and adore them with the adoration due to Allah! Whereas the believers adore Allah most ardently. Would that these transgressors could realize now what they will realize, when they see the chastisement before them: that power and authority wholly belong to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment! When He will inflict punishment, those very leaders and guides whom they followed in the world will disown them. But punishment they shall get and all their bonds shall be cut off. Then those who followed them will say, “Would that we were given another chance to return to the world. Then we will disown them just as they have disowned us today!” Thus Allah will bring before them the deeds they did in the world in such a manner as to make them wring their hands in regret, but they shall be unable to come out of the Fire.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Al-Baqarah verse 174:

Indeed those, who conceal the commands that Allah has sent down in His Book and barter them away for paltry worldly gains, fill their bellies with fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He regard them as pure and there is a painful torment for them!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verses 13:

Then, instead of Allah, he invokes those who can do him neither harm nor good. This is the last extremity of deviation. He invokes those who are more likely to do him harm, than good! What an EVIL ‘MAULA’ he chooses, and what an evil companion.

Your Statement: I would appreciate it very much on what to do as time is coming close!"we eigher have to make history or be part of it.."

The first thing one must do is read the Quran with understanding, and recognize, understand, accept, and differentiate the Truth of the Quran, from the falsehood of man invented beliefs! And once you have confirmed and segregated the Truth from the falsehood from the Quran, obey and follow the Straight Path that leads to the Mercy and Forgiveness of our Lord and Creator.

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!

May Allah Subhanah have mercy on you and us all, and save us all from the torment of the Hell Fire.

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