It’s a real incident which happened in the first week of Dec 2012, words in the conversation are almost correct, may not be cent percent accurate but the meaning is for sure. It was an interesting journey from JKF, New York to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was an 11 hr. flight in Saudi Arabian Airlines, seating was not that comfortable but food was good. What was interesting about it is my encounter with the passenger sitting next to me.
Within couple of minutes, he introduced himself Suhail Kapoor. Looked and dressed like a Muslim but name sounded like a Hindu. We had very interesting conversation until the moment we were getting ready to get down after reaching Jeddah Airport to get the connecting flight to Chennai.
SK : You look like a kind of a guy who likes to read a lot
VJ : Not really, but I would like to. Have not started to read regularly but want to.
SK : Are you interested in knowing Islam?
VJ : I've not much idea on Islam, all idea of Islam that I have is the very little that I've read in media. But I like to know, would be good to know from a Muslim directly.
SK : Here's a small book that I wrote and two pamphlets of the interviews that I gave to newspapers.
VJ : Ok, let me read this first. And then we can talk.
[Completed part of the book in next couple of hours and took a good nap as I had very short sleep for the previous two days. He was from a Hindu family but got converted into Islam while he was working in the Middle Eastern counties. He is now settled in Canada and was preaching Islam and was involved in religious related activities. After I woke up, we both started talking again]
SK : So what do you think?
VJ : It was very informative, but I've many questions from what I've read so far.
SK : That's good. Before that let me tell you few details. I was once a Hindu and I could not understand any of the rituals and had many questions on the customs followed and decided to find my own faith. When I shared this to my father, he didn't object me and gave me freedom to choose what I found as right. How can you have so many Gods and Gods having birth? How can you believe in rebirth?
VJ : Yes, if you start questioning, there may not be answers to many of them when it comes to Hinduism. [I thought he got an impression that I was a Hindu as my name doesn't clearly state otherwise and I didn't think it was important to correct him. My understanding of Hinduism is bit different from him. Hinduism is based on eastern philosophy; it is completely based on faith unlike the western religions. There's not much place for questions and answers if it is purely based on faith. But I didn't want to divert the discussion in to that direction as my objective was to understand Islam to the extent possible in the short time left]
SK : It is when I was working in Middle Eastern country, I heard about Allah and Islam and finally found my faith and got converted, when I took the oath of conversion, I could feel that something was pulled out of me and something else that was divine was replaced.
VJ : Oh that's interesting [I've heard from many who got converted say this, even many converted Christians share such feelings, most of them would even start crying due to filled emotions. This is something that the majority who choose their religion by birth miss]
SK : How can there be many Gods? God is one and he himself has asked us to call him by only one name "Allah"
VJ : I totally agree with you, there can't be multiple GODS. But why do you insist that GOD has to be called by only the name "Allah". GOD is one but with numerous characteristics and each would choose to call with the name that is most inspiring to them.
SK : You said your name is Vijai. Will you respond if someone calls you with some other name?
VJ : Yes, my name is Vijai. But not everyone addresses me as "Vijai". At home, they call me "Viji", my friends’ calls me "Jagan", some address me with my last name and in spite of it, I respond to them all, because I know that they are addressing me.
SK : Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammad over many years and that is the only book that has been never altered till date from the time it was written. As per Quran, GOD has asked us to call only by name "Allah". Quran has also said that we've to pray five times a day and fast for 40 days during a specific time of the year.
VJ : Ok, but that sounds bit strange, I'm not able to understand that. Saying that GOD has to be called only by one name and having a specific way of praying and wearing only specific type of dress sounds like painting the whole world "White". I don't want to live in such a world.
VJ : Let me ask you a question. Let us say that I have lived a peaceful life, not harming anyone or not having hurt anyone. But I've not followed the customs of Islam. Will I reach heaven or not.
SK : As per Quran, Allah says that he would forgive all sins but not the sin that he has not been worshipped the way stated in Quran or if some other GOD was worshipped.
VJ : So you mean to say that I won't go to heaven even if I did not do any evil just because I'm not a Muslim?
SK : Let's take the case of Mother Therese, she did so much good to everyone but she didn't accept Allah or Islam. So according to Quran, she can't go to heaven because Allah can forgive all sins but won't forgive the sin of worshiping another GOD.
VJ : Doesn't that sound strange to you? I don't understand how that could make any sense. I can't understand a religion that doesn't let Mother Theresa and Gandhi Ji in to heaven. I don't think that such religion can be correct by any chance.
VJ : Another direct question on the status of women in Islam. Don’t you think they are treated less equals? Though it is the same case in most religions, in Islam, they seem to have far less rights.
SK : That’s one of the main misconceptions of many about Islam. But our prophet has clearly said that no part of the women’s body has to be exposed which would distract a man and create feeling of lust. Also he has clearly said that no man should marry another woman if he is not able to support financially. According to the current population, there are more women in the world than men, so if one man is not allowed to marry more than one woman, there would be problems such as illegal relationships.
VJ : Reasoning doesn’t sound so clear to me. First of all, the ratio is not that bad, in few parts there are fewer women than men. Even otherwise, that doesn’t seem to justify the way they are looked to be treated.
SK : West has portrayed women as sex symbols, they are on every advertisement mostly half naked.
VJ : That sure is wrong, but that doesn’t justify extreme suppression of women.
[Suhail Kapoor disagreed to it. By the time, we had landed in Jeddah]
SK : Ok Vijai. It was nice meeting you. I'll be taking a break here and travelling to Mecca, it's just 60 KM from here. Wish you could join. Here's a copy of English translated version of Quran for you.
VJ : Sure, thank you. It was nice meeting you too and having some interesting discussion. I too wish to visit Mecca; I've another 8 hrs for my next flight.
SK : Sorry, only Muslims are allowed there. It's not a tourist spot.
VJ : Oh ok. That's fine then. See you later. [Wanted to ask him why only Muslims, but there were lot more questions I had there were more important that this one didn’t mean much to me.]
Guess at the end, I guess he was happy that he gave the message to someone and I was little happy that I got to know a little bit of another religion. May be on another occasion, I might get more clarity on Islam.