| [Before embracing Islam I was not at good terms with my mother. But after becoming a Muslim I served her faithfully and she was convinced that this was due to my new faith and she became nice to me. One day I asked her to become a Muslim and she agreed I got her to recite the Kalma and named her Fatima.] |
Ahmed Awwah: Assalamoalaikum
wa-rehmatullahi wa-barakatuhu, Noor Muhammad Saheb an Urdu Magazine is
published from here. I have to talk you on some issues so that it may be
published in this magazine for the benefit of others, because Allah has
blessed you with His favours.
Noor Muhammad: Walekum Assalam
wa-rehmatullahi wa-barakatuhu. Ahmed Bhai I am a rustic fellow and
certainly Allah has blessed me (then he started weeping) I did not
deserve the favour it and I am ready to sacrifice my life and every part
of my body to acknowledge this great favour.
Q: Please introduce
you yourself.
A: My old name is Ramphal; I was born in Dadri
village in district Meerut, in a Gujjar family. My father was a petty
farmer. He died about 25 years ago. I came to the fold of Islam thirteen
or fourteen years ago through your father who named me Noor Muhammad
after getting my elder brother's my consent who had alrady embraced
Islam.
Q: So your elder brother had embraced Islam before you,
please give details.
A: Yes, my elder brother was named Jai Pal. He
was a servant of Lala's of Khatauli and worked in their cane crusher
factory. He was very kind hearted and religious minded and felt sad for
people or even animals in any trouble or pain. He was a sentimental
person and praised the beauty of stars and flowers and remembered his
Lord. There was a furniture shop near to
his factory owned by two persons belonging to Phulat. Maulana Saheb,
your father used to come to that shop. My brother also met him and heard
his discourses on Islam and liked them. Maulana Saheb did not know that
he was Hindu. In August every year a mela of Charhiyan is held at
Khatauli. In 1990, during the mela time Maulana was walking on a road
when one person Qaseemuddin told him that a Gujjar of Dadri was very
impatient to meet him for some urgent purpose. The Maulana went there
and called the Gujjar, he was actually my brother. He said "I saw in a
dream a golden chariot in which many Maulana's and Scholars were sitting
and you were driving it. There was a big palace with eight doors, very
well decorated by jewels and lamps. People said that it was a part of
Paradise. I also tried to get onto the chariot but you did not allow me,
saying that I being a Hindu was not allowed. Then all people went
inside the Palace and I remained weeping outside." After saying this, my
brother wept and clung to Maulana Saheb saying why he stopped him from
entering paradise. Maulana Saheb showed his ignorance of the event of
dream and told him that it was not he but Lord Himself who stopped him
from entering the paradise. Only those who believed in Him could get
admission there. The basic truth is that non Muslims forfeit their claim
to heavenly abode which is exclusively meant for believers and people
of faith. Maulana Saheb further explained to my brother that the Lord
Creator (Allah) is the only master of universe and those who did not
follow His commands and laws were not entitled to His favours. He urged
my brother to recite Kalma as time of death was not known to anyone and
he would have to repent in that case. My brother stated that due to
communal tension prevailing in Dadri it was unsafe for him to become a
Muslim and people would kill him. The Maulana replied that in that case
he would become a martyr and would surely get a place in paradise. My
brother put another excuse of being turned out of village because of his
conversion and thus becoming homeless. Maulana Saheb invited him to
stay his house at Phulat. Then my brother left the place promising to
Maulana to come back later on after consulting his family. But he came
in the end of November and presented some fruits to the Maulana Saheb.
Then he told him that he had arranged for maintenance of his mother and
therefore it took so much time in making arrangements for transfer of
land and house to his nephew. Then he asked the Maulana to get him
converted to Islam. Maulana took him to the nearby mosque and after a
bath taught him to recite Kalma and introduced him to a Tablighi Jamaat
staying at the mosque. He gave him the name Noor Muhammad. He went with
the Jamaat after taking permission from Maulana Saheb to Meerut next
day. He did not accept any money and happily went with the group. After 3
or 4 days news came of his sudden death after offering TaHajjud
prayers. In all he could offer only 9 Farz prayers and one Tahajjud
Nafil prayer, He was buried in Meerut.
Q: Yes, my father often told
us about this event and his enviable death. Now you narrate your story.
A: My change of faith took place because of my brother. We did not
know for long about his death. One night my son saw him in his dream
clad in a Muslim dress and with a beard. He asked him to take a dozen of
bananas to Phulat for Maulana Saheb. Accordingly he took the bananas to
Phulat and in the absence of Maulana Saheb handed them to his brother
in law. Similarly in another dream he asked him to deliver a gift of 1
kilogram of sweets to the Maulana at Phulat. Maulana Saheb told us that
Noor Muhammad Bhai was sending him these presents from paradise out of
love. One day a rich and powerful man in my village maltreated poor and
weak people of my village and tortured them. It pained me so much and I
could not sleep. I complained to my Lord and prayed that he should
punish the wrong doers and tyrants. Then I saw in my dream that many
people were going towards Phulat. Then all of a sudden I saw may
deceased brother, he told that these people were going to Phulat for
conversion to Islam and to enter paradise. He urged me to join them and
meet the Maulana Saheb so that he would admit me in the fold of Islam.
He also informed me that after death he was admitted in paradise and was
very happy there. In the morning, I reached the big mosque of Phulat
but the Maulana had gone out of station. I met him the next day and
narrated to him my dream. He told me that he also saw in his dream my
brother Noor Muhammad in good clothes and good condition and he
requested him to convert me to Islam. This assured me that my dream was
true and agreed to accept Islam. Maulana taught me to recite Kalma and
gave me the very name of my brother Noor Muhammad as desired by me. He
however told me that change of name was not necessary because only
change of heart and faith did matter. Next day I came back to Dadri and
told my wife everything, she became very angry and informed the whole
family. My uncle was the Pardhan of the village. He called a meeting of
the Panchayat where it was proposed to blacken my face and parade me in
the whole village on the back of a donkey. Some declared that I should
be shot dead because I had abandoned Hinduism and rejected the Dharam.
But a retired principal who was also present in the meeting cooled down
the tempers and suggested that I should be convinced through arguments
that Hindu Dharam was better than Islam. He made a plea that if I
persisted to remain a Muslim I should be let off to lead a life of my
choice. Since he was a respected person, the Panchayat accepted his
advice. My mother also tried to change my views. She believed that the
people of Phulat had cast some spell or magic on me so she took me to a
soothsayer at Phalauda. He consoled my mother and said it was not any
magic but it is will of Lord. He suggested going to Phulat as people
were very sympathetic. I preached Islam to my mother but she declined to
hear me. My uncle was very unhappy and angry. He accused me of bringing
infamy to him. On one full moon day of poornima he invited me to feast.
The night before feast I saw Maulana Saheb in dream and he warns me not
to take Khir in the feast as it was poisoned for killing me. In the
feast my uncle gave me a cup of Khir which I smartly put before him. My
uncle did not see my trick and ate it. He became sick and had a number
of vomiting. He was immediately taken to a Meerut Hospital where he
died. After his last rites I came to Phulat and informed the Maulana and
asked him how he knew about poisoning through Khir. He said that only
Allah knows secrets and He saves His servant's strangely. My mother did
not like the designs of my uncle and then held soft corner for Islam.
But my two cousins became my enemy and in order to escape their
harassment I started living at Phulat where they could not harm me. I
stayed there for about 3 years, learnt prayers and other religious
practices of Islam and served the guests.
Q: I have heard that you
used to weep and cry a lot in your prayers.
A: (Weeping) Oh brother
that weeping was due to the miracle which enabled a dirty and mean
fellow like me to get blessings of Allah and survive. Whenever I started
prayers I thought of His greatness and my low position. One day I asked
the Maulana about utility of reading Altahyat & Durood in prayers.
The Maulana told me that it had reference to the Ascension of our
Prophet where he talked to Allah. We remember with gratitude our Prophet
on getting this elevated position. Then I started to read Altahyat
& Durood with great devotion. My heart melts while reading them and I
feel that my Prophet is pleased with me. Q: I understand that you saw
the holy Prophet many times in year dreams. A: Probably it is due to my
devotion towards reciting of Altahyat & Durood. When I saw the
Prophet for the first time n my dream I noticed his fair complexion and
regarded him of being equal to your father in age. He told me to go and
get my mother converted to Islam as she was ready to recite Kalma. In
the morning at the advice of Maulana I went back to my village. I found
my mother very ill as she was having loose motions. She had become very
weak. I took her to a Physician and attended her. I used to change and
wash her dirty clothes very well. She was very much impressed with my
service and pronounced Kalma and I christened her Fatima. She got back
her health. But the village people did not like my coming back and tried
to attack or harm me from time to time but my Allah saved me. Then I
consulted Maulana Saheb and started living at Meerut with my mother.
Then Maulana advised me to start some business and I took up selling of
vegetables for the first time. Then having heard from Maulana about
profitability of trading in steel as per a Hadith of Prophet I took up
the business of Iron scraps and prospered in it. My son also became a
Muslim and came to live with me. My village men traced me out at Meerut
and gave ten thousand rupees to a criminal to kill me. But the Prophet
fore warned me in a dream that a villain named Mohammad Ali clad in
black pants and blue shirt would come to kill me the next day. Then he
asked me to question why being Muhammad Ali he wanted to kill Noor
Muhammad who was earlier known as Ramphal and has embraced Islam now.
Next day after closing my shop I was about to go to my house then a
fellow turned up. I challenged him and put the question to him. He was
surprised to hear his name and asked me how I came to know about it. I
told him that it was told to me by the greatest speaker of truth in the
world and narrated to him my dream. The fellow burst into tears and
clung to me and handed me his revolver and said "Brother please kill
this mean scoundrel who does not deserve to live" I told him killing
will not do any good and he must sincerely repent and pray to God and
join Tabligi group for Dawah work I gave him some money and he went on
Dawah work. In Meerut a friend showed me the mosque where my brother had
died after Tahajjud prayers. I stayed in the night there and offered
Tahajjud prayers; I thought that the mosque was a gate way of paradise.
Later in the night I saw the Prophet in dream and he told me that
paradise was meant for believers and that I has still to perform many
works in the world. I woke up and thought about my future. I approached
Maulana Saheb. Then I went first to Punjab and then to Haryana but could
not settle myself in business and became indebted. Maulana prayed and
then asked to me to go to Kanpur. Then my scrap business flourished and I
paid off my debts and got my son married. I also married a widow and am
leading a happy life.
Q: Very good. Will you like to give some message
to Muslims?
A: I request you and all Muslims to pray for the success of
my Dawah programme which I have started among Bengali refugees and Bheel
tribals and am working at Jamuna Nagar and Khandwa and I hope for a big
success. I impress upon all my brothers to devote themselves to work of
Tabligh and Dawah and keep away people from hell fire. I earnestly pray
for Maulana Saheb and your family and whole Muslim community for
getting the right guidance. I am so grateful for your sympathy and love
shown to me.
