Why Islam is my choice — Page 47
47 on his sides in dismay. People had started to leave the wedding scene. My stepfather went inside the house without saying anything. A short while later, my would be father-in- law came out and started talking to me in a very friendly and mild tone. He told me that he had no objection over my being an A ḥ mad ī. He said that I should make the announcement as my stepfather had advised so that the wedding ceremony could take place. After the marriage, he said it was my business what faith I professed and followed. I again politely told him that such an act would amount to deception and I was not prepared to deceive anyone, knowingly. In short, the marriage ceremony was canceled with a lot of resentment. I left the village and returned to Bahawalpur. I began a new life at Bahawalpur. I used to get involved in religious dialogues with anyone who showed even the slightest desire. I noticed that my old friends were becoming uneasy with me and after some time, one by one, they all quit. The business was still going good but a lot of people showed some kind of animosity towards me. Some people had even complained to the owners that I was devoting more time to my faith and not concentrating enough on the affairs of the business. Some others had falsely accused me of stealing from the business. One day, one of the owners called me and told me that he did not believe what the people said because, he said, he knew me too well, but he firmly advised me that it was important for me to keep my faith to myself for as long as I worked for him. I thought he was right but when I returned and took an account of the situation, I knew that no matter how hard I tried, with my new found religious vigor, it was impossible for me to hide my faith. I knew that if I continued to work there, that business was bound to fail and I would be held responsible for that failure. After a lot of pondering and praying to All ā h, I decided to resign and leave