Why Islam is my choice — Page 81
81 mosque. As I reached the mosque, I saw a sign on its wall, saying that the non-Muslims (meaning the Whites) could not enter the mosque. I thought to myself that I was not the kind of person these people should be afraid of. So I entered the mosque. There was no one inside. I performed my ablution in a fountain, and then entered the prayer room. It was late afternoon. I started to offer four raka‘ ā t of prayers. Soon I was overwhelmed with emotions and began to cry. I cried in a manner that I had never done in my life. My face had become completely wet with tears, while I continued to say my prayers properly. At one point as I was completely absorbed in the act of prayer lying prostrate in front of All ā h, and totally unaware of my surroundings, someone violently shook me and tried to drag me out of the mosque. I could not understand the motive behind such behavior. However, despite that constant interruption, I completed my prayers and only after saying As-sal ā mu ‘Alaikum Wa Ra ḥ matull ā h, did I pay any attention to that person. He commanded me to follow him, and so he brought me out of the mosque. It was almost time for Maghrib prayers and some people had gathered to say their prayers. I tried to befriend them by showing them my copy of the Arabic/German Holy Qur’ ā n while ensuring them that I was a Muslim and only wanted to say my prayers in congregation with them. No matter how much I begged them to let me in the mosque, it was of no avail. They seemed hostile towards me and just wanted me out of there. I must admit though that in those days, I was not fully in control of myself. Perhaps they saw something in me that put them off and were, therefore, determined to get me out of their mosque. As far as religious knowledge is concerned, I did not possess much of that either. I had read Kisht ī N ūḥ , but could not understand much of it. I could however tell, that it must have been written by some extremely holy personage as I