Why Islam is my choice — Page 44
44 though I had completed the traditional reading of the Holy Qur’ ā n many a time previously but I had not known until that day that this verse was from the same Holy Book. It appeared to me that I was reading that verse for the first time. I was reading that verse and at the same time completely engrossed in the mixed emotions of embarrassment, shame and a strange effect of the discovery of Truth. I must have been dumbfounded by Mr. Farooq, who politely called out to me and asked me of my thoughts about that verse. I remained silent for a few moments, still wondering about the discovery but then I could not hold back my feelings for too long. I told Mr. Farooq that he was right and that I was prepared to fulfill my promise, that is, to accept the Truth and join the A ḥ madiyyah Muslim Jam ā ‘at. This event had such a profound effect on my life that I could not sleep all night. I kept wondering about my previous life, about how I never cared about religion and about how I wasted my time and money in the activities totally averse to the Faith. I prayed to Almighty God to forgive me and from then on keep me on the straight path. I remembered the Qur’ ā nic prayer: Our Lord, let not our hearts become perverse after Thou hast guided us; and bestow on us mercy from Thyself; surely, Thou alone art the Bestower. (3[ Ā l Imr ā n]:9) I started thinking about the existence of God and how He had made arrangements for the guidance of mankind. I went deep into my thoughts trying to reason out everything around me. I thought about Mr. Farooq’s life who was jobless and did not possess much yet he was apparently living a happy and clean life. On the other hand, I had everything one could wish for and yet I was so restless. This compelled me to rationalize some other issues. Why was I so extravagant while many others were struggling so hard to earn