It is indeed a welcome sign when a person from a different religion seeks guidance from the Qur'an and willingly wishes to follow the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), his companions and all the rightly guided predecessors. Biharee Lal Kannojiya, an orthopedic surgeon by profession was born and bred in a Hindu Brahamin family. He hails from Bhopal, India and has been working in the Kingdom at King Faisal Hospital in Makkah for the past four years. He came into the fold of Islam during an extensive research project and duly thanks Allah for placing him near His house. Kannojiya is now known as Dr. Mohammed Farooq. We met at a dinner party where I had the opportunity to ask him about his reversion to the religion of peace and truth. “During my research I have read several religious books but I was impressed by Islam and found the elements of simplicity and the solid proof and guidelines for human beings in each and every field. The racial antipathy is one of the best issues which seriously made me learn more about Islam,” said Farooq. “I was basically not satisfied with idol worshiping in Hinduism because according to me human beings are the most intelligent creation on the face of Earth. And, I often thought that why do we worship someone or something that is inferior to us, like statues, trees, animals,” he further said. Farooq once went to a Masjid with a friend and was surprised to see Muslims praying without anything in front of them. When he asked to whom were they worshiping, they told him that they prayed and bowed in front of their Creator. Allah said, “Prostrate yourselves not to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate yourselves to Allah Who created them, if you (really) worship Him. (Qur'an, 41: 37) Despite reading the Old Testament of Bible, books on Buddhism and Hinduism, he found solace in Islamic literature, something which was missing in other scriptures. However, he found a big difference in preaching and practicing Islam in India and in the Kingdom. Farooq's opinion on the difference was, “In my hospital in Makkah I was told that there are call and guidance centers in Saudi Arabia and people go and learn about Islam there. Some of my colleagues took me there, where I started learning and polishing my faith in the oneness of Allah. I found the teachings that I received in India were not as pure as compared to the material I received by Dawah Centers here,” he said. In India, he was first approached by people from the Tableeghi Jamat, who went out of their cities for a couple of days to propagate Islam. Initially, he was confused when he heard fabricated stories on his trips and he often thought that how could man made stories influence or revive faith in people. But, Allah helped him, showed him the correct path, and guided him to the correct people and the best place to learn more about our religion. “I will remain thankful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to its people who cleared my confusions and now I am by the Grace of Allah on the right path. I have at last found a true religion of eternal peace and contentment,” said Farooq. __
