The Effortless Religion

The Effortless Religion

1990 5 May 20-23 The Effortless Religion (1228) A certain Muslim on his way to Azamgarh from Jaunpur by taxi, got into conversation with a fellow passenger, who happened to be a Hindu. After a few preliminaries by way of introduction, the Hindu said to him, “You used to be a Hindu. Why don’t you revert to your earlier religion?” The Muslim replied, “Islam has given us monotheism. What will you give us in return? If you give us idol-worship, just consider that that is something which you yourselves are already giving up. Islam has given us social equality. What will you give us in return? If you are going to give us the caste system and discrimination, then that is something which you are already on the way to abandoning altogether.” The Hindu had no reply to this.

Another Muslim, a scholar, was once approached by a Hindu while he was sitting outside his house. The Hindu introduced himself as a Brahmin from Gorakhpur, and when the interchange of greetings was over, he very quickly came to the point: for a long time there had been confusion in his mind. He had consulted several pundits and priests, but his problem had not been resolved. “I am still seeking the path to man’s salvation,” he said. The Muslim scholar told him that the path to salvation lay in believing in one God acknowledging the prophethood of Muhammad, may peace be upon him, the final messenger of God, and giving thought to the hereafter, as instructed by the Prophet. The Brahmin said at this point that he believed in all three basic principles of Islam.

As they continued to converse, the call to evening prayer rang out – Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar! The Muslim said to him, “Come, let’s go to the mosque and say our prayers.” The Hindu demurred, saying, “How can I say your kind of prayer when I’m a Hindu?” The Muslim replied, “When you already believe in three fundamental tenets (monotheism, prophethood, life hereafter), then you are a Muslim. The Hindu agreed, and after performing his ablutions, he joined the Muslim in prayer. (Milli Jamiat weekly, New Delhi, April 15, 1989)

Such incidents show how simple a religion Islam is. This simplicity, is, in fact, its greatest strength. Islam is so simple a religion that it can be easily understood by anyone, and easily explained to others. It is so natural a religion that anyone who is free from complexes will immediately be moved by it.

The only time that there is any obstacle to the spreading of Islam is when there is not normal, tension-free atmosphere in which its voice may be heard and understood. The truth is that if all feelings of strangeness between Muslims and non-Muslims could be dissipated, and the atmosphere freed of tension, Islam would spread of itself, without there being any organized missionary activities. It is only normal relations between the two communities which will favour the spread of Islam.

Other existing religions have so complex a system of beliefs and worship that only highly qualified priests (pundits) can introduce it to others. But the case of Islam is totally different. Islam is an extremely simple and perfectly natural religion: as such, it can be introduced to others by any Muslim whatsoever.

There are thousands of people all over the world who have entered the fold of Islam without any organized efforts on the part of missionaries. It is actually a daily happening. In most cases, in the ordinary course of events, in which they have normal contacts with Muslims, they witness certain of the teachings of Islam in practice, which causes them to feel curious about Islam. Then, after reading the Qur’an, or other books on Islam, they feel so impressed by it that they come to accept it as the only true religion.

The following incident is an apt illustration of this point. It concerns an American woman, Rosanna De La Torre, who, after living the life of a “mod”, changed over to the Islamic way of life, thereafter remaining in purdah. The following letter, explaining her acceptance of Islam, appeared in the American journal, Islamic Horizons, in December, 1988.

I am an American woman – former high fashion model – born and raised in California. I was brought up as a Catholic and attended Catholic schools all of my life. But even as a child, I rebelled against the teachings of the Catholic Church and yearned for the Truth.

I can recall an incident when I was five. I was told that due to my refusal to bow down to kiss the statue of Jesus, I would end up in Hell. My refusal to worship the statue was interpreted by my parents as pride. But in reality, I did not associate deity to a statue.

My family’s misunderstanding of my spiritual philosophy made me feel like an outcast. I imagine that this was very difficult for my family as well, since they are all devout Catholics. My Catholic upbringing made me feel quite confused because it did not make any sense to me. However, this made me more determined to search for the truth. I prayed for God’s guidance.

I began my search by studying various religions. I read many religious books day and night. I attended religious retreats and Bible study classes. Yet I was not satisfied. I continued to pray for guidance. At that time I had not heard of Islam, until one day I found myself in a Muslim country – the United Arab Emirates. A woman from Abu Dhabi had underwent surgery in Los Angeles and I was asked to accompany her back to her country. I knew nothing of Islam at the time, nor did I know any Arabic. I was literally struck when I heard the adhan (the call for prayer) for the first time.

“Rosanna come to me, for I am the truth and what you have been looking for.”

The message of the adhan was powerful. It hit my heart like a bolt of lightening. This is what sparked my interest in Islam. From then on I read Islamic books, attended conferences on Islam, and studied the Qur’an with other sisters. Al-hamdulillah, Allah, subhanahu wa ta‘ala, has blessed me with Islam. My thirst has finally been quenched. My entire view of life has been transformed, and I have been blessed with so much peace and happiness.

My prayers were answered and my confusion and struggle since childhood have vanished. Now I’m proud to say that I am a Muslim. I also wear the hijab (Islamic clothing). No longer do I dress in a fashion to please the world – only Allah.

May Allah bless all of those who were instrumental in teaching me Islam. May Allah give Abu Dhabi a special blessing for it was there that Islam was introduced to me. In conclusion Ia ilaha illal lah Muhammadur rasulul lah.

Rosanna De La Torre Marina Del Rey, California, U.S.A.

Missionary value is inherent in Islam. It attracts people without its adherents having necessarily made any efforts to bring this about. The only thing Muslims need to do is to put an end to the present atmosphere of tension and hatred by unilaterally adopting the path of patience and restraint. The day this happens, Islam will make inroads into the hearts and minds of the people without any formal effort whatsoever.