Behind their smiles A
Have you ever wondered about what really goes on behind the smiles of the people around you? I grew up believing that every single person has a story to tell. One single story that defines the basis of their existence. It isn't surprising really that the people with the greatest smiles and the warmest aura are actually the people with a sad disturbing tale to tell or bury. Hence, I would like to begin by telling the stories of all those people of whom I had a heart-to-heart talk with and of whom their problems are those I cannot bear to keep silent and watch them thrash in agony behind their cheerful facade. Their names shall be kept a secret.
The Impossible Choice
Frankly, by a twist of some devilish fate, I met the most extraordinary individual I have ever known that bore resemblance to another friend of mine. He had the charisma of a president, his voice had a mesmerising effect on those around him and he certainly had a charming smile. Anyone would have trusted him and yes, I trusted him with my life. He is of indian descent, tall and handsome and nonetheless cool. He was the head prefect in his previous school and also the top student there and it happens that he fell into the same class as me in junior college. Of course, at first glance, he was almost everything like a friend of mine in secondary school. My friend back then was also a head monitor, tall and handsome as well as athletic. Now, the big difference here was that my friend is a true blue Hindu but this extraordinary man had secretly converted into Islam against his parents consent who are Hindu (dad) and Sikh (mum).
It had been a well-kept secret. Had. As it turns out, this convert was also in the same Co-Curriculum Activity as I was which is soccer and hence, when we headed back home, there was plenty of time to talk. Ironically, my previous friend from secondary school was also from the same Co-Curriculum Activity as me just that it was table tennis back then. This handsome young man converted privately during his secondary school days due to influence from his Muslim uncle. As the story goes, his uncle is a pious man and with pious people, he claimed that his uncle was gifted with an incredible power or "keramat" that he saw with his own eyes after his grandmother's death. From a young age, he was a rebellious kid but he had a mature thinking. He started doubting his religion Hinduism back then quoting the story of Ganesha, one of the many Hindu gods, that was to him, lacked convincing him. He started delving into the other religions one by one but nothing captures his heart more than the simple teachings of Islam.
He dared not tell his Muslim uncle for good reasons. Firstly, his parents had made it clear that Islam is taboo topic. A cousin of his was disowned if I am not mistaken by his parents and what would be the repercussion for him? It would for certain be worst, he said, adding that he is sure to be thrown out of the house. Secondly, he did not want the fragile relationship between his parents and his uncle to worsen because his uncle would be first to be accused of "converting" him. Thirdly, he is one of the most outright man I have ever seen, he dared not hurt the feelings of both his parents. Hence, he is left to live in this dual world, pretending to be a Hindu in front of his family members and to teachers but remain a Muslim in heart. His mind is often wrecked and his heart torn but I unfortunately or anyone could not help much because it was his private family matters.
I had talked to my religious teacher for help regarding his problem and the solution he gave was simply to go to Darul Arqam, the centre for Muslim Converts that can help him. However, the convert in question is still doubtful that this method would work. Day in and day out, he wrestles with this dilemma and dreads the day when everything would spill out. A few times he mentioned about my Hindu friend, asking me if I could bear the sight of him receiving the repulsive tortures of hell in the Hereafter and his cries to me, asking me why I did not warn him and convince him of Islam. The same way multiplied by ten would be his feelings towards his parents of whom he dared not raise his hands against. Almost everyday, he prayed and begged God to take their sins away and give it to him so that he would be reunited with them in Jannah (heaven).
Another problem that he had was about marriage. How was he going to marry? If he chose a Muslim girl, his parents would reject for sure. He also did not want to surprise his Hindu wife about his conflicting faith. Next came the issue of religious festivals. He told me, as part of his charade, he still had to go to the temples and carry out the rituals but he assured me his faith was still strong in heart. He was lucky of course that his parents disliked pork, a forbidden delicacy in Islam, so he did not have to eat it. He followed the Muslim boys in school for prayers and also Friday prayers in the mosque and avoided being seen by his relatives when at the mosque. This was the reason why he dared not pray in Al-Istighfar where a lot of his relatives lived nearby. Surprisingly, he knew the basics of prayers and doas and was yearning to learn more about Islam such as the Prophet's stories as well as the different sects in Islam.
At home, he could not openly pray so he said that the only prayer he could do was Ishak, the last of the 5 compulsory prayers in Islam. He does so when all his family members had slept. Once he said, he prayed Maghrib, the evening prayer, by closing his door and then performed prayer on his room floor. (His family discouraged locking doors so he did not lock the door) Just when he was prostrating on the floor, his sister barged in and he quickly stood up and pretended that he was drying his hair. Then on, he dared not pray Maghrib anymore. Similarly came the problem of fasting in the month of Ramadhan. He said that during this holy month, he tried his best to fast like any other muslim student so he tried to stay in school until evening so that when he got back home, it is just the right time to eat. However, he could not fast every single day because on days that he went back home early, he had to eat. Once he told me, during a family gathering, he was offered wine, another banned item in Islam, by his aunt in which he said he had no other choice but to drink.
Nevertheless, he is a man with a big and warm heart. He have no known enemy despite being perhaps the most popular student in school. He is liked by all who knows him by name only and loved by those who had glimpsed him and I am sure hundreds would want to be just like him. His heart is pure and strong and his true ambition was to be a politician who could make a true huge difference in the world. However, on a lesser more practical view, he wanted to be a doctor. A reason to why he had achieved so much, he attributed it to the point that all that had happened to him such as studying very hard, was to prove to his two parents that Islam may not be the wrong call for him after all. May his dilemma be soothed and his path be brighter. let us all pray that he be lifted of this agony and be the man everyone should admire.
The Impossible Choice
Frankly, by a twist of some devilish fate, I met the most extraordinary individual I have ever known that bore resemblance to another friend of mine. He had the charisma of a president, his voice had a mesmerising effect on those around him and he certainly had a charming smile. Anyone would have trusted him and yes, I trusted him with my life. He is of indian descent, tall and handsome and nonetheless cool. He was the head prefect in his previous school and also the top student there and it happens that he fell into the same class as me in junior college. Of course, at first glance, he was almost everything like a friend of mine in secondary school. My friend back then was also a head monitor, tall and handsome as well as athletic. Now, the big difference here was that my friend is a true blue Hindu but this extraordinary man had secretly converted into Islam against his parents consent who are Hindu (dad) and Sikh (mum).
It had been a well-kept secret. Had. As it turns out, this convert was also in the same Co-Curriculum Activity as I was which is soccer and hence, when we headed back home, there was plenty of time to talk. Ironically, my previous friend from secondary school was also from the same Co-Curriculum Activity as me just that it was table tennis back then. This handsome young man converted privately during his secondary school days due to influence from his Muslim uncle. As the story goes, his uncle is a pious man and with pious people, he claimed that his uncle was gifted with an incredible power or "keramat" that he saw with his own eyes after his grandmother's death. From a young age, he was a rebellious kid but he had a mature thinking. He started doubting his religion Hinduism back then quoting the story of Ganesha, one of the many Hindu gods, that was to him, lacked convincing him. He started delving into the other religions one by one but nothing captures his heart more than the simple teachings of Islam.
He dared not tell his Muslim uncle for good reasons. Firstly, his parents had made it clear that Islam is taboo topic. A cousin of his was disowned if I am not mistaken by his parents and what would be the repercussion for him? It would for certain be worst, he said, adding that he is sure to be thrown out of the house. Secondly, he did not want the fragile relationship between his parents and his uncle to worsen because his uncle would be first to be accused of "converting" him. Thirdly, he is one of the most outright man I have ever seen, he dared not hurt the feelings of both his parents. Hence, he is left to live in this dual world, pretending to be a Hindu in front of his family members and to teachers but remain a Muslim in heart. His mind is often wrecked and his heart torn but I unfortunately or anyone could not help much because it was his private family matters.
I had talked to my religious teacher for help regarding his problem and the solution he gave was simply to go to Darul Arqam, the centre for Muslim Converts that can help him. However, the convert in question is still doubtful that this method would work. Day in and day out, he wrestles with this dilemma and dreads the day when everything would spill out. A few times he mentioned about my Hindu friend, asking me if I could bear the sight of him receiving the repulsive tortures of hell in the Hereafter and his cries to me, asking me why I did not warn him and convince him of Islam. The same way multiplied by ten would be his feelings towards his parents of whom he dared not raise his hands against. Almost everyday, he prayed and begged God to take their sins away and give it to him so that he would be reunited with them in Jannah (heaven).
Another problem that he had was about marriage. How was he going to marry? If he chose a Muslim girl, his parents would reject for sure. He also did not want to surprise his Hindu wife about his conflicting faith. Next came the issue of religious festivals. He told me, as part of his charade, he still had to go to the temples and carry out the rituals but he assured me his faith was still strong in heart. He was lucky of course that his parents disliked pork, a forbidden delicacy in Islam, so he did not have to eat it. He followed the Muslim boys in school for prayers and also Friday prayers in the mosque and avoided being seen by his relatives when at the mosque. This was the reason why he dared not pray in Al-Istighfar where a lot of his relatives lived nearby. Surprisingly, he knew the basics of prayers and doas and was yearning to learn more about Islam such as the Prophet's stories as well as the different sects in Islam.
At home, he could not openly pray so he said that the only prayer he could do was Ishak, the last of the 5 compulsory prayers in Islam. He does so when all his family members had slept. Once he said, he prayed Maghrib, the evening prayer, by closing his door and then performed prayer on his room floor. (His family discouraged locking doors so he did not lock the door) Just when he was prostrating on the floor, his sister barged in and he quickly stood up and pretended that he was drying his hair. Then on, he dared not pray Maghrib anymore. Similarly came the problem of fasting in the month of Ramadhan. He said that during this holy month, he tried his best to fast like any other muslim student so he tried to stay in school until evening so that when he got back home, it is just the right time to eat. However, he could not fast every single day because on days that he went back home early, he had to eat. Once he told me, during a family gathering, he was offered wine, another banned item in Islam, by his aunt in which he said he had no other choice but to drink.
Nevertheless, he is a man with a big and warm heart. He have no known enemy despite being perhaps the most popular student in school. He is liked by all who knows him by name only and loved by those who had glimpsed him and I am sure hundreds would want to be just like him. His heart is pure and strong and his true ambition was to be a politician who could make a true huge difference in the world. However, on a lesser more practical view, he wanted to be a doctor. A reason to why he had achieved so much, he attributed it to the point that all that had happened to him such as studying very hard, was to prove to his two parents that Islam may not be the wrong call for him after all. May his dilemma be soothed and his path be brighter. let us all pray that he be lifted of this agony and be the man everyone should admire.
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