sachin4islam
Junior Member
Assalam Alaikum: My Islamic Br's & Sis's.
In a country like India where Muslims are in minority and often seen with hatred,being a new Muslim is often a concealed status. Mixing with local Muslims is again a problem for reverts as usually Muslims dwell in segregated belts and many times these areas are projected as mysterious.
When I was a Muslim (on 9/10/2006), I had contacts with very few Muslims. My first problem was how to learn to pray. I never had been to a Masjid before except to an Islamic school which also had a Masjid within its premises. In my city Masjids are portrayed as a place of worship of Muslims where they do collect weapons to fight Non-Muslims in case a communal violence erupts.
Though I was now a Muslim but I was always scared to enter a Masjid. Some days after reversion I any how gained courage and entered a Masjid. Isha prayer had already finished. Imam of the Masjid was sitting with a couple of youths when I approached him. I introduced him about myself and asked for help to learn to pray. He did not show any curiosity towards me and among the two youths sitting there, he said one of them (named Ayaz) to teach me way of praying. For next some days,every night I was trying to learn the way of offering prayer from Mr.Ayaz. But I failed to learn how to pray,from him. I could not manage to learn transliteration of Surah Fatiha and other short Sura from a very small Hindi book which was containing all about prayers.
I don't remember how and when,one day I came across on internet an animation for learning how to pray. It was an excellent presentation with audio facility to learn everything A-Z about prayer. I managed to learn prayer via this animation.
Now after learning all about prayers,the issue was where to offer prayers?. Since last twenty years my city had been communally sensitive, Hindu and Muslim populations largely segregated in distinct areas,although some areas of mixed population were still there.
I first begin to offer payers individually in Masjids,which were deep seated within interiors of densely populated Muslim areas. One Hindu friend of mine always accompanied me to the Masjid. He would stay at the entrance of Masjid to keep watch over any familiar Hindu if happened to pass from there. Though I knew chances of any familiar Hindu being there were nil. I used to pray in different Masjids situated at different locations in my city.
Jummah was the first congregational prayer that I offered in a Masjid. Before that I always individually offered Fard prayers. On reaching the Masjid for the first Jummah prayer, I was very nervous,thinking I might commit some mistakes during course of prayer amidst hundreds of people. I was alone and isolated but managed to pray running away as prayer finished without participating in congregation Dua'a. Perhaps I was first to quit the Masjid.
May Allah keep us firm on implementation of Quran and Sunnah in our lives.
Best Regards.
Abdullah.
In a country like India where Muslims are in minority and often seen with hatred,being a new Muslim is often a concealed status. Mixing with local Muslims is again a problem for reverts as usually Muslims dwell in segregated belts and many times these areas are projected as mysterious.
When I was a Muslim (on 9/10/2006), I had contacts with very few Muslims. My first problem was how to learn to pray. I never had been to a Masjid before except to an Islamic school which also had a Masjid within its premises. In my city Masjids are portrayed as a place of worship of Muslims where they do collect weapons to fight Non-Muslims in case a communal violence erupts.
Though I was now a Muslim but I was always scared to enter a Masjid. Some days after reversion I any how gained courage and entered a Masjid. Isha prayer had already finished. Imam of the Masjid was sitting with a couple of youths when I approached him. I introduced him about myself and asked for help to learn to pray. He did not show any curiosity towards me and among the two youths sitting there, he said one of them (named Ayaz) to teach me way of praying. For next some days,every night I was trying to learn the way of offering prayer from Mr.Ayaz. But I failed to learn how to pray,from him. I could not manage to learn transliteration of Surah Fatiha and other short Sura from a very small Hindi book which was containing all about prayers.
I don't remember how and when,one day I came across on internet an animation for learning how to pray. It was an excellent presentation with audio facility to learn everything A-Z about prayer. I managed to learn prayer via this animation.
Now after learning all about prayers,the issue was where to offer prayers?. Since last twenty years my city had been communally sensitive, Hindu and Muslim populations largely segregated in distinct areas,although some areas of mixed population were still there.
I first begin to offer payers individually in Masjids,which were deep seated within interiors of densely populated Muslim areas. One Hindu friend of mine always accompanied me to the Masjid. He would stay at the entrance of Masjid to keep watch over any familiar Hindu if happened to pass from there. Though I knew chances of any familiar Hindu being there were nil. I used to pray in different Masjids situated at different locations in my city.
Jummah was the first congregational prayer that I offered in a Masjid. Before that I always individually offered Fard prayers. On reaching the Masjid for the first Jummah prayer, I was very nervous,thinking I might commit some mistakes during course of prayer amidst hundreds of people. I was alone and isolated but managed to pray running away as prayer finished without participating in congregation Dua'a. Perhaps I was first to quit the Masjid.
May Allah keep us firm on implementation of Quran and Sunnah in our lives.
Best Regards.
Abdullah.
