Middle of the night in Chennai four young girls knock at the doors of a local Darul Uloom. Hesitantly, the gatekeeper opens the door and asks them the purpose behind their visit. These young girls want to recite ‘Kalima' and enter into the fold of Islam. The gatekeeper gets goose pimples, calls the authorities who ask these young girls to go back to their homes, fearing a communal backlash if the local people of the other religion come to know that they had received shelter in the Darul Uloom. No argument could convince them as they were adamant to recite the Kalima. The Darul Uloom authorities informed their home people who came to take them back but they refused. They were adamant and stood by their faith. They appealed in the court to be allowed to purse the religion of their choice and that they should not be pressurised to return to their previous religion nor their homes. The court came to their rescue and rules in their favour. The four Hijab clad girls were given asylum in a Muslim school where they were being taught the religion of Islam. It is a case where four young girls found feace and protection in the warm embrace of Islam. The eldest girl was a nurse working with a Muslim doctor. She was impressed by the conduct and character of the doctor and also used to read pamphlets about Islam which this doctor had kept in his clinic for the patients and also for his staff. As she read a few of these pamphlets, Allah Ta'ala opened the doors of Iman for her and she started getting attracted towards Islam. She later confessed that in the heart of her hearts she was a Muslim much before when she proclaimed her faith openly. Something sad happened in her home that made her run away from her previous faith towards the safe sanctuary of Islam. She was being pressurised by her family member to marry her maternal uncle who had taken care of her and her sibs after her father died. She was obliged to her maternal uncle but could never imagine marrying him. She consulted her sister and talked to her about Islam and convinced her about it. In south India women can marry their maternal uncles destroying the dignity and sanctity of this relationship. The girl convinced her two more cousins and they too felt that Islam was the only way of life acceptable to them. With a firm faith and a clean goal the girls set their journey towards the Darul Uloom and eventually towards Islam.
Retrospectively what if the doctor with whom this nurse worked had been arrogant and unmindful of Islam-would this girl have chosen Islam?
What if there were no pamphlets about Islam in the doctors clinic-would this girl have known about Islam?
The beauty of the whole story is that the Muslim doctor never forced his employees/subordinates to embrace Islam but displayed all the qualities of a good Muslim through his actions and behaviour.
Well done doctor, four girls are already Muslims-we pray may more follow. It pays to spread the message.