Don’t be mistaken, I am not a convert, I am a born muslim.
But to me, it is not enough to be a muslim if one is born in a muslim family. Though traditionally, a maulvi was hired to teach me Quran in my childhood. In addition, my mother who had a good knowledge of religion used to tell me stories from Quran and Hadith. She taught me prayer, and manners of eating, paying thanks to Allah after eating. I learned what to recite while going to sleep and what when get up in the morning, and how to greet people and interact with them. So I learned basics of Islamic practices and way of life. In fact, I heard Islam and I never felt necessity to learn more than that and I considered my self a perfect Muslim.
I studied science, did doctorate and got a job in a National Institute as a scientist and devoted myself in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.
Interestingly, the area where I lived was surrounded by the great Islamic scholars of international repute. I considered them as scholars of theology and respected them but they never drawn me towards the quest of Islamic theology. Close to my house was the center of Islamic Dawah. I went one or two times and hearing them I realized what they are talking I already know so I considered it a waste of my time.
Life was smoothly going on. One day Dr Ajay Mansingh, who was a professor in Jamaica University came to see me in my institute. He belonged to Lucknow but was living in West Indies. He was writing a book on comparative religion Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam and asked me to get a chapter on Islam written by any scholar from Lucknow. I took him to the Amir of Dawah Center, who is a known scholar, and with whom we have family relations too.
He asked me why don’t you write, I expressed my inability since I had no knowledge. But he insisted and said I will help you. Dr Mansingh left this responsibility on me either I write or I get it written by anyone.
Whenever, I went to Amir, he repeated you know English you can write. He gave me several books and said it is easy just read and summarize a chapter for him. That was the time, I started reading by myself about Islam. I realized I am totally ignorant about Islamic jurisprudence and the essence of various religious practices. It took me one year reading to write 40 pages. Since then I kept on reading the translation and explanation of Quran and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad(PBUH). The essence of religion is the believe in the accountability by some authority, we call Allah the Creator of everything.
The more I study the more I realize what I study is just an extension of that love to humanity which I learned in my childhood. My mother made easy for me to practice Islam. She taught us to love others as much as you love yourself.