interesting reading

[think]

Mr. Burhan conducts an online question answer sessions. He has a website islamhelpline@gmail.com that lists his past scholarly opinions. He was born in a Bohra family but then he studied Islam and broke away from Bohra fold. If any Bohra questions any misdeed of Kothar, Bhaisaheb, Shahzada, Syedna or his young family members, the Bohra becomes an outcast, a pariah. He is forced from all directions until he/she succumbs the pressure, writes a MafiNama, and goes back to Bohra fold. However, he for lifetime will carry the damage done. Mr. Burhan explains why a Bohra cannot stick with true Islam and reverts to the same Unislamic beliefs such as dress code while praying in a mosque. Islam is for Aaqeloon, those who think, however if Bohras are given Firman wearing half-pants, Bohras will do it without any second thought



One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

If a Bohra comes out of the present community, what are the things that will influence him going back to Bohraism? He might say that I made a mistake listening /practicing the true deen. What are the steps he has to take fully breaking off any bonds he has with the community and become a real Muslim, as he should be in the first place?



Answer:



Why Bohra will go back to Bohraism

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.



The truth of the matter is that if anybody who was born a Bohra and grew up with the Bohra school of thought, and then Allah blessed him to read and understand the Holy Quran, he will soon realize that Bohraism is nothing but the worship and invocation of personalities, rather than following the commandments of the Glorious Quran. Once he makes up his mind to follow Allah’s words over and above everything he was brought up with, Allah will put so much strength and courage in his heart, that nothing can bring him back to committing ‘shirk’.

But let us assume that one has not read the Quran with understanding and in context, but converted for any other reason, there is always a risk of external factors and pressures, taking him back to Bohraism. Let us examine a few of them:

1. Pressure from the family

This is the biggest factor, today and from the days of the Prophet (saws). The first thing that happens when one decides to come back to the One Lord, the family elders, who have been worshipping the personalities for generation, just cannot comprehend it. There are many examples in the Quran itself from Prophet Abraham, and also from many of the sahabaas of Prophet Mohamed (saws). One of the companions of the Prophet (saws) became a Muslim and migrated with the Prophet (saws) to Medina. He got news from Makkah, that his mother had taken a promise that she would sit in the sun, not eat and drink, would not comb her hair, and die in this state unless he turned back to her religion. When the Sahabi heard this news of his mother from Makkah, he sent a message to his mother, whom he loved very much, saying: “If you had 100 lives, and each one of them was taken away in the same manner in front of my eyes, I would not leave the deen brought by Mohamed (saws)!”. When the Messenger of Allah (saws) heard what this sahabee had said, he (saws) said that the companion had made a good decision!



2. Pressure from the clergy to the family

The clergy can put a lot of pressure on the family of the brother who has left Bohrism, by sending threats of boycott and ex-communication. They silently humiliate the family and friends and anyone who meets the brother, and basically look down upon anyone who has any relationship with the brother.



3. Pressure at the time of ceremonies.

The Bohras are so dependent on the clergy for all their ceremonial issues, and because they have never been outside their own mosques, they do not realize how easy it is in Islam to organize the ceremonies, like marriage and burial, etc. At the death of a loved one, the Bohra clergy can really give a lot of trouble, and because the brother is not familiar with the mainstream Muslims, he has no choice but to give in.



4. Economics

If the brother is economically dependent on a believing Bohra, he might have some issues of discrimination.



5. Social pressure

Since the Bohras always mix socially between themselves, he might face a serious problem with his circle of friends. People who were his fast and dear friends for years, suddenly start keeping away and avoiding the brother, because they themselves are scared of being socially boycotted by the clergy. This can be a real trying time, especially for the wife and children.



6. Mosque culture

The Bohra mosques are more of a social gathering for meeting and eating, rather than the worship of Allah. If the brother was a practicing Bohra, then all his friends and social meetings were done with the brothers who regularly attend the mosques for these eating ceremonies. Suddenly, when he realizes the truth about Islam, he will immediately stop going for these ‘jamans’(party), but for all his family and friends this will be a major social outing. Thus, there is always a fear of being the one who is ‘outcast’ or the ‘black sheep’. It is especially difficult in Muharram and Ramadan, where the activities of the Bohra mosques are in full swing.



The above are all Bohra issues, but if you realize, none of them are theological or logical in nature. They are all pressures from the clergy or the family. It seldom happens that somebody from the clergy or family will sit down with the brother and try to guide him from the Quran that the Bohras are right theologically.



There are also other external issues, which might influence a brother to come back to Bohraism:

1. The ‘other’ moulvis

The fact is that some of the ‘moulvis’ outside Bohra clergy, are probably worse cheats than the Bhaisahebs. They do not have that kind of pomp, power and pressure, but there are many who are basically cheats, conmen and liars, and would do anything to take some money out of you. But if a brother has read and understood the Holy Quran, it becomes very easy for him to realize who has God-consciousness and who is interested in the glitter and paltry gains of this world. But it might happen that the brother gets cheated by one of these ‘moulvis’, and then regrets taking all the pressures from family and friends, and concluding that all the clergy in Islam are the same, and returns to Bohrism.



2. Extremism

It all depends on which social gathering the brother moves into after he leaves Bohraism. There are some extremists, who are just interested in declaring this haraam and that haraam! These people make Islam look very difficult and do not use the wisdom and hikmah as was used by the Messenger of Allah (saws) in propagating Islam.



There are basically two steps he has to take to make sure he remains a Muslim in the true sense of the word:

1. Read and understand the Holy Quran properly in context.

Once a brother has read and understood the Holy Quran in context, and Allah has blessed him with Iman, there is very little that can influence him to leave the true deen of Islam! This Iman is such a powerful tool, that the man is ready to face any difficulties and trials in the cause of Allah, and looks forward to Allah for his reward. Once this basic education of the Quran is achieved, this brother will never be influenced by any personality, even though the scholar might be the most renowned scholar in the Islamic world. He will never be afraid to ask evidence of any ruling by the scholar from the Quran and Sunnah. And because he himself understands the basic context of the Holy Quran, he can determine himself if the ruling is from the Quran and Sunnah or not. If yes, he agrees with it, and if not, he disagrees with it.



I have realized that once somebody reads the Quran with understanding, nobody can mis-guide this brother in the matter of deen.



2. Socialize with brothers who are God-fearing.

When anybody converts to Islam, the Muslim brothers everywhere are very welcoming. Allah has put this love between the Muslims, whether they are practicing Muslims themselves or not! What this new convert must do, is stay close with the brothers who are God-conscious or God-fearing, and he will never go wrong. It does not take long to determine this at all. Even in small simple talk or meetings, one can realize if the brother fears Allah Alone, or has developed a fear and love of the world around him. If he is successful in finding even one good brother who is God-fearing, then that brother will already have a good circle of friends. And the easiest thing to do as a convert is make friends with the God fearing brothers, because they will love you for Allah’s sake, and not for the duniya. No matter what color, what nationality, what social bracket you belong to; if you are a convert to Islam, you will be welcomed with open arms into their gatherings and into their hearts.



You will also realize that a lot of the brothers who convert to mainstream Islam are very good Muslims, simply because they gave a deep thought to the verses of the Holy Quran, and only then decided to convert to Islam. Islam was not given to them by birth in a golden platter. Thus these brothers who have studied Islam and converted, are always more conscious of the bounty and blessing of being guided to Islam. If you look around you in the Islamic world, a lot of these converts are really doing a lot of good work for Islam. Siraj Wahhaj, Hamza Yusuf, Yusuf Islam, Bilaal Philips, Abdul Hakim Quick, etc. are all converts, and Maa Shaa Allah, really work hard in propagating the deen of Islam in various different fields of ‘daawah’.



But whatever the case, once a person understands the truth of Islam, he must come to the worship of the One Lord Alone. No matter how many difficulties and trials he has to face around him, he must make a solemn promise to himself, to bear all these trials with patience and wisdom. If one reads the trials that were let loose on the early converts and companions of the Prophet (saws) like Ammar bin Yasser (r.a.), Hadrat Bilal (r.a.), Hadrat Jaafar al Tayyar (r.a.), Hadrat Khabbab (r.a.), etc., he would realize that the trials one faces today pale in comparison!



Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 29 Surah Ankabut verses 2-7:

Do the people think that they will be left alone after they have once said, ‘We have believed’, and they will not be tested? The fact is that we have put to the test all those who have gone before them. Surely, Allah has to see who are the truthful and who are liars. And do those who are committing evil deeds reckon that they will outstrip Us? Evil is their Judgment. Whoever expects to meet Allah (should know that) Allah’s appointed time is about to come, and Allah hears and knows everything. Whoever will exert will exert for his own good. Allah is certainly Independent of all His creatures. As for those who believe and do good deeds, We shall wipe off their evils and reward them for the best of their deeds.



Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Fussilat (Ha Mim Sajdah) verses 30-32:

Those who said, ‘Allah is our Lord’, and then stood steadfast, angels descend on them and say, ‘Fear not nor grieve, and rejoice in the good news of Paradise that has been promised to you: we are your companions in the life of this world, and also in the Hereafter. There you will have whatever you desire, and whatever you ask for will be yours! An entertainment from the One, Who is All Forgiving, All Merciful.’



This is Allah’s promise to his believers, and who is there who can make a better promise than Allah Subhanah?

Shaitaan’s job in this world is to make evil deeds good and fair-seeming, and make good deeds look boring and exhaustive. When one comes to the true deen of Islam, Shaitaan scares him that he will loose his position and honor and family and wealth if he leaves the deen of Bohrism, although Allah promises the believers in the Holy Quran in Surah Fussilat that Allah sends his angels on the believers to give them comfort and solace. And Allah’s promise is always true…..



What the Bohras follow is mere conjecture and whims in the name of religion. They invoke these self-made leaders and worship and invoke at the graves of the pious Muslims, without any authority from Allah. Their holy men make them many promises regarding the hereafter, but they do not have the power or the means to fulfill them. Allah also makes some promises to the believers in the Holy Quran, and Allah indeed, without a doubt, has the Power, Means, Authority, and ability to fulfill each and every one of those promises!



May Allah give us the strength and patience to bear all the atrocities and brutality the ‘mushriks’ can throw at us. May Allah save us from the trials that were put on the ones who believed before us. May Allah not put on us a burden more than we can bear? Our only Protector and Helper is Allah, and whoever chooses Allah as his protector and helper, has made the right choice indeed. We beg Allah to give us whatever is good in this world, and whatever is good in the Hereafter. We beg Allah to take us into His Grace and Mercy on the Day of Judgment, when nothing except His Mercy will be between us going to the eternal Gardens of Bliss, or the everlasting torture of the fire of Hell.



Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is only ones. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.



Your brother and well-wisher in Islam,



Burhan

[Conscíous]

interesting for sure & thanks for sharing it with us

[Bohra spring]

Islam Helpline is a site that is a good alternative source of Islamic information and discusion for persons seeking Islamic guidance, and transition out of Dawoodi ritualsor tradition. It is currently light and not sophisticated but worth visiting and sharing. I hope it grows and gets better.

PDB forum is useful as it allows discussions from multiple parties freely, however there needs moderationr to make sure discussions remain objective and useful. PDB should find ways of creating a link to islam-helpline so that it has a broad network of information. Some of the discussions undertaken on PDB website are repeated and may have already been discussed.

[ghulam muhammed]

The co ordinator of the site Islam helpline is one Burhan who is an ex-dawoodi bohra !