On My Muslim Friends!

In today's context of the nation and people getting divided by the small-minded politicians and leaders with vested interests, I thought I shall share some of my personal experiences.

I have many Muslim friends, numerous acquaintances, and a few relatives. I had the pleasure of interacting with these Muslim brethren in several walks of life spread across various places in my home state Kerala, other parts of India, as well as abroad. In fact I have had the privilege of living the best part of my 27 years of life in one of the finest and outstanding Islamic countries of the world.

My friends span from members of the high strata of society to normal working population from the economically weaker sections. My wife's (Vasantha Unnikrishnan) situation is no different. As a teacher in Sharjah who taught mostly primary classes, she also had closely interacted with many children, parents, colleagues, and others from the Muslim community.

What particularly struck us most in these interactions over the years is the surprising and impressive fact that they have a unique common characteristic. 

They are the warmest, friendliest, and most hospitable people on the planet, no matter which part of the world they're from. 

This open and warm hearted approach while dealing with others is particularly striking, especially amongst their women and children.

In their friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, especially when we visit their homes, the ancient code of conduct 'Atithi Devo Bhava' ('Guest is equivalent to God'), prescribed in the Vedic scripture, acquires a new meaning and dimension.

It doesn't take much of a research to find out that the main common thread that runs through all of them, binds them together, sets them apart, and provides them this unique pleasing and amiable characteristic is their religion.

I am not a religious person per se, but had taken keen interest in all religions, in order to understand their teachings, principles, common characteristics, and differences. Being brought up in the most liberal Hindu way of life, l have the maximum latitude in the religious matters as no one has imposed any particular views on me.

As I was living in an Islamic country it was natural for me to find out more about the teachings of Islam. My curiosity to unravel the distinctive traits that I had observed in my Muslim brethren was another strong incentive to undertake a serious study of their religion.

This made me pour through several English translations, commentaries, and interpretations of the Holy Quran. Initially I found the experience rather frustrating as none of the books and websites were up to my expectations. But I knew instinctively that there has to be a far more interesting and scholarly treatment of the subject. It was after a few years that I found a source that was truly befitting and fulfilling.

My experience of a fascinating and fundamentally different approach that the author has advanced in translating the insightful ideas of the Holy Quran will be the subject of a future post.

In the meantime readers are invited to guess who might be this fine exponent of the teachings of the central religious text of Islam!

The only clue is that he is a noble son of this great nation. A nation that stands united in the midst of a multitude of cultural, social, physical, linguistic, religious, political, and ideological differences!

My invitation to guess the author of the Holy Quran version that I read, was taken by one of my friends, Basheer Vazhayil Parambath, who wondered whether I was referring  Dr Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad’s Quran translation, and he was right. 

My future post dated 05-07-2022 is here: Magnificent Translation of Quran!