Why Did They Become Muslims

ody and contenting himself with the milk of a goat which he
continuously kept with him, he carried over his passive resistance.
The first reaction on the part of the British was to laugh at him. It
did not take them long, however, to see with astonishment and
dismay that this man, who believed his own ideals with all his heart
and who was ready to sacrifice all his existence with alacrity for the
sake of his country, was with the entire India in tow and
resounding with his speechless struggle. Imprisoning him proved
to no avail. Gandhi’s efforts resulted in India’s attaining its
independence. The Hindus gave him the name ‘Mahatma’, which
lexically means ‘blessed’.
Gandhi studied the Islamic religion and Qur’ân al-kerîm with
meticulous attention and finally found himself a sincere admirer of
Islam. The following is his observation concerning this subject:
“Muslims have never indulged themselves in bigotry even in
times of greatest grandeur and victory. Islam enjoins an
admiration for the Creator of the World and His works. As the
West was in a dreadful darkness, the dazzling star of Islam shining
in the East brought light, peace and relief to the suffering world.
The Islamic religion is not a mendacious religion. When the
Hindus study this religion with due respect, they, too, will feel the
same sympathy as I do for Islam. I have read the books telling
about the life-style of the Prophet of Islam and of those who were
close to him. These books generated profound interest in me, so
much so that when I finished reading them I regretted there being
no more of them. I have arrived at the conclusion that Islam’s
spreading rapidly was not by the sword. On the contrary, it was
primarily owing to its simplicity, logicality, its Prophet’s great
modesty, his trueness to his promises and his unlimited
faithfulness towards every Muslim that many people willingly
accepted Islam.
“Islam has abrogated monastic life. In Islam there is no one to
intervene between Allâhu ta’âlâ and His born slave. Islam is a
religion that commands social justice from the outset. There is not
an institution between the Creator and the created. Anyone who
reads Qur’ân al-kerîm, [i.e. its explanations and books written by
Islamic scholars], will learn the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ
and will obey Him. There is no obstruction between Allâhu ta’âlâ
and him in this respect. Whereas many ineluctable changes were
made in Christianity on account of its shortcomings, Islam has not
undergone any alterations, and it preserves its pristine purity.
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