by Zahack Tanvir
He eventually decided to embrace Islam, and visited a Masjid in Chennai to take Shahdah that is ‘There is no god but Allah and Mohammed ﷺ is His slave and Messenger’.
“I am going to pick up a millionaire monk who has come in a shared auto-rickshaw at the AC Guards Chowrasta (cross roads)”, exclaimed Farooq bhai about the former Monk Swami Anandaji who was invited in Masjid-e-Rahmania – AC Guards – Hyderabad, around 14 years ago to narrate his how-he-found-Islam story.
We were eager to see a man who was once a millionaire monk with his disciples coming from all walks of life, from top-brass politicians to business tycoons were his devotees, women would throng his ‘ashram’ to get blessings. He had well-functioning ‘Ashrams’ in United states, and affluent politicians would make bee-line to know their future political career.
But this man today is dressed in a simple shirt and a trouser, with a handkerchief (to avoid irritation due to sweat), and wearing regular flip-flops.
There came a Tamil-to-Urdu translator, probably a fresh graduate from the Islamic seminary of Omarabad – Tamil Nadu.
The lecture began, and he traversed through his past and the kind of life he had. He confessed of how these god-men live under constant fear of losing devotees and the Police arriving at their doorstep to expose their crimes. Yes, the crimes they commit behind the curtains.
He confessed of exploiting hundreds of women who would come to him to seek blessing to cure infertility.
He narrated his failed prophesy of predicting 90-years of age to an Indian politician, but he passed away within a few days. Fearing the backlash from the family of the politician, he instructed his men to never allow anyone to visit him. But to his amazement politician’s family pleaded him to carry out his last rites as it was the final wish of the deceased.
He exhumed the fact of how people behave like sheep by blind-following these god-men despite their follies are evident.
Film-actors to politicians, businessmen to industrialists would leave millions of rupees at his feet in order to get his spiritual blessings.
[File photo of the article shows him with Ram Vilas Paswan]
He confessed of performing all these ‘miracles’ with the help of ‘Devtas’ which he now refers to as ‘Jinn’.
However, one day he was travelling all the way from America to Bhutan. His eyes fell on a Muslim man with a bottle of Zamzam water next to him at the Airport.
Swami Anandaji became curious as to why this man intends to carry such a big bottle of water in the flight. He could not resist his curiosity, so he became inquisitive.
The Muslim man narrated the story of Prophet Ibrahim peace be upon him and his wife Hajera peace be upon him, and his son Ismaeel peace be upon him, and how the archangel Jibraeel peace be upon him was ordered by Allah to let Zamzam water gush out at the feet of Prophet Ismaeel peace be upon him.
Swami Anandaji was struck with awe, for a simple water carries such an amazing story. He expressed interest in reading Quran in Bhutanese language, upon which the Muslim man promised to courier him a copy of Bhutanese Quran.
After reading Quran and the biography of Prophet Mohammed ﷺ, conflicting ideas were flowing through his mind. On one hand he had fame, glamor, wealth, women, and the status of god, which shall lead him to eternal hell-fire in the hereafter. On the other hand, he had to choose Allah and His Messenger and follow him till the last breath to achieve the eternal paradise.
He eventually decided to embrace Islam, and visited a Masjid in Chennai to take Shahdah that is ‘There is no god but Allah and Mohammed ﷺ is His slave and Messenger’.
No sooner he adopted Islam, a chain of trails was to hit him. Right-wing Saffron activists poured boiling water over him and hit his right eye with a spade. He was determined and firm to follow Islam, as the struggling stories of the companions of the Prophet Mohammed ﷺ kept him inspired.
When Saudi Arabia’s religious authority came to know about a god who became man, they sponsored his treatment and his Hajj pilgrimage.
He is now known as Shaikh Mohibullah (the one who loves Allah), and he has busied himself with the call to Tawheed (Monotheism) and Sunnah (Prophetic narrations), inviting people to Islam and its unchallenged teachings.
Shaykh Riyaz Moosa Malbari, a preacher from Kerala penned a book in Urdu on his life ‘Ek Khuda Insaan Bangaya’ – a god became man.
People like Shaikh Mohibullah stand as a great inspiration in the history of mankind, and a great man for many Muslims to look up to and mend their renegade life-style.
As Quran says, there is no compulsion in Islam, the choice remains with the god-men, to choose between hell and heaven.
Zahack Tanvir is a regular blogger and holds diploma in Journalism from London School of Journalism. He tweets under @zahacktanvir.
