{"id":258,"date":"2012-07-15T11:18:57","date_gmt":"2012-07-15T09:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/web\/?p=258"},"modified":"2012-07-15T11:18:57","modified_gmt":"2012-07-15T09:18:57","slug":"indrani-and-chandara-ex-hindu-singapore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/?p=258","title":{"rendered":"Indrani and Chandara, Ex-Hindu, Singapore"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Muneerah Al-Idros (Interviewer)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sister Nishani (previously known as Indrani) and her husband, Brother Rafiq (previously known as Chandara) shared with Sister Muneerah Al-Idros, their path toward embracing Islam.<\/p>\n

Indrani was 6 years old when her father died.\u00a0 Her mother stopped praying as she felt that god had been unfair to make her a widow with 5 little children.\u00a0 Indrani and here brothers and sisters were brought up as nominal Hindus.\u00a0 They had neither an altar nor pictures of gods in their house, as many Hindus do.<\/p>\n

When Indrani was 10 years old she began to love god.\u00a0 She collected pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses and worshipped them at home.\u00a0 She felt the need to pray and thought it was odd that, unlike other Hindu families, her family performed few Hindu rites.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

During her teenage years, Indrani started going to temple thrice weekly.\u00a0 She encouraged some of her friends to go to the temple with her, as she quickly became more interested in Hinduism.<\/p>\n

She participated in bhajanai (devotional singing) activities and became a committee member in Ayyapan Group in Perumal Temple for several years.<\/p>\n

One day, Indrani became very ill.\u00a0 She consulted several doctors but was informed that there was nothing wrong with her.\u00a0 However, her illness persisted.\u00a0 She later consulted a Swami (a Hindu priest) so that he would clear the sevanai (evil spirits) that she suspected were dwelling inside her.\u00a0 The Swami and his assistant came to visit her.\u00a0 The assistant was Chandara, who was involved in her temple\u2019s religious rites, and who had also organized religious trips to Malaysia for Indrani and her friends.<\/p>\n

Indrani was very impressed with the knowledge the young man demonstrated while assisting the swami.<\/p>\n

After that visit, Chandara dreamt of his favorite goddess, Kaliamma, telling him to take Indrani as his bride.\u00a0 After much persuasion, his family asked for Indrani\u2019s hand in marriage.\u00a0 Indrani and her family were pleasantly surprised by the marriage proposal.\u00a0 Indrani could not believe that her dreams of marrying a pious Hindu had come true.<\/p>\n

Unlike Indrani, Chandara was brought up in a religious Hindu family.\u00a0 On top of that, Chandara was the most religious in his family.\u00a0 He would often slip into a trance, reciting the holy mantras in praise of the gods and goddesses who would [supposedly] possess him and speak through him.\u00a0 In Hinduism, it is considered an honor to be possessed by the gods or goddesses.<\/p>\n

Chandara and other members of the group often got together to listen to the teachings of the swami.\u00a0 They would also make house visits to chase evil spirits out of other people\u2019s houses and bodies.\u00a0 This is how Chandara was appointed to be the swami\u2019s assistant.<\/p>\n

Indrani had never entered into a trance but had seen Chandara [supposedly] being possessed by the elephant god, Vinayagar.\u00a0 Chandara would behave exactly like an elephant, eating the fruits that the elephant ate.<\/p>\n

When in a trance, Chandara would be approached to solve problems.\u00a0 Those who approached him would prostrate before him, for they regarded him as \u201cGod\u201d.\u00a0 The vibuthi (white ashes) used to anoint the forehead would be brought to Chandara to be blessed.<\/p>\n

Despite all this, Chandara did not feel complete.\u00a0 Dissatisfied, he knew there was something not right in his life.\u00a0 He failed to see the light and always felt that his path was blocked by some kind of darkness which he wanted to clear so he could reach the light.\u00a0 He knew that were 3360 Hindu gods and he prayed to several of them.<\/p>\n

Whenever he felt confused, he would go to the library to find out more about Hinduism.\u00a0 He learned from the elders but knew there was still a lot more to learn.\u00a0 Many of the Hindu priests did not want to share everything that they knew; knowledge was their rice bowl, and they did not want their source to be taken away.<\/p>\n

It was difficult to learn on your own about Hinduism, as most of the writings were in Sanskrit.\u00a0 Chandara could not find any holy books that satisfied his quest.\u00a0 All the books were written by different authors and each of them had different ideas about how and when Hinduism started.\u00a0 Even the Bhagavat Geeta (which emphasized more on Vishnu), Ramayana and Mahabrahta were very limited.\u00a0 These holy scriptures were more literature books, teaching that we should do good and pray to the gods.\u00a0 Above all these gods is the female god, who is the Aadhi Parasakhti.\u00a0 She controls the whole universe.\u00a0 The essence of Hinduism is to strive at getting a good reincarnation and to worship God and to pray to God through demigods.<\/p>\n

During this search for enlightenment, Chandara was approached by a Christian missionary worker in Toa Payoh.\u00a0 He got involved in Christianity in the hope of enlightenment.\u00a0 However, he did not like Christianity, mainly due to the behavior of the people in the church; he noticed that young men and women were behaving indecently.\u00a0 Christianity was not what he was looking for and he withdrew.<\/p>\n

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Still, Chandara could no longer bring himself to pray to so many gods.\u00a0 He could worship only one God spiritually and worship the other idols physically, but he did not know who the One God was.\u00a0 Chandara occasionally still got into a trance.<\/p>\n

Chandara had curious Malay friends asking him about Hindu worship.\u00a0 They did not tell him about Islam but they told him that unlike him they pray to one God: God.<\/p>\n

Chandara, who was the leader among his working mates, would go along with Malays when they performed their Zuhr prayer, waiting while they prayed.\u00a0 At the same time, he would pray to God in his heart, and ask for the right path.<\/p>\n

Chandara was very impressed with the adhan, which had a soothing effect on this.\u00a0 The adhan touched his heart so deeply, especially when it was followed by the prayer that his friends and other Muslims never failed to fulfill.\u00a0 He felt like it was so simple to recognize the true God.\u00a0 \u201cJust worship him.\u00a0 Why does one need all these idols and mediators?\u201d \u00a0It did not take long before he felt it was Islam and God that he had been searching for.<\/p>\n

After their marriage, his wife Indrani was still quite active in her temple activities.\u00a0 She became puzzled when her husband, a more pious Hindu than herself, used to hint repeatedly at the existence of one Almighty God, about praying to one God and that a true religion should not have many gods.\u00a0 Her mother-in-law felt that her previously pious son might have offended the gods.<\/p>\n

Even after marriage, Chandara continued his search for enlightenment.\u00a0 He was trying to search for his One God in Hinduism, trying to know the One God he was praying to spiritually.\u00a0 He was no longer interested in any of the temple activities, no longer got into a trance.\u00a0 His mother, while in a trance, pointed out that her son\u2019s change in behavior was due to his being under a charm.<\/p>\n

Chandara did not know anything about Islam except that in Islam, God is One.\u00a0 He would meditate daily and Uthrachamale (\u2026 rosary) Usually, he would be chanting the various god\u2019s names.\u00a0 However, this time when he called out their names he felt something was wrong so he just said in English, \u201cAlmighty God, Almighty God…\u201d In his meditation, he knew Muslims are praying to the true God.<\/p>\n

Chandara\u2019s biggest problem in practicing Islam was Indrani.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t like Muslims and was active with her temple activities.\u00a0 He tried to influence his wife on the teachings of Islam by turning on to the Malaysian Islamic programmed on televisions, like \u201cPedoman.\u201d Indrani would complain that it was not necessary for her husband to take so much interest in Islam.\u00a0 He took this opportunity to express to her that he no longer believed in Hinduism, reasoning that it does not have a holy book and a basis of belief.\u00a0 Failing to find out how Hinduism started it merely seemed a culture full of complexity brought down by their ancestors.<\/p>\n

He bought a translation of the Quran by Yusuf Ali and was deeply impressed when he read about the Prophets, of the beginning of mankind and of heaven and hell.\u00a0 He found many things that are necessary for every human bring to know and he encouraged Indrani to read it.\u00a0 When he read that idol-worshippers will be thrown to hell, he had all the idols and pictures removed from their home.<\/p>\n

Chandara now concentrated on learning more about Islam from various sources.\u00a0 He tried to learn more about Islam from his Malay friends.\u00a0 However, they usually could not give him answers to his questions.\u00a0 They suggested that he should seek help from \u2026 a religious teacher).<\/p>\n

Chandara started bringing home books on Islam, as well as on Christianity, Sikhism and Hinduism, telling his wife to read and make a comparison of these religions.\u00a0 Indrani was not interested she was very satisfied with her belief and with Hinduism.\u00a0 She told herself that there no way he could influence her with his idea of One Almighty God and swore in her heart that she would bring him back to her way.<\/p>\n

Indrani had no intention of reading the books her husband brought home.\u00a0 Yet when she had trouble sleeping at night, something made her pick up the Quran and read it.\u00a0 Again and again, when she could not sleep, it was the Quran that she picked up and read.\u00a0 She felt so lost because since her husband removed the Hindu deities from their home, she could no longer pray to them.<\/p>\n

Indrani began to have dreams.\u00a0 During her first pregnancy, she dreamt of the Kaaba.\u00a0 She related her dream to one of her Muslim colleagues, who the related Indrani\u2019s dream to her father.\u00a0 He told her that she was fortunate to have dreamt of the Kaaba.<\/p>\n

\n

She also dreamt of Hindu gods giving her warnings and threats but she had more dreams about Islam and pious Muslims.\u00a0 She continued to pray to Hindu idols, but wondered about her dreams.\u00a0 When she was expecting her third daughter, she had another strange dream.\u00a0 She heard a voice coming from the open window of the bedroom window.\u00a0 The voice said, \u201cI am Muhammad, the Messenger of God.\u00a0 Follow my way and all evil will go away.\u00a0 If you want to know more, ask your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

She awoke after this dream but fell asleep again.\u00a0 She had a second dream.\u00a0 In this dream, she saw herself telling her husband about her first dream.\u00a0 She asked him what the \u201cway\u201d was and he told her to look out the window.\u00a0 When she did, she saw Yusuf Islam dressed like an Arab giving a talk on Islam, surrounded by other people dressed like him.\u00a0 Indrani had never seen Yusuf Islam before but she had heard of him.\u00a0 Somehow, in her dream, she knew it was him.<\/p>\n

These dreams had a very strong impact on Indrani\u2019s belief.\u00a0 She became increasingly drawn toward Islam and wanted to follow the way of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.\u00a0 She recalls that she wanted to accept Islam, but was afraid as she was expecting her third child.\u00a0 She feared something would befall her baby as she thought of the threats the Hindu deities had made in her dream.\u00a0 After her delivery, Indrani told her husband that she was ready.<\/p>\n

They were told about Dar-ul Arqam – The Muslim Converts\u2019 Association of Singapore, where they could register their reversion to Islam.\u00a0 Chandara initially refused as he thought Dar-ul Arqam was affiliated to [another strange organization].\u00a0 They went to Jamiyah (Islamic Theological Society of Singapore) instead, and registered their names as Mohamed Rafiq and Nishani.<\/p>\n

When they announced their reversion, they encountered many problems.\u00a0 This was especially so when Indrani started wearing the hijab.\u00a0 Their parents, siblings, relatives and friends who used to hold them dear, now chided them.\u00a0 All the friends Indrani guided to Hinduism now refused to have anything to do with her, for fear that she may succeed in bringing them to Islam.\u00a0 They were especially surprised because Indrani used to dislike Muslims more than they did.\u00a0 Indrani\u2019s parents warned her that her husband must have a hidden interest in having more than one wife.<\/p>\n

Indrani and her husband, ostracized by their parents, missed the affection they previously received from them.\u00a0 Indrani repeatedly told herself that since God loves her so much, the sacrifice she was making in losing her family was nothing.\u00a0 She knows that no one loves her more than God Himself.<\/p>\n

Learned Hindus and gurus tried to bring Chandara back to Hinduism but he turned them down politely.\u00a0 They then severed their relationship with him.\u00a0 Indrani\u2019s family swore to see that he children Nisha, Nafeesa and Natasha be brought back to Hinduism when they grow up, refusing to acknowledge their grandchildren\u2019s Muslim names.\u00a0 The children, now studying at the Madrasah (Islamic school), are very pleased with their religion.\u00a0 Chandara encourages them to wear the hijab, even though they are still young, with the intention of getting them used to veiling.\u00a0 The parents observed that the children like the hijab so much that they themselves refuse to remove it.<\/p>\n

Despite being rejected by their families, Indrani and Chandara never gave up trying to improve their relationship with them.\u00a0 Today, both Indrani\u2019s and Chandara\u2019s mothers have expressed that they have a filial son and a filial daughter. Alhamdulillah [All praise is to God].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Muneerah Al-Idros (Interviewer) Sister Nishani (previously known as Indrani) and her husband, Brother Rafiq (previously known as Chandara) shared with Sister Muneerah Al-Idros, their path toward embracing Islam. Indrani was 6 years old...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[36,275],"class_list":["post-258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-about-islam","tag-convertd","tag-new-muslim"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=258"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions\/260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}