My experience of Islam
Posted by amad on February 12 2008 02:25:50
After embracing Islam, Mr. Frederick Hameedullah Bowman delivered a lecture on 'The Message of Islam' in August 1939. We reproduce his declaration of faith before giving his 'Experience of Islam'.
DECLARATION
I, Frederick Hameedullah Bowman, of Liverpool, England, do hereby faithfully and solemnly declare of my own free will that I worship One and Only Allah (God) alone; that I believe Mohamed to be His Messenger and Servant; that I respect equally all Prophets-Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others, and that I will live a Muslim life by help of Allah.
La ilaha illa-Allah, Mohamed-ur-Rasulullah.
[There is but One God (Allah) and Mohamed is God's Messenger]
In response to a request from the Imam Sahib, I have much pleasure in outlining the circumstances in which I first heard the truths of Islam. My mother, Alice Bertha Bowman, poetess and novelist, whose writings have appreciatively accepted by Royalty, contributed, many years ago, articles and verses to "The Allahabad Review." This paper was published in India by Justice of the Hyderabad Deccen. As a small boy, I read this publication and others in which her contributions appeared, and I conceived and early ambition to see my own name in print, especially as my mother's story, "A Romance of LIangollen," had won an authorship prize in "The Anglo-Indian Week's Times." I myself showed aptitude for literature at school and became editor of the Fifth form Magazine. I was contributing to the public press before I left school, and Mr. Hameedullah, then a barrister, took a keen interest in my literary progress. I adopted his name. Now that he has, alas, passed away, my devoted gratitude is retained by his family, and I regularly correspond with his distinguished son, Mr. Mahmudullah, Home Secretary of the United Provinces of India, who so ably maintains the high traditions of his ancient Delhi ancestry. When I was at school, there was a Muslim mosque in Liverpool and I attended many services there with my mother. So interested did I become that I even tried to emulate the local Sheikh, and, in a home-made robe, I mounted a box at home to address my own meeting of neighbours and spread the truths of the Muslim Faith. The mosque eventullay closed, and, for some time, I was out of touch with the faith. I went on the stage, wrote many professionally toured plays, produced shows myself, had my stories and serials published by the leading London firms, wrote films and acted in some of them, and composed various songs. I have always sympathized with suffering animals, which was one of the characteristics of the Holy Prophet Muhamed, His humanity exteded to the lowest of creatures. I am now President of the Animal Service Association, which I founded for the protection of the beasts of burden. My latest song is "Women and War," a plea for peace. I have for some years been the editor of my own paper, "The Talking Picture News," and had the honour of being presented to King George the Fifth at the June Levee in 1934 at St. James's Palace. I noticed this year that the Imam Sahib of the Woking Mosque was to deliver an address on Islam at the Southport Religious Conference, so I went over to hear him. It gave me great pleasure to meet him afterwards, when we had a most intersting chat. I hope we shall keep in touch with each other. I was born in Liverpool, and my people were Protestants. I have, however, alway preferred to think for myself, and the Muslim view of God has always appealed to me.~1(see below Admin notice)
Frederick Hameedullah Bowman
Liverpool, England