AN INTERVIEW WITH DR RAJAT MALHOTRA
Dr Rajat Malhotra, a CPS International member
and a proponent of interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding, has received his doctorate in “A Study of
the Arabian Society after the Advent of Islam with
Specific reference to the Life of Prophet Muhammad”.
He has been associated with CPS International, New
Delhi since its very inception. Besides being the
CPS International Education Programme Global
Coordinator, he is a regular contributor of articles on
Islam and modernity like peace, democracy, jihad,
and more to various journals. He is a regular participant and organizer of
interfaith and Islamic programmes.
His academic interest in Islam in relation to modernity, peace, and
interfaith dialogue is applied through his efforts at the Centre for Peace
and Spirituality’s national and international initiatives toward dialogue and
peace-building efforts with different faiths. His objective understanding of
Islam is reflected in his words at a programme at IIC, New Delhi covered
by Life Positive magazine: “Do not judge Islam based on the actions of
Muslims. Evaluate the actions of Muslims using Islamic tenets”.
How were you introduced to Maulana Wahiduddin Khan? Kindly
describe your first meeting.
It was in the year 2001, probably the month of February when I first
visited Maulana Wahiduddin Khan at his residence. The meeting was
organized by Mr Khalid Ansari whom I had met through Ms Priya Malik
during a business interaction. Since we three had a spiritual interest,
Khalid suggested that we meet Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Saheb. He
introduced Maulana as someone who addressed the modern mind on
spiritual matters. I was reluctant to meet Maulana as I had never liked
Muslims. Khalid was the first Muslim I got comfortable with due to his
friendly behaviour. So, I agreed to meet Maulana upon his insistence.
My decision to meet him was also influenced by my long-burning desire
for getting answers to my troubling existential questions.
I remember my first interaction with Maulana Saheb. It was quite the
opposite of what I had expected. Maulana turned out to be so warm
and rational in his approach that I felt the strong urge to meet him again. That day I felt much at ease as if my soul was urging me on to
interact with him again. I believe that it was God’s intervention to make
me listen to my inner voice of meeting him again. I had a happy and
peaceful sleep that night.
What did you think of Islam before you met Maulana?
Islam, for me, was a religion of violence. I grew up thinking that it is a
very complex and difficult religion to understand. I consciously never
made any Muslim friends during my school, graduation, or postgraduation days because I didn’t like Muslims and particularly Islam.
It was also due to childhood conditioning. I always felt that the world
would be a better place without Muslims and Islam.
My opinion about Islam had developed looking at Muslim’s actions
around the world and seeing them at the forefront of all negative
news. Additionally, my grandparents and parents had to leave their
place of birth Pakistan during Partition. I had heard stories of horror,
terror, loss and pain from them since childhood. My parents still have
their passports with ‘Undivided India’ as their place of birth. Naturally,
my hatred and negative impression of Islam were a result of all these
factors.
Kindly provide some information about your family and education.
I come from an educated family. My mother was a lecturer in college
before her marriage and her brother was a principal of an engineering
college in Madhya Pradesh. My father’s family had a flourishing export
business which he left to work in a PSU. I did my Economics Hons. from
Kirori Mal College, Delhi University and then my MBA and a few other
finance certifications. Inspired by Maulana Saheb, I did MA and PhD in
Islamic Studies. My elder brother works in the Middle East heading a
company and my wife Stuti Malhotra had worked earlier with American
Express and has just finished her PhD. She is my strength and partner
in God’s work.
What inspires you to devote yourself wholly to the mission?
After meeting Maulana and discovering God through him, my mindset
changed from narrow thinking to universal thinking. The fact that there
are innumerable people like me waiting to discover the creation plan
of God and that our task of conveying God’s message will give us the
unfathomable reward of living closest to our Creator. This is enough
reason to dedicate myself to this mission.
All this thinking is due to Maulana’s personal attention and training.
He unfolded the real world (the Hereafter) to the CPS members. For
me, God, His angels and Hereafter are more real than this world. Once
you discover this reality, there is no reason for focusing on anything
else. When I read the life of the Prophet and his Companions and look
at how Maulana lived and sacrificed his life, it inspires me to the core
that I should follow in the same footsteps and not create new ones.
I also realize my helplessness and lacking in all aspects, but then the
Greatness and Mercifulness of God Almighty make me very hopeful.
What tasks are you shouldering after Maulana Saheb’s demise?
When Maulana was alive, my primary task was to manage all his
programmes globally. It was also my responsibility to look after CPSrelated coordination and correspondence on his behalf with individuals
and institutions. Post his demise, I am involved in daily correspondence
of CPS with all those involved in the mission. I am part of decision
making, networking, continuing weekly Sunday sessions and playing
the role of CPS Trustee.
Maulana’s central teaching was about being connected to God.
Kindly share the most inspiring teaching of Maulana in this regard.
His entire focus was on conveying the glory of God to humankind. Once
he said that in the Hereafter, there would be seats reserved for pious
people from human history. Most of these seats have been filled in
except one. This seat, he explained, is the seat for those who dedicate
themselves to the Love of God. Maulana said that this was his aim to
instil the love of God in a sincere seeker. To my mind, this is the most
beautiful thing to aspire for in one’s life. The love of God is everything. It
is this love of God which not only fills a person with God-realization, but
it would also become the reason to qualify for God’s neighbourhood.
Earning this ‘Seat of Love of God’ not only is great hope for all of us,
but at the same time, it gives us lifelong purpose to aspire for that seat.
How did the CPS spiritual sessions start and develop? What is their
significance?
It started in 2001 when three of us, i.e., Priya Malik, Khalid Ansari and I
met Maulana Saheb. The first interaction was so warm and nice that we
asked Maulana if we could come again and then there was no looking
back. The group kept getting bigger and bigger, and regular Saturday
and Sunday classes began. Soon the word spread and we began to
have the classes at CPS Hall.
A breakthrough also came with Sunday classes being streamed
live globally. This made people aware of the spiritual classes being
conducted by Maulana. We started recording and organizing these
lectures with the help of Dr Saniyasnain Khan, Naghma aapa and Mr
Navdeep Kapur. Later, these classes got amplified by Facebook Live
sessions. Maulana’s emphasis was to churn from this group sincere
CPS workers who would carry the mission after him.
That is why he used to say that his task is to create programme-makers
who would be able to manage their emotions and situations all by
themselves and come up with ideas and implement them with “I will do
it” spirit. So, there was a two-fold significance of these classes, firstly to
create a team of programme-makers globally and secondly, a call was
being given by Maulana to the whole world that Islam is the voice of
human nature and a religion of peace. Islam is not a religion of violence,
rather Islam gives man all the answers to his spiritual quest.
How would you describe your companionship with Maulana?
Maulana was the biggest blessing of God for me. Before I met him,
though I was doing well professionally, on my spiritual front, I had so
many troubling questions which remained unanswered. Due to this,
I felt deep emptiness from inside. After meeting him, there was no
looking back and with each subsequent interaction, he became the
most important person in my life.
I got so attached to him
that I could not think of a
day without him in my life.
I always dreaded the day
of separation. Though
this separation was a
certainty. This certainty,
I always pushed back
in my mind and tried to
forget. I thought maybe
he would live as long and
as many years as God has
destined for me. I prayed
and hoped my companionship with him will enter into the Hereafter
from this world without any amount of time being spent alone.
I realized in his companionship that after discovering God, there is
no work more important than conveying the Creation Plan of God to humanity. I miss him every single day and he is in my thoughts always.
He asked me once, "How would you handle things and CPS once I am
gone?" I replied with a heavy heart that I will try to think about what he
would have done in such a situation. He smiled and said, “Good, then
you won’t go wrong”.
But this meant a great sense of responsibility and to be forgiving,
having a big heart, not getting offended and above all, not losing focus
on the primary task of collectively taking CPS into its culminating role.
I am looking forward to meeting him again and never being separated
ever.
You have travelled extensively with Maulana. What are your
experiences with Maulana during these travels?
I travelled with him to different parts of India and the world like the USA,
Canada, Israel, Qatar, Poland, Cyprus, Dubai, Turkey, and Switzerland.
Every experience was precious as I got to witness his simplicity, his
wise handling of interactions and his burning desire of working towards
God’s cause disregarding the limitations of his very old age.
Once at Khaja Kaleemuddin Saheb’s (CPS USA Chapter head) place in
the US, a big container of translations of the Quran and Islamic books
arrived while we were still around. We all were pushing the heavy load
towards Kaleem Saheb’s storage room and to our disbelief, Maulana
himself started pushing it as he didn’t want to be left behind even in
that task. Such was his enthusiasm and love for God’s work.
I saw that he kept good care of his health. I would say that he justified
every single organ of his body that God gifted him. While on travel, he
never bothered about food, accommodation, or inconvenience as his
focus was always on the travel objective, i.e., to talk about God’s glory
and instil in people the accountability of our actions in the Hereafter. I
saw him as a man of mission who did not want to waste a single second.
His time management, disciplined approach, well-wishing attitude and
sensitive heart showcased him as a ‘well-wisher of humanity’.
You have had the opportunity to be with Maulana in his later
years. Would you like to share some pieces of advice that Maulana
imparted to you?
In his last few days, Maulana shared a few things with me in
confidentiality. One of the things that I would like to share which he
repeated in his last days was that whenever you find yourself at the
crossroads facing difficulties doing CPS work, then be steadfast and supplicate to God and in no time God’s angels will rush for the help. He
also said that if there arises a group who questions CPS, then you and
CPS members should not falter or give up, rather keep praying to God,
stay positive and work till you meet your Lord.
One thing Maulana said clearly was that, he considers only those
people his disciples who will manage their differences and do not leave
the CPS group. He said, to go against the mission of communicating
the message of the Quran to people, whatever the reason, will not be
accepted by God. One should stay united inspite of the differences.
Maulana further said that in spite of being misunderstood, if a person
continues to be in the mission and does not leave, and this he does for
the sake of God, his action will be highly rewardable in the Hereafter.
While we were having this conversation, Maulana began to cry and said,
"If you follow this advice, then mark my words, you will witness that on
the day of Judgement, angels will announce that here is the team which
managed differences on their own." He then said that there will be a
great welcome for such a group.
To my mind, this is the biggest reason for us staying together till we
play our roles. He never focused on quantity but on individuals. This
is the reason he was able to prepare a team so strong which has only
firmed up its resolve to carry his legacy forward after his demise. Had
he focused on quantity, the CPS mission would have been history by
now.
What is the CPS Peace Mission?
The CPS Peace mission is a mission of hope for humanity. There is
so much negativity, sadness, hate, feeling of hopelessness, jealousy,
and temptations in the world. All these are due to the people not
understanding why this world was created in the first place. What
is the Creation Plan of God? How can we discover our Creator? This
unawareness has led people to do whatever it takes to fulfil their
unlimited desires. This becomes the trigger to misusing one’s freedom
whether at an individual level or at the level of a nation.
The CPS mission has answered all the above questions in the
contemporary idiom. The CPS mission is based on the ideology
presented by Maulana who derived the principles of spirituality and
peace from the Quran, the practical model of the Prophet Muhammad
and sound principles of reason.
It is important to state here that the CPS mission is not the Delhi Team’s
responsibility but the responsibility of all CPS members worldwide as
it is a common platform to convey God’s message to our fellow beings.
To think of CPS as a brick-and-mortar office managed by a few core
people will be a grave mistake. To keep its purpose in sight and alive
is the responsibility of all those who identify themselves as members
of CPS wherever they reside or work. The onus is on every sincere and
serious CPS member whom Maulana trained for this mission. May we
fulfil Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Saheb’s mission. I pray to God to unite
us with Maulana in Paradise! Amen.
Kindly click on this link to watch Dr Rajat Malhotra
introduce the universal message of the Quran:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DttzU2D_8Fg
