My vision of religion

By nature, I am a man of strong, feelings. That is probably why I have been deeply inclined towards religion. There was a time when I was a strict observer of prayers and fasts. My chief practices were night vigils, prayers, rigors of self-confinement, visits to the shrines of saints, association with dervishes, seeking guidance from sublimated spiritual men, making offerings, persuading people to offer prayers, constructing mosque, preaching religion, etc. All the time, conventional religious beliefs and prejudices clouded my mind. I believed that my own salvation and that of the whole mankind lay in being deeply religious. Those who did not agree with my viewpoint, I considered them accursed and doomed. However, I began to shed my prejudices when I was exposed to the followers of other religions, held discussions with them studied their scriptures and pondered over reality in its broader context. Thus, the veil of hatred and narrow-mindedness, which had obstructed my vision, was lifted. Finally, there appeared big cracks in the isolated fastness of my Puritanism. - G M Syed.