[Book Review] Journey Towards Epiphany

CHISELED PERCEPTIONS

Dr. Parvez Shabbir Mandviwala

Huda Publications

PP 56, 2017, Indian Rupees 50

Renowned motivational speaker and behavioral scientist Steve Maraboli was spot on when he said: “On your quest to spirituality it is often required to suspend your rationality; but true spirituality asks that you enhance your rationality”. As you glance through the pages of ‘’Chiseled Perceptions’’ you cannot but appreciate the sincere dedication with which the author Dr. Parvez Mandviwala set about in his quest for the truth and did not allow himself to be cowed down by challenges both external and within his own spirit. It is not an easy thing in the society that we live in to first zero in on “the truth”. We are so drawn in by the mundane activities for catering to our bare necessities and fulfilling the demands of our cravings and desires that we hardly have time and inclination to foster our spiritual demands which seek answers to fundamental questions and trace the map of true spirituality. There are many who traverse that journey and do reach some kind of vague realization of ‘the truth’. But even after scaling that spiritual peak it requires a great deal of courage and grit to drastically alter one’s entire worldview and then act according to the commandments of the new faith or “straight middle path” as the author calls it. The demands and dictates of a new belief system and way of life would obviously incur the wrath of parents, invite social boycott and propel one into an unknown world full of trials and tribulations. But not only has the author taken on those challenges head on, he has also accomplished the unenviable task of chronicling that very personal spiritual odyssey for us so that we too may benefit from it.

The roots of the author’s “Chiseled Perceptions” lie in his family background, and the way in which the author has described the story of how his parents (Shia Bohri boy marrying a Sunni girl) came together, making history of sorts, is gripping as well as very revealing about many customs, traditions and collective life of the Shia Bohra community, the details of which are not known to many. Although the author is very critical of his ancestral community, his critique is based on objectivity and never stoops to the level of a diatribe or outright denigration.

The initiation of the author unto the road towards enlightenment is described so vividly and yet so succinctly by the author that you breeze through the pages graphically visualizing the amazing spiritual journey and wanting to know what and when would happen next. The author has obviously worked very hard on the choice of words and the story he wants to put across to his audience and I must admit in all honesty that he has been very successful in both getting the message across as well as keep the reader hooked to finding out where the travel track of this odyssey finally ends. The author’s assessment of how being born into an irreligious family helped him indirectly towards the ‘straight middle path’ is also very insightful.

There are some portions of the book that some readers may find to be in the ‘binary zone’ and where the author is a bit pertinacious. But the honesty with which he gives his opinion and shares his experiences with different religious organizations (Jamaats) is truly admirable and is understandable as it forms part of the explanation of the steps the author has taken slowly but surely to scale unto the terra firma of unshakable faith and belief. The author’s experience with the Tableeghi Jamaat, the AhleHadees and study of other religions is a personal account of the author who weighed them on the scales of reason and rationality.

The last portion of the book is the narration of a very clinical approach adopted by the author over the question of which Jamaat to join and serve Islam. In the author’s own words: “Of the organizations that I considered satisfactory, there were five: Tanzeem-e-Islami, Maulana Sajjad Nomani, IRF, Wehdat-e-Islami and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind(JIH). Let’s take them one by one”.The author has described his encounters and experiences with each and then given a detailed account of how he finally got convinced that the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind ticked all the boxes that he was looking for in an Islamic organization. The author is presently the Ameer-e-Maqami (Unit President) of the Mira Road unit of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (Maharashtra Chapter) and knows the ideology, the leadership, the intricacies and working style of JIH. So, his answers to the common objections against JIH are not based on conjecture or speculation but are derived from a solid understanding of personal experience and thorough grounding of JIH literature.

“Chiseled Perceptions” by Dr. Parvez Mandviwala makes for compulsory reading for any serious student of religion, spirituality and those interested in the motivations and inner thoughts of the thousands of young Muslims who gravitate towards joining religious organizations for spiritual contentment based on their understanding of religion. The confrontation that the author has with his father that is described in the final pages of the book provides ample evidence of the sincerity and earnestness that the author is full of and which radiates throughout this gem of a book. Get your hands on “Chiseled Perceptions” if you have an appetite for insight and higher consciousness.