AHMEDABAD: On August 29, a public meeting was convened in the Sultan Ahmed Yatim-Khana under the auspices of the Anjuman-i-Islam under the presidentship of Sir Mahboob I. Kadri, when Mr. Umedbhai Babarbhai, B.A., his wife, two sons and five daughters accepted Islam in the presence of a large Muslim gathering. The ceremony of conversion was performed by Sajjada Nashin Moulana Sayed Manzur Hussain Mashadi.

Mr. Umedbhai Patel belongs to a respectable Patidar family of Nadiad. He graduated in 1918 from the Gujarat College and joined Education Department. He worked as assistant teacher in Ahmedabad, Surat and Bombay Government High Schools and later as a clerk with the Imperial Bank at Ahmedabad as Assistant Cashier at Jabalpur and as Head Cashier at Nasik, and retired from that post. While he was at Ahmedabad, he came in contact with Rahimtoola Shah Nakshbandi of Bhopal from whom he learnt the teachings of Islam, and Moulvi Lal Mohamed Khan, B.A., taught him the Quran and the religious books at Jabalpur. He built a mausoleum on the grave of his teacher Rahimullah Shah Nakshbandi at Bhopal at a cost of Rs. 4,000. He was greatly honoured by the Muslims of Ahmedabad at various meetings. Mr. Umedbhai is now Mr. Abdul Hamid and the members of his family have also adopted Muslim names.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2018