Rajeev Sharma is a Marwari and Hindi writer from Rajasthan who has recently published his e-book on the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) in Marwari. He has written several books but the choice of subject for his latest book has left some in Rajasthan, the state where the language is widely spoken, intrigued. In an interview with AYUSH RANKA of The Wire, a web portal, Sharma reveals why he has written a book on the life of Prophet Muhammad.
Sharma said: “It was about 15 years ago, when I was in 9th standard, that I started a library in my native village. While reading books is considered a major task in schools, I have always been very interested in reading. Because of my deep interest in reading I got an opportunity to read many books of diverse nature, ranging from comics to mythological books. During that time I found a pocket book depicting the life of Prophet Muhammad. It was when I was reading that, that I realised he spent his whole life struggling against negativity, but despite all the sad events in his life, his belief in God was as strong as a rock.
“Apart from finding the book, two other incidents shaped my interest in the Prophet. I am from a Hindu-Brahmin family, but have always tried to protest against bad rituals and the ways of these so-called godmen, which ultimately only benefit them. In my village there was a priest who also worked as a moneylender. He would give out loans to villagers on sky-high interest rates. At times, the interest would have risen to lakhs, when the principal was only a few thousand rupees. Seeing him ruin the lives of people in the village, I was reminded of how Prophet Muhammad was one person who had clearly said that taking interest was a sin. He said it was motivated by evil.
“Another time I had heard the story of a girl who was born in our family. When she was barely 5 years old, the family fixed her marriage because in the eyes of priests, marrying a girl before 12 years of age was a dharma vivaah! As luck would have it, at the time of the marriage itself her groom died. The priest then decided that the girl would live her life as the man’s widow. This incident always made me sad, and again I found resonance in the life of Prophet Muhammad, who had married a widow.”
On being asked whether the subject of his next books also be related to Islam, Sharma, who is eager to print this e-book, said: “…. I want to write about the teachings of the Qur’ān, which I think would be useful for everyone. I am also planning to write a book on Prophet Muhammad’s associates and people close to him. I want these books to be available in English and Hindi, too, along with Marwari.”